NSK wrote:
On Wednesday 10 November 2004 02:55, Josiah wrote:
what exactly does it mean to be a Troll?
It's an insult and when used on Internet communities it has several meanings:
- Troll is anybody who is disliked by the person who uses that word.
- Troll is anybody who disagrees with the older users or the administrators.
- Troll is anybody who intends to destroy a community.
- Troll is anybody who intends to be entertained at the expense of other
users.
When used outside the context of Internet communities, a troll is a Nordic dwarf and http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=trolling
The internet definitions that you provide suggests a particular POV, especially the imputation of intent.
Although a troll can indeed be a nordic dwarf, that may not be the appropriate meaning.
More relevant is that the verb "to troll" is a fishing term to describe fishing method where by a fishing line with one or more often baited hooks is dragged behind a moving boat. The line itself can be referred tp by the noun "the troll".
By transference to internet parlance it becomes the practice of putting out bait to see who will grab it. The advice to not feed the trolls thus becomes a warning to the fish that they should not attempt to eat the fishhooks.
Trolling need not be inherently bad, though unfortunately many who troll do tend to take advantage of others. Sometimes putting out a little bait may be the only way to encourage a discussion that people tend to avoid. That practice, of course, needs to be used with great caution to avoid having the discussion deflected from the issue to the person who raised it.
Ec