The definition of an Troll, in Internet speak, is a person who will post irrelevant, controversial or provocative posts online (particularly on blogs) to get an emotional or touchy response from the author or other contributors.

These posts are not designed to stimulate the debate, but to disrupt it and try and put other people off contributing on the site for fear of being ridiculed or personally attacked.

Their primary aim is to move the discussion away from the topic of the debate, but they should not be confused with genuine bloggers who simply make an off-topic remark, or who simply vocally and forcefully disagree with another individual’s post or comment, or simply have controversial views.

It therefore takes time to identify Trolls, as it is about habit rather than individual post, although once defined are easy to spot.

As the owner of a blog, I have thought long and hard about how to deal with Trolls, having firstly made the rules  of my blog perfectly accessible to all who come on to the site.

I have now made the decision, after careful consideration and discussion with appropriate people, to name the Trolls who regularly contribute on this site.

In some cases their posts will not be published through the moderation process, particularly if they contravene the rules - I will, however, attempt to publish as many posts as possible. However, by identifying them publicly, I hope it will give other readers confidence in knowing that these people are not interested in political debate, but personal attacks, so should be ignored when making your own contribution to the debate.

Remember: “Do Not Feed the Trolls” - Ignore them, don’t engage them!

Current Troll List

Eleanor Hodges

Tom

Justine McGuiness (now red carded)