http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm
Contains: What is a Troll? Why Does it Matter? What Can be Done about Trolls? What Not to Do Impersonation The Webmaster's Challenge What about Free Speech? Why Do They Do It? Conclusion Note to Webmasters
Some excerpts:
>>>>An Internet "troll" is a person who delights in sowing discord on the Internet.
Trolls see Internet communications services as convenient venues for
their bizarre game. For some reason, they don't "get" that they are
hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human
but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow
whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering
they cause, the greater their 'achievement' (as they see it). At the
moment, the relative anonymity of the net allows trolls to flourish.
Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or otherwise). You cannot negotiate with them; you cannot cause them to feel shame or compassion; you cannot reason with them. They cannot be made to feel remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they are bound by the rules of courtesy or social responsibility.
Perhaps this sounds inconceivable. You may think, "Surely there is something I can write that will change them." But a true troll can not be changed by mere words.
-- Michelle