The definitive guide to Trolls

[matthew]

In response to this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1032039) I decided it was time to sit down and compile a clear definition of a troll followed by some examples, links and ways to deal with them. Please feel free to add your thoughts. I am not the original author of much of this material, in fact most of it is blatently borrowed from the sites linked at the bottom. I am merely the one who compiled the information for this thread.

----Definition----

An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Trolls delight in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_wars).

A classic troll tries to make us believe that he is a skeptic. He is divisive and argumentative with need-to-be-right attitude, "searching for the truth", flaming discussion, and sometimes insulting people or provoking people to insult him. A troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them.

While he tries to present himself as a skeptic looking for truth ... his messages usually sound as if it is the responsibility of other forum members to provide evidence that what forum is all about is legitimate.

]He (and in at least 90% of cases it is he) tries to start arguments and upset people.

Sometimes, he is skeptical, trying to scare people, trying to plant fear in their hearts. Sometimes, Internet troll is trying to spin conflicting information, is questioning in an insincere manner, flaming discussion, insulting people, turning people against each other, harassing forum members, ignoring warnings from forum moderators.

Trolling is a form of harassment that can take over a discussion. Well meaning defenders can create chaos by responding to trolls. The best response is to ignore it, or to report a message to a forum moderator. Ubuntuforums moderators usually move troll messages to the jail and may even ban trolls after a few unheeded warnings. Negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users.

Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate backlash.

When trolls are completely ignored they sometimes step up their attacks, desperately seeking the attention they crave. Their messages become more and more foul, and they post ever more of them. Alternatively, they may protest that their right to free speech is being curtailed. Perhaps the most difficult challenge for a moderator is deciding whether to take steps against a troll that a few people find entertaining. Some trolls do have a creative spark and have chosen to squander it on being disruptive. There is a certain perverse pleasure in watching some of them. Ultimately, though, we have to decide if the troll actually cares about putting on a good show for the regular participants, or is simply playing to an audience of one -- himself. For this reason the staff here often intervene, either with a warning in a thread, jailing one or more posts, sending private messages to offenders, and even banning people--temporarily or permanently--from these forums.

As an idea, the next time you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, maybe you could just write a follow-up message in the thread entitled "Troll Alert" and type something like this: The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages. It is well known that most people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers.
The goal of the Ubuntuforums is to provide a place where people wanting to share experiences using Ubuntu or Linux in general can do so as well as give and receive technical assistance in a friendly, pleasant environment. Trolls disturb and disrupt community and are neither welcomed nor tolerated. There are lots of "free speech" forums available for political, religious, "not safe for work" and family-unfriendly sorts of interactions. If you feel the need to troll, please seek out one of these places.

----Troll Spotting----

Trolls often have many basic characteristics in common:

1. Low post count. Trolls usually do not last long enough on a forum to rack up a large number of posts. Be particularly suspicious of any poster whose count is not yet in double digits and who appears to be causing trouble.

2. Suspicious IP addresses. Puppet accounts will have IP addresses identical to that of the TiQ.

3. Suspicious E-mail Addresses. Accounts that are similar in nature to those of the TiQ can indicate a puppet account. AOL accounts, for example, are particularly suspect, because AOL allows multiple usernames for a single account.

4. Syntax and grammar. Trolls, particularly Deceptives, invariably have trouble hiding their writing styles. Puppet accounts, or serial accounts created after previous accounts have been thoroughly discredited, will display traits similar to that of the TiQ.

----Links/sources----

These links are the source of much (almost all) of what is contained here. They also go into much greater detail than I have.
http://themartialist.com/pecom/fieldguidetotrolls.htm
http://curezone.com/forums/troll.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

----Other Link----

This link is not a source, but a complementary site. If you enjoy this thread, you are certain to enjoy it.
http://www.flamewarriors.com/index.htm

[matthew]

Part 2...

----Humorous descriptions of various troll types----

THE MAJOR BREEDS

The Vulgar Troll. These, the crudest of all trolls, make no attempt to hide their species. Often, they make racist comments, or they may post porn and other spam. Vulgars usually confine their comments merely to primitive, profane, off-topic observations. When you log into the Really Profound Serious Philosophical Discussions board and see the post, "I smell my farts," you've spotted the Vulgar Troll. Other species of troll sometimes revert to this form when cornered.

The Deceptive or "Classic" Troll. More sophisticated but often easily identified and exposed, the Classic Troll gratifies his ego by pretending to be someone or something he or she is not. Classics make up elaborate stories about themselves, sometimes weaving some amounts of truth into their lies. As a web of lies is difficult to build with consistency, however, Classics are often "outed" by other forumites. When this happens, Classic Trolls have a bag of tricks to which they turn:

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 1: If the heat gets too much for you, claim it was all "a joke." In this way you can excuse any and all deceit by claiming people just weren't smart enough to "get" the humor of it.

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 2: Create another account, and log on pretending to be someone else, in order to show support for the Troll in Question (TiQ). These puppet accounts sometimes claim to be disinterested third parties. At other times they pretend to be "friends" of the TiQ.

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 3: When your lies paint you into a corner, claim that your little brother, or some unnamed friend, has commandeered your account and made you look foolish. This technique can also be applied in claiming that the puppet account(s) you created may not, in fact, be disinterested third parties or friends, but that they are your relatives ("little brother" is most common) only trying to help support you.

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 4: When nothing else works, claim that now, finally, you're telling the truth about all the lies you told before. Make up a fresh set of lies, and throw yourself on the mercy of the forumites.

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 5: When all else fails, claim to be leaving forever. Trolls who claim they are leaving never do, of course; you can bet that anyone who proclaims, "I'm never coming back here," will most certainly at least check back for responses, and probably will not be able to resist posting again.

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 6: Have a tantrum. When all their other tricks are exhausted, Classic Trolls will become angry and start shouting. Often they revert to Vulgar Trolls when this happens.

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 7: The insincere apology. Similar to Tactic 4, this involves pretending to repent for one's trolling and is accompanied often by great melodrama. Insincere troll apologists hope that they'll be forgiven if only they act disgusted enough with their own behavior.

The Contrarian Troll. A sophisticated breed, Contrarian Trolls frequent boards whose predominant opinions are contrary to their own. A forum dominated by those who support firearms and knife rights, for example, will invariably be visited by Contrarian Trolls espousing their beliefs in the benefits of gun control. It is important to distinguish between dissenters and actual Contrarian Trolls, however; the Contrarian is not categorized as a troll because of his or her dissenting opinions, but due to the manner in which he or she behaves:

– Contrarian Warning Sign Number One: The most important indicator of a poster's Contrarian Troll status is his constant use of subtle and not-so-subtle insults, a technique intended to make people angry. Contrarians will resist the urge to be insulting at first, but as their post count increases, they become more and more abusive of those with whom they disagree. Most often they initiate the insults in the course of what has been a civil, if heated, debate to that point.

– Contrarian Warning Sign Number Two: Constant references to the forum membership as monolithic. "You guys are all just [descriptor]." "You're a lynch mob." "You all just want to ridicule anyone who disagrees with you."

– Contrarian Warning Sign Number Three: Intellectual dishonesty. This is only a mild indicator that is not limited to trolls, but Contrarians display it to a high degree. They will lie about things they've said, pull posts out of context in a manner that changes their meanings significantly, and generally ignore any points for which they have no ready answers.

– Contrarian Warning Sign Number Four: Accusing the accusers. When confronted with their trolling, trolls immediately respond that it is the accusers who are trolls (see Natural Predators below). Often the Contrarian will single out his most vocal opponent and claim that while he can respect his other opponents, this one in particular is beneath his notice.

– Contrarian Warning Sign Number Five: Attempts to condescend. The Contrarian will seek refuge in condescending remarks that repeatedly scorn his or her critics as beneath notice – all the while continuing to respond to them.

– Contrarian Warning Sign Number Six: One distinctive mark of Contrarian Trolls is that every thread in which they dissent quickly devolves into a debate about who is trolling whom. In the course of such a debate the Contrarian will display many of the other Warning Signs mentioned above.

The YerATroll. YerATrolls are those whining forumites who devote a tremendous amount of time and energy complaining about the tremendous amount of time an energy expended by Troll Bashers and Angry Forumites on the practice of troll-hunting. A self-righteous and hypocritical breed, YerATrolls spend all their time pointing fingers at everyone but trolls, petulantly demanding that their opinions be granted the significance the YerATroll believes they deserve. YerATrolls often start threads excoriating others for troll-hunting, all the while completely oblivious to the fact that they're engaging in trolling by picking fights with everyone else. One of the most ill-tempered of troll species, YerATrolls are characterized by a childish need for attention disguised as cynical nobility and pretensions of being "above it all."

The Agenda Troll. Agenda trolls are those participants who join a forum specifically to pursue an agenda of their own – often a feud or grudge with another member, or perhaps a dispute with some party not participating in that forum. When a flame war erupts on another board, for example, Agenda Trolls will follow their opponents to other forums in order to continue the spat.

– Some Agenda Trolls are subject-matter oriented. An Agenda Troll who thinks Self-Defense Instructor X is a fraud, or who feels he has been ripped off or otherwise dealt with unfairly by Instructor X, will visit forums devoted to self-defense and martial arts in order to spread his or her negative opinion of Instructor X.

– Agenda Trolls may also be of the milder Spam Agenda subspecies; these are Trolls who join a board specifically to advertise some venture of their own. They are not often troublesome, though their shameless plugging is met with varying degrees of irritation.

The Sophist Troll. Sophist Trolls, or "philotrolls," fancy themselves Enlightened Philosophers or Learned Experts of the highest order. Often well educated, Philotrolls are capable of speaking intelligently on a number of topics, and when the spirit moves them they can be worthwhile forum participants. Unfortunately, Sophist Trolls are an extremely hostile and intolerant species.

When confronted by opinions with which they do not agree – particularly when they do not see any means of successfully arguing their contrary views – Sophists resort (repeatedly) to a variety of intellectually dishonest tactics. Most often, this is characterized by an overly snide, condescending, patronizing attitude. Philotrolls consider anyone with whom they do not agree to be "immature," and are fond of quoting that old saw that "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

When cornered they are quick to resort to personal attacks. A philotroll's bag of rhetorical tricks includes a variety of transparent ploys, such as willfully misinterpreting the opponent's words, committing Straw Man fallacies, accusing his or her opponents of engaging in the very tactics used by the philotroll, and so forth.

When engaging in their sophistry, philotrolls are among the most hypocritical and aggravating of trollkind.

The Affected Profundity Troll. A mutant subspecies of Sophist Trolls, Affected Profundity Trolls post endless pages of pretentious drivel that is intended to appear wise, but which generally makes little sense (if any). Affected Profundity Trolls enjoy asking themselves questions, sometimes answering them and sometimes leaving them hanging, for they believe this looks intelligent and lends an aura of mystery to their incoherent ramblings. Affected Profundity Trolls aspire to become Sophist Trolls, but lack the intelligence necessary to make the leap.

The Don King Troll. Related to Affected Profundity Trolls, Don King Trolls spout gibberish in the hope that they'll either bore or confuse to death those with whom they disagree. The average Don King Troll is "a pursuitist who gromulates his adversarial computerists with height defining formulations to the disinterestingest adjunct."

The Artistic Troll. A higher species of Classic Troll, Artistic Trolls are intelligent individuals who understand the subtle art of trolling, and who do what they do specifically to make others look foolish. Often employing the techniques of Deceptive Trolls, Artistics will string forumites along until some point in time designated by their own desires, at which point they will reveal the ploy, admit that it was a ploy, and laugh at everyone for being stupid enough to fall for it. Artistic Trolls delight in sowing discord, but do it in a highly developed and fully aware manner. They do not care if they are despised, and do not seek the approval of forum participants. Chaos is their only goal, and preferably chaos with a humorous bent to it. Without a doubt, this is the most dangerous species.

The Bitter Troll. Bitter Trolls are a curious cross-species. They can be trolls of any breed in their larval stages, but become Bitters after their previous activities are seen for what they were. What sets these trolls apart from other classifications is their behavior after they have been spotted and labeled as trolls. Angry, frustrated, and resentful about being "outed," the Bitter Troll will wage a campaign of indignant complaints intended to focus attention away from the troll and on whomever is responsible for identifying the creature. Often, a troll mutates into a Bitter just prior to becoming a Vulgar.

The Bustr. Bustrs are obsessive Bitters by whom you could practically set your watch. A Bustr never forgets, never forgives, and holds a grudge until the day it dies. Also a variant of Agenda trolls, Bustrs typically move from forum to forum complaining about the objects of their ire, often cutting and pasting age-old diatribes that have little meaning to most of their audiences. Most Bustrs are relatively incoherent, though a few of the more lucid ones are potentially dangerous stalkers.

The Mutt. Alternatively known as Dogs or Yapping Dogs. Mutts are pack animals characterized by their loud barking – vociferous, repetitive, usually ignorant and irrational criticism of anything and anyone they do not like. Mutts frequently become obsessed with a few or even a single poster with whom they disagree, often for purely personal reasons. Like a dog gnawing at a bone, the Mutt will attack the object of its ire over and over again, making a fool of itself in the eyes of those who understand such childish behavior for what it is. Often one Mutt in a group of Yapping Dogs will act as the alpha of the pack, while the others chime in to voice their mindless (but loud) support for their leader's opinions.

The Holy Misroller (HM). Holy Misrollers are those online forum participants who give Christians (or other religious adherents) a bad name. The HM believes himself or herself to be a Christian (etc.) and will generally tell anyone who'll listen about his or her faith in God and in Jesus. At the same time, however, the HM will display decidedly un-Christian behavior, frequently making an *** out of him- or herself. The HM is often characterized by a great deal of anger and hostility. The breed tends to lash out at anyone and anything not in keeping with its incorrectly narrow worldview. The saddest part about HMs is that they do not truly understand Christianity at all.

The Marketing Genius. A Marketing Genius is absolutely convinced that you are profiting from your participation in an Internet forum. If you have a link or a graphic block in you signature, the Marketing Genius just knows that this is your subtle attempt to assert your hypnotic powers on other bulletin board participants, luring them with the siren song of your complex and inscrutable advertising of your site. It does not matter to the Marketing Genius that forum members have been placing links and pictures in their signatures since the ability to do so was first created. Having never created anything of value themselves, Marketing Geniuses have only their bitter envy and their firm belief that you are a Dot Com Billionaire to motivate and occupy them.

The Honorable Nitwit. Honorable Nitwits absolutely love to speak about honor. This breed invokes the concepts of honor, integrity, humility, and other traits straight from the Boy Scout Oath more often than a Klingon warrior on anti-depressants. Honorable nitwits are convinced that everyone around them suffers from a lack of honor – an idea they thoroughly fail to understand in attempting to use its lack to smear others.

The Old Warrior. The Old Warrior has been there and done that. He has little time to spare for those who have not been there and done that. The Old Warrior has been there and done that to such an extent, in fact, that he is always right. Anyone who disagrees with him, therefore, is wrong by definition and should shut the hell up. Old Warriors place a very high premium on one's credentials relevant to the subject matter discussed – failing to understand the logical fallacy of appeals to authority.

The Forum Cultist. Forum cultists are extremely proud of the incredible Internet communities to which they belong. They pride themselves on the exclusivity of those communities and actually believe that "it can't happen to them" – "it," of course, being their own banishment. Forum cultists place a very high premium on groupthink and generally react to differing opinions with outrage, banning all who dare to speak them.

The Pretend-novice: Has an agenda to push but pretends to not to understand arguments against said agenda in order to push the agenda further. By appearing to be a new user, she can get away with combativeness without appearing aggressive or hostile and can always excuse any poor arguments as ignorance or genuine inquiry. (credit: aysiu)

[ubuntu_demon]

IMHO this is a very common type of troll :

Anatomy of a well-intentioned Linux Troll
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=58017

[matthew]

here's a related thread :
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=58017I laughed out loud when I realized I was the first to post a response in that thread and somehow I had forgotten all about it... :)

The difference between my thread and aysiu's is that my trolls are not well-intentioned...um, and his is probably better written.

[ubuntu_demon]

I laughed out loud when I realized I was the first to post a response in that thread and somehow I had forgotten all about it... :)


:)


The difference between my thread and aysiu's is that my trolls are not well-intentioned


I agree. Your thread is useful and fills a gap.


...um, and his is probably better written.

He's an ex-english teacher :)

[gr0kzer0]

As online communities go, ubuntuforums is quite troll-free. I have so far noticed one, and s/he isn't a frequent poster

If you want to check out trolls, go see the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.advocacy. COLA seems to attract quite a few "wintrolls", who some people accuse of actually being paid by Microsoft to spread FUD about open source.

Alt.usenet.kooks is also good for a laugh.

[ubuntu_demon]

The majority of our users are very nice people. This community is great!

We as forum staff do our best to move the dubious threads to the backyard, jail threads when needed and (temp) ban trollers.

[meng]

matthew:
Thanks for this piece. I enjoyed it very much!

[Sef]

The majority of our users are very nice people. This community is great!

We as forum staff do our best to move the dubious threads to the backyard, jail threads when needed and (temp) ban trollers.

I stay here because of the community spirit. Also I do appreciate what you do. It makes this forum a better place.

[ubuntu_demon]

I stay here because of the community spirit. Also I do appreciate what you do. It makes this forum a better place.
thnx :)

[matthew]

The majority of our users are very nice people. This community is great!Absolutelly true--so much so that people actually need to ask from time to time, "What is a troll?"

We as forum staff do our best to move the dubious threads to the backyard, jail threads when needed and (temp) ban trollers.This was true well before I came on staff and is still true. Everyone here works very hard to curb/prevent this sort of behavior and it really shows. I'm convinced this is one of the reasons this community is as wonderful as it is.

[xtacocorex]

I was never into forums and such, I just run Linux because I have to for programming.

This and aysiu's thread really helped me understand what a troll is and I fell into a trap with 1337hacker two days ago when he complained about Linux stealing his ntfs (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=177891).

I do believe, that even though we are all over the world, this is a very tight-knit group of people and we can all rely on one-another. It took me installing Kubuntu and joining this forum to realize that Linux is more than just a tool for me to program FORTRAN.

Thanks everybody.

[az]

The goal of the Ubuntuforums is to provide a place where people wanting to share experiences using Ubuntu or Linux in general can do so as well as give and receive technical assistance in a friendly, pleasant environment. Trolls disturb and disrupt community and are neither welcomed nor tolerated. There are lots of "free speech" forums available for political, religious, "not safe for work" and family-unfriendly sorts of interactions. If you feel the need to troll, please seek out one of these places.


It is important to remember, though, that communication is a two-way street. It would be unfortunate if some people got the notion that anyone who is unsatisfied with Ubuntu or complains about usability is a troll.

The purpose of the message is what makes someone a troll, and not the content.

Life would be boring if everyone always agreed with one another. It would be horribly unproductive, too.

That's why think sections like the jail, the backyard and the resolution center are great. If something is not a clear-cut case of trolling, it can get sorted out in the open.

[ubuntu_demon]

It is important to remember, though, that communication is a two-way street. It would be unfortunate if some people got the notion that anyone who is unsatisfied with Ubuntu or complains about usability is a troll.

The purpose of the message is what makes someone a troll, and not the content.

Life would be boring if everyone always agreed with one another. It would be horribly unproductive, too.

That's why think sections like the jail, the backyard and the resolution center are great. If something is not a clear-cut case of trolling, it can get sorted out in the open.
I totally agree with you.

[matthew]

It is important to remember, though, that communication is a two-way street. It would be unfortunate if some people got the notion that anyone who is unsatisfied with Ubuntu or complains about usability is a troll.

The purpose of the message is what makes someone a troll, and not the content.

Life would be boring if everyone always agreed with one another. It would be horribly unproductive, too.

That's why think sections like the jail, the backyard and the resolution center are great. If something is not a clear-cut case of trolling, it can get sorted out in the open.Even in the best of communities there will be disagreements. No two people are capable of thinking exactly the same all the time. What is important is not whether we always agree or not, but that disagreement is handled in a way that truly demonstrates respect for the person with whom you disagree--that in a nutshell delineates between a troll and a person who is genuinely seeking assistance/improvement/understanding.

In other words, I agree.

[henriquemaia]

It is important to remember, though, that communication is a two-way street. It would be unfortunate if some people got the notion that anyone who is unsatisfied with Ubuntu or complains about usability is a troll.

The purpose of the message is what makes someone a troll, and not the content.

Life would be boring if everyone always agreed with one another. It would be horribly unproductive, too.

That's why think sections like the jail, the backyard and the resolution center are great. If something is not a clear-cut case of trolling, it can get sorted out in the open.

I like to state that I also agree with you. After reading the matthew's article, I did thought about those nuances that sometimes can happen. But your answer says it all.

Also, to mathew, there is little I can point out in your article since I have almost no experience on internet forums. One thing I understood for certain about your post: being moderator or part of the forum staff can be a big headache and it demands a lot of responsability (as well as experience). Problematic people can always show up and end everyone's else party.

Nice work moderators for keeping this community as it is.

[TeeAhr1]

Matthew, great thread! I'm bookmarking this to refer to on /. :p

I do believe, that even though we are all over the world, this is a very tight-knit group of people and we can all rely on one-another.
I completely agree, and that's what I like most about this forum. We don't always agree on things, but I know I can trust these people.

[joshrobinson]

I was never into forums and such, I just run Linux because I have to for programming.

This and aysiu's thread really helped me understand what a troll is and I fell into a trap with 1337hacker two days ago when he complained about Linux stealing his ntfs (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=177891).

I do believe, that even though we are all over the world, this is a very tight-knit group of people and we can all rely on one-another. It took me installing Kubuntu and joining this forum to realize that Linux is more than just a tool for me to program FORTRAN.

Thanks everybody.

nice quote about how we are all over the world, and i was reading the whole "linux stole my ntfe's where can i download some" conversation.. it was interesting

you shouldnt mess with him tho he haxor'd apple in 1993 haha jk

sometimes they are entertaining, but on some forums they are down right dirty

[xtacocorex]

Thanks TeeAhr1 and joshrobinson. It took me a good ten minutes to come up with that because I wasn't sure how I should phrase it. I'm blaming that on too much technical writing for my major.

But I do think that what TeeAhr1 said is true about being able to trust people here with advice and help.

[aysiu]

I see this type a lot: When confronted by opinions with which they do not agree – particularly when they do not see any means of successfully arguing their contrary views – Sophists resort (repeatedly) to a variety of intellectually dishonest tactics. Most often, this is characterized by an overly snide, condescending, patronizing attitude. Philotrolls consider anyone with whom they do not agree to be "immature," and are fond of quoting that old saw that "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

When cornered they are quick to resort to personal attacks. A philotroll's bag of rhetorical tricks includes a variety of transparent ploys, such as willfully misinterpreting the opponent's words, committing Straw Man fallacies, accusing his or her opponents of engaging in the very tactics used by the philotroll, and so forth. I've noticed, too, that these kinds of trolls are particularly fond of using (and misusing) argument/logic terminology to make themselves appear more intellectual than others.

Rather than actually laying out a properly argued rebuttal with examples and explanations, they prefer to label arguments they disagree with as non-sequiturs, false dichotomies, or straw men.

I saw similar behavior in some of the high school students I taught. The ones who had a good handle on literary criticism did not feel the need to throw around literary terms--they made their arguments in plain English with compelling examples. The students who struggled with proper expression had essays that looked as if a literary terms dictionary had throw up on the paper.

It is important to distinguish between dissenters and actual Contrarian Trolls, however; the Contrarian is not categorized as a troll because of his or her dissenting opinions, but due to the manner in which he or she behaves We see this a lot here, too. People who are rude or who make false generalizations about Linux/Ubuntu and then decide that if people disagree with them that those people are just intolerant of dissent. I've often heard it posited that so-called Ubuntu or Linux zealots refuse to accept or acknowledge as legitimate any "constructive criticism" of the distro or kernel.

Of course, the criticism is anything but constructive and usually amounts to the troll having particularly difficult hardware or the need for everything to work the same way as in Windows. These people are also not particularly fond of filing bug reports, donating money, contributing documentation, or writing code. Yes, very constructive of them to just whine on the forums.

Matthew's breakdown on the major breeds is quite comprehensive, and I'm glad we don't get all of those types here at the Ubuntu Forums. What it ultimately boils down to is trolls knowing which buttons to push and knowing how to appear to be sincere (whether well-intentioned or not).

In other words, trolls need therapy.

[matthew]

In other words, trolls need therapy.This line had me rolling on the floor laughing, yet in complete agreement.

[ubuntu_demon]

Lol
:D

[xtacocorex]

Mabye this should get a sticky?

[sophtpaw]

We Need Trolls; We Love'Em

[matthew]

We Need Trolls; We Love'Em The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages. It is well known that most people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers.

@sophtpaw: I got your joke and I am joking back. :)

[sophtpaw]

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages. It is well known that most people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers.

@sophtpaw: I got your joke and I am joking back. :)



I am because We are; You are because They are :-k


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection

[argie]

– Classic Troll Tactic Number 4: When nothing else works, claim that now, finally, you're telling the truth about all the lies you told before. Make up a fresh set of lies, and throw yourself on the mercy of the forumites.

Haha, this is so typical. Nice little guide there. Really amusing :D

[isotonic]

Thought provoking thread! Didn't realise there were so many different types!

How about having a troll hunting season, and making sport out of them?

[bubz_the_troll]

You forgot to add the fantasy (D&D and LOTR) troll. Quickly regenerates from any damage inflicted. Highly suceptable to flaming. Turns to stone when the sun comes up.

I take my name from that kind of troll. Plus those troll dolls are cool.

[eilu]

Great posts.

In other words, trolls need therapy
must keep this in mind before flying off the handle (keyboard?) since I have a very bad temper...

@bubx_the_troll: what about Lucky Trolls? They have long hair and big eyes and noses, run around naked and are so sin-ugly they're actually cute. :mrgreen:

[glabouni]

As it would be a bit long to introduce myself properly and I'm not eager to spread too much about myself, let's just say that "I know about trolls".

First thing first, there is no such thing as trolls. Don't get me wrong here, trolls do exist but a troll is *not* a person. Sometimes, by extent persons are called/labeled trolls but this a wrong usage of the word and should be avoided as it only add confusion to the matter.


- If a troll is not a person, what is it ?

The word troll refers to the action of trolling.


- What is trolling ?

The word 'trolling' refers to fishing techniques. As most of people is not really familiar with fishing techniques I'll explain some of the basics for you, for more details check the wikipedia links below. There are two fishing technique that sounds like trolling, the first one is a long-line based fishing technique called trolling and the second one is a net based fishing technique.
Trolling: a long line with multiple baited hooks is tied behind a boat and slowly dragged along to catch whatever will fall for the bait.
Trawling: a net is pulled through water by boat(s) to catch mostly everything it encounter in a non-selective manner, caught targets are then sorted out.

- wikipedia article about 'long-line fishing' technique (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-line_fishing)
- wikipedia article about fishing technique 'Trolling' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(angling))
- wikipedia article about fishing technique 'Trawling' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trawling)


- I ain't no fisherman so tell us about internet related trolling.

Trolling on the internet is also a fishing technique which can be used with a large panels of differents objectives in minds, with good intents or bad intents, and even unintentionally. Trolling can get the best or the worse out of one people or one group of people.


- So trolling is a technique huh ? what 's the point ?

As with any technique, you can use it or misuse it.
Once mastered, you can make use of this technique to pretty much any use, the most famous being YHBT (http://catb.org/jargon/html/Y/YHBT.html) (see usage 1 of jargon file troll entry (http://catb.org/jargon/html/T/troll.html)), the most infamous being disrupting newsgroups, boards , IRC channels and such (see usage 2 of jargon file troll entry (http://catb.org/jargon/html/T/troll.html)).
As a personal example I've been using the trolling technique to lure so called "trolls" out of their undercover lair to reveal their true self to the whoel board. Trolling technique has also proved itself useful to me in gathering information and knowledge in an efficient way.


- Hey! don't you just referred to trolls as persons ? I thought this should be avoided!

guess what ? YHBT (http://catb.org/jargon/html/Y/YHBT.html) !
this is an easy trick as if you are reading this post you would have read this anyway.
Anyway you got a point, sometimes people act as trolls, but that doesn't make them trolls that just make them an obnoxious clueless newbie (http://catb.org/jargon/html/N/newbie.html), luser (http://catb.org/jargon/html/L/luser.html), chainik (http://catb.org/jargon/html/C/chainik.html) or even a normal person.


- A normal person ?

To fully understand how a normal person can act as a troll, one should know about the underlying psychology at work in human relations between them both online and offline. That goes way beyond the scope of this post, but feel free to make your own research on the subject if you want, you'll certainly learn some interesting stuff.
my advice to you would be to start by learning about General Semantics (http://www.time-binding.org/) (wikipedia article about General Semantics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Semantics))


- Earlier you said trolling can be unintentional, how come ?

you don't need to know how an engine works to drive a car, and you don't need to know how a gun works to pull the trigger do you ?
the same goes for trolling, one can troll not knowing about trolling technique hence not being able to use it intentionally. This usually occurs when one is under emotional stress or hurt in some way.
One of the main effect of trolling is disrupting discussions, drive them toward proving the Godwin's Law FAQ (godwin's law and such, these effects can be sought for by someone who's been hurt in the discussion process, someone who's clueless about etiquette and manner (see jargon file "september that never ended" entry (http://catb.org/jargon/html/S/September-that-never-ended.html)) or one who simply doesn't care.


- Note about the "please do not feed the troll policy":

The most common advice you'll find about dealing with a troll is "Do not feed the troll" or
The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages. It is well known that most people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers.

Although it is a valuable advice for those don't know how to handle a troll that helps keep the trolling under control, it is *NOT* an answer to trolling and will not get you rid of the problem. The other common response to trolling is a ban.
Since when ignorance and exclusion have been the right answer to any problem ?
I prefer to build bridges instead of walls.

From my trolling experience, I'd say that beating a troll at his own game is a good starting point in rehabilitating a trolling person, helping him/her understand what he/she's doing and why it's a wrongdoing. Renewing dialog is more succesful than rejecting.
That approach requires some skills in trolling and some specific knowledge, and success is in no way guaranteed, but I've been able to keep trolling nuisance under control on a few boards simply by challenging and beating trolls.

see also On Ignoring Trolls (http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/writ/troll_ignorance.html)

further reading on the subject of trolls and trolling:

Netiquette Anthropology (Net Ethology / A Troll's Confection) (http://xahlee.org/Netiquette_dir/troll.html)
The Subtle Art of Trolling (http://www.urban75.com/Mag/troll.html)
FAQ - Dealing with Trolls Crossposting and Flames Rev 20050130 (http://home.digital.net/~gandalf/trollfaq.html)
How To Handle A Troll, and Beat Them at Their Own Game (http://www.angelfire.com/space/usenet/)
Trolling lore (http://www.searchlores.org/trolls.htm)
Anti-Troll FAQ (http://www.hyphenologist.co.uk/killfile/anti_troll_faq.htm)


note from the author:
This post has been written in one shot and english is not my primarily language so some errors and bad formulation may float around. Some concepts were beyond the scope of my english capabilities so i simply dropped them out. These writings reflect my own reflexions, research and experience in the trolling area which are somewhat different from the mainstream trolling knowledge (YMMV (http://catb.org/jargon/html/Y/Your-mileage-may-vary.html)), which is precisely why I wrote this.

[matthew]

note from the author:
This post has been written in one shot and english is not my primarily language so some errors and bad formulation may float around. Some concepts were beyond the scope of my english capabilities so i simply dropped them out. These writings reflect my own reflexions, research and experience in the trolling area which are somewhat different from the mainstream trolling knowledge (YMMV (http://catb.org/jargon/html/Y/Your-mileage-may-vary.html)), which is precisely why I wrote this.I enjoyed your post, it's a great addition to this thread. Thank you! You are absolutely right about the origin of the word "troll" and I considered including that in the original posts, but I had already written so much it seemed like that would be too much from one person. Thanks for the history lesson. :)

[matthew]

This was too funny to pass up...

http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/trollshirt.jpg

[towsonu2003]

Humorous guide to trolls (http://mxoboards.station.sony.com/matrix/board/message?board.id=offtopic&message.id=12985&view=by_date_ascending&page=1%7C)
[/FONT]
link is dead (sorry for annoyance)

[matthew]

link is dead (sorry for annoyance)Thank you. I removed it. (and that wasn't annoying in the slightest. On the contrary, I appreciate being notified.)

[Dylnuge]

Thank you for the wonderful guide! I have shown a few people on other forums and even a wiki this thread, since I believe everyone can benefit from it (these trolls appear everywhere). Once again, thank you.

[matthew]

Thank you for the wonderful guide! I have shown a few people on other forums and even a wiki this thread, since I believe everyone can benefit from it (these trolls appear everywhere). Once again, thank you.You're welcome. Thanks for the kind words. :)

[jvc26]

That was a quality read guys - thanks very much! :D - so true when referring to some people you see around from time to time - very glad these forums arent host to very many of them!
Il

[ed-j]

Oh dear! I sort of feel that anything I say may be written down and used in evidence against me. Is there actually anything that can be said at this point?.......................................ok. O:)

Many thanks!

[ncappel1]

oh man...I almost peed myself laughing.

The Don King Troll. Related to Affected Profundity Trolls, Don King Trolls spout gibberish in the hope that they'll either bore or confuse to death those with whom they disagree. The average Don King Troll is "a pursuitist who gromulates his adversarial computerists with height defining formulations to the disinterestingest adjunct."

:)

[andrew.46]

Hi,

Well I published my own brief troll guide a while ago. Perhaps some might like to have a quick look at:

http://people.aapt.net.au/~adjlstrong/troll.html

It is actually mostly an exercise in HTML but I was so pleased with the end result I left it online :-)

Andrew

[matthew]

Andrew: cool page. I like the picture.

[KIAaze]

Here's how to deal with trolls, if they agree (and once multiplayer works well)::lolflag:
http://yeknan.free.fr/blog/images/wormux/0.8Troll.png

[carloslosgrande]

I hadn't really noticed any trolling until just the other day when I got onto Ubuntu Satanic edition and had a look thru the comments. One guy got on and, it seemed to me, wanted an argument. What really surprised me was the willingness to respond. I guess there's a lot of pent up anger hanging about.

Anyway, I'm posting to say that I'd been searching for 1; on OS that I could control and 2; a place where I could get helpful advice.
Finally, serendipity stepped in and I literally stumbled across Ubuntu.

OH happy days.

Without these forums I would not have been able to stay with Linux.

I offer my genuine and heartfelt thanks for all the help I've had and will no doubt need in future.
I hope that trolls can perhaps get some theraputic effects from their efforts and in time come to value this also.

[Zyphrexi]

I hadn't intended to act like a troll, unless you are talking about this tony character. then I saw a post saying "this is not a devil worshiping distro, this is an ironic and sarcastic distro." I don't know if that is true, but everyone had to know that creating a Satanic Edition would be flame-bait.

honestly I just like intelligent debate, and I keep my head when others do not. If you read my posts you can see how I respond.

[matthew]

I hadn't intended to act like a troll, unless you are talking about this tony character.Did someone call you a troll somewhere and refer you to this thread? I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying in your post. Do you have a link? Who is tony?

[vikramsharma]

Thanks Matthew for elaborate description of "Trolls", it was a great read (I have stuck the print out on the wall of my study room). I always thought "Trolls" on the web or real life are people/individuals looking for a reason to start an argument to vent out their anger. Trolls imho are like bullies, forcing their agenda on others.

[matthew]

Thanks Matthew for elaborate description of "Trolls", it was a great read (I have stuck the print out on the wall of my study room). I always thought "Trolls" on the web or real life are people/individuals looking for a reason to start an argument to vent out their anger. Trolls imho are like bullies, forcing their agenda on others.You are welcome. Thank you for the kind words.

[Zyphrexi]

I thought perhaps carloslosgrande was referring to me. here (http://parker1.co.uk/satanic/shuttleworths-views-on-satanic-edition/) is the link.

I enjoy debate, but I think sometimes good-natured debate can turn into an old fashioned flame war in an instant. (take the "what WM is best" threads for example)

[matthew]

I thought perhaps carloslosgrande was referring to me. here (http://parker1.co.uk/satanic/shuttleworths-views-on-satanic-edition/) is the link.

I enjoy debate, but I think sometimes good-natured debate can turn into an old fashioned flame war in an instant. (take the "what WM is best" threads for example)Oh, I see. Okay.

[Rock_Lee_NuX]

A quite amusing and thoroughly implemented guide to spotting troll behavior... :lolflag:

And I also want to testify that the Ubuntu Forums Community is a great help and the spirit of each member is very gentle...

Happy to be a part of it :)

[matthew]

Thanks for the kind words and nice to have you around.

[cubytes]

where do I fit?

[KIAaze]

I found this on Slashdot and thought it needed to be shared. Enjoy. :)

by Cutie Pi (588366) on Friday September 28, @05:54PM (#20788529)
You know, I just read your comment history. I used to be a troll like you. I just posted whatever the hell came to my mind whether it be random crap or songs about my ***** or just a quick "frist psot". It was a small release, a little bit of humor in my otherwise boring life.

But trolling became an addiction to me... soon I was doing everything I could to get a rise out of fellow netizens. I basically spent all my time trolling Slashot and other various forums. Of course Slashot was my favorite trolling venue because the demographic was a perfect fit for me. Imagine the endless sources of amusement Slashot gave to someone like me, a self-hating sociophobe who enjoyed nothing more than hating other people just like myself. So, for example, I would sit in front of my computer on a Friday night and blast anyone on Slashot that would post something. I would call them losers for not having anything better to do than reading Slashdot on a Friday night! Classical projection at its finest.

Of course, all addicts have to hit a rock bottom before they become willing to change their behavior. That happened to me on July 6, 2003. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had found my ultimate prey: a seasoned Slashdot poster who just couldn't resist feeding the trolls. I basically "stalked him"... hitting refresh countless time waiting for him to make a comment, then instantly posting a personal attack. He never failed to respond, which just fed my addiction. But then one day, I got a knock on my door from the FBI, cybercrimes division. Apparently this poster I had stalked was an in real life an FBI agent. He had emailed the Slashdot staff and gotten my IP address. It was then a simple matter for him to trace the messages back to me. Here I was, never in trouble with the law before, with an FBI agent staring me down. Although I had done nothing wrong, he didn't waste any time giving me a 3rd degree questioning. It was only 20 minutes, but felt like hours. He left me with standing in the doorway with a pale face and **** in pants.

Needless to say, I cleaned up my act and worked on becoming a normally functioning member of society. I started seeing a therapist, got many of my self-hate and anger issues resolved (I still have lots more to work on) and started actively trying to make friends online. Its amazing how much my life has turned around. Before that day, I was friendless, both in the real world and online, had never had a romantic relationship that lasted more than 3 months, and was a virgin. Now, I have a wife with a baby on the way, have lots a friends at work and in my community, and enjoy reading and discussing views with a variety of online buddies.

I'm posting this because I sense that your trolling is a cry for help, one that I know well. I hope that some day you can find happiness like I did.

Original: http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=311979&cid=20788529

[matthew]

I found this on Slashdot and thought it needed to be shared. Enjoy. :)Thank you for that!!

[Artificial Intelligence]

Priceless! will use that when I ban a troll.

[Frank Golden]

Great thread.
Alternatively, they may protest that their right to free speech is being curtailed.

I thought the right to free speech only applied to government trying to curtail it.

[master_kernel]

Thank you for this! I came across one a couple days ago.....

[n3tfury]

I found this on Slashdot and thought it needed to be shared. Enjoy. :)


Original: http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=311979&cid=20788529

lol, nice find.

[matthew]

I wrote a little bit more on this subject in a post on my blog (http://www.matthewhelmke.net/index.php/2007/11/03/16-the-definitive-guide-to-trolls). Here is what I said, so you don't have to follow the link unless you want to.

We have all seen internet trolls. Some are more creative than others. Some are funny, others are mean. All of them are detrimental to community. I had an experience this week with a troll in the Ubuntu Forums that reminded me of an old thread that I had written. The definitive guide to Trolls (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1032102) was something I wrote in May 2006, partly tongue-in-cheek, partly to instruct forums users on what not to do in the forums, and partly to have something to point to when confronted with trolling.

Now, before I get comments reminding me of this fact, I will state clearly that the derivation of the term "to troll" revolves around fishing. There is a way to catch fish that involves pulling a lure behind a boat as you pass through the water, in the hopes of catching a fish that sees the lure and bites. This is the traditional definition of the verb "to troll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28angling%29)." One may also troll for complements, "Do you think this hairstyle looks good on me?" and one may troll for arguments, "Are you always this rude?" Trolling involves attempting to get someone or something to take the bait, to bite, to respond in a predetermined manner for your benefit (and not necessarily theirs, although the motive need not be sinister).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Trolling_drawing.jpg/250px-Trolling_drawing.jpg

The use of the term to define online behavior goes back to the early days of Usenet newsgroups (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet), and perhaps even predating that in bulletin board systems (BBSs) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system). Let's be honest. It is more fun to use the term in a modified manner, with a slightly twisted definition, while retaining the original meaning as well. I like it when the image of an ugly, mythical beast is conjured up because of the term "troll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll)."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Troll.jpg/90px-Troll.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Troll.jpg/450px-Troll.jpg)

The English language is fun that way. One may "troll" a forum, trying to get a response, and suddenly the verb becomes a noun through an accidental correlation between two words that are spelled exactly the same, but have vastly different meanings. Suddenly the person who committed the act of trolling has become an internet troll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll).

http://www.caveyourtrolls.com/img3.jpg (http://www.caveyourtrolls.com/index.html)

In the context of an online forum, to troll means to post something specifically provocative in the hopes of stirring up controversy. On occasion this can be considered a good thing, like Braveheart riding to the conference of the nobles to "pick a fight" in the hopes of obtaining a positive outcome for a noble cause. That is sometimes what forums trolls seem to think they are doing. Almost all of the time, actions done with this motive will achieve the exact opposite of their intended goal and they only serve to create an atmosphere that is harsh, argumentative, and unwelcoming. In the Ubuntu Forums, trolling can get a person banned permanently, and for very good reason. The overwhelming majority of the time trolling is witnessed, it is done for less honorable reasons.

To keep this short, if you are interested in a sometimes humorous description of internet trolls, including some very specific descriptions of certain types like the "Affected Profundity Troll" and "The Holy Misroller," please check out this forum thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1032102). I think you will enjoy it.So, how's that for a switch? Instead of trying to use the forums to send traffic to my blog, I'm using my blog to try to send traffic to the forums. :)

[h4mx0r]

"Trolls delight in sowing discord on the forums" from the first comment isn't that more depicting an imp? I always thought trolling was when someone says something very generic as if mimicing human speech or perhaps random offensive slander etc? Anyway if I picked a forum spirit animal or something I'd probably go with ogre, they really pwn I mean go watch shrek if you don't believe me. Ogre > Troll

[matthew]

"Trolls delight in sowing discord on the forums" from the first comment isn't that more depicting an imp? I always thought trolling was when someone says something very generic as if mimicing human speech or perhaps random offensive slander etc? Anyway if I picked a forum spirit animal or something I'd probably go with ogre, they really pwn I mean go watch shrek if you don't believe me. Ogre > Trolllol

I see your point. The idea of an internet troll being a being of any kind came much later. The derivation of the term came from fishing, trolling by dangling/dragging bait or lures through the water to see what would bite. On the internet in the 1990s, perhaps a bit earlier, it was noticed that some people would post comments in a discussion on Usenet solely for the purpose of riling people up, trolling for comments or arguments.

Only later did the term find itself modified to become a depiction of a mythical beast which happened to use the same root as its name.

[h4mx0r]

lol you copied that from wikipedia didn't you, damn troll :P

[matthew]

I added a new troll type in post #2.

The Pretend-novice: Has an agenda to push but pretends to not to understand arguments against said agenda in order to push the agenda further. By appearing to be a new user, she can get away with combativeness without appearing aggressive or hostile and can always excuse any poor arguments as ignorance or genuine inquiry. (credit: aysiu)

[Grant A.]

I added a new troll type in post #2.

It's always good to see that our admins are well versed in the art of necromancy. ;)



I love how troll discussions always turn into a fairytale-laden pun postfest. :popcorn:

[matthew]

On rare occasions we discover something that deserves to be raised from the dead. :)

[toupeiro]

An entertaining list.

By these definitions, I'm assuming that to you a troll is less a mark of character, and more a current frame of mind. Otherwise, you could look through enough posts and dub your forum community over 90% troll.

There's a fine line between passionate forum members, and what you would consider certain breeds of a troll.. Careful you don't dust it over. :P

[Grant A.]

There's a fine line between passionate forum members, and what you would consider certain breeds of a troll.. Careful you don't dust it over. :P

There's a line? :confused:

[toupeiro]

There's a line? :confused:

For some. ;)

[Mushuukyou]

I like to comment against people who push off their theism as some sort of "well known fact". Much of the time they assert that I'm a "troll" for doing this.

[matthew]

I like to comment against people who push off their theism as some sort of "well known fact". Much of the time they assert that I'm a "troll" for doing this.
I've seen that go both ways, and it's really quite annoying in either direction.

Live/believe and let others do the same. When asked, feel free to share your faith/lack thereof. Otherwise, you just annoy people.

If someone is being inappropriate in the forums, please don't confront or try to "take people down a notch." Just report the post. If it isn't that bad, then please ignore them. In other words, don't feed the trolls (and definitely don't emulate them).

:)

[etnlIcarus]

First time I've seen this thread. Now I know why so many people have accused me of being a troll: they've got a reference so comprehensive, that in the event of a disagreement, they can accuse whomever they disagreed with of being a troll. Other parts just read like an (albeit intentionally dramatised) conspiracy theory.

The irony is this resource provides a glut of strategies to be employed, by otherwise less savvy individuals, who, in keeping with this thread's taxonomic theme, I'll refer to as Mr. Hyde Trolls. While Mr. Hyde Trolls don't generally endeavour to stir the s***, these otherwise passive individuals will turn into crap-flinging, egotistical monstrosities, should anyone dare to label (unflatteringly), question, or even superficially correct them. The Mr. Hyde Troll's favourite strategy is the pre-emptive, "NO U", response; attempting to score points for novelty, by accusing their opponent of the same things, they know they will be accused of, in due time.

[matthew]

First time I've seen this thread. Now I know why so many people have accused me of being a troll: they've got a reference so comprehensive, that in the event of a disagreement, they can accuse whomever they disagreed with of being a troll..
There are no entries for polite interaction and disagreement. There is no danger of a troll accusation in that case.

[etnlIcarus]

Oh, very droll. Of course, it didn't actually address my concern.

[matthew]

What would you like to see addressed?

[etnlIcarus]

Clearly dependant, sequential criterion, would be a good start. One can easily cherry pick, otherwise.

[RiceMonster]

First time I've seen this thread. Now I know why so many people have accused me of being a troll: they've got a reference so comprehensive, that in the event of a disagreement, they can accuse whomever they disagreed with of being a troll.

That's exactly what I thought when I read this thread.

[matthew]

Honestly, this was intended as a humorous post. Most humor is based in reality with exaggerations for effect.

If you must think of this as serious, consider it more as the results of preliminary qualitative sociological research and not like a quantitative psychological research report.

[koenn]

Clearly dependant, sequential criterion, would be a good start. One can easily cherry pick, otherwise.

It wasn't meant as a scientific study.
And if people want to call you a troll just because you don't share their opinion, or even enthousiasm, aboyt something, they're still going to call you a troll, with or without Matthew's "reference"

[Tristam Green]

Oh, very droll. Of course, it didn't actually address my concern.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d140/lordswordflasher/gatlingtroll.gif

Troll!!!

/sarcasm, /humor, /etc

Seriously though? That troll is not one I'd like to meet in the interwebs.

[sanderella]

Thank you Matthew for this intersting and amusing thread. :)

[t0p]

First time I've seen this thread. Now I know why so many people have accused me of being a troll: they've got a reference so comprehensive, that in the event of a disagreement, they can accuse whomever they disagreed with of being a troll. Other parts just read like an (albeit intentionally dramatised) conspiracy theory.


You write like you think matthew made it all up. All he's done is repackage a lot of previous writings. Trolls have been studied, described and theorised on since the early days of Usenet.

And anyway, this "guide to Trolls" is a joke. There's a bit of serious advice (like "don't feed the trolls") but nothing to get worked up over. Chill!

Come to think about it, it is rather odd that you're getting upset about a "guide to Trolls". Do you think it was aimed at you? I dunno... dare I suggest that in complaining about matthew's guide, you're really just... trolling him? :p

[etnlIcarus]

Yes, I understand that this thread is (partially) in-jest; not all jokes are inert, however.

[matthew]

This was definitely pointed humor, and intentionally so. People who consistently and willfully choose to behave outside social norms (as established for these forums by the Forums Code of Conduct) are not welcome to participate. This thread illustrates some ways in which that antisocial behavior may occur.

No, this is most definitely not inert.

[Phil Elmore]

Please excuse the years-old thread necromancy, but most of the original poster's "compilation" was plagiarized without attribution from one of several versions of my Field Guide to Trolls:

http://themartialist.com/pecom/fieldguidetotrolls.htm (http://themartialist.com/pecom/fieldguidetotrolls.htm)

[Naiki Muliaina]

Not trying to excuse the OP but I first saw this as one of them mass emailed things at work. Like the un funny picture of the doggy biting the mans bottom. Maybe the OP got it the same way and thought to post a funny email here.

Mind, I would have got the email long after you wrote it. Not saying the email was first, just that I wouldn't think twice about posting a genuinely funny email on the intertubes forums.

[matthew]

Please excuse the years-old thread necromancy, but most of the original poster's "compilation" was plagiarized without attribution from one of several versions of my Field Guide to Trolls:

http://themartialist.com/pecom/fieldguidetotrolls.htm (http://themartialist.com/pecom/fieldguidetotrolls.htm)

I cited the sources from which I acquired the information at the bottom of the first post. I never saw yours, but I'll add a link to the first post and give you credit anyway.

[Phil Elmore]

Thank you. I also realized, after I posted, that one of the sources you did cite was the Wikipedia trolls entry, and it's entirely possible my guide was linked there at the time of your original post.

[Artificial Intelligence]

Time to let the trolls rest.

R.I.P. to troll dad, troll mom and little tiny troll.