Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 08:13:30 +0200 From: "marc" <marcnopsam Subject: Re: Cleanliness: How tidy is your Saab?
usenet troll: troll v.,n. To utter a posting on Usenet designed to attract predictable responses or flames. Derives from the phrase "trolling for newbies"; which in turn comes from mainstream "trolling";, a style of fishing in which one trails bait through a likely spot hoping for a bite. The well-constructed troll is a post that induces lots of newbies and flamers to make themselves look even more clueless than they already do, while subtly conveying to the more savvy and experienced that it is in fact a deliberate troll. If you don't fall for the joke, you get to be in on it. The following extract is from a broader expansion of the defining comments given above: In Usenet usage, a "troll" is not a grumpy monster that lives beneath a bridge accosting passers-by, but rather a provocative posting to a newsgroup intended to produce a large volume of frivolous responses. The content of a "troll" posting generally falls into several areas. It may consist of an apparently foolish contradiction of common knowledge, a deliberately offensive insult to the readers of a newsgroup, or a broad request for trivial follow-up postings. There are three reasons why people troll newsgroups: People post such messages to get attention, to disrupt newsgroups, and simply to make trouble. Career trollers tend for the latter two whilst the former is the mark of the clueless newbie and should be ignored. source: http://www.altairiv.demon.co.uk/troll/trollfaq.html#one <davehinznopsamcop.net> wrote in message news:3bd6fdc5$0$65156$272ea4a1nopsam.execpc.com... > Harry Davis <harryedavisnopsamediaone.net> pressed random keys until the following was produced: > > Fortunately you have already said your son was three years old. I hope that > > he has not inherited your troll genes :>). > > Harry, > > Please go learn what a usenet troll is, and then stop feeding the troll > here. You're giving him exactly what he wants; attention and responses. > >
