The first trolling that I remember started around the time Usenet began hosting alt groups. In the beginning, it was a new phenomenon, and trolls were able to spark off-topic flame wars. Over time, newsreaders began to have "kill files" which allowed readers to skip postings by certain individuals or about particular topics. Trolls became a non-issue with Usenet because of technology, not human behavior.
Usenet still lives on: Google Groups is probably the best-known Usenet portal. Today, Spam is the main problem with Usenet. Since commercial use was prohibited in the first few years of the Internet, the Usenet tools that were so effective with trolls didn't have a means to combat Spam. Most of the forums are so clogged with it that they are useless.
Today, most Internet forums are registration-only, so they can quickly ban trolls as well as delete Spam. Yahoo Groups is a good example, but there are hundreds of other discussion groups that keep trolls at bay and Spam to a minimum.
Craigslist is interesting case. It is good at handling Spam everywhere, and trolls in every forum but RNR. RNR has become a forum for trolls in most Craigslist cities, by design. RNR gives Craig a place where trolls can blow off steam without wrecking the other forums.
Though some are disappointed about where this forum is going, trolling is probably a good thing for society. As the case of the BTK killer showed, extremely twisted people who have an outlet for their emotions can keep those emotions in check via that outlet. When the BTK killer became a code enforcement officer, he stopped his killing rampage, because harassing the citizens of his little suburb satisfied obsessions that previously had no other outlet.
I think the person who posted Have You Noticed? got it right. This guy - and I really think it is only one person - is a closeted homosexual who uses this forum to release emotions that would otherwise get him into real trouble in society. Certainly, expressing the racial slurs that have peppered his posts would probably get him beat up. So, in this safe, anonymous forum, he's having his moment in the sun without risk of real-world consequences.
Rochester has already had one serial killer, which is more than enough for any town. I'm glad that CL is doing the city a favor by keeping this guy occupied and off the streets. So, troll, keep posting. As long as you're spending your time here, you're not out doing something worse.
