What is a "Troll" to You?

Recently, CC did a blog on "trolls" of the internet.
Her definition fits that of the majority of TODAYS internet people.
Once upon a time, there were the ORIGINAL trolls who differed in this definition.

The following paste is from Wikipedia that does a somewhat good job of describing it.


Troll definition at wikipedia

Early history

The most likely derivation of the word troll can be found in the phrase "trolling for newbies," popularized in the early 1990s in the Usenet group, alt.folklore.urban (AFU).[6][7] Commonly, what is meant is a relatively gentle inside joke by veteran users, presenting questions or topics that had been so overdone that only a new user would respond to them earnestly. For example, a veteran of the group might make a post on the common misconception that glass flows over time. Long-time readers would both recognize the poster's name and know that the topic had been done to death already, but new subscribers to the group would not realize, and would thus respond. These types of trolls served as a Shibboleth to identify group insiders. This definition of trolling, considerably narrower than the modern understanding of the term, was considered a positive contribution.[6][8] One of the most notorious AFU trollers, Snopes,[6] went on to create his eponymous urban folklore website.

By the late 1990s, alt.folklore.urban had such heavy traffic and participation that trolling of this sort was frowned upon. Others expanded the term to include the practice of playing a seriously misinformed or deluded user, even in newsgroups where one was not a regular; these were often attempts at humor rather than provocation. In such contexts, the noun troll usually referred to an act of trolling, rather than to the author.

(the above in red describes Lika when she used to frequent the Forums about sexual abuse issues)

To describe it in her terms that I totally understand:

She would wait for somebody to come into a forum, post their comments and look at their content.
If the content was only half hearted and too general, she would purposefully say something that would spark the person to get passionate enough to say what they REALLY thought and give their 100% to the conversation.
It is usually during these times that people say what they have in totality in efforts to fight back hard.

The result is good in that the debate started to use more SPECIFIC input instead of generalities that would not serve to educate anybody to the better.
This trolling was not "ad hominem"

example:

Newbie poster: These victims need to just get over it and shut up. We don't feel sorry for them anymore!!

Lika: Says you who acts like victims are not important!!

Newbie poster: I didn't say they weren't important! I said they just need to get over it!

Lika: Tell me why then, that you think they just need to get over it!

Newbie poster: How can they become SURVIVORS if they don't at least TRY to get over it? If they keep on whining and using the victim card for attention, they will stay in that mode!!

Lika: AHHH!! Ok, well exactly and I agree with that. Thanks for saying WHY you feel that way!!


The above is GOOD trolling as it sparked something from newbie that helps OTHER readers learn some possible new info.


Usage:

Application of the term troll is highly subjective. Some readers[who?] may characterize a post as trolling, while others may regard the same post as a legitimate contribution to the discussion, even if controversial. The term is often used as an ad hominem strategy to discredit an opposing position by attacking its proponent.

Often, calling someone a troll makes assumptions about a writer's motives. Regardless of the circumstances, controversial posts may attract a particularly strong response from those unfamiliar with the robust dialogue found in some online, rather than physical, communities. Experienced participants in online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is usually to ignore him or her, because responding tends to encourage trolls to continue disruptive posts — hence the often-seen warning: "Please do not feed the trolls".

The Blogger's Code of Conduct is a proposal by Tim O'Reilly for bloggers to enforce civility on their blogs by being civil themselves and moderating comments on their blog. The code was proposed due to threats made to blogger Kathy Sierra[1]. The idea of the code was first reported by BBC News, who quoted O'Reilly saying, "I do think we need some code of conduct around what is acceptable behaviour, I would hope that it doesn't come through any kind of regulation it would come through self-regulation."[2]

O'Reilly and others came up with a list of seven proposed ideas:

1. Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog.
2. Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.
3. Consider eliminating anonymous comments.
4. Ignore the trolls.
5. Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an intermediary who can do so.
6. If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.
7. Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person.


The following is how to deal with BAD trolls:

the following from:

Dealing with trolls source page

Dealing with trolls
When dealing with suspected trolls, there are various strategies that you can employ. First of all, remember that just because you suspect that someone is a troll, it doesn't mean that they are a troll; also, just because you suspect someone is genuine, it doesn't mean that they are genuine. In view of this, the best tactics are:

ignore postings that you suspect may be from trolls.
don't invest any of your self emotionally until you have verified beyond all doubt that the person you are dealing with is genuine
beware of off list emails that praise and flatter, or seem to evoke sympathy. If you feel yourself beginning to like someone, ask first: how much verifiable data do I have about them?
if you do get involved in anyone, seek out verifiable data. Trolls will provide some data that will lead to dead ends; real people will provide some data that is open-ended and leads to a myriad of sources which enable you to verify their genuine status
if you must respond to a troll posting, don't get involved in the argument; limit it to pointing out that the posting may be considered as trollish, for the benefit of other list members.
Write to the listmaster to highlight what is happening
Write to the postmaster of the troll's domain. Keep it simple, polite and to the point (they are very busy!). Include your evidence (e.g.: offensive emails) and the full email header information, so that the troll can be properly traced.