Trolling

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Revision as of 12:27, 5 February 2011 by Katamarie (talk | contribs)

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion. In addition to the offending poster, the noun troll can also refer to the provocative message itself.

Trolling on Wajas

On wajas, trolling usually consists of posting false stories/scenarios/opinions that contain elements that will obviously make other users upset or angry for the purpose of tricking them into responding as if the thread were true. The success of the troll depends on how many users they managed to fool. Variations include trolling for sympathy, where the user intention is not to make other's angry/upset, but to make them feel sorry for him/her. There are also more extreme trolling incidents that involve posting offensive pictures or words that are blatantly against the rules, such as nudity, gore, and swearing.

Trolling on Wajas is, obviously, against the rules (though it can sometimes be hard to identify a troll depending on how successful the troll has been). When faced with troll, DO NOT REPLY TO THE POST/MESSAGE. Report the post/message immediately and wait for it to be handled by a Moderator. Replying will give the troll exactly what they wanted; a response, rewarding them for the behavior.

Most trolls are not long-term users who intend to stay, but rather users who joined the site for the express purpose of trolling it's members. Informing them that what they're doing is against the rules or that they're going to be frozen is usually pointless because they are already aware of that fact. The smartest thing to do is just report them.