It is apparent that some on these forums need some remedial education. Trolls can be defined as contributors who are not possessed of genuine intent, and seek to instigate a emotional response. The response doesn't even need to be a negative response. Many trolls feed on positive feedback as a matter of fact. The important thing to remember is that they do not generally believe what they are saying, or even care about the subject matter. For a troll the only goal is to get the emotional response, and to get the associated euphoria that comes from the sense of control.
From what some on these forums say. You might imagine that it is hard to spot a troll. However that is largely due to the fact that they confuse trolling with other members just being confrontational. Trying to win a argument at any cost isn't actually trolling. You have to understand a troll isn't interested in winning a argument. More to the point it is in their utmost interest to do poorly. The weaker they appear the more frequent, and opportunistic the attacks from others will be levied against them. Basically trolls want to be the perfect target.
Here is what you need to know to genuinely spot trolls. Firstly a troll is like a addict. So most rules that will apply to one will apply to the other. It is a dependance they need the response, and if they do not get a response like most addicts they will become cranky. A troll that isn't getting a response will become more vocal and erratic. A troll will become desperate, and as such will become increasingly active. Their rhetoric will escalate until they do actually get a response, or they give up and leave. The absence of a obvious change, is proof that the person in question isn't a troll.
Secondly trolls develop a tolerance over time. They get worse over time rather then better. They need to get a even greater response either in volume or potency. So they either need to get more people responding to what they are saying, or they need to get a even more visceral response from particular targets. To do this they have to push their deception towards the breaking point. This means they are going to make worse arguments over time. So as to suck more people in. By the time a troll runs its coarse it is obvious that the person isn't who they have claimed themselves to be.
Thirdly a troll is a manipulator, and a abuser. They will always work towards the personal rather then the factual. They know that is where others are most vulnerable, and most likely to react in the most visceral manner that is possible. At which point they adopt the position of the abuser. Which isn't what you think. At this point the troll knows it owns your ass, and the only thing that makes it sweeter is the knowledge that it takes next to nothing on their part to keep you going. What this means is trolls will slowly work the subject to you rather then the topic, and once they get you to pop. Then you will notice that their responses become almost anemic. If your writing pages, and the other guy is making one line replies. Hey guess what your now someones bitch.
On the whole though I don't see much in the way of trolls on these forums. A couple assholes maybe that skirt that line in trying to win arguments or to push their agenda, but no real trolls. This is a poor ecosystem as far as trolls are concerned. There isn't much on these forums that would actually favor a troll. The community is just too strong, too small, too well defended, and too impenetrable. There are basically easier targets, and fatter targets as it were.
I can say this, because when I was younger I was a prolific troll, and it is no exaggeration to say that I could make an entire chat room or forum dance to my song. You want to know how good I was at trolling. I once convinced a chat room community of perhaps two hundred people that I was genuinely insane, and that I was out attacking people. So I could suck demons out of them to store in a aquarium filled with holy water. You want to know how it can be worse then that. I played this stunt out over three months. I had people trying to council me out of this delusion I was under.
So when I say this is a hard place to troll. I ain't blowing smoke. A genuine troll couldn't last more then a few days here. Not that they would bother trying.
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