Troll name
From DoWire Wiki
I am not quite sure why this page even exists on my wiki. Someone put it here.灵异鬼怪
If you are really looking for a name for your troll, I'll try to add some links when I can find them. If you find some, drop me an e-mail and I'll add them.
...
This is a wiki best practice though it is more contentious than some others of those practices. See also political wiki for more background on this.
A troll name is a temporary pseudonym that is designed to clearly signal that it is:
- by default, invoking Crocker's Rules, especially if it is itself an obviously or overtly offensive name or ideally a self-insult
- not a real person's birth name
- not a persistent nickname
- likely to be changed at any moment - usually indicating it is intended for use as a sock puppet possibly by multiple parties - see alleged and collective identity and troll issues below
- of no great value, thus, immune to administrator punishment or other action designed to reduce its repute
- possibly in use by more than one person - see trolls and anonymous trolls
It is common practice for passwords to such names to be swapped around freely or even given away in forums. This is not necessary a "best" practice but some hold that it is - see content over community.
Contents |
common uses
Common uses of such names include anonymous editing on frequently-spamed wikis, hiding IP addresses from particularly abusive administrators, and inviting others to create many quite similar names to confuse identity and perhaps create an alleged and collective identity composed of some mass of edits that aren't subject to attribution.
Some object to troll names where terms of use guarantee attribution, though most hold that one gives up rights of specific credit to writing by using one.
names evoking power and protest
北京印刷 不干胶印刷 手提袋印刷 画册印刷 分水器 It is often a name evocative of a well known fictional person, or a famous person or actually claiming to be a famous person, e.g. "Saddam Hussein" was a name used by someone at Wikipedia simply to correct thousands of small spelling and format errors over a long time - even on a wiki with a formal use real names policy this would be almost impossible to complain about. So this may have simply been a wiki protest against any such requirement or expectation to use real names - at least for edits that aren't from one's own POV.
Increasingly, as a form of more organized protest or politics on large public wikis, formulaic names that fit a pattern of names are used, very often including the string "troll", signal that the name is in use by one or more trolls. Others of the same troll faction can easily mimic names of other trolls they support, politically or logistically - see trolls' nest.
sysop power and protest
One type of formulaic pattern fits a common work of fiction or metaphor. For example at Wikipedia the names "JRR Trollkin", "Lord of the Trolls", "JRR Trollkien", "The Cave Trolls", etc. were used in rapid succession and were largely assumed to be one person making a point - essentially, that logins suck.
Sometimes a troll name is, or is taken as being, specifically contemptuous of authority and of the prevailing sysop power structure in particular. Particularly if there is troll vandalism going on - see SOLLOG - or being advocated, but also if there is simply a dispute about power itself, or people want to take things less seriously, or convince others to take them a bit less seriously.
四合院 北京四合院 翻译公司 北京翻译公司 英语翻译 北京纸箱厂 神墓 翻译公司 At Wikipedia in 2004 there was a brief and silly debate over whether troll names indicated malice or an intent to engage in bad faith editing - or even troll vandalism. This was quickly dismissed as the people using troll names were exemplary in their behaviour, usually better than administrators at mediating complex ethical disputes or political disputes or doing boring routine work.
lowest troll convention
The name "Lowest Troll" on some wikis indicates an acceptance of this as the norm, and a commitment to maintain equal power relationships to the maximum degree. By calling it "Lowest" the sysop power structure is mocked or inverted, while by using the name "Troll" it is very clearly the ultimate troll name. However, without a clear protocol of passing this name on to whoever is most exemplary as a troll, it may be difficult to maintain the integrity of that name. As with other special-seeming names (User:Mediator, 办证 办证 办证 办证 办证 北京办证 北京办证 北京办证 北京办证 北京办证User:Administrator, User:Arbitrator, User:Editor) it is probably best to reserve User:Lowest Troll and User:Troll until some such protocol does exist.