The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #44263   Message #651180
Posted By: catspaw49
15-Feb-02 - 07:54 PM
Thread Name: BS: I will not respond to a troll
Subject: RE: BS: I will not respond to a troll
Hey Bobertz....You're only a troll in the funsense...people often disagree and the arguments can be fun. If no one bothered to read Jeri's link on a troll definition she (and I) like, here it is:(the italics are mine)

Trolling is posting a message in a newsgroup with the deliberate intent of starting heated discussion.
There are people who imagine that trolling is always a Bad Thing. Bad trolling is definitely a bad thing but I have seen many intelligent and entertaining trolls. When it is done properly it can be compared to gently winding people up or stirring things for fun, as you would find people doing every night in your local bar. Where trolling becomes bad is when it is done by a stranger to the group who has no real interest in the group's topic and is there purely to hurt or disrupt the normal flow of discussion. A troll feeds on responses, taking any serious attempts at debate and turning them round to feed the fire - this is one of the ways in which a real troll can be identified. When it becomes clear that one of these is at work, the correct response is to post a short message exposing them as such and thereafter, ignore the thread.
Of course, if the troll is entertaining and harmless, you can have some fun by joining in.


Bobertz, I'd figure you to be an "intelligent and entertaining troll.".........Well, entertaining anyway.........

Spaw