Quote Originally Posted by cherinyc View Post
i guess i haven't been paying attention. how can you all tell when someone is a "troll"? considering the stuff that I've opened up to you guys about - this thread seemed mild.
I am not passing any judgement on this poster as to whether or not they are serious or trolling.

"Trolls" - named for both the ugly hairy guys that hang out under bridges and for those who troll (like the fishing term of dragging a line behind a slowly moving boat) forums to see if they can hook a sucker.

Generally they go around posting inflamatory things just to see how bad (good) the reactions that they can get are. Often they have a specific subject they like to troll about - "CF s*cks, Ti is the only good material" or "Lance Armstrong is the greatest of all times" or conversely "Lance Armstrong is the biggest Doper of all times". This kind of stuff is very elementary trolling, but can get people going good on some boards. Its not that the subjects are personal or intimate, its more that they inspire a strong reaction from the audience. Trolls like to make people argue.