http://theweek.com/article/index/228295/thenbsptrolls-of-the-internet-a-guide

Internet Trolls
By CL Follow Wed, 30 May 2012, 3:00pm 1,523 views 24 comments
In Emeryville CA 94608
Watch (1) Share
Quote
Permalink Like Dislike Viewing Comments 1-24 of 24 Last » See most liked comments
|
CL is moderator of this thread. |
Follow
Befriend (54)
5,185 threads
6,156 comments
46 male
Menlo Park, CA
Premium
Just sort by disliked comments to find the trolls on Patrick.net:
http://patrick.net/users.php?ob=dislikes&d=desc
Follow
Befriend (8)
203 threads
4,403 comments
Davis, CA
I'm offended I am so far down the list. Have to try harder.
Follow
Befriend (12)
140 threads
1,355 comments
Emeryville, CA
(I was thinking about you when I read this, actually. Sounds like fodder for a guy doing what you do)
Do you think that dislikes reflect troll-levels? Or just level of dislike? :)
Follow
Befriend
2 threads
2,497 comments
Vicente says
Christ I'm way below you. I'm really a slacker.
Follow
Befriend (54)
5,185 threads
6,156 comments
46 male
Menlo Park, CA
Premium
I think a better measure is the ratio of comment dislikes to comment likes.
Call it "trollishness".
Heck, let me see if I can put in a trollishness column.
Maybe users with trollishness > 3 should have their icon changed to a troll, and people should be allowed to blanket-ignore all trolls?
Follow
Befriend (12)
140 threads
1,355 comments
Emeryville, CA
Interesting idea! I suspect that many people might choose "dislike" when they dislike the message, but not the messenger. Or if they just strongly disagree with the content therein.
The troll moniker might distinguish them from each other?
Follow
Befriend (54)
5,185 threads
6,156 comments
46 male
Menlo Park, CA
Premium
OK, there is now a "Trollishness" column, which is simply dislikes divided by likes:
http://patrick.net/users.php?ob=dislikes&d=desc
You can't sort by that yet, but it's still informative.
Follow
Befriend (16)
761 threads
7,688 comments
Boca Raton, FL
Premium
Patrick says
I like how Cloud has a trollish rating of 10 and just about everyone else is below 1.0.
Of course, if you talk about any hot issue, you're going to have a non-zero rating.
Follow
Befriend
94 threads
434 comments
Kent, WA
John Bailo's website
Oh, I dunno...I find that the only people who label others as "Trolls" these days are those who cannot stand any kind of abstract or lateral thinking on a subject.
Calling "Troll" is more often like a false accusation of "Rape" -- it makes the person feel powerful when they have no logical way or responding to an argument.
Or else the "Issue Is Settled" types who simply want a bunch of drones intoning the same way of thinking over and over again.
Quite frankly, I have defined these Internet biddies as "Barnacles" and find them far more damaging to real debate on the Web:
Barnacles:
http://yrihf.com/viewtopic.php?t=559&highlight=barnacles&sid=1f13e1b9153cf06a41bb825df493a4af
Follow
Befriend (12)
140 threads
1,355 comments
Emeryville, CA
Good points, John. However I'd say a troll is most certainly a noun. Obviously, we have trolls in mythology, but in the Internet sense we can still make troll a noun, since evolving language has made it so!
I mean, text is a noun and a verb now, right?
Follow
Befriend (12)
10 threads
3,516 comments
Oakland, CA
leo707's website
Premium
Patrick says
Interesting, I like it.
What do you think about adding number of ignores to the troll formula?
Patrick says
Hmmm... this could be interesting.
Follow
Befriend (54)
5,185 threads
6,156 comments
46 male
Menlo Park, CA
Premium
leoj707 says
That makes sense, because it's stronger and rarer than mere "dislikes". And it has the advantage that it's hard to game, because you can just ignore someone once. OTOH, you can dislike hundreds of comments.
Should I put in some limit on the times or rate at which one person can dislike comments from another? I can imagine a bitter troll disliking a hundred comments by someone else, one after another without reading them, just out of spite.
Follow
Befriend (12)
10 threads
3,516 comments
Oakland, CA
leo707's website
Premium
Patrick says
Yep, that could totally happen.
Don't Redit and Craigslist limit the number of times someone can up/down a post?
Follow
Befriend (1)
247 threads
4,683 comments
One of these days you guys wont have me to kick around any more.
You'll have to get your reality dose from Cloud.
Follow
Befriend (12)
10 threads
3,516 comments
Oakland, CA
leo707's website
Premium
CaptainShuddup says
*Yawn*
Follow
Befriend
94 threads
434 comments
Kent, WA
John Bailo's website
CL says
Yes it is both a noun and a verb, but the original metaphor relating to the Internet was as a verb -- to troll for fish, or in the case of Usenet group, to write an inflammatory post and troll for replies.
As a noun, it doesn't seem to me to make as much sense metaphorically, or rather it has the opposite sense (more akin to my use of Barnacle) as a Troll (noun) is a mythical creature who guards the bridge or entryway. So he would be someone who excludes or acts as the bouncer to people who "troll" (verb).
Follow
Befriend (1)
247 threads
4,683 comments
You folks are like the Libs here at work. They can stand around kvetching out loud so everyone in an earshot can hear, about how bad the economy is, and how it's the republican's fault, and how bad Romney is. But as soon as someone says anything pro conservative to counter their claims, they invoke rule number in the company policy handbook they wrote in them selves. "No talking about politics" which in reality translates to "Don't counter argue Left talking points"
Follow
Befriend (12)
10 threads
3,516 comments
Oakland, CA
leo707's website
Premium
CaptainShuddup says
And do you interject your opinion with the same savoir faire that you do on internet forums?
Follow
Befriend
2 threads
2,497 comments
CaptainShuddup says
after dinner I'll faint.
Follow
Befriend (1)
247 threads
4,683 comments
leoj707 says
These amateurs apologize by time I'm done with them.
I'm not only a member, I'm the president of the Curmudgeon club.
Follow
Befriend
2,826 comments
Monterey, CA
Shutdown The Liars says
Says the person who changes his name more times than his underwear.
Follow
Befriend
2,826 comments
Monterey, CA
Yes, I call you a troll. I wonder why that is.
And all of this trollishness rating is ridiculous. You get in an argument with someone and they start pressing dislike for every post you make irrespective of the points you raise. Does that mean you are a troll or that you have just rattled somebody's cage?
I don't count Cloud as a troll, for example, because at least he is trying to make his point. He may well be pressing the dislike button for my posts, but I presume he's doing that because he doesn't like what I'm saying rather than thinking of me as a troll. You though are a troll. You change your name almost daily. You post the same things over and over again pretty much verbatim. You don't engage in discussion. You invariably just reflect people's responses back at them in your childish way etc. etc.
It's obvious who is trolling on here and it's equally obvious that some hackneyed system for evaluating that isn't necessary.
Follow
Befriend
2,826 comments
Monterey, CA
Shutdown The Liars says
Ho, ho, ho. You're a persistent little so-and-so. I'll give you that.
And 23 ignores, whatever your name is today. Am I the only person left on this forum who actually sees your posts?
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
Bigsby says
Probably.