Internet Trolling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet Trolling is not permitted on CARM forums, please check your messages before you post them and refrain from this particular internet behavior.
On the Internet, a troll is a person who posts messages that create controversy or an angry response without adding content to the discussion, often intentionally, merely as a ludibrium. Though technically different from flaming, which is an unmistakable direct personal attack, trolls often resort to innuendo or misdirection in the pursuit of their objective, which is to create controversy for its own sake, discredit those with whom they disagree, or sabotage discussion by creating an intimidating atmosphere.
Examples
Common types of troll messages or activities:
* off topic messages – "Can anyone help me make a webpage?" "No, this is a music forum."
* inflammatory messages – "You are an idiot for including this type of message in your list."
* messages containing an obvious flaw or error – "I think 2001: A Space Odyssey is Roman Polanski's best movie."
* absurdly naive or politically controversial messages -- "I think George W. Bush is the best President ever"
* posting an outrageous argument deliberately constructed around a fundamental but obfuscated flaw or error.
* posting an outrageous claim and then insisting it's true unless people refute it to your satisfaction, which of course will be impossible.
* unable to walk away from an argument.
* makes loud claims to be on the defensive, but the claims are a guise for their aggressive maneuvers.
* passive aggressive name calling, in which no names are mentioned, but are implied.
An example of a troll message in the newer sense would be one that denounces a particular religion in a religion newsgroup -- though historically, this would have been called "flamebait".
Dealing with trolls
There is some generally-accepted wisdom about dealing with Internet trolls: "Don't feed the trolls, that will only encourage them." That is, do not respond to them, that is the attention they desire. Or, at best, one will be drawn into dialogues that waste your time.