How Can you Tell?

For a while now we've been talking about anonymity and how it can have a positive and negative effect on others which leads to trolling. But how can you identify a troll? It might seem like a dumb question but it's honestly harder than you think. Some readers may characterize a post as trolling, while other may regard the same post as a legitimate contribution to the discussion, even if controversial. Like a pejorative term, it can be used as an ad hominem attack, suggesting a negative motivation. Regardless of the circumstances, controversial posts may attract a particularly strong response from those unfamiliar with the robust dialogue found in some online communities. Experienced participants in online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is to usually ignore it, because obviously responding tends to encourage trolls to continue disruptive conversations.