I suppose the two minute Paul Williams Interviews, U.S. Women's World Cup discussions, and advarkas recyvcled threads from February-March aren't quite carrying the day. So, let's try a topic which has interested me more and more over the years- TROLLING. What is a troll...? Well, urban dictionary defines troll as, "One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument." Urban Dictionary, 9/22/02., by Alien Entity. Though the word is generally labeled a noun, it is also used as a verb (trolling/trolled). It is a word which has become more mainstream through the development of social media, and when properly used, can deliver extraordinary results.
As a proud Canesport member of almost a decade and 20,000+ posts deep (which is a turtle's pace behind the greatness that is one Truthsayer), I have observed and to an extent analyzed various forms of trolling over the years. From JMartone to hand solo ("I may be only 5'6 155 lbs but I'm wirey as hell, especially when I'm high...") to ShannonMustGo to some of the more recognizable faces the last few years, this Board has certainly had its fair share of a cast of characters. For the most part, I have genuinely enjoyed trolls- their presence and involvement tends to "keep things interesting", to say the least. Though form and function and tone and temperament differ from troll to troll, I have come to the conclusion that 90% of Trolls fall into one of the following categories:
(1) The A**hole Troll- this is an individual whose approach is simple and straightforward. His goal is to drop hand grenades on message boards, generally in the form of a new thread. The content is generally 10 words or less with no ambiguity. An example might be "Kaaya is failure and should be benched" when there are no remotely reasonable circumstances which would warrant such a comment. The advantage is that the effect of this type of trolling causes an immediate and inordinate amount of Board meltdown. The disadvantage is that almost anyone with an ounce of common sense can spot this form of trolling and that poster is permanently exposed. Simply stated, this is a "kamikaze" form of trolling i.e. a "one and done" dive bomb tactic...
(2) The Court Jester Troll- this is an individual who really means no harm at heart, and whose primary purpose is to add mindless humor and rhetoric as part of an entertainment act. Hand Solo was an absolute legend of a troll in this regard. Generally, this form of troll is not readily recognizable to the naked eye. It does take a little decoding- it helps to be a veteran Board member. Simply stated, this troll "slides in" comments in threads which many might deem "out of left field" i.e. random of random comments. Now, this type of troll is not to be confused with quality posters who bring and combine humor with genuinely good content.
(3) The Contrarian Troll- last , but certainly not least is the greatness that is the Contrarian Troll. This type of troll has become more and more and more popular of the years, in my opinion. His primary purpose, as one would guess, is to "go against the grain." This type of troll deploys his weapons in a much more sophisticated and stealth based manner than the other types of trolls, often disguising his trolling through thinly veiled attempts to engage in substantive discussion. Simply stated, this type of troll is like a submarine, lying low and waiting for an opportune time to drop a few torpedoes into the thread causing massive chaos without revealing the true nature of his intentions. It is difficult to unveil a contrarian troll, but through collective organization and analysis, it can be done.
So, herein likes my summer treatise on trolls. Good luck to all!
Go Canes!
Prost! (Cheers!)
As a proud Canesport member of almost a decade and 20,000+ posts deep (which is a turtle's pace behind the greatness that is one Truthsayer), I have observed and to an extent analyzed various forms of trolling over the years. From JMartone to hand solo ("I may be only 5'6 155 lbs but I'm wirey as hell, especially when I'm high...") to ShannonMustGo to some of the more recognizable faces the last few years, this Board has certainly had its fair share of a cast of characters. For the most part, I have genuinely enjoyed trolls- their presence and involvement tends to "keep things interesting", to say the least. Though form and function and tone and temperament differ from troll to troll, I have come to the conclusion that 90% of Trolls fall into one of the following categories:
(1) The A**hole Troll- this is an individual whose approach is simple and straightforward. His goal is to drop hand grenades on message boards, generally in the form of a new thread. The content is generally 10 words or less with no ambiguity. An example might be "Kaaya is failure and should be benched" when there are no remotely reasonable circumstances which would warrant such a comment. The advantage is that the effect of this type of trolling causes an immediate and inordinate amount of Board meltdown. The disadvantage is that almost anyone with an ounce of common sense can spot this form of trolling and that poster is permanently exposed. Simply stated, this is a "kamikaze" form of trolling i.e. a "one and done" dive bomb tactic...
(2) The Court Jester Troll- this is an individual who really means no harm at heart, and whose primary purpose is to add mindless humor and rhetoric as part of an entertainment act. Hand Solo was an absolute legend of a troll in this regard. Generally, this form of troll is not readily recognizable to the naked eye. It does take a little decoding- it helps to be a veteran Board member. Simply stated, this troll "slides in" comments in threads which many might deem "out of left field" i.e. random of random comments. Now, this type of troll is not to be confused with quality posters who bring and combine humor with genuinely good content.
(3) The Contrarian Troll- last , but certainly not least is the greatness that is the Contrarian Troll. This type of troll has become more and more and more popular of the years, in my opinion. His primary purpose, as one would guess, is to "go against the grain." This type of troll deploys his weapons in a much more sophisticated and stealth based manner than the other types of trolls, often disguising his trolling through thinly veiled attempts to engage in substantive discussion. Simply stated, this type of troll is like a submarine, lying low and waiting for an opportune time to drop a few torpedoes into the thread causing massive chaos without revealing the true nature of his intentions. It is difficult to unveil a contrarian troll, but through collective organization and analysis, it can be done.
So, herein likes my summer treatise on trolls. Good luck to all!
Go Canes!
Prost! (Cheers!)
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