Hi all
Ok call me a sad git ..agh...no...stop....not all once........
In the chat room people often get told off for "trolling" when they repeat the same message over and over.
As a bit of a net veteran I just want to respectfully point out to mods and others `that this ins't trolling.
Here is a definition of trolling from
There are some individuals out there who don't just enjoy winding up people on newsgroups and bulletin boards - it's their sad lifestyle choice! Using every known disruptive trick in the book, these troublesome types don't go out to the pub, meet members of the opposite sex or enjoy life. They spend their time hunched over their computers trolling.
The WWW gives this as a definition:
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.
People post such messages to get attention, to disrupt newsgroups, and simply to make trouble.
And from
On the Internet, troll is a slang term used to describe:
1. A post (on a newsgroup, or other forum) that is solely intended to incite controversy or conflict or cause annoyance or offense. (Many posts may inadvertently cause strife as collateral damage, but they are not trolls.)
2. A person who posts these.
The term has negative connotations, and is often applied as an insult, while simultaneously being claimed as a 'badge of honour' by troll organizations or individuals. Sincere but controversial or naive posters are sometimes mis-labeled as trolls, but the term is generally considered to be correctly applied only to those looking to provoke outrage or discord.
A troll's reactions to being identified as a troll can vary widely depending on the forum in which the exchange takes place. Any person unjustly accused of being a troll may be hurt and express indignation. A troll will sometimes react with verbal abuse, raising the stakes with inflammatory remarks maligning the motivation of the accuser. If a person pursues his/her perceived enemy from site to site, that is most certainly a troll.
Trolling is often described as an online version of the breaching experiment, where social boundaries and rules of etiquette are broken. Self-proclaimed trolls often style themselves as Devil's Advocates or gadflies, challenging the dominant discourse and assumptions of the forum they are "trolling" in an attempt to subvert and introduce different ways of thinking. Detractors who value etiquette claim that true "Devil's Advocates" generally identify themselves as such for the sake of etiquette, whereas trolls often consider etiquette to be something worth trolling.
Trolls are sometimes caricatured as socially inept. This is often due to fundamental attribution error, as it is difficult to know the real traits of an individual solely from their online discourse. Indeed, since intentional trolls are alleged to knowingly flout social boundaries, it is difficult to typecast them as socially inept since they have arguably proven adept at their goal of inciting conflict.
Ok - I'll get my coat!
D