What is a troll?

[Gretchen in NJ]

I am sorry, but I am new to this board as well as the whole concept of a "message board." A friend of mind was talking about a troll being on a message board where she belongs.

I just didn't want to seem to be so out of it, so I didn't ask her.:confused: Can someone please tell me what a troll is? And, what they do?

Thank you
Gretchen

[OnTheBrink]

They intentionally stir up trouble to watch the hullabaloo that follows. And, they're ugly little short men with beards who have no real life (unless they can get a job advertising travel websites--or is that a gnome?) and have nothing better to do than stir the pot for entertainment.

[Gretchen in NJ]

Thank you Michelle for answering my silly questions.:001_smile: Some people are just not nice anymore. To think, that some peole find it fun to intentionally stir up trouble just for laughs. Ugh!:glare:

I take it that this message board has seen them? That is such a shame.

Thank you,
Gretchen

[*anj*]

Does anyone want to take that on?
Have we ever had any trolls here?

http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/muhaha.gif Is this the place to list the Troll Hall of Infamy?

[Jenny in Atl]

There was that herb lady... what did she call herself?:blink:

[OnTheBrink]

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between an actual troll and someone whose personality comes across troll-like and is interpreted as being a troll. On another board I visit, there is someone who many think is a troll. She comes across so incredibly unintelligent as well as very self-absorbed, it's comical and some are unsure if she's really that selfish and dumb or if she's yanking chains.

[Kelli in TN]

There was that herb lady... what did she call herself?:blink:

We had JGEmom, she was definately a troll but I don't remember any herbs involved.

Gosh, now I am going to worry about this all day. An herb lady who was trollish: I can't remember this one.

[*anj*]

I keep trying to remember the herb lady too.
Sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

JGEMom was the Queen of the Trolls, though.

[Karenciavo]

I keep trying to remember the herb lady too.


I think it was a spice lady, not herb.

[Jennifer in MI]

Ummm, yea, cumin. 'Nuf said!

[Mary in NJ]

Hopefully this new board will safeguard us from the trolls. I seem to remember troll posts on the old board. They really seemed to stir up some trouble.

[lovemyboys]

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference

of someone who used to come on the old boards a couple of years ago. She was very abrasive and would post the most unkind comments to people, especially concerning grammar or spelling. I was sure she was a troll, then I realized that the *oldtimers* just kind of shrugged off her rudeness because they were familiar with it. Then one day she got mad about something and swore never to come back...maybe she moved over to your other board?:tongue_smilie:

[OnTheBrink]

of someone who used to come on the old boards a couple of years ago. She was very abrasive and would post the most unkind comments to people, especially concerning grammar or spelling. I was sure she was a troll, then I realized that the *oldtimers* just kind of shrugged off her rudeness because they were familiar with it. Then one day she got mad about something and swore never to come back...maybe she moved over to your other board?:tongue_smilie:

I doubt it. This gal claims to be a teacher (the best one in the world and the only one who cares!) but has the most horrid spelling and grammar, and tells the most bogus stories. She's like an annoying fruit fly who just won't leave. :willy_nilly:

[lovemyboys]

but has the most horrid spelling and grammar, :willy_nilly:

the person I remember was very pompous and mean-spirited in correcting even slight transgressions in grammar, and always seemed ready to pick a fight. Sheesh, even her sign in name was a challenge! I can't say I miss her!! :glare:

[Mrs Mungo]

Believe it or not, there are websites that hold trolling contests to see who can get the longest thread or who can make trouble that goes on for the longest period of time. There are lots of trolls on the net. I think this board has been pretty fortunate.

[Jenny in Atl]

Ummm, yea, cumin. 'Nuf said!

That's IT... LOL
I feel like Charlie Brown. :tongue_smilie:

[Mrs. H.]

Willow was the one I remember (from long ago) that always jumped on spelling and grammatical mistakes.

[*anj*]

Willow was the one I remember (from long ago) that always jumped on spelling and grammatical mistakes.

I was Willow. I never knew you felt that way about me. :confused:
















http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gifJust kidding! I don't even remember that person! http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gif

[lovemyboys]

I was Willow. I never knew you felt that way about me. :confused:
















http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gifJust kidding! I don't even remember that person! http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gif

No, the one I remember (or maybe she changed her board name by the time I was reading it) had either twins or triplets and lived in the northwest.
:001_huh:

[Gretchen in NJ]

:lol:Thanks for the smile!:lol:

Gretchen

[Cornerstone Classical]

I was Willow. I never knew you felt that way about me. :confused:








http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gifJust kidding! I don't even remember that person! http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gif

Oh Goodness! My heart just sank. I thought..."Holy Crap! This thread is going to go the way of the pig stye ( did I spell that right, Willow?) really fast!":lol:

[Mrs. H.]

Geez, *anj*, you almost gave me a heart attack!

:D:D:D

My first thought was, "I will have to leave the board forever, now."

[*anj*]

http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/blissysmile.gif

[Mamagistra]

I think it was a spice lady, not herb.


Which one? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFpu0ROaPLQ) :D

[Elaine]

http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/blissysmile.gif

You bad, bad girl!!:lol:

[*anj*]

You bad, bad girl!!:lol:

Bad enough to get some rep?
I neeeeeeed it!! :D

Oh wait, was that you, Dahlink?

[Elaine]

Bad enough to get some rep?
I neeeeeeed it!! :D

Oh wait, was that you, Dahlink?


Yes! I forgot to sign my name. Duh! I am dumber than a box of hair.(Thanks, Plaid Dad!)

[*anj*]

Yes! I forgot to sign my name. Duh! I am dumber than a box of hair.(Thanks, Plaid Dad!)

No you're not!! But thanks for reminding me of the quote anyway! I love that! :bigear:

[WTMindy]

I was Willow. I never knew you felt that way about me. :confused:
















http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gifJust kidding! I don't even remember that person! http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gif
You might not think it was so funny if you actually remembered her! It was a very painful time for some of us....
















JUST KIDDING!!! That was hillarious and I'd rep you if I could, but I have to spread it around first!:lol:

[KAR120C]

Can someone please tell me what a troll is? And, what they do?
I have to throw in my little linguistic derivation hat (*snort!*) and say that waaaaaaay back in the dark ages of usenet, "trolling" was a slightly-adapted fishing metaphor:
To fish for by trailing a baited line from behind a slowly moving boat.
So a "troll" would be the person who had figuratively dropped a hook in the water and was slowly dragging it by, to try to get a nibble, sometimes accompanied by not-so-subtle hints like "here fishy fishy fishy..." It was slightly different in that the boards I frequented back then were more likely to troll a newbie than to be trolled by random outsiders... kind of like hazing. But this was back when the internet was a small, small place, and the median internet-user-ego-size was something on the order of "Wyoming" ;)

[*anj*]

You might not think it was so funny if you actually remembered her! It was a very painful time for some of us....

JUST KIDDING!!! That was hillarious and I'd rep you if I could, but I have to spread it around first!:lol:

http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/laughing.gif (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/%5Bimg%5Dhttp://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/laughing.gif%5B/img%5Dhttp://)

[Denise in IN]

http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gifJust kidding! I don't even remember that person! http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/laughtears.gif


:ohmy:...snort......gasp.......:w00t:.....breathe. .. :rofl:

Brief moment of major panic for poor Mrs. H!

You are bad. and so funny.:D

[Doran]

You bad, bad girl!!:lol:


"She's just drawn that way."




Okay, did I just date myself incredibly with that line?



Anj, I think I luv you. BFF...pinky swear...! (giggle)

Doran

[Elaine]

You might not think it was so funny if you actually remembered her! It was a very painful time for some of us....
















JUST KIDDING!!! That was hillarious and I'd rep you if I could, but I have to spread it around first!:lol:


Oh, Mindy! You totally got me!:smilielol5:

[Laurel T.]

I was Willow. I never knew you felt that way about me.

You do not know what you just did for me. I had a very long day and that was just plain funny.

Laurel T.

[gardenschooler]

http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/laughing.gif (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/%5Bimg%5Dhttp://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/laughing.gif%5B/img%5Dhttp://)


Your smiley looks hungry. And evil. I'm going to have nightmares, Anj!

[Volty]

Exhibit A


I enjoyed posting the story of getting beaten up and pepper sprayed by transsexuals on the tropical fish forum. --phillybear

[pixelroper]

this is funny as I found myself asking this very same question-- after a def. from a member, I was curious and found these helpful:

a lengthy description (http://curezone.com/forums/troll.asp)

and good ole' wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll)

Where does one get the time??? It takes all kinds, I guess...

BTW am I the only one who feels as though I'm in a Petri dish?

"trolling for newbies" wouldn't happen here :eek: would it???:lol:

[Volty]

Exhibit B

What you just wrote is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this website is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[*anj*]

Exhibit B

Ohmygosh! Where is that from? http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/shocked.gif

[*anj*]

Your smiley looks hungry. And evil. I'm going to have nightmares, Anj!
No way!! He's so cute! How about this one? http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/nahnah.gif

[Virginia Dawn]

I asked this question once. And all chaos broke out. I had a guilt complex about it for quite a while. In fact, I suspect that some may have thought I was a troll because of what happened.

[Gretchen in NJ]

I asked this question once. And all chaos broke out. I had a guilt complex about it for quite a while. In fact, I suspect that some may have thought I was a troll because of what happened.

I was so very afraid of that happening to me. The problem was I had already posted my question. So, it was too late to take it back. Thank you to all of you who have been so kind to answer my question.:001_smile:

[Gretchen in NJ]

Oops! I forgot. I wanted to say you've all been
terribly funny.:lol: Thanks for the laughs!:lol:

Gretchen

[gardenschooler]

Ohmygosh! Where is that from? http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/shocked.gif

I think it's from one of the articles defining an internet troll. Either that, or it's Volty's handiwork.

http://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/geno/rofl.gif Just kidding, Volty!

[Mrs Mungo]

Exhibit B

What you just wrote is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this website is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.


~Saves to Word for possible future use.~:Angel_anim:

[Elaine]

~Saves to Word for possible future use.~:Angel_anim:

:rofl:

Why am I not surprised?;)

[Karenciavo]

Exhibit B: What you just wrote is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this website is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

For some reason this seems to me like something Lady Catherine de Bourgh would post.

[Volty]

Ohmygosh! Where is that from? http://209.85.48.9/10222/92/emo/shocked.gif

Posting with all the nice and polite women around here, you've no idea some of the things that go on on the internet. It's full of bullies, trolls and internet tough guys who feel empowered by the anonymity the internet provides.

I've spent the past ten years posting at an (almost) unmoderated football. A lot of internet tough guys and trolls hang out there. It's really lowbrow and we're not very polite to each other, but it has it's moments of great laughs. This post stuck out because of how well articulated the insult was. Most of these neanderthals, couldn't write like this.

Sometimes they perform what's called a 'jihad'. A bunch get together and register at an unsuspecting board and wreck havoc with their bad behavior and bawdy jokes until the moderators ban them all. They did this at PETA once, also a site for women's hair care products.

What goes around comes around; we've had our board jihaded on us. Somebody was complaining about the pizza place he goes to require a thumbprint when he paid with a check and the thread turned into bashing rude service sector employees. Turns out that somebody at a service sector board called "CustomersSuck" took offense and we were flooded with new posters raising a ruckus. Another time -an we never leaerned where these guys came from but they were retaliating against some gay bashing in a thread at our site - a bunch of folks, all registered with user names from kids' TV shows, gay celebrities, and boy bands came in and did the same thing. The whole page one of our site was full of weird homo-erotic thread titles. :auto:

Trolls...

[Soph the vet]

I always thought a troll was someone who lived under a bridge and talked to goats!:lol:

[Gretchen in NJ]

I always thought a troll was someone who lived under a bridge and talked to goats!:lol:

Cute. Very Cute. Thank you for the smile.:D

Gretchen

[3lilreds in NC]

I have to throw in my little linguistic derivation hat (*snort!*) and say that waaaaaaay back in the dark ages of usenet, "trolling" was a slightly-adapted fishing metaphor:

So a "troll" would be the person who had figuratively dropped a hook in the water and was slowly dragging it by, to try to get a nibble, sometimes accompanied by not-so-subtle hints like "here fishy fishy fishy..." It was slightly different in that the boards I frequented back then were more likely to troll a newbie than to be trolled by random outsiders... kind of like hazing. But this was back when the internet was a small, small place, and the median internet-user-ego-size was something on the order of "Wyoming" ;)

Oh wait, this kind of trawling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trawling) involves nets. I've been trolling with my dad and it's very, very boring. Needless to say, I'm not a fisherwoman. I like to go with the kids and catch all the little tiny fish when there's lots of action - but I get bored, bored, bored on a boat with nothing to do but watch the water go by.

Oh yeah - this thread had nothing to do with fishing, did it? ;)

[WTMindy]

Sometimes they perform what's called a 'jihad'. A bunch get together and register at an unsuspecting board and wreck havoc with their bad behavior and bawdy jokes until the moderators ban them all.


Hey, what do you say we get a bunch of us together and perform a "jihad" where we go to some board and bombard them with homeschooling curriculum talk. I wonder how long until we were banned!

Sorry, apparently this is proof positive I really do have too much time on my hands!

[Gretchen in NJ]

Hey, what do you say we get a bunch of us together and perform a "jihad" where we go to some board and bombard them with homeschooling curriculum talk. I wonder how long until we were banned!

Sorry, apparently this is proof positive I really do have too much time on my hands!

Where do you recommend? Our local PS board?:lol:

Gretchen

[KAR120C]

Oh wait, this kind of trawling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trawling) involves nets. I've been trolling with my dad and it's very, very boring.

Yup! Trawling is net, trolling is bait, and I like to come into the process right about after the filleting and breading is done ;) I have to assume that at some point trawling and trolling were only one word, because really, why do there need to be two that mean such similar things and are pronounced just about the same?? But the dictionary has both, so I defer to their authority. LOL