What is your definition of a troll? Am I a troll? What is the difference between a troll and legitimate use?

Answer 1

You? No. You have asked some very astute and thought provoking questions. I actually LOOK for your questions. Trolls look to anger people just for the fun of it. They have no real interest in anyone's answer.

Answer 2

Since this is a Q and A format, there are no "trolls" on Yahoo Answers, period. People that call someone "Troll" have it confused with an Newsgroup (which is a misomer, it's really just a bunch of people arguing, it isn't "news" of any kind).

The idea of a Question and Answer format is someone can come along, ask a question, and not ask again in 6 months, a year, or never. Example: Mr. Excel Q and A board. People ask questions about MS Office Excel, get the answers, and they get on with their lives. You can come back 6 months later and noe one calls you an "infrequent poster" (and that's really a pathetic insult if you think about it, it just means you have a life and you don't worship the computer).

It also kills me when someone gives an answer- - a legitimate answer not merely one meant as a joke- - and people complain merely to get the answer removed, because it was an answer certain people didn't like (Ex. someone asks a question about pot, and someone answers you shouldn't smoke it because it causes cancer like tobacco, so people flag it until it gets removed).

Even though Yahoo Answers isn't a bunch of NGs, it's slowly turing into one. The fact if you haven't posted every single day from day one means you're a "troll" is evidence of this.

Someone who just wants to stir up trouble is a "bomb thrower", not a troll.

Answer 3

A troll is someone who wants to stir up the manure pot by asking questions that are intended to annoy or insult other participants. The troll doesn't want a real answer: he just wants to make other people angry.

A legitimate user may ask a controversial question, but it's without the intent to harass or upset other people. They want more information on a subject, even if it goes against what they may have originally believed to be true.

As to whether or not you are a troll, you're the best judge of that. Look at your motives for the questions you ask, and that's your answer.

Answer 4

In Internet terminology, a troll is a person who enters an established community such as an online discussion forum and intentionally tries to cause disruption, often in the form of posting messages that are inflammatory, insulting, incorrect, inaccurate, or off-topic, with the intent of provoking a reaction from others.

Gawd I love the 'inaccurate' wikipedia.

So from my frame of reference you are not a troll. But a christian might see it differently.

Answer 5

On line, a troll is someone who really believes misery loves company. He's alternately empty and lost or full of anger and hate, but either way he has nothing - literally nothing - better to do in his life than try and upset people, most usually people he doesn't even know.

Trolls can be amusing to an extent, but mostly, I just feel sorry for them.

Oh - and I don't know you, but from this post alone, no, you don't seem particularly trollish.

Answer 6

A legitimate user here wants an answer to a question--a troll is seeking an emotional response with a rhetorical or confrontational question. He doesn't really want an answer. He wants validation for his own point of view.

Answer 7

Troll, creature, or troll, Computer?

Troll, creature, is a powerful Faery that fears sunlight and eats people.

Troll, Computer, has something to do with being evil, dosnt it?

Answer 8

I think troll to user on a spectrum of sincerity and engagment. You are are not a troll, but you are not necessarily sincere.

Answer 9

You are in no way a troll.

An atheist troll would search out every Christian post and yell THERE IS NO GOD, GET OVER IT, (or such) just to annoy.

I don't recall seeing you do that.

Answer 10

One of those Trolls from the 80s with the crazy hair and jewell in the navel?? How cool!! :D