He was recently advocating that the board should have a “Like” button. I could use one now. 
Trolling, like spamming and socking, is an instaban offense and doesn’t require a prior warning. When a new poster comes out of the box trolling, they’re dispensed with toot sweet.
While leaving on a sour note.
Trolling can be an instaban offense, but it doesn’t always work that way. The mods here often give a long leash to new posters who are obvious trolls, and the ban doesn’t come for some time-- week or even months. I’m not arguing whether that is good or bad, but new trolls are not always dispensed with immediately.
I’d argue that suspect trolls are given an opportunity to play out enough rope to hang them. Obvious trolls are instabanned, and none too soon. Long-play trolls may linger for years, skating the borderline, until they cross, or someone notices their track record. And then they’re banned.
Here’s an example od a successful troll. Successful means he pulled it off, not that it was appropriate. This board is a good source of food for many of them, lots of food.
Last activity: 03-25-2008 01:44 PM
I guess the difference between suspect and obvious trolls depends on how good your trolldar is. 
Of course a person isn’t officially a troll if he’s still posting here, since troll = ban. But that’s circular reasoning, or the New True Troll fallacy. It’s often a matter of opinion when someone is officially declared a troll. And since the mods are not machines, that’s probably the way it has to be.
Extremely weak sauce, and not really a good comparison at all. He had joined over a year earlier and had made close to a hundred unexceptional posts before that (and a lot afterward as well). That was also when the board was pay-to-post, and he had purchased a membership. He certainly didn’t join up just to troll.
For someone who is accusing others of “troll hysteria,” the fact that you apparently remembered one not-so-remarkable post from over a decade ago suggests a rather strange obsession on your part. :dubious:
That’s pretty much the case. We give new posters the benefit of the doubt. Some posters feel we give them too much leeway. But with many there’s no doubt at all.
He started 28 threads and how many did Sam Clem lock? Out of 150 posts?
Now reread the thread, look at the username. He found that before he misfired?
Proving my point, trolling and getting caught are two different things. Most miss it and he got away with it.
Sam Clem was seeing it.
Garfield saw it.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8856593&postcount=3
You missed it? Surely you didn’t miss that?
Is it 2007 already?
Your obviously not in the hot tub time machine!
This guy sure does a lot of concern trolling these days.
Has anyone ever seen Urbandredneck and HurricaneDitka in the same room at the same time?
Only if they have an identical cousin, from the UK.
Phipps is definitely working overtime in the Mueller thread.
It feels (to me) like F-P has really stepped up his Trump-defense game since our dear Okra departed.
Nature abhors a vacuum, and few are as empty as he.