Mel

Before anyone starts to slag me off, I know that this query is purely for my own knowledge. There are two terms used on this site which I'm not quite sure of - could someone please explain 'Trolling' and 'Topping' - particularly the latter? <BR> <BR>And whilst I'm here, which words do you find difficult, although part of the 'English' language?

Bob Brown

I will explain topping if you will explain slagging. <BR>New one on me. <BR>And I speak fluent American -- learned it in college.

Rex

Topping refers to adding any little message, no matter how insignificant - - "to the top", for example - - so that a message (and its "thread") goes back "up to the top" - - on the left hand column of most recently posted message threads. This is in contrast to "sinking to the bottom" - - which inevitably happens to all messages - - being superceded by newer messages. <BR> <BR>It's a relative concept, of course - - a message 400 messages down might seem to be "sunk" quite deeply into the stack (beyond the view of a lot of casual visitors here). But messages of only a year or two ago are now ten to twenty thousand "deep". <BR> <BR>As for trolling, well that's quite another thing for another essay answer from someone else. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Mel

Apologies Bob - 'slagging off' (terrible English slang, shouldn't use it) is similar to 'bitching about'. <BR> <BR>Rex - thanks for your comprehensive reply. <BR> <BR>Mel xx

anon

Haven't seen it too much on this site, but what is &lt;snip&gt;? does it refer to having cut out a section of a previous message or...thanks.

frank

"Trolling" is posting contraversial comments purely to provoke a fight, or false information to waste peoples time. <BR>Probably comes from "trawling".

ron

A troll is a provocative posting to a newsgroup intended to produce a large volume of frivolous responses. The content of a troll posting generally falls into several areas. It may consist of an apparently foolish contradiction of common knowledge, a deliberately offensive insult to the readers of a newsgroup, or a broad request for trivial follow-up postings. It comes from the style of fishing involving baiting a line from a boat and moving slowly through the water trying to catch a fish - not the same as trawling. <BR> <BR>The best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them, but we users of Fodors seem particularly inept either at recognising them or exercising self control by not responding. <BR> <BR>Snipping is as you say. Snipping is needed in usenet groups, like rec.travel.europe, because each response automatically incorporates the message being responding to, so that messages can become inordinately long. Since Fodors does not incorporate the original message in replies, it is not required.