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If you respond in the way given under "what to do instead", doesn't the troll fail to get the rise?

• neilk 16y ago
  No. Some people enjoy simply wasting other people's time. I've heard self-confessed trolls brag to me about this. A number of near-trolls are also sincere contributors, but are just incapable of responding to social cues or accepting group consensus.
  • xiongchiamiov 16y ago
    No. Some people enjoy simply wasting other people's time. Indeed. As a moderator on a fairly active IRC channel (on Rizon!), I've seen my fair share of trolling. I remember an instance a few months ago where the room was engaged in trying to persuade a naive person to some viewpoint, gradually growing increasingly frustrated at his lack of acceptance of any points. Then, after a good 20 minutes, he said something to the effect of "Gotcha! I agree with you, but was just trolling.". In my experience, the most effective method is to mute a troll before they have a chance to stir anyone up. Unmute them a few hours later to give them another chance to participate.