> *Just say, "agree" or "don't agree".*
> * *
> * *
> * *
> *I am not able to detect your answer to the question.*
> * *
> * *
> * *
> *.brad.09apr08. *
Am I the only person who finds this style of "discussion" disagreeable?
<quote>
How can troll posts be recognised?
*
*No Imagination* - Most are frighteningly obvious; sexist comments
on nurses' groups, blasphemy on religious groups .. I kid you not.
*
*Pedantic in the Extreme* - Many trolls' preparation is so
thorough, that while they waste time, they appear so ludicrous
from the start that they elicit sympathetic mail - the danger is
that once the group takes sides, the damage is done.
*
*False Identity* - Because they are cowards, trolls virtually
never write over their own name, and often reveal their trolliness
(and lack of imagination) in the chosen ID. As so many folk these
days use false ID, this is not a strong indicator on its own!
*
*Crossposting* - Any post that is crossposted to several groups
should be viewed as suspicious, particularly if unrelated or of
opposing perspective. Why would someone do that?
*
*Off-topic posting* - Often genuine errors, but, if from an
'outsider' they deserve matter-of-fact response; if genuine, a
brief apposite response is simply netiquette; if it's a troll
post, you have denied it its reward.
*
*Repetition* of a question or statement is either a troll - or a
pedant; either way, treatment as a troll is effective.
*
*Missing The Point* - Trolls rarely answer a direct question -
they cannot, if asked to justify their twaddle - so they develop a
fine line in missing the point.
*
*Thick or Sad* - Trolls are usually sad, lonely folk, with few
social skills; they rarely make what most people would consider
intelligent conversation. However, they frequently have an
obsession with their IQ and feel the need to tell everyone. This
is so frequent, that it is diagnostic! Somewhere on the web there
must be an *Intelligence Test for Trolls*
<http://www.flayme.com/troll/quiz.shtml> - rigged to always say
"above 150"
http://www.flayme.com/troll/
<end quote>
Now back to lurkdom. I enjoy this list immensely, and while my loss
would not be noticed, this kind of poster does drive people away and
driving people away is usually not the purpose of discussion boards.
Mark Johnstone
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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