mrbog > writes:
> Actually I never even heard the term "trolling" until now.
> I just looked it up at usenet.com. It's where people
> make posts like "hitler was right!!" Funny that it's
> called "trolling"- I mean trolls are passively evil but
> doing something like that would is pretty active...
Wrong metaphor. Trolling is a type of fishing that involves
running a boat at low speed while trailing a baited hook
through the water. In the Usenet sense, trolling means
"fishing" for emotional responses.
Your "mythical beings who live under bridges and waylay
hapless travelers" interpretation is a common misunder-
standing. It's what causes so many people to erroneously
refer to people who troll as "trolls." The correct term
is *troller.* A troll is a provocative article posted by
a troller, just as a hack is an ingenious stunt performed
by a hacker.
Geoff
--
"Jon is absolutely right just be aware that there
is a good Geoff Miller on the net and then there
is this one at sun microsystems in california."
--