Define: Troll(ing) (in Off-topic)

Over the years I have head quite a few definitions on what "Trolling" is and have found what I knew it to be before to not apply now. So as the title says "Define: Troll(ing) , in your own words please not something from a dictionary.

Also note I asked "define" it not "show" it.

I guess basically I would like to know what CB thinks(or agrees) a/orTroll(ing) is.

To troll is an art of not touching you but getting under your skin.

A troll is a monster beneath a bridge that eats children and lambs.

You know what a troll is: It's someone who irritates others just to rile them up. A great way to troll someone is to call the person a troll, so the insult gets used a TON on the internet in ill-fitting situations.

But it always seems to work...

A troll cannot control his fingers when typing. Most of the time it's disrespectful and usually completely unnecessary.

It's In the damn wiki, look it up everyone

Zenai I read you all over forums and you seem like your having fun. lol. :p

Aule/Gun:

OB:

Personally I find a troll as someone who just instigates (push buttons) people into arguments, ultimately a troll thrives for people to lose control in one form or another.

The Wiki is quite obviously not a dictionary, and the definition is provided there for the exact reason you have made this thread

http://www.carnageblender.com/wiki/Unofficial+FAQ#2

Oh, 'Birdie, that's not good enough! It specifically references chat, so the definition on the boards might be totally different.

Also, that definition is based on intent, and one can always claim one didn't _intend_ to be a hemorrhoid, but was just born that way.

OB: Is the Wiki in every single persons own words? No that is a written down definition maybe at the consensus of a few. It is old, outdated, completely subjective(nebulous I would say) and as Bast sarcastically pointed out is only directed at chat.

Getting it out of the Wiki is pretty much the same as getting it from a dictionary. Now if a lot of people agree with the definition that is fine, however, I want to know what they think. Not everyone's thoughts are exactly the same even if they all agree on a similar definition.

This post has nothing to do with Zen, as I don't consider him a troll. However, seeing the trollface with Zen's icon above was just asking for it.

lol. That was pretty funny Demi. :)

/me feels violated *curls into the fetal position and shivers crying*

Humor is good for the soul :D

Troll.
Verb
1)To fish by trailing a line, as from a moving boat.

Noun
1)A supernatural creature of Scandinavian folklore, variously portrayed as a friendly or mischievous dwarf or as a giant, that lives in caves, in the hills, or under bridges.
2)The act of trolling for fish.

Man.. king I was just about to say the fishing one. lol.

Ok since I have obviously not made myself clear on exactly what I meant when I said define Troll(ing), although the first set of posters figured it out; I'll make it clear with posting an example of definition type I am looking for:

This thread is trolling along nicely!

with as much history as some of us on cb have with each other, it becomes quite easy to bait one another in very subtle ways.

unfortunately that makes it so that any definition of trolling then becomes: does someone feel trolled? that can then turn into, well i don't like someone so they must be trolling me because they sure pissed me off just by posting in my thread.

this is why i often tell poster to take issues private, without the audience if it is trolling it usually becomes less fun.

Oh, pft. It's even funnier when they get all insane in the PMs.

To an extent.

I have to agree with Bast at least partially. PM/CMs usually give far more freedom for abuse and in some cases is the actual aim of the Trolling. Aside from that Dude it really doesn't matter if it falls into the line of "they did it on purpose" then they are still trolling subtlety has no free pass. Everyone knows that they are not liked by someone, trolls while knowing this purposefully do whatever they can to get a response, including just posting in a persons thread. As long as they get their kick it's all good, to me it seems like it's a drug that they are addicted to because of the thrill it gives them.

Everyone likes me. I'm freakin' awesome.
::points at self with thumbs::

Everyone Demi there is no exceptions not even you my friend.

private messages, from a specific user, can also be set to "ignore" status. so if someone feels abused in private they always have the option to set that up. this in conjunction with admins telling people in flame / troll wars to take it private is really the best solution we have.

True but this feature does not exist for Forums. No one likes to be Publicly Abused.


No it is not the best solution, it is the easiest one for Admins since the do not have to do anything but drop that line. Don't get me wrong I understand they have a life and other things to do but in the same breath they can take the time to tell whoever that line they can also do something else.

The best solution it to make it stop, prevent them from posting. Send some trolls to the timeout corner for a few days and I guarantee you that either they will stop or they will have to be banned because they will not stop. In both instances I'm fine with it since the crap will stop. You cannot troll if you do not have the means to do so.

In the same turn the person getting trolled will be able to take a breather and will have time to calm down. Honestly when I get trolled give me a day or two and it's done, unless of course they start in on me again.

Put a few definitives down, set up the boundary and stand your ground. I would prefer to lose a few trolls rather than have no one but the most hardcore players and the trolls still here. The objective is to grow, you cannot grow if you allow trolls autonomy people see it and will not want to stay whether NPs or Vets. People just do not want to deal with the crap and honestly they shouldn't have to no matter where they are.

so if someone tells me they think you are trolling by creating this thread then i should forum ban you for a few days? that is what i was pointing out earlier, people can feel trolled by just about anything, especially if it gets someone they disagree with banned.

Well if you and the other Admins deem it to be so then yes being an understanding and upstanding member of the community I would accept it. Sometimes the angry person needs a timeout too.


I got that from the start dude my point was that inaction is worse. Do it on a case by case basis as it, in my honest opinion, should have been done from the beginning.

Sometimes the person angry from being trolled needs a timeout too.*

When we have "case by case basis" enforcement, we inevitably get "You're just being unfair, you hate me, look at how I am being singled out!" rants and communal weighing in on things like "consistency" and administerial discretion.

If your point is that we don't need consistency, then why are you asking for a definition? Trolling, like porn, can simply be known when it is encountered.

Z, the definition example you posted is a re-wording of what's already in the wiki. Did you disagree with me solely for the purpose of stubbornly continuing the "debate?"

For the record, I firmly believe that if some of the community was a little less thin-skinned and stopped looking to accuse others of trolling, there would be no problem to solve, much less define.

That is why we have consistent, fair and knowledgeable duly appointed Admins. It is also the reason why I said if the Admins deem it so then I will accept the punishment. I do not see that as being unfair if a entire group of Admins come to a consensus and say you have done this and here is the punishment for it.

You see if the only standard you have is inaction then problems like this come around. You cannot get away from problems they will always be there, face them, address them and get them solved. Some will not like it but that does not mean it should not be done.

You also cannot use the we cannot act because someone will whine about it either. There will always be someone who will whine about their punishment no matter what. In any type of enforcement you have to adapt or you will fail; Rules have to be Amended, Enforcement Techniques have to be revamped, Interpretations have to be redefined. Nowhere in any of this is Inaction an option nor should it ever be.


Nice try but no dice Bast, Inaction does not equal consistency it equals laziness which in a closeknit community is an atrocity.

Consistency is indeed a necessity which is why the Admins need to come together and get more involved. Stop being afraid to enforce the rules, make some news ones, polish off the banhammer and draw a line in the dirt.

If the Admins say we are too busy then how about, add in the ignore feature for Forums, Add Forum Moderators(which is what I thought Admins did), and finally add in Thread Bans.


In case no one understands why I am doing this in the first place: What is the use of fixing up a game that no one wants to play because of a consistent troll problem? Player retention will suffer if it is not addressed and honestly we already have a serious problem with it due to many other problems in-game. Many have said it and I completely agree, Community is what makes this game work it cannot succeed if it is riddled with Trolls.

I don't feel that the community is "riddled with trolls."

Does it matter OB? Yes as a matter of a fact it does since people/trolls will do whatever they can to point out the holes in things. Bast sarcastically made several good points of it.


OB this was not about you specifically. However I could ask you a question in turn. Did you post what you did simply to try and shut me and anyone else who would have posted up for whatever reason?


If some in the community were not trolls then people would not feel the need to defend themselves at the first sign of bullcrap. Indeed if this were the case there would be no problem to solve, much less define.

Nope, I just find the thread silly when I took the time a while back to chat with ns on the subject and get a definition in the faq for this very topic.

1 in 100 is too much and I can count at least 7 how many members do we have again? Note this not even counting those that enjoy following the trolls when they get started "Trolls of the Moment".

Really? Seven? We must be reading different forum boards, then.

Soo in a face to face wonder who get's their pie hole shut :)
Is that trolling..?

OB I asked the Community for "Their" definition. If I wanted NSs definition I would ask him and NOT via you.


And honestly I do not care which forums you are reading OB it is really not my concern.

I wouldn't say we have seven trolls. That would indicate that people need forum perma-bans. Most of the time it's just a smaller number who troll only specific people.

Fair enough, you did ask the community for their definition: it just seemed from the following posts that you we're asking admins to take the consensus and enforce it.

The implication behind "we must be reading different forums," b t dubs, was that I don't think I could identify seven trolls in our community. I don't expect you to take interest in which forums I read. That would be kind of stalkery, lol.

I had a troll living in the flat below me once. She was an angry lesbian who hated me for being a man. It didn't matter how polite or nice I was to her. She did look trollish so we made her the troll under our steps. She didn't like that title.

i wonder if any of those seven would define you, zen, as a troll as well?

demi has it right, this seems to me to be more about people not getting along rather than being overrun by trolls.

Personally I like to go to the local university and troll first year class discussions... extreme trolling ftw...

That comment, however, lacks any confrontational tone or massage geared to other posters here so it isn't, to my mind, trolling... just a non sequitur.

damn, i have always wanted a confrontational massage too! ; )

see... as an admin you could have just fixed that... instead you chose to take a typo-based trolling approach... I hate you...

ps. massages are better when someone is a little angry...

> Fair enough, you did ask the community for their definition: it just seemed from the following posts that you we're asking admins to take the consensus and enforce it.

Well I can see where is started to deviate from definitions to explanations and even partial debate. Perhaps the thread can be split and put into Debates with another title?


Well I think Demi has it right, most of them only go after specific people. Still though that makes them no less trolls and their behavior should not be tolerated.

>I don't expect you to take interest in which forums I read. That would be kind of stalkery, lol.

Agreed......lol


I can relate got a troll at my job and grrr.


I'm fairly certain they would since as was pointed out the best way to troll someone is to call them a troll.


Maybe a bit of exaggeration saying overrun but I stand by my point that even 1 in a 100 is too much and we do have more than 1. Besides there are "Trolls for a Day", someone may have a bad day and here it comes. Still though we are just too small of a community to let this kind of behavior slide. Just my thoughts on it.

In reference to the "troll for a day" thing, I don't know that is label someone a troll simply for having a bad day and being a cranky poster. that's just having a bad day

I'd* typing on the phone is such a pain

Trolling

Definition: This thread.

Indeed, as one of the seven, we knew it to be a bridge by the title. ;)

I don't konw about one of seven, but Seven of Nine... My kind of troll!

Having a bad day shouldn't excuse that kind of behavior though.

I also find that their is a huge difference between angry posting and trolling. Angry posting is just that and can get out of hand of course but is not specifically aimed at anyone for any specific reason. They are just mad and are taking it out on everyone, not necessarily excusable but there it is.

Trolling for a day is all about transference. A person has had a bad/terrible day, week or month so they decide to make someone/group of people feel the same way to make themselves feel better. They specifically target with their intent to cause problems.

Just my thoughts on it, I am sure there are many more definitions, meanings or titles for all of this.


Could you elaborate Fex ?

If you are on this forum, on the internet, and you've never been exposed to the act of trolling in a public forum, then I envy you, you have not had the cynicism imbued upon your pure heart.

If you think that carefully elucidating the act or method of trolling will in some way help others to avoid trolling in the future, you are sorely mistaken. A solid definition of trolling will only serve as a guide for would-be trolls to know where the boundaries are, so that they dance along that line, then fall back upon the definition in defense when others call them upon their troll-like behavior.

When you are mean-spirited, when you insult, when you debase, demean, or just plain incite ill-will, chances are very good you are "trolling". Also, if you think there will ever be a solid definition of "trolling" you are wrong, as trolls are very skilled at their craft.

It does not mean just because it is there that it should be tolerated Fex. It's no different than bullying in schools. Yes it is there but just because it is prevalent does that make it okay? Does than mean steps should not be taken to stop it from occurring? What about disciplinary actions taken for those that are caught in the act? No I apologize but my ideas and thoughts on this subject are specific and as such will take more than, in my opinion, a cop-out answer.


I am not deluded I know it is not enough Fex. Despite the way I come across at times I am far smarter than that, this is a type of war so to speak and nothing truly prepares you for it.


I am not so foolish to think they would not try to use the most basic of tactics to defend their abhorrent behavior. All I was looking for was to see what each person thought Trolling is and how close each persons definition was.


Thank you for your definition.


Does that mean Admins and Moderators cannot also be just as Skilled? No my thoughts are to consistently update information because it will always evolve.


Also I was just plain curious, partially because people kept trying to tell me I had no understanding of the definition of trolling. So if I get others thoughts on it and many are the same or very similar then I obviously do know something about it.

i've ben trolled so hard once i accidentaly

Ugly green creatures that you have to kill with fire or else they come right back.

If you kill them with fire, how do you make armor from their skins?

You only have to do 1 point of fire damage after you've already chopped them up. Just scorch the heart a bit.

mmmmmmmmm... Pittsburgh rare troll hearts

Verifex hella trolled this thread. XD

Can we call it trolling if it's just thread hijacking?

This thread is now about cats.

troll?

Ugh! That sucked! Readers with older neighbors beware.

I get trolled whenever I make a thread. You know who.

These kinds of threads helped kill my interest in CB.

Yeah me too. Several days away and the only thing that made me want to sign in was to agree with your post GW. Sadness.

Actually this works out to the crafter's advantage. Just capture one troll and skin it daily. As long as it never touches fire, it will regenerate, yielding an endless supply of material.

There may be 7 different trolls in the forum, but how many of them are from the same person?

Z, thanks for posting this, I've been wanting to read a thread about trolls trolling trolls for awhile! My heart is content <3

Hi Dudley

Dudley only does ineffective trolling. I doubt anyone is affected.

but there is only one who is banned at this moment, bye dudley.