For those who might find themselves asking "What is a troll?"

A troll is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Trolls delight in sowing discord. A troll is someone who inspires rhetoric and argument, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into a flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.

The classic troll tries to make us believe that he is a skeptic. He is divisive and argumentative with need-to-be-right attitude, "searching for the truth", flaming discussion, and sometimes insulting people or provoking people to insult him. A troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them.

He (and in most cases it is he) tries to start arguments and upset people.

Many trolls are people trying to promote an agenda. Other times they are just control freaks and seek to drive out legitimate threats to them being king (or queen) of the forum. Others harbor different anti-social disorders and enjoy causing fights and anger among friends. These are the typical living-in-their-mother's-basement shut ins who have no life and live vicariously through their internet alias(es). They enjoy making people as miserable as they are. This is the typical MO of a schoolyard bully.

Trolls often ignore forum rules and TOS and incite others to do the same. When banned or suspended they merely create another alias. They will goad others in to repsonding to their flames and then report the "victim" for being off-topic or violating TOS. They often have various aliases at the ready and launch a attack with "support" from his aliases, this makes the victim appear to be outnumbered, or that a majority is supporting the troll's position.

Trolling is a form of harassment; the best response is to ignore it. How many times were we admonished to "Ignore bullies, and they will just go away?" Negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions or arenas (such as disputes on Y!A crossing over to 360.) People can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between users. Likewise, new members often get their first impressions of a forum or it's users by reading ongoing flame wars.

Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, and for fear of criticism, or being attacked, members fail to post. Trolls also use this paranoia as a form of "divide and conquer", pitting traditional allies against each other. Sowing doubt and distrust. Trolls will reach out to common friends and the victims will push their former allies away for associating with the troll, furthering the divide and conquer technique.

When trolls are ignored their initial response is to step up their attacks, desperately seeking the attention they crave. Their messages become more and more foul, and they post ever more of them. But if denied that attention for too long they will find another arena to spread their disruption and havoc.

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages.

DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!