I keep seeing this, people calling each other "trolls," and I can't figure out what it is they think makes a troll. For the most part, I think that very few of our regular participants are trolls, because I see trolls as people who intentionally disrupt discussions for the purpose of causing trouble. To many Mudcatters, it seems that the definition of "troll" is ideological - that anyone who disagrees with the dominant ideology is a troll. In other words, our conservatives are the trolls.
But I think our conservatives, misguided though they may be, post what they post because it's what they believe. And at times they may post with inordinate vehemence because they feel they are a hopeless and powerless minority. But they're really not particularly troublesome - they just post troublesome ideas.

I found it interesting to see people in posts above, trying to speculate who were the people who were responsible for killing threads. I think that usually it's not the person who posted the last message. Maybe it's about the fourth person up from the bottom, or maybe not. But probably it's not one person - it's that the entire tone of the thread has turned angry, and there's nothing that can be done to fix it.

But anyhow, I don't really think we've had serious trolls since we began requiring membership to post in the BS forum. Greg_F was a pain in the ass; but he was just trying very, very hard to be accepted by the "in crowd," even when he had no understanding of whatever was being discussed. We have people who can get ornery, but I think they truly believe in the ideas that they are posting, and they're working hard to help their side prevail.

As for moderators having particular friendships with trolls, I just don't see that - but then, I don't see all these trolls that people are talking about. I confess that I have kind of love-hate relationships with Jim Carroll and Steve Shaw. I really like both of them, but I do argue with them regularly and vehemently. So, I don't think I'm particularly biased for or against them.

I may have my disagreements with [other moderators], but I think they're pretty unbiased.

So, that's what I think.

-Joe-