flyrodder
01-15-2009, 02:48 PM
A couple of years back I adopted a new internet message board mantra: "Don't feed the trolls." I have read plenty of posts that have angered me to the point of wanting to pound out a scathing reply sprinkled with "F bombs", and in the past I certainly have been known to do just that. Then one day I came to my senses and realized that arguing with an anonymous internet poster over some issue that was utterly unimportant is absolutely absurd. The biggest reason why it is such a waste of time is because the person I am arguing with is most likely little more than an internet troll.
What is a troll you ask?
From Wikipedia
"An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]"
The term "troll" is taken from the phrase "trolling for suckers". They sit behind their computer and laugh as they read your reply telling them what an flaming a-hole they are. One unique characteristic of an internet troll is that they often have a very high post count, but the content of their posts is the message board equivalent to empty calories. A successful troll can be responsible for posts that drag on for pages and pages before finally degenerating into personal attacks that cause the moderators to step in ( known as a "flame war") and either lock the thread or delete the offending content.
Trolls come in many varieties. Some trolls are very in your face confrontational and offensive. Their posts can often be vulgar and they have even been known to stoop to racism and sexism in order to get a rise out of their intended prey. These types of trolls are easy to spot. Other varieties of trolls are much more stealthy and harder to spot. They operate by making posts that, on the surface, seem legitimate and relevant to the message board theme, but these posts are really little more than thinly veiled attempts at stirring up controversy and getting a rise out of the message board community. Fishing message board trolls are a subspecies of the genus trollus outdooria sportus. They are most active during the winter time when a condition known as the "shack nasties" can inflict fishermen who are longing for opening day. Every winter, like clockwork, you see very similar message topics cropping up. It's so predicable it is almost laughable.
Unfortunately flyaddict.com is not immune from troll infestation. We have some trolls among our rank and file. You know who you are, and we know who you are. If we keep feeding the trolls, soon we will have an infestation. Don't feed the trolls. If we don't feed them, they will "starve" for attention and eventually move on to another message board where they will make pests of themselves. While different trolls operate in different manners, and on the surface they seem to have different motives/desires, they all have one underlying motive: power. When you tell off or correct the "stupid" comments made by a troll, you are giving them very real power. If a troll takes power over your life, maybe it is time to log off the computer for a while. There were times when I got seriously pissed off at something written on a message board to the point where I obsessed over the issue even when I was away from the computer. Then I realized how stupid it was to get mad at an anonymous persons' opinions, especially when their behavior was most likely intended to get a rise out of others.
Together we can do it. Don't feed the trolls.
What is a troll you ask?
From Wikipedia
"An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]"
The term "troll" is taken from the phrase "trolling for suckers". They sit behind their computer and laugh as they read your reply telling them what an flaming a-hole they are. One unique characteristic of an internet troll is that they often have a very high post count, but the content of their posts is the message board equivalent to empty calories. A successful troll can be responsible for posts that drag on for pages and pages before finally degenerating into personal attacks that cause the moderators to step in ( known as a "flame war") and either lock the thread or delete the offending content.
Trolls come in many varieties. Some trolls are very in your face confrontational and offensive. Their posts can often be vulgar and they have even been known to stoop to racism and sexism in order to get a rise out of their intended prey. These types of trolls are easy to spot. Other varieties of trolls are much more stealthy and harder to spot. They operate by making posts that, on the surface, seem legitimate and relevant to the message board theme, but these posts are really little more than thinly veiled attempts at stirring up controversy and getting a rise out of the message board community. Fishing message board trolls are a subspecies of the genus trollus outdooria sportus. They are most active during the winter time when a condition known as the "shack nasties" can inflict fishermen who are longing for opening day. Every winter, like clockwork, you see very similar message topics cropping up. It's so predicable it is almost laughable.
Unfortunately flyaddict.com is not immune from troll infestation. We have some trolls among our rank and file. You know who you are, and we know who you are. If we keep feeding the trolls, soon we will have an infestation. Don't feed the trolls. If we don't feed them, they will "starve" for attention and eventually move on to another message board where they will make pests of themselves. While different trolls operate in different manners, and on the surface they seem to have different motives/desires, they all have one underlying motive: power. When you tell off or correct the "stupid" comments made by a troll, you are giving them very real power. If a troll takes power over your life, maybe it is time to log off the computer for a while. There were times when I got seriously pissed off at something written on a message board to the point where I obsessed over the issue even when I was away from the computer. Then I realized how stupid it was to get mad at an anonymous persons' opinions, especially when their behavior was most likely intended to get a rise out of others.
Together we can do it. Don't feed the trolls.