How to Identify a Troll

[Troll]

Hi everyone! I thought it would be good to have a thread featuring the typical and not so typical ways in which trolls can join a forum like this and spoil things. I will post examples found on other vegan forums, as there are no trolls here. Names will be changed to protect the innocent.

Troll 1:People give me a lot of shit on my blog for being a Vegan, but that's not going to stop me from writing. I always enjoy it when like-minded people come along and comment, because there are so many people that are always trying to take me down a peg. I'm sure any of you who talk about your diets on your blogs have experienced some of the same treatment.

is the link to my blog. I hope you stop by!


Vegan 1: I just did!



Vegan 2: *******, I think your blog is cool!

It sucks that you get so much trolling on your blog-- I'm personally not into responding to hateful remarks, so I delete anything that is rude or personally insulting. Unfortunately, I find that giving stupid people attention only encourages them to continue trolling. If you're OK with the spiteful stuff, then more power to ya. Keep spreading the word, man.

Edit: OK, in light of recent events, I've changed my stance. Please see below.


Troll 1: Yeah, I'm okay with anyone stopping by. Most are cool, but you get a few bad apples now and then.



Vegan 3: You're lucky to get so many hits, trolls or not!



Vegan 4: Hi *******,

I agree with vegan 2... your blog is not an invitation for people to be insulting, rude, or vulgar. I haven't had those kind of comments myself, but I have a pretty easy-going, 'non-offensive' blog. Regardless, you wouldn't invite people in your home that treat you that way, so don't entertain it on your blog.

I haven't commented on your blog yet, but I have visited it several times and will be back!
This is a clever type of troll. He had a blog, entitled "It ain't easy being green", in which he attempted to gain the sympathy of vegans by complaining about how much he hated people eating steak, fajitas, etc. while at the same time posting pictures of the steak on a plate with mushrooms, a baked potato, etc, a profile of a person with a piece of fajita sticking halfway out of his mouth, photos of an infant being circumcised, photos of a man in a stream holding a dead fish and pretending to be auditioning for the role of the Gollum in the Lord of the Rings, and photos of and links to the Bonsai Kitten website, which is a cruel hoax used on unsuspecting animal lovers to get a reaction. He took his blog offline after he got banned from the forum he was attacking.

He managed to fool several people with his bogus bids for sympathy before he was revealed as a troll. Do not be fooled by these types of trolls! They are more clever than most, because they appeal to our compassion, and seem to be as offended by non-vegan subject matter as we are. But while a true vegan may complain in graphic terms about what happens to animals, they never accompany their complaints with photos unless the photos are intended to educate a non-vegan about animal cruelty. Photos of people eating meat dishes are gratuitous, do not educate omnis about animal cruelty, and are intended to upset the vegans viewing them. A true vegan appealing for empathy from fellow vegans has no need to illustrate what is upsetting them with pictures.
So watch out for these types. They are the cleverest, in my opinion, because anyone coming down too harshly on them too soon will get in trouble from the sympathetic folks who feel sorry for the troll, because they don't yet know he is a troll.

[Kumem]

With a name like Troll, would you be attempting a bit of reverse psychology here? Have you not introduced yourself? For a first post this is quite dramatic and I don't think we have much of a troll problem

[Fauxmage]

Its ok Kumem. If trolls ever do come here and see something like this, they will know we are already onto them and won't bother to attack us. I hope!

[Kumem]

LOL haven't been on in months, but still feel protective :cheeky:

[Delicious]

:eek: Curiouser and curiouser!

[Oracl]

Hmmmmm!! :rubchin: Cute avatar, Troll! :)

[Fauxmage]

LOL haven't been on in months, but still feel protective :cheeky:
I think that's kinda cute, actually. Like a mom protecting her baby. ;)

[Rainbow]

So should we disable this blatent troll :book: or will it advise itself away in its next piece of forum banter!!! :rofl:

[Bowwowmeow]

I see it as similar to the police who use ex-criminals to catch current ones. :devilangel:

[Troll]

Hello again everyone! Troll Alert!!! There is yet another bogus offer on ebay from a troll who wants money to go vegan for a year. This is probably a very mentally ill person who frequents vegan sites, puts in an ebay entry, and then goes around waiting for the vegans who find this offensive (and understandably so) to post about it on their forums. This is a nice clever way for a troll to get vegans to do his dirty work for him. He doesn't have to lift a finger; the outraged vegans give him the reaction he wants all on their own. It is understandable to want to vent anger about these kinds of people, but I hate to see them getting what they want from the vegans they are trying to upset. It is better not to discuss these kinds of things when they crop up, and it is good not to link to them either. I am glad to see that most vegans do not fall for the actual offer of going vegan for money, because such offers are never legitimate, but I hate to see them posting about it for the enjoyment of the troll, who doesn't even have to join the forums whose members he wants to upset. :agree:

[ChenLi]

Hmmm, I recognise the first story...did he join another Vegan forum and show off his blog?

[Troll]

Here's an unusual type. This is a person who joins a vegan forum, claims to be vegan, and starts talking about drinking urine.

Hi, :)

do you know what is amaroli, shivambu or urine therapy ???

This is a free alternative. ;D In medicine, it is very expensive. :o

I drink my urine for 6 or 7 years, and it is a treasure:


Amaroli, shivambu, water sports, whatever. Drinking piss is drinking piss, and these people seem bent on making vegans look like we are piss-drinkers. It may not be animal exploitation to drink your own, or that of a consenting adult, but it is useless at best, and dangerous at worst. :troll3:

[Bowwowmeow]

:drunk:

[Oracl]

:drinkin:

[xwitchymagicx]

I'll keep my eyes peeled for any Trolls! :magnify:

[veggiesosage]

Here's an unusual type. This is a person who joins a vegan forum, claims to be vegan, and starts talking about drinking urine.


Amaroli, shivambu, water sports, whatever. Drinking piss is drinking piss, and these people seem bent on making vegans look like we are piss-drinkers. It may not be animal exploitation to drink your own, or that of a consenting adult, but it is useless at best, and dangerous at worst. :troll3:

This guy I've seen before...

Not sure he's a troll, just a little odd :D

[VeganD]

Can’t understand why someone would want to go through that setting up a profile and everything just to try and upset others

[Gliondrach]

That's why I usually join forums. Even vegan ones.