Definition of a Troll

[Sandman]

You know me... I gotta give 'em the benefit of a doubt.

[Nash]

I take a bit of an issue with the whole "troll" thing, and disagree with Skuzzy's and Pyro's characterization of it.

As a recent example, let's say you wanted to discuss the Duke Cunningham debacle. For whatever reason. It interests you and you want to hear other people's perspectives.

What happens? Some guy will go "...but, but, but, Clinton sucks!" and then another will go "yeah whatever - Boosh is teh evil!" and then the whole thing goes down in flames.

It happens so often that the the posts themselves are seen as trolling, because by god, don't people know what's going to happen next? And they posted it anyways?!

The prevailing view, it would seem, is that you shouldn't post subjects that are perfectly worthy of reasonable discussion, due to the existence of unreasonable people. Therefore the poster is a troll.

That's like saying a bar fight is a perfectly acceptable result of a game of pool, and not the fault of the morons who get their shirts in a knot over a game. Therefore, no more pool table.

This was beautiful:

======================
john9001: "dumb neocons don't know how to launder money, it takes a democrat to do it right, ( see clinton/whitewater)"

Toad: There's the fork in the thread. It either now takes the high road or the low road. "
=======================

That sums it up right there for me. john9001's comment is typical of why threads go bad. To blame the original poster for trolling is to want to accept the dumbing down of this place. To say "You're gonna get these guys who will react this way, so why do you do it?" is to accept that we all have to speak john9001's language to get along.

I loved the way Toad handled it. If there is any issue regarding the new moderation here, I'll have my eye on how the Mods will handle these types of derailments the most closely.

[A_Clown]

It is probably good advice to ignore trolls no matter what the Authors handle may be.

[NUKE]

I know people have said that I troll a lot, and Nash even felt that I am deceptive in my persona here.

The truth is that 98% of what I say and what I post is what I really feel in my heart. I like controversial discussions and always have. I have very strong opinions about a lot of things......a lot of things interest me. I don't like to be bored and stay away from threads I consider boring. I don't consider myself to be a troll, yet have been told by Skuzzy in the past that he considered me a troll.

I have absolute compassion for anyone who posts about a personal loss or even a news story about a tragic event. I could never understand how people would want to degrade a poor woman who was probably killed in Aruba, for instance.....but there are people who will do that sort of thing without remorse. I have a very low opinion of those people.

I sometimes fall and attack people personally ( mostly name calling, minor stuff), but honestly try not to do that.

[AWMac]

Hey we're talking about Personal feelings here... Personal Attack on Trolls!!!!

All kidding aside, Trolls we don't need in here.

mac

[Saintaw]

So... where is this contest for acting like schoolboys? And why am I not signed up???

[Hangtime]

The terminology is kinda slippery.. we say 'troll' we mean 'antagonistic negative diatribe' and 'thread hijacker' and 'subject/discussion not pertinent' pretty much interchangeably.

Easier to say 'troll'.. less emotional baggage than 'pinhead with a negative attention gratification complex'.

In Gsholz situation, I would normally have went ahead, rolled up my sleeves and had fun plucking his figurative wings off in a debate (any debate will do).. but since we're supposed to be self-policing this crummy dump and turning it into a higher classed establishment & since the bouncer has already made it plain his mangy butt wasn't allowed in the place, it seemed like the right thing to do was 'cold shoulder' the guy till the bouncer got his ticket punched.

again.

Now, as long as we do like Toad did and put our shoulders to the trunklid when some doofus leaves a wreck in front of the place, mebbe the clintele will get the message and stop dropping their trash off here.

I do hope it all works out, but I'm damned if I gonna put onna skirt, stuff melons in my tank top and start pickin up the empties for tips.

[airbumba]

Well if people can't stop interjecting crap and degrading threads, whether it comes from their heart or not, then the community will have failed at controlling itself, and cya later O Club.

It's always been that negative thread degrading crap that's kept people from posting here, myself anyway.

[Pei]

Originally posted by straffo
Violation of Rule 6 :

 

Hangtime .... guitly
Sandman .... guitly
straffo      ....... guitly

Hang 'em all I say, and let God sort them out!

[Pongo]

Troll can also mean
"someone that disagrees with me"
Ive seen it used that way.

[Suave]

Trolls are often considered a hideous and deplorable race that carries a sickening smell. This view suits the Troll as they are generally unpleasant to everyone. Trolls are an immense race, at least twice as strong as the average human. They have the ability to regenerate faster than most other races. Trolls have two primary motivators: food and power. These grotesque creatures will eat just about anything.

Trolls are extremely cruel and their greed is almost insatiable. They trust no one, not even each other. Trolls also fancy they have advanced abilities in the culinary arts, with their ability to pickle just about anything, or make a meal out of "spare parts."

Trolls generally detest the other races, including other Trolls. They tend to put up with the Dark Elves out of fear, much like Ogres do.

The former city of Grobb lies within the Innothule Swamp of Antonica. It is called Gukta now that it has been taken over by the Frogloks. Grobb once housed the fearsome Trolls, until the recent conquest of Grobb forced the Trolls to take shelter within the Foreign Quarter of Neriak.

[Skuzzy]

Nash, pardon me for saying, but you appear to be over analyzing what is considered a troll, or what we at HTC consider trolls.

Trolls have a definate agenda and a definate posting style.  Typically, when they start a thread, the simply use someone else's content and do not even bother adding anything to it.  This is the lazy troll and the most obvious.  The content is almost always controversial so as to get a 'rise' out of the board members.
These trolls will normally leave if they are left alone as they live for the aftermath of thier posts.  Or they will continue to spurn posters who post in those threads.  Finding the 'hot buttons' of poeple and pushing them continually.

Inside of threads, a troll is usually inciteful.  They do not add to the content of the discussion and, more often than not, they try to deter or derail the discussion through the use of highly negative or abrasive input.  The input may be close to the topic, but it is almost always inflammatory and brief.


The above rules are not hard and fast.  They are general characterizations.  But the above do nothing for the discussion process and have a highly negative effect on the quality of the forum.
The general defination of a troll is someone who is not interested in having a discussion.  The goal for them is to garner attention.  They tend to be narcissistic as well.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Skuzzy
These trolls will normally leave if they are left alone as they live for the aftermath of thier posts.
 

Originally posted by FaliFan
lol go hangtime!

In most cases....