From: Paul Brannan <pbrannan@...>
Date: 2007-09-24T21:36:09+09:00
Subject: Trolls (was Re: This is why...)

On Mon, Sep 24, 2007 at 02:49:22PM +0900, Michael T. Richter wrote:
>    You're still playing into their game.  You're reacting to the troll's
>    input.  If you want to share the good news about YARV performance,
>    start your own breathless thread.  Don't respond to a troll.
>    ESPECIALLY don't quote the troll and do a point-by-point counter.
>    That's exactly what they're looking for.
>    Let me give you a little secret: the troll knows all your countering
>    arguments.  In another forum, under a different name, the troll is
>    using those very same arguments to tweak the noses of other people and
>    make them "dance to his strings".  The only winning move, as the old
>    movie goes, is not to play the game.

You sure do seem to know a lot about trolls. :)

Seriously, though, any move that falls outside the troll's script is a
valid move.  Not playing at all works, but rarely, since not everyone
follows that advice.

I've found that trolling the troll also works, that is, making plausible
but ridicuous arguments in order to frustrate the troll.  This is a
difficult maneuver in a public forum like this one.

Responding in kindness rather than argumentatively works as well, if the
troll's intentions were to start an argument.

People with crediblity should almost never respond to a troll, because
their response gives the troll credibility, so if you are going to try
to beat the troll at his own game, get an alias, or limit your responses
to those which reduce the troll's credibility while keeping your own
intact.

Calling the troll a troll is dangerous, since it's essentially an ad
hominem attack that can reduce your own credibility over time.

The goal in any response to a thread started by the troll should be to
prevent thread explosion.  If the thread has already reached critical
mass, responding to the thread further postpones its death.

Trolls can also show up in real life situations.  These trolls are best
handled by turning the forum into a debate so, keeping in mind that the
goal of a debate is to convince the audience rather than the other
person.

Paul