Tuesday, May 3, 2011

What is a troll? | Online Communities: Trolling and Harassment


What is a troll?


"The traditional definition of a troll refers to a member of a community or usenet group who makes posts deliberately designed to attract responses of outrage or indignation. It is the troll's intent to "hook" unsuspecting members into responding, (hence the term "trolling"), thus providing him/her self with the satisfaction of knowing they have impact on others.

A distinction must be made between true trolls, newbies who are undergoing growing pains as they attempt to adjust to community standards, and regular community members who simply have strong but otherwise harmless, dissenting opinions. Trolls should be removed, newcomers assisted, and contributing community members given at least a modicum of respectful distance.

Officials are the founders, hosts, techies, moderators and administrators. Typically they hold true power in the community by establishing the community's purpose, determining the form of presiding government, developing protocols of policy, and having the power to remove users who do not comply with the established standards." Full article | What is a troll?