# Troll? Sock? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 1, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-sock/43539 "2000-12-01T06:27:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-sock/43539/1 "2000-12-01T06:27:45Z")
Boy, do I feel stupid! But I gotta ask: what is a troll, and what is a sock? ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-sock/43539/2 "2000-12-01T06:40:17Z")
It’s always a good idea to check the database to see if Cecil or his staff have covered a question. [What is a troll?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtroll.html) A “sock puppet”, sometimes called simply a “sock”, is a new account that a poster creates so that s/he will have someone to agree with them and hopefully make their points seem more reasonable. It’s sad really. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-sock/43539/3 "2000-12-01T07:05:26Z")
Sorry… didn’t occur to me to search! _hanging head in shame_ Anyways, thanks **2sense**! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troll-sock/43539/4 "2000-12-06T05:19:45Z")
By the way, both will result in immediate banning.