I still think of this as a travel board which many of us boost by reporting on our travel so others may glean the results.

Sure, add personal details if it makes you feel good. Your choice. But isn't it better to keep the site basically travel, although some who post (some almost hourly) use it as a chat room, which really they ought to do offline by email. But either way, it's not a big issue, and let people post what they wish. Most of us, I assume, use the search function anyway, so we can easily avoid the non-travel back and forth. Anyway, it's a great board.

SOME personal information can be quite useful when posing a questions or asking for opinions. For example: something about likes and dislikes - does a person love history but hate art galleries? Or does someone have physical limitations ?

Twoflower - - this question you have asked, is still here. And there are many answers posted here defining a "troll" but I will give it a shot.

A troll is a provocative question (or also used to refer to the person asking it), but the questioner does not acknowledge, nor even seem to be aware that the question is designed to incite. It typically calls on some prejudice or some assumption about contrasts between travelers and the residents of countries they are visiting. The very best of trolls appear to be so stupid or so outrageous that they (seemingly) do not get what the fuss is.

Faith's question about life preservers on gondolas had some of the characteristics of a troll question, even though it dd not diretly call on a prejudice. But hateful attitudes towards those with excessive fears, or xenophobia, quickly bubbled into the mix. And Faith's story took some surprising (and harder to believe) turns, as trolls often do.

We are left uncertain, as all good trolls should be.

Best wishes,

Rex

I am a mature gentleman who has found that not having a hairy bottom is liberating.

Oh, John, Thank you for the laugh! :D

Beware lest we make this our "chatroom" and upset some of the older fussy set ~