Troll


 * Griefer redirects here. You may also be thinking of Greifer, a fursuit owned by Tilt Longtail

Troll is the colloquial term for an user who seeks to incite negative responses from others in online mediums, such as in IRC chat rooms or in Usenet postings.

Actions and tactics

 * Trolls typically bait their furry victims with inflammatory and derogatory remarks, to which users respond with criticisms of the troll's behavior. The goal of a troll is to detract users from their normal communications and get them to instead start arguments with them or other users. When users do start arguments with each other or with the troll, it is often referred to as "feeding the troll". Sometimes trolls refer to their activities to others as lollercoasting.
 * Trolls are typically crude and simple in their tactics; however, some trolls carefully calculate their activities so their online posts seem quite innocuous but have the same argument or negative feeling producing effect.
 * Trolls can also, but rarely, try to copy the behaviors of other furries in order to gain personal information which can be used to cause further harm than the normal troll. Such information they would be after would usually be e-mail addresses, phone numbers and Instant Messenger ID's.

Counteractions
Trolls are best dealt on private or moderated sites (forums, mailing lists, private IRC channels, etc) by removing/banning them. Complete avoidance or interaction with a troll deprives them of any argumentative material or attention, and may deter them from further baiting, or at least shorten the episode or effectiveness.

However, the goal of some trolls is to be removed, and on mediums such as websites where it is nearly impossible to ban a determined user, this may only feed the troll.

Griefer
In the world of online gaming (World of Warcraft, Second Life, etc,) a troll is more commonly known as a Griefer ("One that causes grief.")