On the Subject of Trolls...
 

They seem among the most bitter of creatures, hiding under bridges and sniping at the human beings who innocently walk by.

Some of us think it is fun to poke a stick at a troll :stickpoke: and watch them foam at the mouth. Some of us resolutely ignore them, hoping they will get bored and stump it back under the bridge on their smelly troll feet.

I think it's time we took up a collection and buy them a little Troll House, perhaps at the edge of the forest, and patrol the perimeter for the sake of our children.

They could sell Troll House cookies to the other nefarious woodland creatures and leave us in peace.

What sort of cookies would they sell?

1) What is a troll?

A troll is someone who posts primarily for the purpose of drawing attention to himself (or herself), usually negative attention. Trolls are also known to post solely to disrupt a newsgroup, distracting readers from the original point, thus defeating the group's purpose. They frequently post from anonymous or forged accounts.

2) Why should I avoid trolls?

The best reason to ignore trolls is that if you give them the attention they desire by responding to them, they can, in time, rip a newsgroup apart. In reality, most seem to be sad little people with no lives; why encourage them to waste yours on their spew? When in doubt, ignore. If you simply cannot help yourself, one good defense is to write a response, but delete it without posting it -- or perhaps even e-mail it to a friend. These actions let you vent your spleen without giving the trolls the verbal spanking they crave.

Troll House cookies. (In the States we sometimes call chocolate chip cookies Toll House cookies; sorry 'bout that!)

I did that three times this morning. :mad:

I like TROLL house cookies, for they are yummy, and made with the bones of children.:yum:
( this is really fargon )

Trolling isn't inherently bad. Trolling is just a tool- like nerve gas or a flamethrower. The problem isn't the tool, it's the incompetent user.

A well-written troll is a thing of rare beauty: amusing, enlightening, and an excellent method for livening up an otherwise moribund thread. They can also be very effective at lowering the toxic levels of smug that can be generated by whining herds of the perpetually indignant.

Don't hate the troll; hate the person who can't write one.

Trolls are badly misunderstood creatures.

All they want is a nice bridge to live under and someone to despise them.

Oh, and no goats.

C'mon, I wouldn't butt ya!

Do they go trip-trapping?

Yeah, but I built a better fence.

I :heartpump me some goats.

Cute little devil-y critters.

There we have it. Promoting more hate against a class of ... well it is not blacks, Hatians, people with brown eyes, the handicapped. Now we have to pick on little people. When will all this trolling for hate end?

i never said they were 'people'--I said they were 'creatures'.

My uncle raises goats. Every once in a while one has to be hand-raised, bottle-fed. Little house goats. They can suck down a human-sized abby bottle in about two seconds flat. Little devil-eyed bastards are so cute with thei little waggy-puppy tails.

Oh great. Now they aren't even people anymore. Now they are little creatures. More insults. More hate.

Meanwhile I like cookies baked by trolls inside trees. Even if they are little cookies, with black dots, using ingredients imported by Hatians with brown eyes who drive cars with handicapped plates, and who have a Congressional love of goats.

wow, you must have gotten laid last night.

ha ha ha

you're just sayin' what we're all thinkin'

When I see people talk about trolls , I tend to see paranoia .

Mon Dieu , and now you have all proved my point .

Mad as hatters , the lot of you .

I used to care-take a bunch of minis.

There's the door, Alice. Do you know how to use it?

I suspect that you would like me to be caught in a revolving door , Brianna .

I think that you would like to snatch at me from time to time , and then let me spin a bit .

You can snatch at me whenever I am around . I like you very much .

Are you coming on to me?

Just saying that if you catch at my coat tails when I am running , I shall help you hold on .

How hard would it be to build a new forum heading, called "Under the Bridge"? If your user name gets added to the "perpetual troll" list, anything you post on any thread gets automatically rerouted to "Under the Bridge" upon hitting "reply". Those who like to go, and poke, and laugh, can head over there. Everyone else can continue enjoying the forum.

Wow! Great idea.

That's a pretty tricky change and I wouldn't want to maintain it.

You know, there is a most evil feature built in to vBulletin, called "Tachy Goes to Coventry."

It references the phrase "Sent to Coventry", which means, basically, shunned.

When a user is placed into this condition, their posts are not seen by anyone but themselves. They can still post, but their posts are invisible.

I used to think this was simply too nasty a feature to ever use. But for users who are simply nothing but trolls, maybe it is an appropriate punishment.

F.

Y.

I.

The only downside to that is genuine users occasionally getting paranoid, believing they have been sent to Coventry (a pretty grim fate in real life anyway) when in fact they are simply being thread killers....

Then again, maybe that just adds to the fun?

That's better than anything that's ever been suggested on the internet, ever.

Why isn't there a post #33 in this thread?;)

Hmmmm. Looks like I killed that thread then.

Trolls are much misunderstood

I like trolls. They taste like chicken.

Trolls serve a valuable function. For example - I used to think I was somewhat intellectual until Buddug started posting. Now, I realize that I am merely one step above a lobotomized babboon. And an American baboon, that.

Ahhh but the French baboons...now there's a proper baboon.

nah, they're just like american baboons, they just smell worse

LOL :D

I disagree (minority view).
If anyone is so insufferable, that nobody wants to read any of their posts, then none of their posts should have any replies at all. Especially if they started the thread.
I don't see that happening.
There is the ignore list option if you don't want the pressure of making the decision to skip it.
Don't blame the troll, when you take the bait. :2cents:

Right... if everyone ignores someone, they are under the bridge.

retired vigilante troll
 

@be-bop



aww that's a cute one!

:2cents: Leave the forum as is, please. bud-dung is a pain, but in general the ratio of asshats to tophats is such that I don't mind visually skipping over a couple posts.

huh. the thing is--whenever I think of Labrat I think of the cutest dimples ever! Damn you, UnderToad!

Not only that, but she's got real cute cheeks, too.

Oh, I'm sorry...you meant *facial* dimples, didn't you?

Alors. Quelle dommage. It's not A Dieu....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddug
You can snatch at me whenever I am around . I like you very much .


Are you coming on to me?

OH yeah, she like you very much long time joe. twenny dolla... :love:

C'mon, youze guys.
LabRat's post content's shouldn't be judged on the basis of her being cuter than a basket kittens and puppies......or as beautiful as a Vegas showgirl.....or as sexy as a.....:redface:
Well, let's just say, content counts.

Sexy as a Trolley?

What ever blows your skirt up. ;)