Glad to see this bit of history mentioned. “Troll” and “Trolling” has shifted in pejorativeness and general application over the years, much like “hacker” means something totally different than it did 20 years ago. On AFU, and USENET groups like it back about in the late 80’s, early 90’s, the term was clearly derived from the fishing usage, and was seen as something of an art form. If done with subtleness and restraint, it could be fairly entertaining, rather like Swift’s baiting of astrologer John Partridge. The fishing motif was very clearly carried through - if you were doing it too obviously, it would earn you comments about “trolling with a bare hook” and so on.
It couldn’t last. As USENET grew, trolling, like other types of mischevious net behaviour got to be less than amusing when overapplied in a widening community that didn’t have all the referents to pick up on it, and eventually became so debased as to become entirely a bad thing.
racinchikki: Pointing out a factual error, even a very small one, has never been a crime on these boards.
Dono’s first post (no offence dono) suggested that trolling means “dragging a net”, which it doesn’t. Trawling means dragging a net. But to complicate matters, trawling can also be used to mean “dragging a line”, which is what trolling means.
I agree it’s weird to have two such similar words, but I didn’t invent the language and it’s not my fault that this was too subtle for you to accept without making a petulant outburst at my expense.
Never mind, you two enjoy your crush - I have a small bore gunshot wound to attend to :).
Wouldn’t it be fair, however, to say that “Troll/Trolling” has a bit of both meanings? At least now, anyway? Otherwise, wouldn’t we refer to one who trolls as a troller? (maybe not, I’m not up on my fishing terms)
Anyway, yabob’s post reminded me of old timers that would give newbies helpful advice in chat rooms.
“How do I do such and such?”
“Try pressing Alt+F4”
“Ok, thanks”…
It’s probably a troll in itself, but the members of the Usenet group alt.religion.kibology like to claim trolling at their invention. They even got in the news with their “Bob Hope is dead” troll.
Kibologists often close a troll with “YHBT.YHL.HAND.” which stands for “You have been trolled. You have lost. Have a nice day.”, and often engage in such practices as double-reverse trolling, or trolling the trolls.
I know the word “troll” as a noun has come to mean “one who trolls,” but shouldn’t it be “troller”? I’ve always used “troller” just to clarify that we’re not talking about a monster who lives under a bridge, but a fishing term.
I consider posting inflammatory comments designed to elicit outraged responses to be trolling but if I say someone is a troll I mean to compare them to a monster who lives under a bridge and eats unsuspecting travelers.