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[Yahoo] * Why People Troll and How to Stop Them *

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* Why People Troll and How to Stop Them *
25 January 2012, 2:09 am
By Howard Fosdick

Why do people troll? Can we prevent trolling or limit the damage trolls do? Here are some thoughts on trollology derived from academic studies and web research.


Identifying Trolls
Trolls divert online discussions into non-productive, off-topic venues. They pose as part of a community only to disrupt it. Trolling is anti-social behavior.

Some of the techniques trolls use to accomplish their objectives are:

    Pithy put-downs
    Name-calling and insults
    Ad hominem attacks that try to negate an opinion by alleging negatives about the person supporting it
    Impugning other's motives
    Emotional rants
    Bullying and harassment
    Completely off-topic posts
    Posting inaccurate "facts"


The traditional definition of trolling includes intent. That is, trolls purposely disrupt forums. This definition is too narrow. Whether someone intends to disrupt a thread or not, the results are the same if they do.

For example, here at OS News, the purposefully disruptive don't get far. The community self-moderates pretty effectively, and thumbs-up or thumbs-down voting on comments supports this effort. Yet we do see cases where people -- who would never consider themselves trolls -- unintentionally disrupt threads just as effectively those who would try to. Sometimes they offend others with snappy put-downs. Other times they question others' intelligence or motives. Though not meant as trolling, the results are the same. Thoughtful discussions degenerate into insults.
 
Intentional trolls purposely disrupt threads. Those who unintentionally troll do so without meaning to. Motivations differ but the results are the same.

much more at http://www.osnews.com/story/25540/Why_People_Troll_and_How_to_Stop_Them

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