See it frequently: What exactly is a "troll"?

A troll is a mischievous supernatural creature that lives under bridges in Scandanavia or is an act of fishing from a boat where in you pull a line with bait hoping a fish will bite. I think the latter fits very well with an audio "troll". These folks seem to enjoy posting a very controversal statement which they know will just rile up a lot of responses from the unwary. They don't care if the responses are favorable or negative, they just live off watching folks argue endlessly.

If the trollers are really bored they will even join in the controversy to stir things up.

Some trolls are very subtle and draw lots of responses. Some are not and everyone ignores them, occasionally, to the detriment of some innocent who really doesn't known the answer.

A stereotypical troll would look like "I just listened to some Bose speakers and compared them to some Quads. Boy do the Quads suck. What am I doing wrong?"

v. trolled, troll·ing, trolls
v.tr.
1.
a. To fish for by trailing a baited line from behind a slowly moving boat.
b. To fish in by trailing a baited line: troll the lake for bass.
c. To trail (a baited line) in fishing.
2. Slang To patrol (an area) in search for someone or something: "[Criminals] troll bus stations for young runaways" Pete Axthelm.
3. Music
a. To sing in succession the parts of (a round, for example).
b. To sing heartily: troll a carol.
4. To roll or revolve.
v.intr.
1. To fish by trailing a line, as from a moving boat.
2.
a. To wander about; ramble.
b. Slang To patrol an area in search for someone or something.
3. Music To sing heartily or gaily.
4. To roll or spin around.
n.
1.
a. The act of trolling for fish.
b. A lure, such as a spoon or spinner, that is used for trolling.
2. Music A vocal composition in successive parts; a round.

in chat rooms such as this, "trolling" is generally a term for starting a thread in order to promote (surreptiously, if sucessful) one's products/preferences/self, i.e. attempting to lure by stealth little fishies to your bait.

One goal of a troll is to incite a 'riot', to stir up a hornets' next. Apparently they aren't much interested in learning anything or helping anyone--they just want to make trouble.
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"In the context of the Internet, a troll refers to a person who makes inflammatory or hostile comments, which by effect or design cause disruptions in discourse... The contemporary use of the term first appeared on Usenet groups in the early 1990s. It is widely thought to be a diminutive of the phrase "trolling for suckers," itself derived from the sports-fishing technique of trolling."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
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