Question: What Is an Internet 'Troll'? Answer: An Internet 'troll' is an abusive anti-social user who delights in causing disharmony and conflict online. Named after the wicked troll creatures of children's tales, an Internet troll is someone who abuses their online anonymity by purposely sowing hatred, bigotry, racism, mysogyny, or just simple bickering between others. Because trolls like to promote fighting, they frequent blog sites, news sites, discussion forums, and game chat. Trolls thrive in any environment where they are allowed to make public comments. The Sad Truths of Internet Trolls: Trolls enjoy using shock-value statements to get angry responses from others. Trolls gain energy by you insulting them. Trolls gain energy when you get angry. Trolls are immune to criticism and logical arguments. True trolls cannot be reasoned with, regardless of how sound your logical argument is. Trolls do not feel remorse like you and me. They have sociopathic tendencies, and accordingly, they delight in other people having hurt feelings. Trolls consider themselves separate from the social order. Trolls do not abide by etiquette or the rules of common courtesy. Trolls consider themselves above social responsibility. The only way to deal with a troll is to ignore him, or take away his ability to post online. Where Do You Find Internet Trolls? Ans: Internet trolls are sadly common. They can be found wherever online users interact with each other. Trolls will abuse others in news blogs, political discussion forums, hobbyist communities online, Facebook pages, torrent search engine conversations, and in online game chat. Trolls have become very common in news sites. Many online news sources now avoid using open comment features because so many Internet trolls will use this venue to post abusive comments as responses to news articles. How Exactly Do Internet Trolls Abuse Others? Ans: Internet trolls seek to be disruptive and hurtful by using any of the following techniques: Trolls will post abusive and hurtful comments directed at a specific person (aka "flaming" another person) Trolls will incite broad arguments and provoke angry responses by making controversial statements. (e.g. racism, religious intolerance, bigoted or elitist views, mysogyny, extreme political views) Trolls will narcissistically dominate conversations, trying to make themselves the center of attention. (e.g. nonstop comments about themselves and their accomplishments; repeated self-centered statements and bragging) Trolls will start many off-topic threads, seeking to derail users from the focus of an online community. Why Do People Enjoy Being Internet Trolls? Ans: it is a kind of power rush or ego trip to be a troll. Being online is a place that is largely free of perceived consequences... an insecure person can get a sense of power online, without ever having to face someone directly. With the Internet being a world of imagination and fantasy for some, cowardly users can forge an alter ego for themselves, and act out their feelings of anger and inadequacy. It's sad and unfortunate that our advanced communications also brings out the darker side of many people. What Are Some Examples of Internet Trolling? Ans: here is an example of trolls abusing other people and their online communities: Example: a troll incites arguments over anti-diversity and anti-multiculturalism

How to Discourage Trolls in a Forum Community JANUARY 24, 2012 When you read about trolls and negative behavior online, it is generally acknowledged that bad behavior is fairly common. While this is true, I strongly disagree with the point of view that this is the nature of online forums and communities. This is not true. The truth is that the admin of a community, the posting policies and the moderators set the tone and are directly responsible for the tone of the forum. Trolling, petty bickering and bad behavior is a sign of poor community management, not a character flaw in humans. I am not only a moderator at WebmasterWorld, but I am also the owner of a successful forum community. I am going to show you from my experience how to discourage negative behavior on a forum while also encouraging more positive interactions. I’m a member of a fishing forum that has a LIKE system that works really well. There is no negative equivalent (DISLIKE). I think that’s a positive. Liking encourages community. Having a post LIKED is encouraging. It encourages members to feel positive about another member who praised their post. It creates a way for a member who might not have something to post to at least show their appreciation for the post. It encourages connection, community. Someone mentioned to me that they like the VOTING functions of a certain forum which allows members to vote down a thread and close it altogether. This is a misguided forum function and if you have this turned on I would urge you to turn it off. I will explain why. First off, moderating a forum is the job of a moderator, not the community. Secondly, anything that causes divisions, and shutting down a discussion is divisive, works against the goal of creating community. Thirdly, last thing I want to do is to give a troll a vote. On a macro level, the most important reason why not to have a negative voting function is that it’s something that creates divisions. I’m very much against negative forms of interaction in a community, like voting down a thread or tagging a member as an enemy to avoid having their posts displayed for you. Voting down and collapsing a thread is a job for moderators, not a way for members to express their negative opinions of each other. Forum software (and community rules) should encourage members to come together. The best forums should encourage members to form bonds, whether it’s PM or a LIKES function, these things help the community members get to know each other, form connections. I’m an advocate of gently nudging members out of lurk mode and into forming connections, community. This is on the same level of NOT allowing members to discuss politics and religion. I saw one forum that actually had an off topic forum just for discussing politics. The idea was to give members a place to get that off their chest without driving other discussions off topic. Guess what? It’s a vile sewer of negativity, racism, Xenophobia and ignorance. I read through that forum and found instances of members vowing never to return to that forum ever again just because of that forum. Politics and religion divides people. Features and policies that are divisive are corrosive to a forum. Divisions work against the core purpose of a forum, which is community. So what is the point of encouraging division? It works against your goals. Being able to cast a negative vote on a thread is clearly a negative form of interaction and has no place in a community that aspires to be troll-free. The best way to handle negative posts, off topic posts, trolling, flames and rule breaking is the Report a Thread. I’m reworking a new forum and disabling the FOE function and leaving behind just the FRIEND function was one of the things I did. That encourages positive community building. On forums, free speech is not a right A common characteristic of trolls is that they feel entitled to say whatever they want to say. Nobody screams louder about their right to free speech than a troll. Surprisingly, many admins agree with them. Nothing can be more harmful to a community. In the real world it is considered bad behavior to be rude to a stranger. It should not be any different online. My theory about trolls is that they’re common because forum administrators are afraid of losing members. It starts at the beginning with loose moderation when the forum is new, fed by the fear of not growing or else the admin is himself/herself a troll who believes in “free speech.” Once the forum has grown the culture is established and the forum is poisoned.

raula;787768 wrote: ^^just a passing thought. Disregard if it makes no sense to ya! wrong thread for your message. that's all.

If you've spent any amount of time around an online forum, you are probably already familiar with forum trolls, even if you're not aware of their name. Forum trolls love to come into threads and stir up trouble, start arguments and generally make little sense just for the fun of getting people riled up. Sometimes the forum troll is funny, like that guy at the party who had a few too many and is wearing the lampshade on his head. But just like the frat boy who never grew up, too much of anything is well... too much. A frequent troll can be downright annoying and harder to get rid of than fungus on a pre-teen boy. The close cousin to the forum troll is the baiter. Every forum should come with a sign that reads "Don't feed the trolls" but there would still be some silly person willing to do it anyway. It's like those people who take raw steak to the bears in the state park. Troll feeders love to see the drama unfold on their computer screens but they love hiding behind the mask of "I didn't do it" where they feel secure in their role not as a trouble-maker but simply as someone trying understand the other forum users. Then that brings us to the third kind of annoying forum user- the self-proclaimed moderator. Whenever the trolls come out, it brings the troll feeders. Drama nearly always ensues and someone gets their e-feelings hurt. Then along comes the Self-Proclaimed Moderator asking everyone to "please get along" and reminding us that e-bullying is really just a sign of insecurity in real life. Trolls LOVE to prey on the self-proclaimed moderator. In fact, they often say things with the sole intention of working up the self-righteous "Carebear". You can bet the troll has subscribed to this thread and pulled up a seat with his popcorn and soda. This is clearly just another way of baiting the troll. When you see a forum troll in action, don't try to argue with him, don't try to prove him wrong, don't try to make everyone get along- just ignore it. The more you ignore the troll, the more he will try to bait you but don't fall for it. The forum troll is a bit like that withering houseplant you forgot to water and put in the sun. Leave it alone long enough and it will wither and die... give it one drop of water and suddenly, it's clinging on for dear life once more. It's tempting to reply, especially when the forum troll is pushing all of your buttons. It's a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse where the troll almost always comes out victorious. As difficult as it may be, don't do it people- don't feed the trolls! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3073722

An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Trolls delight in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war. A classic troll tries to make us believe that he is a skeptic. He is divisive and argumentative with need-to-be-right attitude, "searching for the truth", flaming discussion, and sometimes insulting people or provoking people to insult him. A troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them. While he tries to present himself as a skeptic looking for truth ... his messages usually sound as if it is the responsibility of other forum members to provide evidence that what forum is all about is legitimate. ]He (and in at least 90% of cases it is he) tries to start arguments and upset people. Sometimes, he is skeptical, trying to scare people, trying to plant fear in their hearts. Sometimes, Internet troll is trying to spin conflicting information, is questioning in an insincere manner, flaming discussion, insulting people, turning people against each other, harassing forum members, ignoring warnings from forum moderators. Trolling is a form of harassment that can take over a discussion. Well meaning defenders can create chaos by responding to trolls. The best response is to ignore it, or to report a message to a forum moderator. Ubuntuforums moderators usually move troll messages to the jail and may even ban trolls after a few unheeded warnings. Negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users. Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate backlash. When trolls are completely ignored they sometimes step up their attacks, desperately seeking the attention they crave. Their messages become more and more foul, and they post ever more of them. Alternatively, they may protest that their right to free speech is being curtailed. Perhaps the most difficult challenge for a moderator is deciding whether to take steps against a troll that a few people find entertaining. Some trolls do have a creative spark and have chosen to squander it on being disruptive. There is a certain perverse pleasure in watching some of them. Ultimately, though, we have to decide if the troll actually cares about putting on a good show for the regular participants, or is simply playing to an audience of one -- himself. For this reason the staff here often intervene, either with a warning in a thread, jailing one or more posts, sending private messages to offenders, and even banning people--temporarily or permanently--from these forums. As an idea, the next time you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, maybe you could just write a follow-up message in the thread entitled "Troll Alert" and type something like this: Quote: The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages. It is well known that most people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers. The goal of the Ubuntuforums is to provide a place where people wanting to share experiences using Ubuntu or Linux in general can do so as well as give and receive technical assistance in a friendly, pleasant environment. Trolls disturb and disrupt community and are neither welcomed nor tolerated. There are lots of "free speech" forums available for political, religious, "not safe for work" and family-unfriendly sorts of interactions. If you feel the need to troll, please seek out one of these places. ----Troll Spotting---- Trolls often have many basic characteristics in common: 1. Low post count. Trolls usually do not last long enough on a forum to rack up a large number of posts. Be particularly suspicious of any poster whose count is not yet in double digits and who appears to be causing trouble. 2. Suspicious IP addresses. Puppet accounts will have IP addresses identical to that of the TiQ. 3. Suspicious E-mail Addresses. Accounts that are similar in nature to those of the TiQ can indicate a puppet account. AOL accounts, for example, are particularly suspect, because AOL allows multiple usernames for a single account. 4. Syntax and grammar. Trolls, particularly Deceptives, invariably have trouble hiding their writing styles. Puppet accounts, or serial accounts created after previous accounts have been thoroughly discredited, will display traits similar to that of the TiQ.

If you’re feeling like “OMG WTF” when scrolling your comment thread, you may be dealing with a troll. Trolls aren’t just readers or customers who are complaining about your product or service; these are creatures, spawned of the Internet, with the sole purpose of being a nuisance or creating a destructive presence on your site. Trolls don’t have legitimate grievances and they don’t want to talk rationally about their concerns. They want to cause a commotion and they want attention. But before you take the bait and start responding to comments like “You mad, bro?” consider these tips for dealing with trolls on your blog or social-networking sites: Don’t Feed the Trolls The most common advice given by fellow bloggers and Internet users in dealing with trolls is “Don’t feed the trolls.” In other words, don’t give them want they want: Attention. Don’t respond to their comments, and don’t recognize their presence in any way. The common wisdom is that no matter how you respond, trolls will find a way to keep flaming you or trying to get a reaction out of you. And even one small outburst or negative comment is enough to keep them going. Take the High Road Occasionally, simply ignoring your trolls is not enough to deal with them. If they are not getting the attention they want, trolls may try to up the ante by making even more inflammatory or offensive comments. This will create a negative presence that will either reflect poorly on you or it will draw in other readers or fans to respond, which could escalate the thread. If you feel that ignoring the troll will not make him go away, respond with neutral or positive comments to try to discourage them. Simple comments like, “Thank you for your feedback,” or “We appreciate you taking the time to share your opinion” should be enough to let your troll know that you won’t be baited, but not enough to give him more material. Have a Sense of Humor If you can’t get rid of a troll, you can try beating him at his own game by responding with humor. Don’t sink to the level of the troll and insult him or use derogatory humor. Instead, use levity to show that the comments do not have their intended affect and to dismiss the childish antics. This is a risky strategy, as you must be sure that you can best the troll. Sometimes, humor can backfire, and you will be the one looking more foolish. Be sure you can win before you try to play the troll’s game. Ban or Delete If all else fails, you can delete your troll’s comments or ban him completely. Most Internet users are against censorship of any kind when it comes to comments and posts, so think carefully before you resort to this tactic. If you do decide to delete comments or ban a troll, try to do so before the troll gains notice. It is easier to quietly dismiss a troll without an audience than it is to publicly censor and remove dissenters from your page. Remember that not all negative commenters are trolls. Some are genuinely disgruntled customers or fans, and you should carefully assess comments before you decide to dismiss them as the work of a troll. If you are dealing with a genuinely aggrieved customer, take the opportunity to publicly resolve the complaint to show your dedication to your customers and win over more fans.

raula;787696 wrote: Pitiful watching this team's get new jerseys's, cleats when women/children/mothers/elderly are dying & hunger-stricken somewhere nearby. (This isn't only PL/ but Somalia's in general). Ma fahmo ragaan soomaliyeed...May Allah s.w. have mercy on our souls-Amin. Same thing, when you see pictures of pupils, schools, businesses......dumarkii wexey noqdeen alaab (I can marry 3/4+ women, she takes care of the household, raise the kids...do all the chores..& now days even work outside the house....)see wax uu hagaagayaan..if the dude's job is just for reproduction & Footie *&$#. Pardon me. :confused:

Sayid*Somal;787651 wrote: No, that is not what I am saying - but I did predict that you would not understand. Hence no need to mention that I was bang to rights. P.S. -Dabeecad xuma dad kaa saartay,Dabeecadduna diinta waa ka badh. let me help you if i can. so, other people's opinions are not important when you yourself state the following; "but what's my opinion compared to that of thousands of others", but now your saying and i quote "No, that is not what I am saying". you know what, i take back my earlier comment, you are by far the dumbest cookie on this forum. One more thing you are not writing a letter, so fadlan stop with the p.s.

Gaalkacyo(Pi) Xerada Buuraha Bacley oo ka mid ah Xeryaha Barakacayaasha degan Gaalkacyo ayaa maanta waxaa booqdey Puntlandi.com, waxaan waraysiyo lasoo yeelanay Odoyaasha Xerada oo ka cabanaya dhibaatooyin ay kala kulmaan Maleeshiyaadka Koonfurta Gaalkacyo, Waxay Dowlada Puntland iyo Hay’adaha aan Dowliga ahayn ka codsanayaan in la caawiyo, Dhagayso Waraysiyadii oo aan idiin soo koobnay. http://puntlandi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Codoka-Odayaasha-iyo-Nabadoonada-Kaamka-Buula-bacley-ee-Gaalkacyo.mp3

Sayid*Somal;787642 wrote: I don't think you are a fool, but what's my opinion compared to that of thousands of others, judging by the little red dot underneath your status. so you are saying one of us is a follower that concerns his or herself with others opinion and the other; your's truly, a maverick. Well, i don't get to say this often, but you are one smart cookie.

Sayid*Somal;787636 wrote: ^^I would have like to insult you, but the sad truth is that you wouldn't understand me. oh i understand, but its you i'm worrying about. Are you okay? Look, it's okay to be confuse from time to time, it's not like its against the law or anything. You know what, i will even offer to help you make you point. Now how about you post your comment and i will see what i can do. Okay. ok.

Sayid*Somal;787613 wrote: The 'unless' bit is what worries me saxiib. I think you should worry about things you can comprehend; like making irrelevant post on forums. ok. Okay.

Sayid*Somal;787627 wrote: Nothing that would leave you sick to your stomach can ever be funny in any entertaining way. Shameful, that some would go through the whole things and cheery pick to only find one individuals participation embarrassing or use that as attack on others. P.s. I dislike your username and avatar. Nothing that would leave you sick to your stomach can ever be funny in any entertaining way you make me sick and yet your entertaining. I guess i have a thing or two for people like you. on your p.s I dislike your username and avatar., in no where do i ask for for your useless meaninglessness irrelevant opinion.

Sayid*Somal;787619 wrote: ^That is Nuradin Dirie. The whole show was the epitome of embarrassment, if you ever needed to see one. At times it was embarrassing, funny, and sad. Overall, you walk away sick to your stomach.

Somalia;787618 wrote: It's highly ironic and I love irony. It's my kind of comedy.

"Somaliland's national army has repulsed the attack by the Khaatumo militia, which attacked them in the early hours of the morning (on Wednesday), after the arrival of reinforcements," Somaliland's Minister of Defence Ahmed Ali Adami told Reuters. :rolleyes::D

Atirisho;787403 wrote: I didn't read further than "country" ;) Somalia;787426 wrote:

Atirisho;787415 wrote: ^^ Faroole is a peculiar man and by far the majority of Puntlanders are completely outraged by this comments toward Khatuumo.The people of Sool, Sanag and cayn understand that regardless of Faroole's stand on this particular issue, by far the majority of Puntlanders have their back. I still don't understand why Faroole's opinions carry so much weight to you boys though . I mean would that really change the situation at hand? the truth of the matter is, SNM is being schooled by punch of under-aged, inexperienced boys armed with weapons from the 70's era. ;) ;) Faroole waa kiski uu shaqaystee, umaada reer Puntland oo dhaan sidaas ma ahaan. i could not find anything to disagree with even when i tried my hardest and for that i plan to give you my first public positive rep. Way to go Atirisho. :cool:

Xaaji Xunjuf;787108 wrote: so wait a minute the Garowe clan enclave is ka yar:D the triangle enclave cannot defeat kan yar iyo kan weyn.

peasant;787076 wrote: Aabow kan yar iga celi aan kan weyn iska ceshee miyaa sheekadu? Raga buhoodle ayaa maalin kasta lagu karbaasha markaas ayey puntland rabaan in ay u babac dhigaan!

furthermore, if trolling is something you are against, see to it that you hold yourself to the same standards as you expect from others. One of the golden rule in life. p.s. leave somalia out of this. he like you is entitle to his opinion and if you are going to mention age, make sure that your respect those that are older than you.

Freedom;786879 wrote: You complain about others trolling punt land threads but you have the $&$ to troll stuff about Somaliland lool hypocrit to fullest. I understand why he old man said something but I accepted better from you loooool. Tisk shame shame lol read the thread and point to where i mention SL. I mention unknown UK politican, Scotland, green party, 20 years of called but not given recognition.

Freedom;786881 wrote: Like your sources are better lol videos + pictures = 1000 words each spilling defeat.

Somalia;786880 wrote: ^ Dr_Osman was unleashed in this thread, Lol@cultivating horses

Aaliyyah;786836 wrote: Dad xaqoodi lugu haysto wa aduun gadomay buhodle guul ayaan u rajayanaya. Dhulkeeno dhana waa in aan so xoresana waxkale mesha ma yaalaan dadba dulmi iyo xaqdaro u badheedhay. Baadilna ma waaro waa la wada ogsoonyahay taas you and me both. Guul SSC :cool: