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Author Topic: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls  (Read 13556 times)

KenR

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I hope you enjoy this article about "forum trolls" as much as I did. In fact, I think it explained a few, or at least one, individual(s) I know.

The troll comes to the door of a new forum and sets down his bag of tricks. If he has a grudge against the people inside discussing and debating their passions with a certain degree of amicability, peacability and decorum, he does not show them. He has the cracked, stoic smile of Robin Goodfellow, a Puck with the simple desire to disrupt peace itself. He loves chaos; his bag is full of golden apples he can lob to set the masses squabbling. He has also many masks, smoke bombs, straw men, cloaks, puppets, matches, ethanol, knives, dust, sand, and magicks of the most arcane sort. He knows what he is about - causing trouble. Why?...

Kenneth P. Reeder, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Jacksonville, North Carolina  28546

Darwin

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2007, 12:09 AM »
Now how did I miss this last week? Oh... I was stuck in a hotel room in Vancouver. Anyway, thanks for the link, Ken. Very interesting and, as you say, sheds some light on one or two characters that I've encountered on these and other forums... :Thmbsup:

Eóin

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2007, 06:09 AM »
I hope this comic isn't inappropriate, I think sums up frustration towards trolls quite well.

Metafilter.jpgHumorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls

mouser

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2007, 10:54 AM »
lol  ;D

Darwin

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2007, 02:03 PM »
Incidentally, am I the only one who's NOT gone through a troll-ing stage? Must be an indicator of my age relative to Drew (the author of the piece that Ken pointed us to) as when I was an angry teenager the internet was years in the future and by the time I started frequenting on-line fora and newsgroups, etc. I was in my <ahem, cough> very late 20's. I was still pretty pissed off at that point, but mellowing nicely.

steeladept

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2007, 08:18 PM »
No, I am like you.  Didn't get into chatting until well after the adolescent stage where most trolling seems to occur.  (At least that is what I am inferring from the article...No offense to any adolescent is intended).

Deozaan

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2007, 10:13 AM »
I was into chatting and forums since I was about 12 or 13 and I never went through a trolling stage. I was in the middle of a Yahoo! Club that consisted mostly of teenagers who were seemingly always flaming each other. I'd pretty much always be the one to tell everyone to knock it off.

OldElmerFudd

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2007, 04:27 AM »
I hope this comic isn't inappropriate, I think sums up frustration towards trolls quite well.

[ Invalid Attachment ]

LOL!
Thanks for this!

OEF
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Nighted

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2007, 10:36 PM »
I think Ken is talking about me!!!!  :tellme:
I`m a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class, especially since I rule.

KenR

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2007, 01:15 AM »
Very funny comic Eóin. I just noticed it when Nighted's post (I'll never tell :)) called my attention to this thread. I think you're right. It summed it up perfectely!

Ken
Kenneth P. Reeder, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Jacksonville, North Carolina  28546

app103

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2007, 07:32 PM »
Eóin: Thanks for that comic. It will make a fine addition to my 'wtf' image folder.  ;D

zridling

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2007, 08:09 AM »
I have trolls follow me around on and off for years at a time, just posting insults right after I post something. I work hard to ignore them, but sometimes you have to engage. I've found that more often than not, retaliating got ME banned. So for one particular jerk, I created my own page for him and whenever he posts another slam, I just follow it up with this link: Ouch, the stupid, it burns!  (R-rated for rantly cursing)

ralphwiggum02.jpg
Ouch, the stupid, it hurts!

app103

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2007, 09:35 AM »
I was just thinking of some of the trolls I have known over the years...from both forums and chatrooms.

It might seem a strange thing to say, but honestly speaking I haven't met a troll that I didn't somehow like in some way. I find them quite amusing most of the time. :D

There was this one troll known as Ace. He began every sentence with an uppercase letter and ended it with a period...and used perfect grammar and spelling...in a chatroom! (this is an odd thing to do)

If there was such thing as a professional troll, Ace was one. He would go from chatroom to chatroom and flame and annoy people in every channel on the network...with no group being safe from him. He had an argument against everything.

At the time I was a regular in a chatroom known as the Las Vegas Hackers Club. We were a bunch of computer freaks. Most of us were into programming, web design, OS's, case modding, or taking things apart to see how they worked, etc...a harmless bunch with an insatiable appetite for knowledge.

Because of the term 'hacker' in our channel's name, and the fact that the mass media has brainwashed the public into believing that hackers are the bad guys that break into systems, destroy data, and create viruses & trojans, our channel had an undeserved reputation as being a home for such people even though that type was much unwelcome and would generally end up the victim of 'reverse trolling' if they dared to step foot in our channel. They were fodder for us and we took joy in making the little script kiddy wannabe crackers cry. The ones that kept coming back usually got an education that would change their lives for the better.

But we also had our share of those that came in just to insult us and tell us what they thought of 'hackers' (by the media's definition). We welcomed them too...and attempted to educate them as to what we really were and how we defined the term 'hacker'. We used the term to mean 'highly respected expert', regardless of the field of expertise. By our definition of 'hacker', a master chef could hold the title of 'food hacker'.

But Ace was the best...by far my favorite troll. He would come in and immediately announce "All hackers must die." I don't know about anybody else, but that would put a smile on my face. I knew we were going to be in for some fun. Back then there wasn't any kind of admin control in channels on the network. It was decentralized chat and only the channel host could kick and ban people. The host of our channel was often not around to police things, so we had to do it ourselves, with our wits.

Ace came in about once a week with his crap and we decided we were going to make a game of him with the 'prize' going to the member that could get Ace to agree that hackers were good people.

It took massive amounts of debating skill and psychological trickery to play this game. I am in awe of Martin, the one that managed to get Ace to agree that hackers are good people.

I wish I had been there that day to see the whole thing with my own eyes. I have only heard the story from the room regulars that were there that day. It's the stuff that legends are made of.

I haven't seen Ace on the network in a few years. I actually miss that troll. He was a lot of fun.  :-*

KenR

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2007, 09:38 AM »
I have trolls follow me around on and off for years at a time, just posting insults right after I post something. I work hard to ignore them, but sometimes you have to engage. I've found that more often than not, retaliating got ME banned. So for one particular jerk, I created my own page for him and whenever he posts another slam, I just follow it up with this link: Ouch, the stupid, it burns!  (R-rated for rantly cursing)

[ Invalid Attachment ]
Ouch, the stupid, it hurts!

Well, I  :-* LOVE YA :-* Zaine!!!! So, keep that in  :-* mind the next time  :-* someone bashes you.  :-*
 :-* Lovingly  :-*, Ken
Kenneth P. Reeder, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Jacksonville, North Carolina  28546

Lashiec

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2007, 01:10 PM »
Darn, I wish I didn't click that link. My eyes! They hurt!

He began every sentence with an uppercase letter and ended it with a period...and used perfect grammar and spelling...in a chatroom! (this is an odd thing to do)

Hey, that's me! :)

zridling

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Re: Humorous, perhaps informative, article on forum trolls
« Reply #15 on: June 26, 2007, 11:08 PM »
Lashiec, I'm building a new page just for you, buddy! Ken, you're so funny! X's and O's to you, too. I love criticism, but hate the harrassment part. It's like someone standing too close to you in a queue: makes you want to ask what they want.