The "Forum Troll"

[Jazzy]

A "Forum Troll" is a person who posts outrageous replies to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights 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.

A classic Forum Troll is trying to make us believe that he/she is a genuine skeptic with no hidden agenda. He/She 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/her. The Forum Troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them.

Questions:

1. Ever meet a Forum Troll? If so, how did you deal with the troll?

2. In your opinion, why do people deliberately troll other members of a forum?

 

[DrLeftover]

I expect a venomous answer to be posted shortly.

 

[EvanP]

I don't know what else to say apart from this topic describes me perfectly three years ago. Was this posted just for me Jazzy?

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

1. Ever meet a Forum Troll? If so, how did you deal with the troll?

Yes. Ignore them. Getting a reaction out of you is all they desire. Why give them the satisfaction?

2. In your opinion, why do people deliberately troll other members of a forum?

Some people love drama and conflict.

I, however, am more peaceful by nature and I like when things are calm. I guess I would make a lousy troll if I tried.

 

[~KAGE-008]

I, however, am more peaceful by nature and I like when things are calm.

Same here. I don't like when there's too much drama to tolerate myself.

 

[McConnaughay]

Trolling is no longer categorized as just somebody that posts hateful comments. It has become anybody that does any type of character or exaggerated form of themselves. Whether it's playful or malicious.

I think to a certain degree, it can be entertaining. I have gotten a smile from it before. Not when somebody makes an account exclusively for the gimmick, but the occasional moments like when someone "plays the fool".

A lot of people do that.

---

For example, an administrator on a writing forum said that they were going to become more "critique" based on and take away from members just giving "ego boosting" one-liners.

Me: I love ego-boosting one-liners. This can never work. I am moving in with Dad.

Person: You're being facetious, right? Tongue-in-cheek? *long-explanation about why this is a good idea*

Me: Fac...Facetious? Tongue-in-... Tongue in ... WHAT!?

Person: I have a feeling that we are going to be really good friends.

Me: Not if you keep changing the things that I know and hold ever-so dearly.

---

I was trolling him? We weren't fighting with each-other, I was being sarcastic, but most people would say that I was, temporarily, trolling him.

I know this one guy that actually wrote with a stutter and spoke in "Old English," meanwhile his signature and avatar were of rednecks. I smiled at it. Other-wise, when the discussion called for it, he would be serious.

 

[Sinon]

On a forum I'm no longer a part of (the owner sold it because he couldn't afford to run it and because he was a deranged twat) I was labeled as a troll because I "never had anything nice to say" about the site itself. I raised valid concerns about the place, and the way it was being run at the time. Lots of cliquey, chummy-chummy bullshit. To make matters worse, the staff was comprised of the owner and his girlfriend. Recipe for success, right?

Nope.

It all came to a head with the administrator demoting all the other staff members because he was feeling stressed about them "not doing their jobs" so he demoted everyone but his girlfriend without telling them beforehand. Of course, this led to many arguments and much whining, including the admin posting a rather hate-filled message directed at me because I laughed at him.

Eventually he sold it (for much less than he wanted, apparently, because he had spent SOOOOOO MUCH on it... because he was a deranged twat) and now it's basically gone up shit creek or something. I don't know.

Overall, I don't mind trolls either way. I've done my fair share of it, intentional or otherwise. I'll be the first to admit, sometimes it's just fun watching somebody get riled up over something meaningless. Other times, my actual opinions are considered trolling because they're unpopular, such as my not particularly caring about Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead.

 

[Khalessi]

Case by case basis really.

One way or another though, I am gonna con'trol' the troll. lol

 

[~KAGE-008]

On a forum I'm no longer a part of (the owner sold it because he couldn't afford to run it and because he was a deranged twat) I was labeled as a troll because I "never had anything nice to say" about the site itself. I raised valid concerns about the place, and the way it was being run at the time. Lots of cliquey, chummy-chummy bullshit. To make matters worse, the staff was comprised of the owner and his girlfriend. Recipe for success, right?

Nope.

It all came to a head with the administrator demoting all the other staff members because he was feeling stressed about them "not doing their jobs" so he demoted everyone but his girlfriend without telling them beforehand. Of course, this led to many arguments and much whining, including the admin posting a rather hate-filled message directed at me because I laughed at him.

That's a severe case of power abuse. Someone with Admin status must not play with their powers just because he hates other people.

 

[DrLeftover]

ding!