If you want MacRumors definition of a troll, it's someone engaged in trolling which according to the Forum Rules, is posting "in order to anger other members or intentionally cause negative reactions.".
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What is a Troll?
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A troll is someone who uses words like obsequious in a forum post.
Wouldn't that describe about half the posts made here?
This is laugh-worthy though because I am often baffled how people cannot seem to get an entire sentence out around here without it starting, ending or containing a n LOL. When it is time to use LOL it looks all the more lame.
It goes beyond text speak. It reaches this odd level of where I believe people lack confidence in what they say and it somehow extends to their typing. It is increasingly annoying to me when I see employees or co-workers send me e-mails at work with LOL included somewhere in the message. I understand trying to get your point across that you're funny, but around here I see comments such as "I bought a mac mini tonight lol was it a good buy?"
Either way, this is way off the troll bait topic so I'll stop and start a blog.
Except by the definition above, I wasn't trying to be argumentative. Back to our regularly scheduled topic discussion...
OMG, really? LOL
What Skunk said. Everyone's a troll now if they don't follow the status quo on any forum
Real trolls get banned quickly, you won't meet any on MR, or if you do they're banned pretty fast..
I could give you a list of ones still around. "Maybe" most get a TO every now and then.
Senior citizens never do.
I think there's one senior to me that would disagree (although most of us have learned our manners by this stage of life).
Notice that the rule describes the purpose of the post, which requires that the moderators judge intent. Mind-reading over the Internet hasn't been perfected yet but there are ways to judge intent that are good indicators. One is if someone regularly starts threads on controversial subjects (or derails other threads by bringing up controversial side subjects) but does not participate in the heated discussions that result. Other clues are more subtle, e.g., when they use their posts to lecture everyone while ignoring what others post, when they repeatedly post over-generalizations, fail to support their claims even when asked, and belabor the same points after they have already stated their views.
However, there are no forum rules that say you must stay in every discussion or reply to every post that's directed to you, so these habits aren't automatically going to brand someone as a troll. The real evidence is in a pattern of posting that reveals an intent to make trouble without any interest in educating others or learning something.
The moderators investigate complaints and are helped by users who point out trolling, but also receive many claims of trolling that aren't clearly justified. Quite often somebody with unpopular opinions will be branded a troll merely because their honest opinion annoys other users. You are not necessarily a troll just because you find fault with Apple products, have out-of-favor opinions on social issues, or think the earth is flat. Almost any opinion can be expressed within the rules (barring the extremes like the promotion of hate crimes). What matters is how your opinion is expressed and why you are making posts or starting threads.
Posting in a thread to say that someone else is trolling rarely helps improve the quality of the discussion. More often it produces off-topic arguments and leads to name-calling and flamewars. If you want to help stop trolling you are welcome to submit post reports that give the moderators details that you think show a pattern fitting the definition of trolling under the rules. The moderators may or may not agree with your reports but they will always read and consider them.
They're the people in the Accounting department who refuse to approve budget requests for things like computers, travel expenses, snow removal, and pens and pencils. No, I'm afraid that I didn't make this up. You want a whiteboard marker? Pay for it yourself, and hope that somebody else doesn't steal the pens and pencils from your desk! You want a different or upgraded computer because the one on your desk is so slow that it's frustrating? Request denied!
No sharp objects for you when you go to work tomorrow.They're the people in the Accounting department who refuse to approve budget requests for things like computers, travel expenses, snow removal, and pens and pencils. No, I'm afraid that I didn't make this up. You want a whiteboard marker? Pay for it yourself, and hope that somebody else doesn't steal the pens and pencils from your desk! You want a different or upgraded computer because the one on your desk is so slow that it's frustrating? Request denied!
This thread is lacking real trolls... Oh wait, they banned him...
I guess I'll kick start the trollin'
View attachment 214401
Zomg I <3 Boxxy. As you can tell, that's my avatar. hmm... I sense a /b/tard.
>implying that liking boxxy makes you part of that website (of which you violated rules 1 & 2)
you are the cancer
Almost ten years here and it becomes easier to tell, but sometimes you get somebody who will say something bizarre (in the political forums) who really means it.
If a person says something to get a rise out of everyone and doesn't mean it (ie- I am switching to Windows because OS X has too many viruses), then that's a troll. They just want to upset people and get everyone on this Mac forum to post equally ridiculous counter statements.
But you will find the rare person, who is either misinformed, or new to computers, who may watch some Microsoft commercial and be convinced Windows is now perfectly safe. That's when it's our job to come in and gently advise the person.
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