Trolls

wikipedia definition:
In Internet terminology, a troll is someone who intentionally posts messages about sensitive topics constructed to cause controversy in an online community such as an online discussion forum or USENET groups in order to bait users into responding. They may also plant images and data on networks that others may find disturbing in order to cause confrontation.

It is a thought to be a truncation of the phrase trolling for suckers, itself derived from the sport fishing technique of trolling.

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If you're new to online forums, you may feel like you can trust that everyone is who they say they are. Most of the time, people are honest, but occassionally you have people popping in to disrupt the boards and have fun at your expense.

If someone is consistently making controversial posts or trying to get a rise out of everyone, you've got yourself a troll. We've had them here before, and I've always told you that ignoring them is the best route. If someone is trolling for suckers, it's just not fun if there aren't any bites. So, please do yourselves a favor and report posts made by trolls rather than engaging them in conversation.

Thank you.

If you have any specific concerns about trolls, please send me a private message.