What do you consider trolling?

[banasbud]

Yeah that blog of flames. You know she flames everyone lol. Last time I heard she was laying into mossy or I'm guessing that's who it was. In so many situations it's all trolling. All designed to get a re-action.

@ Nacky
Chupacabra repellent? LMFAO! I gotta remember that. Where do I get that stuff? lol! ;D

[Nacku]

Art Bell or George Noory. Get all kinds of repellent to protect you from chupacabras, aliens, internet trolls, and swine flu. Atrollosea, Troll-A-Thons, no problem, get the best repellent there is on the market and keep those pests away! The blog of flames? The bog of eternal stench? No longer a problem when you have Troll-Repellent!

Wouldn't it be nice if there really was a troll repellent? I'd have a can handy everytime! ;D

[thebiggerbopper]

To me a troll is just someone looking at your board without joining, or not ever signing in if they are a member. As for calling someone that joins a forum under different names, or causes trouble a troll I have a different name for them but can't post it here, LOL
Trolls don't bother me at all. I have an open board that guests, or trolls if you would, can view with the exception of our photography forum, and sometimes after trolling/viewing our board for awhile they decide they like what they see and decide to become a member.

[Kami]

May 21, 2009 2:51:18 GMT -8 thebiggerbopper said:

To me a troll is just someone looking at your board without joining, or not ever signing in if they are a member. As for calling someone that joins a forum under different names, or causes trouble a troll I have a different name for them but can't post it here, LOL
Trolls don't bother me at all. I have an open board that guests, or trolls if you would, can view with the exception of our photography forum, and sometimes after trolling/viewing our board for awhile they decide they like what they see and decide to become a member.

So everyone that doesn't join your forum is a troll? What harm is someone doing by just -looking- at your board? What if someone is wondering whether or not to join your site, and it'll take them a few days to decide? Are they trolls then?

No offense, that just seems silly, to consider every non-member viewer on your forum as a 'troll'. It doesn't create a very welcoming atmosphere, I don't think.

[thebiggerbopper]

Who said they're doing any harm???
If you go back and reread what I said, I said Trolls don't bother me at all.
Let them look all they want, I don't care. If it bothered me I'd shut the board to guest. So how do you get it creates a unwelcome atmosphere???
I don't mean any offense either but talk about being silly, if your a Jr. Moderator you need to comprehend everything you read before you respond to it.

[HoudiniDerek]

May 21, 2009 2:51:18 GMT -8 thebiggerbopper said:

To me a troll is just someone looking at your board without joining, or not ever signing in if they are a member. As for calling someone that joins a forum under different names, or causes trouble a troll I have a different name for them but can't post it here, LOL
Trolls don't bother me at all. I have an open board that guests, or trolls if you would, can view with the exception of our photography forum, and sometimes after trolling/viewing our board for awhile they decide they like what they see and decide to become a member.

So troll=guest to you? I guess I am curious why you equate the two since troll has a more negative internet connotation in internet vernacular. Do you call your area a guest board or a troll board?

[thebiggerbopper]

No farther comment from me. I refuse to get into a debate over something so silly, and with people who don't understand what I said.

[HoudiniDerek]

May 21, 2009 13:52:35 GMT -8 thebiggerbopper said:

No farther comment from me. I refuse to get into a debate over something so silly, and with people who don't understand what I said.

Then why post at all? If you read my comment, it was not a debate. It was asking for clarification on your comments. Since "troll" is used as a negative connotation most times, I was seeing why you used it as a neutral classification for people.

I did read and understand what you said. I am asking for your motivation behind that train of thought...as Kami was in the way I read her post. If you are not going to answer questions people ask, especially over something you consider so simple, why bother to post at all?

[katzel]

I think this definition says it all.

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]

[HoudiniDerek]

May 21, 2009 14:21:25 GMT -8 @katzel said:

I think this definition says it all.

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]

I have to agree. A troll has a negative connotation for a reason and I think that definition sums up the ideas and intent behind a troll...even if it may not be all-inclusive. That is why I was curious as to why thebigbopper made troll equatable to guest. It just seems weird to have that correlation and I was curious as to how he got to that point. Good definition find.

[Nacku]

HD, a troll can also be someone who wishes to get a reaction by posting to inflammatory posts to further cause another distress. Biggerbopper may have meant trolling as in a kind of fishing terminology, perhaps. A troll will also hunt for people they can disrupt on boards. An individual that is concerned about being flamed or attacked is one thing but it's another when the attacker will go out of their way to make sure there's a reaction. Deal with anyone with a medical condition of the mental sort and you got a firestorm!

I wonder if it's considered trolling to go around and tell people you work for a company to get them to respond in a way that gets you a desired response? i.e. Trolling for a response that gets you undeserved respect and unfounded trust? What I'm saying is that trolling can work both ways, no? Anyway good topic.

[HoudiniDerek]

May 21, 2009 14:55:32 GMT -8 Nacku said:

HD, a troll can also be someone who wishes to get a reaction by posting to inflammatory posts to further cause another distress. Biggerbopper may have meant trolling as in a kind of fishing terminology, perhaps. A troll will also hunt for people they can disrupt on boards. An individual that is concerned about being flamed or attacked is one thing but it's another when the attacker will go out of their way to make sure there's a reaction. Deal with anyone with a medical condition of the mental sort and you got a firestorm!

I agree with that, but I am questioning why someone who just reads the forum or who is a member and just lurks is considered a troll by thebigbopper. According to his first post, he considers ALL people of that nature to be trolls...and even that does not dovetail with your additions to the definiton mentioned a couple of posts above yours. I agree that trying to provoke reactions can count as a troll, but if you are not trying to do anything disruptive, why is that worthy of the moniker of troll?

I wonder if it's considered trolling to go around and tell people you work for a company to get them to respond in a way that gets you a desired response? i.e. Trolling for a response that gets you undeserved respect and unfounded trust? What I'm saying is that trolling can work both ways, no? Anyway good topic.

I would say that any misrepresentation would count as trolling for sure. I think trolling is inherently bad...I don't think there is such a thing as a good troll. When those people tend to get the respect and trust, it usually goes bad if they have troll-like tendencies. To me, any attempt at misrepresentation to get a reaction is considered trolling...which is inherently negative to me.

[Nacku]

I've noted that most boards have a "General Talk" board for off topic stuff. I always try to find the right boards to post my posts on. I will sometimes have an issue I'd like to discuss with people and so on and so forth. But if a troll is going to be so embarrassed by what I have to say, then obviously they are hiding something. Yes?

Soo, my definition of troll is a negative one, too. Like you, I don't see lurkers as trolls, per-se but today I know of a certain troll that got their IDzap IP zapped (LOL) and is probably pretty mad about that. I don't want that troll's response to that but undoubtedly, I'll be trolled for that. *shrugs* It happens.

[bikingmatty]

I classify trolls in three sections:

Level 1 troll
An annoying person who just makes a right idiot of themselves around the forum yet you can't really call them a troll.
Level 2 troll
A person who has deliberatly set out to ruin your forum, these should be immediatly removed from the forum and if they return removed again.
Level 3 troll
An automated machine troll that spams your forum and isn't a person. A troll that just messes about, often not creating an account. And flamers they are also level 3.

This is how i deal with them:
Level 1: Just sit and let them carry on being an idiot, unless they do something to result in a ban
Level 2: Immediatly remove them from the forum.
Level 3:
Flamers
Remove all parties involved in flaming. As i run a disscussion board flame wars are a disaster.
Spam Trolls
I would have to delete the forum unless there was a way of stopping however i hope this will never happen.

[Nacku]

Yeah I should have removed the troll that kept trying to ruin me and what the purpose of my board was...which was to give everyone a chance to voice their stuff. But no, I kept giving second chances, third chances, fourth chances...I honestly didn't realize that it didn't matter who wanted a voice, the main star of the show was going to be the troll.

Then to realize after getting a phone call (not even being told anything online - it was via a phone call) that I realized I was basically fooled and could see that my inaction (or more importantly not repsonding anymore to PM, stunts, etc) that it was quite adamnant about getting my attention one way or the other and I couldn't get a word in edgewise. Yeah that real side of the troll's personality was clear by then. The real face showed.

Then get this! AFTER hanging up on the don't this and don't that ever...I got ANOTHER phone call just screaming and what sounded like someone being slammed against a door about a myspace blog. *PLONK* I hung up. Actually not sure if anyone was being slammed against an object maybe it was just pounding or something?

So troll on the phone would be a level 5 for me. You know, like hurricanes.