Troll? Out of all the insults...

What does the term “Troll” mean in the message boards? Is this some sort of kiddy insult?

Troll - noun form of “trolling”. Same term used by fishermen who troll for fish. A BBS troll is one who posts a message (usually inflammitory, often guised as a question) for the sole purpose of irritating board members into responding. It’s not really answers that the troll is seeking, it’s the attention gained by goading people into responding to his/her post. The word has the added benefit of evoking images of a small, ugly, antisocial creature who lives under a bridge and whose sole purpose in life is to make others miserable. The most effective way to get rid of a troll is to ignore their every post, but where’s the fun in that?

The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik

Ooooooops!!!

I thought “Troll” was C#3’s nickname! Sorry…