.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..........................................So how is everybody? If you can see this dont post in any other color other than white... this is to see how many intelligent and/or unintelligent people we have LOL! Okay... Have fun post whoring... keep it invisible! LOL

Oh yeah, and please dont quote... the letters will still be white in the grey box and will then be visible.... thanks...

Yes maasssttteeerrr

Yellow, did you read the posts?!?! LOL IN WHITE BUDDY, WHITE!!!! LOL

Ha Ha...

GREATEST THREAD EVARRR!! Wait... No Second Greatest!

Did not copy... over

Hi.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love white LOL :-P :-D

Chris, I think Yellow is having a hard time Comprehending what we are doing! LMAO

*tapping monitor* *adjusting*... Nothing, dag gonnit

It's alright SXT... We are right here! Can't you see us?

YOUR MOTHER...









*thinking* *talks to self* "Maybe that will get their attention *Hmm*

Hiya SXT, how ya doin?? Why dont ya join us in the invisible world....
This is why I wanted to do this...!!! LOL I LOVE IT!!! ... oops I almost posted a smiley..

I love you CoBIZZLE! LMFAO

He can't join us if he doesn't know where we are! HA HA

I hope you meant that in a brotherly kind of way, due to this thread!!!?!?! LOL

Oh, and Chris, You can see what we are typing if you hit Reply and look at the responses that way!

OoPs... I almost foiled our plan! AHHH...

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!! He has no clue what is going on...... :-D

CRAP!! I didnt think of that... oh well, maybe it'll still work for a lil while...

I guess not... :D

He's still viewin... lol He'll figure it out before too long, he's a purdy swooft feller!!

Yeah lets hope no one can think of doing that. :-D

You can't just respond without telling us who your are talking too! Was that referring to me?

Paul almost screwed us by not using white! SHEEEESH!

Yeah I saw that, Paul you dork KEEP IT WHITE!!!

I think Orange_Juice will figure it out! All they have to do is accidentally click on our posts! LOL

Yeah sorry about that :-(

Three pages isn't bad with no one knowing what we are doing! :--)

Join Date: 06-29-2005
PostsTotal Posts: 1,100 (38.04 posts per day)
Find all posts by hookdupdelsol
Find all threads started by hookdupdelsol

somebody will figure it out sooner or later... lol

hey im gettin close to 3000!!! heres 2900!!

Chris, yea I hope they figure it out later than sooner though! :-)

Shouldn't this be in Off-Topic? I mean, it is a thread about nothing!

posted by hookdupdelsol -- "think Orange_Juice will figure it out! All they have to do is accidentally click on our posts! LOL"

Ofcourse I figured it out silly. What I do in my post reading is scroll over the titles of threads, then wait for the viewer to give me a preview of whats in the first post. That is when i decide if i want to enter the thread or not hahahah. so the post is visible beforehand, just not if you enter in here BUSTED!!

THREADS ABOUT NOTHING RULLLLEE!

yeah Ill move it!

I saw that Jarrad aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.... i am telling. :-P

HECK YEAH!!! OJ giured it out!!!

QUOTE=orange juice--Ofcourse I figured it out silly. What I do in my post reading is scroll over the titles of threads, then wait for the viewer to give me a preview of whats in the first post. That is when i decide if i want to enter the thread or not hahahah BUSTED!!

LoL... YOU are teh SUXORS! :-) WELCOME!

Jarrad i saw that again..... LOL

See some one is smart (orange juice) .... LOL
Please dont tell this fun.... :-D

:-) OoPs... :-)

Paul, whats Jarrad doin?!?!

LOL YellowSXT is still viewing... whats his name...

QUOTE-CoBIZZLE Paul, whats Jarrad doin?!?!

Messing up.... LOL

Oh not usin white...

QUOTE=CoBIZZLE Oh not usin white...


Yeah i can call him on it every time..... :-D

We're already blastin 5 pages...

I know that is awsome i wonder how much more we can go????

Well off to lunch.

I don't know Yellow's name... :-(

I can go all night long, I don't know about you two! LMAO

SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT

Jarrd is in real trouble now HAHAHAHA..... :-P

Alright Chris... Paul and I are off to lunch! YAAAY!!!

You MIIIGHT wanna watch that Jarrad, If an admin catches on ....youre toast LOL

88 more til 3000!!!

Ok I finally got it

LOL
Quote=YellowSXT:lol, i dont konw how to print blanks, I'll give it a shot

AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA
Its ok you'll figure it out sooner or later lil buddy!

One thing for sure... I dont shoot blanks, damn kids

LOL yeah dont do full quotes, just type the word quote and then the name. You got it now!! Atta boy! Hey we were wonderin what your first name was??

LOL You'll be shootin plenty of em now!! Oh yeah no smileys either!

I was fixin to drop a hint to ya and say, hey ITS NOT YELLOW!! LOL refering to the white text...

Man, know I have to read the whole damn thing

LOL oh and dont mind us laughin at you!!! >wink

You bastards.... You can Hi-lite with your mouse to read without quoting

Im glad no hints were thrown my way, Oh thanks for the PM CoBizzle,...

He was wondering why I dont join the conversation...

Again... you bastards

I love it

No problem SXT, (still dont know your first name) ENJOY now! LOL

The name is Johnny, I had to reread the thread

QUOTE=YellowSXT--- "I had to reread the thread"



hahahaha

Im glad you enjoyed it OJ

hahaha, wonder how many people will get this?

.....man, You Did Not Have To Get All Personal.

White text only please... :-)

I wonder if he gets it?

hmmm, I wonder too (oh, why does changing colours require so much work...I am to lazy for my own good)

lolololol, three cheers to laziness hip hip

hurray! hip hip

hoorayyyyyyyyyyyyy

Lazyness is the key to life. If a man were not lazy, the remote control wouldn't have been invented, or the telephone, or email, or shorthand (math, typing, etc). If it weren't for lazyness, the world would be deprieved of many simple things and for that, I choose to be lazy and use all these inventions made just for me.

That my friend...Its true

What is a Troll? Top
An Internet "troll" is a person who delights in sowing discord on the Internet. He (and it is usually he) tries to start arguments and upset people.

Trolls see Internet communications services as convenient venues for their bizarre game. For some reason, they don't "get" that they are hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering they cause, the greater their 'achievement' (as they see it). At the moment, the relative anonymity of the net allows trolls to flourish.

Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or otherwise). You cannot negotiate with them; you cannot cause them to feel shame or compassion; you cannot reason with them. They cannot be made to feel remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they are bound by the rules of courtesy or social responsibility.

Perhaps this sounds inconceivable. You may think, "Surely there is something I can write that will change them." But a true troll can not be changed by mere words.

Why Does it Matter? Top
Some people — particularly those who have been online for years — are not upset by trolls and consider them an inevitable hazard of using the net. As the saying goes, "You can't have a picnic without ants."

It would be nice if everybody was so easy-going, but the sad fact is that trolls do discourage people. Established posters may leave a message board because of the arguments that trolls ignite, and lurkers (people who read but do not post) may decide that they do not want to expose themselves to abuse and thus never get involved.

Another problem is that the negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users.

Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate backlash.

The Internet is a wonderful resource which is breaking down barriers and stripping away prejudice. Trolls threaten our continued enjoyment of this beautiful forum for ideas.

What Can be Done about Trolls? Top
When you suspect that somebody is a troll, you might try responding with a polite, mild message to see if it's just somebody in a bad mood. Internet users sometimes let their passions get away from them when seated safely behind their keyboard. If you ignore their bluster and respond in a pleasant manner, they usually calm down.

However, if the person persists in being beastly, and seems to enjoy being unpleasant, the only effective position is summed up as follows:

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.

When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you insult a troll, he wins. When you scream at a troll, he wins. The only thing that trolls can't handle is being ignored.

What Not to Do Top
As already stated, it is futile to try to "cure" a troll of his obsession. But perhaps you simply cannot bear the hostile environment that the troll is creating and want to go away for a while.

If you do that, then for the sake of the others on the system, please do not post a dramatic "Goodbye!" message. This convinces the troll that he is winning the battle. There is, perhaps, no message you can write on a message system that is as damaging as an announcement that you are leaving because of the hostility that the troll has kindled.

If you feel you must say something, a discreet message to the system operator (and some of the others users, if you have their email addresses) is the best course of action. Incidentally, if you are writing the letter in an agitated state, it is a good idea to wait an hour and then give it one last review before you actually send it. That might spare you the pain of saying things that you don't really mean to people you like.

Impersonation Top
One technique used by trolls to generate chaos is to pretend to be a well-liked person. On some systems there is nothing to prevent somebody from signing your name to a distasteful message. On other systems the troll may have to be a bit more wiley, perhaps by replacing one character with another. Here are some examples of various spoofing gimmicks that could be used against a person named Brenda Q. O'Really:

Brenda Q. O"Really Brenda Q. 0'Really Brenda Q O'Really
Brenda Q. O'Rea11y Bredna Q. O'Really 8renda Q. O'Really

Note: "Brenda Q. O'Really" is a made-up name used to illustrate spoofing and is not intended to refer to a particular person.

If you react with anger, the troll wins. So if you see a message impersonating you on a message board, simply write a follow-up reply entitled "That Wasn't Me" and type only this:

I did not write that message; it is a fake.

Of course, sometimes you will find that people who know you well have already identified the message as a fake and have tagged it as such. After all, one of the troll's goals is to make you look bad. If you have a good reputation, people will be tipped off if a message that you apparently wrote is completely out of character.

Trolls have been known to become so irritated at having their spoofs identified that they have learned to write in another person's style. They may end up writing an intelligent message that is indistinguishable from your own golden words. If that happens, you can always just let the post stand and take credit for it!

Trolls will also sometimes write a "That Wasn't Me" message after a genuine one, attempting to elicit a denial. There really is no reason to give him what he wants, since a "That Wasn't Me" warning merely reminds people to be skeptical. That is to say, it is of no real consequence if somebody isn't sure that you wrote a normal message, since in the long run it is the ideas that are important.

The Webmaster's Challenge Top
When trolls are ignored they step up their attacks, desperately seeking the attention they crave. Their messages become more and more foul, and they post ever more of them. Alternatively, they may protest that their right to free speech is being curtailed — more on this later.

The moderator of a message board may not be able to delete a troll's messages right away, but their job is made much harder if they also have to read numerous replies to trolls. They are also forced to decide whether or not to delete posts from well-meaning folks which have the unintended effect of encouraging the troll.

Some webmasters have to endure conscientious users telling them that they are "acting like dictators" and should never delete a single message. These people may be misinformed: they may have arrived at their opinion about a troll based on the messages they see, never realizing that the webmaster has already deleted his most horrific material. Please remember that a troll does have an alternative if he has something of value to say: there are services on the net that provide messaging systems free of charge. So the troll can set up his own message board, where he can make his own decisions about the kind of content he will tolerate.

Just how much can we expect of a webmaster when it comes to preserving the principles of free speech? Some trolls find sport in determining what the breaking point is for a particular message board operator. They might post a dozen messages, each of which contains 400 lines of the letter "J". That is a form of expression, to be sure, but would you consider it your duty to play host to such a person?

Perhaps the most difficult challenge for a webmaster is deciding whether to take steps against a troll that a few people find entertaining. Some trolls do have a creative spark and have chosen to squander it on being disruptive. There is a certain perverse pleasure in watching some of them. Ultimately, though, the webmaster has to decide if the troll actually cares about putting on a good show for the regular participants, or is simply playing to an audience of one — himself.

What about Free Speech? Top
When trolls find that their efforts are being successfully resisted, they often complain that their right to free speech is being infringed. Let us examine that claim.

While most people on the Internet are ardent defenders of free speech, it is not an absolute right; there are practical limitations. For example, you may not scream out "Fire!" in a crowded theatre, and you may not make jokes about bombs while waiting to board an airplane. We accept these limitations because we recognize that they serve a greater good.

Another useful example is the control of the radio frequency spectrum. You might wish to set up a powerful radio station to broadcast your ideas, but you cannot do so without applying for a license. Again, this is a practical limitation: if everybody broadcasted without restriction, the repercussions would be annoying at best and life-threatening at worst.

The radio example is helpful for another reason: with countless people having a legitimate need to use radio communications, it is important to ensure that nobody is 'monopolizing the channel'. There are only so many clear channels available in each frequency band and these must be shared.

When a troll attacks a message board, he generally posts a lot of messages. Even if his messages are not particularly inflammatory, they can be so numerous that they drown out the regular conversations (this is known as 'flooding'). Needless to say, no one person's opinions can be allowed to monopolize a channel.

The ultimate response to the 'free speech' argument is this: while we may have the right to say more or less whatever we want, we do not have the right to say it wherever we want. You may feel strongly about the fact that your neighbour has not mowed his lawn for two months, but you do not have the right to berate him in his own living room. Similarly, if a webmaster tells a troll that he is not welcome, the troll has no "right" to remain. This is particularly true on the numerous free communications services offered on the net. (On pay systems, the troll might be justified in asking for a refund.)

Why Do They Do It? Top
Affirmation.

Regular net users know how delightful it is when somebody responds to something they have written. It is a meeting of the minds, which is an intellectual thrill, but it is also an acknowledgement of one's value — and that can be a very satisfying emotional reward.

Trolls crave attention, and they care not whether it is positive or negative. They see the Internet as a mirror into which they can gaze in narcissistic rapture.

If you want a deeper analysis than that, perhaps a psychologist can shed some additional light on the matter.

Conclusion Top
Next time you are on a message board and you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, simply write a follow-up message entitled "Troll Alert" and type only this:

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.

By posting such a message, you let the troll know that you know what he is, and that you are not going to get dragged into his twisted little hobby.

The Internet is a splendidly haphazard collection of both serious and silly material. Because it is so free, there are bound to be problems. I think that we can best enjoy it if we deal with everything that happens online with a wry grin and a ready shrug.

Now if you read all of this, TYPE "monkey snot"

Private Pile, do you suck dicks, BULLSHIT, I bet you could suck a golf ball thru a garden hose, :confused: you don't know what the hell your talking about!!! Thats just wrong, you go and say something like that. Unbelievable, you just had to take it to that level. :D

Beware the Troll
To "troll" means to allure, to fish, to entice or to bait. An internet troll is someone who fishes for people's confidence and, once found, exploits it. Whilst the vast majority of internet users are bona fide, there are undoubtedly some trolls out there.
Q: How much damage can an internet troll achieve? Pick one or more of the following answers:

None
Cause minor irritation to some people
Cause major upset to some people
Obtain a small amount of money
Obtain a large amount of money
Obtain millions of dollars
To help you answer this question, here are a couple of quotes from The Times (Nov 4th 1998) when it reported on internet deception:
"According to the Securities Exchange Commission, ... 44 individuals and companies... received in total more than $6.3million and nearly two million shares of cheap insider stock..."
"SEC director of enforcement Richard H Walker... warned investors about operators such as Matthew Bowin, who...entirely over the internet... raised $190,000 from 150 investors and then pocketed the proceeds.... He was convicted of 54 felony counts and sentenced to jail."

Internet deception ranges from childish games to major fraud,with lots of variations in between. There are many different schemes used and they are often ingenious. For example, in early 1998 an "announcement" was made, by email distribution, of an advancement in diabetic research: a new medicine was available which helped bring blood sugar levels under better control. Readers were referred to a web site where details of the research and the product were available. The information was credibly presented. At the end of the article, readers could obtain a trial bottle of the new medicine, for a reasonable price, and an order form was presented.
Of course, there had been no such break through. The purpose of this scam was to obtain credit card information, which was requested on the order form. The scam relied on diabetics or their families being unfamiliar with the risks of submitting credit card information over the internet, and being willing to give anything a try to improve their lifestyle or that of their diabetic relatives.

Internet deception relies on exploiting trust and building confidence, and the rewards can be financial or psychological. There is one golden rule that applies when dealing with people or organisations on the internet:

Before you invest your trust in someone - either emotional or financial trust - you should verify the bona fide nature of the other party from multiple known, reliable and independent sources. "Trust and verify".
Further information on deception for psychological gain is given in the rest of this web page.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mind games
"Each of us brings our own reasons, backgrounds and motivations into this scheme. What is important is that each individual brings into this their own brand of inspired mischief. In some ways it is completely innocent. In some ways it is completely destructive."
This quotation is taken from the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) of a mailing list dedicated to trolling.
I remember the first time I heard about "computer viruses", back in the '80s. My immediate response was to laugh and discount what I was being told. The notion that there could be a 'virus' that infected computer discs, and that could spread from machine to machine, was ridiculous. Or so I thought. Eventually I, along with the rest of the world, had to take the threat of viruses seriously, and produce serious countermeasures, because the problem was so prevalent. Trolling falls into the same category as viruses in those early days - it may seem ridiculous, but it exists.

In fact, law-making bodies and respectable news agencies are beginning to recognise the dangers and take appropriate action. In some states in the USA a new offence has been created, called "Cyber-Stalking". At the time of writing this article (early 1999), the first prosecutions were being brought to the courts. And in the UK, on Jan 27 1999, the BBC Breakfast News made the following report:

"A new kind of warfare is emerging - electronic warfare. A website in Ireland was forced to close down because it came under electronic attack"
The news article continued with a brief dramatic reconstruction showing the Webmaster hurriedly unplugging lots of cables from the back of an internet server. In a brief interview, the Webmaster then said:

"We had no choice - there was nothing we could do. We just had to unplug everything and then see what damage had been done."

Although the threat of trolls is beginning to be taken more seriously, anti-troll measures are still in their infancy. 'Caveat emptor' (or let the buyer beware) therefore takes on a much greater meaning in the primitive internet community where, despite the radical nature of the technology, civilisation and community life has only matured to the same stage of development as the dark ages - where each person has to look after themselves, and cannot rely on 'society' to protect them.
What is a troll?
The term "troll" can mean a number of different things, but in essence, a troll is a person who aims to have 'pleasure' at your expense. There are two main types of trolls:
people who are psychologically disturbed, and seek to feel good by making other list members feel bad. This is a sort of "psycho troll", whose deception involves deceiving themselves as well as others. In this respect, they are no different to the sorts of people we meet in everyday life who are disturbed - some of them are easy to spot, and others aren't. Such people may even use their real names on the internet, and they may not even realise that they are "trolling" because it is all subconscious.
people who pretend to be someone that they are not - they create personae that you think are real, but they know is fictitious.
The rest of this web page concentrates on the second type of troll.

The Game of Trolling
Trolling is like playing chess - there is a point to the game, and that point is to win. Unlike chess, though, there are various ways of winning for the internet troll. These might include:
gaining credence for false and invidious ideas
driving bona fide list members, and/or particular groups, out of the mailing list
dominating the list with messages/posts that they have generated
gaining recognition or an award for their trolling from fellow trollers
getting reprimanded by individuals, list managers or internet authorities
gaining the confidence, trust and support of bona fide list members
distracting list members from their own bona fide discussions or objectives.
gaining attention that they cannot get using their real personalities
Sometimes trolls operate alone, and sometimes they operate in groups, but for all of them trolling is a game. There are newsgroups and mailing lists that are dedicated to trolls, for them to exchange techniques and to plan concerted campaigns where they can invade internet mailing lists. Trolls have no concern for the feelings of the people with whom they deal. They are often manipulative, clever and approach their trolling with the same degree of planning and research as those seeking financial gain, or the same competitiveness as a serious chess player. For those familiar with Transactional Analysis (the psychological theory of real-life game playing) there are many parallels with the activities of trolls: there are many games, with different types of payoff and different tactics.
Trolling can be played at various levels...

Level one - "Playtime" - This is where the troller is simply out for the gratification provided by a quick "win". An example of this might be to join a list with a fictitious name, cause an argument, withdraw and then boast to friends about what he/she had done. Such trolls are relatively easy to spot because their attack or provocation is fairly blatant, and the persona is fairly two-dimensional.
Level two - "Tactical" - This is where the troller takes the game more seriously, creates a credible persona with which to provoke the list, and uses recognised techniques or tactics to gain the confidence and support of individuals on the list. Provocation is subtle and invidious, so spotting this type of troll is not easy, because the persona is credible, and off-list email exchanges have caused you to believe that this person is genuine and trustworthy.
Level three - "Strategic" - This is a very serious form of game, involving the production of an overall strategy that can take months or years to develop. It can also involve a number of people acting together in order to invade a list. Once a list is infested, it can be nigh impossible to work out who is a troll and who is bona fide.
Level four - "Domination" - This is where the trollers' strategy extends to the creation and running of apparently bona-fide mailing lists. In such circumstances, their payoff may be the knowledge that they are dominating the emotional lives of list members, and is perhaps one of the ultimate forms of deceit that can be achieved.
It should be noted that trolling games are not restricted to the internet. Their tactics can also include contacting people in real life using snail-mail and/or telephone. The boundaries between real-life con-men and internet trolls are not as clear as they used to be.
Playtime Trolls
Playtime trolls are relatively easy to spot, but they may not be apparent to the naive user. There isn't a single set of characteristics that applies to playtime trolls, but you can look for some or all of the following signs:
a lack of buy-in to the list philosophy or values
generally low level of activity, with sudden spurts of interaction - or perhaps a new persona that has strong opinions on controversial subjects
a mixture of friendly posts with a confrontational style of interaction
the use of provocative language and sweeping generalisations about certain topics or categories of people
a lack of in-depth understanding of the topic
a lack of personal information
a lack of a genuinely unique perspective on the topic
a lack of humour
restarting topics that have already been done
use of language that encourages the dialogue to enter topics that are controversial and likely to upset some team members
the use of attention-seeking gimmick (e.g.: "I was once exploited by an XYZ")
they follow up their own articles if the group doesn't respond to their posts
inconsistencies in the style and nature of the post and any proclaimed information (e.g.: claiming to be a child but writing with an adult style; claiming to be adult, but writing with a childish grammatical construction).
also note that trolls often seem to use free email services (such as hotmail.com) or have email addresses ending in .edu. However, trolls could be virtually anyone, and the email address is no guide as to whether the persona is a bona fide user or not.
To counteract playtime trolls, the best action is to ignore them. If you are convinced they are trolls, then you can advise the list manager. However, if other group members respond to the suspected troll's posts, then you may have to consider some of the responses outlined for tactical or strategic trolls.
Tactical Trolls
Tactical trolls take much more care and effort over the creation of their personae. Such trolls are likely to be seen as long term list members, and have the confidence and trust of the bona fide people on the mailing list. They use many of the techniques listed for Playtime Trolls, but in addition:
They engage in off list email dialogues to gain the confidence and trust of influential individuals on the list.
They are friendly and humorous in the posts, to put you at ease with their persona.
They have a well-thought-through story such that the persona seems to be very real. They will give apparently personal and intimate information, particularly in off list emails.
They win trust by giving trust. For example, they may hint at something confidential on-list, but then only reveal the full story to someone off-list. By bringing someone into their confidence, they create a feeling of confidence towards them by the individual's concerned.
In off list emails, they win allies and support for some of their views. Their offlist emails are subtly manipulative.
They 'set up' bona fide members to argue with each other. Any view, no matter how outrageous, can be made to sound rational when put in a certain context. By setting different contexts for different people offlist, they create a setting whereby they can raise a topic on-list, in a seemingly innocent manner, and then watch the two list members argue because they have interpreted the topic/message in very different ways.
In off-list emails, they use techniques borrowed from NLP and Speed-Seduction to make people have a great deal of affection for them. This naturally suppresses any suspicion there might be.
They use gimmicks that win sympathy and bring out the 'nurturing parent' in other list members, which also suppresses any feelings of suspicion. E.g.: being blind, handicapped, an orphan, rejected, bullied etc..
They build up a reasonable knowledge of the topic of the list. This enables them to take part for some time as apparently bona-fide list members.
They use language that is carefully constructed to be subtly invidious. This language is designed to identify two or more separate groups of people, and encourage list members to identify the negative traits of those groups. This creates argument and dissent between list members. Note that subtlety is often their main objective, so this language is difficult to spot.
They don't enter into the argument directly, but facilitate an argument between list members, e.g.: by highlighting points that one list member has made, perhaps in a way that is more confrontational than the original intention.
They sometimes create a fictitious persona supported by a web-site, photographs and apparently personal data.
They may suggest meeting up in real-life, but the meeting doesn't take place.
Many of these behaviours are things that 'real' people would engage in. It is very difficult to distinguish real people from trolls in an internet environment. The only method that can be used to verify the bona fide nature of list members is to investigate their personal information. Trolls will invent personal information, but when you investigate it you will keep coming to dead ends. For example, if their employer is company "xyz", then you may be able to find a web site at blah blah blahbut there is no contact information. However, with bona fide people, their personal information will lead to an ever-increasing wealth of data, such as:
if a real person cites "xyz" as the employer, then the web site will give a phone number;
the company's phone number will be answered by an operator who will be able to tell you the person's extension number;
company xyz may list clients on their web site, whom you can ring up and verify exist;
the person may be a member of professional associations;
you may have met some list members in real life, who will have met other list members and can therefore vouch for them.
The key difference between a troll and a bona fide list member is that when you investigate a troll, their personal data usually leads to dead-ends; when you investigate a bona fide person, their personal data leads to an ever-expanding set of evidence that they are for real. There are some tricks that the tactical trolls may use to deceive you:
Some trolls will exchange some fictitious data - e.g.: phone numbers, addresses, family details - on the basis that you are not going to actually ring them.
They may have dedicated personal phone lines that they may use for the purpose of taking verification phone calls
They will want to hide other personal information, because it can demonstrate that they are not for real.
Various excuses can be used for not releasing personal information, including privacy.
There are some bona fide people who do not wish to be traced via the internet - but this makes it difficult to distinguish trolls from real people. If in doubt, assume that they are a troll, and don't simply believe the sophisticated lies that trolls use to hide their identity. Also, don't rely solely on your intuition - you need to establish hard data to help find out whether your intuition is for real.
Strategic Trolls
Strategic trolls often operate in groups, rather than alone. They use multiple personalities, each of which uses the techniques outlined in the section on tactical trolls. However, they have an overall strategy for drawing bona fide list members into argument, ultimately causing them to leave, or for the trolls to dominate of the group. In particular:
They have various phases to their strategy, where each phase aims to achieve different things.
The first phase usually involves establishing multiple personalities who become recognised as integral members of the group - "friendly trolls". Don't be deceived by the title - they appear to be friendly but they have very different hidden motives. Establishing friendly trolls in a group is a process that can take many months or even years.
The second phase involves using new personalities to start divisive threads, in the manner outlined under "Tactical Trolls". In the event that no list members respond to these threads, other phase two trolls will respond to them to keep the debate active.
If existing list members have not yet joined in the arguments, the third phase involves "offensive trolls" attacking their own personae from the first phase. As these trolls will have built up a lot of goodwill in the group, other list members will jump to their defence, and they are therefore drawn in to the argument.
In case other list members don't join in, "defensive trolls" may join in and continue to give air time to the "offensive trolls". The friendly trolls can also incite bona fide list members to join in using offlist emails.
Another phase may involve the friendly trolls starting to retaliate publicly, calling on the support of bona fide list members.
When things start to get out of hand, petrol will be poured on the flames to try and stir things up as much as possible and cause the maximum amount of strife and chaos.
The following is a further extract from the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) of the mailing list that is dedicated to trolling. It will help you to understand what type of person you are up against...
"Anyone can walk into alt.sex and post that pornography should be banned. Anyone can walk into rec.sport.baseball and say "baseball sucks". It takes unbelievable skill and discipline to cause a PROLONGED flame war. That is what we do. But it can only be done with talent, and numbers to match that talent. We only bring into the fold people who have the knack to use smarts to incite chaos, not stupidity to incite being ignored when people see a post and know what you're up to."
Domination Trolls
Recently, it has become apparent that there are probably trolls also operating as list managers. I am unclear as to the specific motivations for this type of activity, but it may be:
gratification from dominating the emotional lives of list members
gangland ware - where one group sets up a list and aims to defend it from other trolling groups
a genuine area of interest on behalf of the troll
Nevertheless, the lesson behind this is that you need to get verification data for list managers as well as other list members.
Dealing with trolls
When dealing with suspected trolls, there are various strategies that you can employ. First of all, remember that just because you suspect that someone is a troll, it doesn't mean that they are a troll; also, just because you suspect someone is genuine, it doesn't mean that they are genuine. In view of this, the best tactics are:
ignore postings that you suspect may be from trolls.
don't invest any of your self emotionally until you have verified beyond all doubt that the person you are dealing with is genuine
beware of off list emails that praise and flatter, or seem to evoke sympathy. If you feel yourself beginning to like someone, ask first: how much verifiable data do I have about them?
if you do get involved in anyone, seek out verifiable data. Trolls will provide some data that will lead to dead ends; real people will provide some data that is open-ended and leads to a myriad of sources which enable you to verify their genuine status
if you must respond to a troll posting, don't get involved in the argument; limit it to pointing out that the posting may be considered as trollish, for the benefit of other list members.
Write to the listmaster to highlight what is happening
Write to the postmaster of the troll's domain. Keep it simple, polite and to the point (they are very busy!). Include your evidence (e.g.: offensive emails) and the full email header information, so that the troll can be properly traced.
Listmasters can also make their lists restricted, and conduct a security analysis of each list application before allowing them to subscribe. This is probably easier to do in areas that have professional associations or qualifications.

Can't we just say that a troll is an unwanted creature living under a bridge whose only purpose in life is harrass those who have a better life then they? I mean, its so much simpler and less reading.

XeroState---"Can't we just say that a troll is an unwanted creature living under a bridge whose only purpose in life is harrass those who have a better life then they? I mean, its so much simpler and less reading."


but then you wouldn't get a headache from trying to actually read all that mumbo jumbo :----)

Actually all I did was read like every 12th line or so and just assumed the rest. It works pretty good.

:D :D :D :D :D Whata youa saya abouta mya mutha fucha. :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

Damn OJ, you were really bored?

monkey snot ....... :-D

I wonder ig DDogSRT will get it!

Bumpppppppppppp

Monkey snot x 2.... wow, holy long posts OJ!!!
Oh yeah and what the heck is ddog talkin about?!?!

Well @ least I was making more sense...

Is this considered the White Thread, because Im Latino, So I dont belong here... anyone...anyone... Ok Good, because I would have kicked your *ss

LOL yeah i am always mistaken for latino because i have such a dark complexion they start to talk spanish to me and all i say sorry i don't understand.

undefined fgadzg aghsdhsghsg sfhgfbb

b mngxvgn xgsg gsjjfm

This thread is ghey...

PS. I figured out the white immediately. I thought you just kept posting an all white image. I moused over and voila...

Damn everyone is figuring out what is going on it was fun for a bit. :-(

wtf? why is everything blank?

BWAHAHAAHAHAHHA

you guys are f*ckn hilarious....

i think just like uncleben.. im smarter than all these n00bs!!!

Awww, poor Fallyn, we still love you sweetheart!!!

That was gay... LOL, jp

Dude Fallyn is a girl, duh you know that. and I think she's actually kinda hot... soooo... lol

I know she's a girl... lol. That wasn't my point.. actually, there was no point.. I just felt like saying what you said was gay... LOL

YYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! CoBIZZLE did you check your PM yet?

[QUOTE=87camaroPA]Damn everyone is figuring out what is going on it was fun for a bit. :-([/QUOTE



yeah.. i wonder how long it will be before someone actually has to say something in black?

LOL yeah anyway.

Good morning yall

Good morning Everyone... Why don't you join SXT and I in the Smilie Madness thingymajiggy and start posting your favorite smilies!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYY! Yes Paul, I seen my pm, they are the WS crew... just messin around... prolly everything they said was just playin around just to stir up a ruckus... they'll be alright... read oj's post LOL just ignore em!!!

I dont really have that many smileys.....

Douche Nozzles...

QUOTE=CoBIZZLE]YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYY! Yes Paul, I seen my pm, they are the WS crew... just messin around... prolly everything they said was just playin around just to stir up a ruckus... they'll be alright... read oj's post LOL just ignore em!!![/QUOTE

They sucked. Worst trolls ever.......

You should probably try to chill over THERE with them!!! I hear the destroy people left and right over there!!

Its actually fun until you get picked on...lol

I've trolled over there before. They really aren't that bad.

QUOTE=JDMCivic They sucked. Worst trolls ever.......

Yeah that was way uncalled for but o well.

I just think it's funny that whatever his name was came over here posting that he always beat 'cobaliers'. I mean, he came over to stir some shit up! He wouldn't come at me alone, he decided he would try and tell all of the WS kids about it and than bring them on over here. This forum is perfectly fine the way it is and they were trying to stir some shit up.

Chris, You said they tear people up or whatever over there. I was looking through some of their threads and all I ever see is really one word answers! I looked through almost 3 pages and I didn't see any real 'tearing'. I didn't read the rice thread or anything because in my opinion there is no such thing as 'ricers'.

Chris, can you please get me a link to a thread where they 'tore' someone up. I am sorry if I sound like a dick but I think these kids are getting WAY to much credit for doing nothing but sitting on a forum and talking shit on people. I mean hell, they had to go so far to start a thread on there about the one yesterday. LoL. It is like a Junior Highschool dance in that WS section. All you have is a bunch of kids pissing and moaning and wanting to fight everyone, when in reality, if you met them in person, they are probably 4ft tall weighing in at a wopping 110 lbs.

These are ofcourse my personal opinions and if any of the WS guys read this and feel a need to respond, Just use the PM box! Don't try and stir up anything else with this forum.

lolololololololololololololololol... The guys are cool, but when excitement is need, then they are there!!

QUOTE=YellowSXTlolololololololololololololololol.. . The guys are cool, but when excitement is need, then they are there!! QUOTE

Please Translate that to english! LoL...

Are you saying that the WS guys are cool, but when it is boring and you need excitment than they are there with the posting? OR WHAT?

QUOTE=87camaroPA
Yeah that was way uncalled for but o well./QUOTE

My post or their troll?

Keith, I am pretty sure he is talking about their troll..

What Im saying Del Sol, Is that personally the guys are alright, well the few I met, & when they are bored, they come this way to stir excitement... What would like to put up a smilie, but then this bit would be ruined!

QUOTE=YellowSXTWhat Im saying Del Sol, Is that personally the guys are alright, well the few I met, & when they are bored, they come this way to stir excitement... What would like to put up a smilie, but then this bit would be ruined!/QUOTE

I wouldn't doubt that. Alot of people are assholes on the net and chill in person.

:-)))))))))))

Word up yall

Hey Homie... I'm going nutz!

What happened?

QUOTE=YellowSXTWhat Im saying Del Sol, Is that personally the guys are alright, well the few I met, & when they are bored, they come this way to stir excitement... What would like to put up a smilie, but then this bit would be ruined!

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Yeah, they are alright. I partake in WS over there. Its nothing personal and I never make troll account names like some do over there but its all in good fun.


------------------------------------------------------------

QUOTE=hookdupdelsol----Chris, You said they tear people up or whatever over there. I was looking through some of their threads and all I ever see is really one word answers! I looked through almost 3 pages and I didn't see any real 'tearing'. I didn't read the rice thread or anything because in my opinion there is no such thing as 'ricers'.

Chris, can you please get me a link to a thread where they 'tore' someone up. I am sorry if I sound like a dick but I think these kids are getting WAY to much credit for doing nothing but sitting on a forum and talking shit on people.

------------------------------------------------------------

WS on srtforums DOES tear into people. Lots of countless ownings have been made in that section. Its purely for entertainment and job hour killing, thats all. the day you take the internet seriously is the day you need to shut down the computer and not re-boot for several weeks on end. Myfault is a funny guy. He came over stirring up stuff sure....but if you knew how he posts then you would of known to laugh it off. Some of you were just falling for his set-ups though heh. My point is, WS can be a fun and entertaining place. IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. Once you take stuff seriously in WS, thats when your feelings or emotions will get the best of you and get you owned quicker than you think. Thats what makes WS so great. people from all forums all over the net come to WS to have fun with us and we have fun back. Especially when my chops or anyone elses chops start coming out.

Hey, I dont see a Yellow SXT in your sig OJ

What up all?????

QUOTE=YellowSXT---Hey, I dont see a Yellow SXT in your sig OJ



The SRT borrowed it hehe

argggggggggggg

This thread is GHEY. The whitey owns us all.

i didnt take the time highlight all the posts so.....
Whats up?

If you guys are ever on the SRTforums look up "SassySXT". Her nickname is "The Amity Express"

:) is this like the bathroom stalls. call xxxxxx for a good time

Take the quote out you DUMBASS!!!!!!!!!! LOL J/K

Man, you guys are still up to no good!

do you guys realize how long it takes to read 14 pages of white nonsence???hahah

Wtf ...........

LOL I forgot all about this thread!!! Whatsup DJ?!?!

LOL I forgot all about this thread!!! Whatsup DJ?!?!
I know i forgot to and i found this thing so damn funny when i saw it again..