In life, there is only one code for the troll. If you don't know it, you're an idiot. That aside, the internets are filled with horrifying people who are out to ruin your day and make their own a little brighter, in any part of life. A psychologist would call it schadenfreude. A victim would call it jackassery. To the experienced troll, it's business as usual. The following statistics were gleaned from various forums and video games.
Typology of Trolling:
* Unclean novice (Approx. 50% of all trolls): The unclean novice injects themselves into conversation with unrelated quips like "That's what YOUR mom said!" before giggling and scurrying off. Harmless, tasteless, yet crunchy and palatable with Bordeaux.
* Skilled acolyte (20%): Already the troll has learned to better themselves, even if they are not, in fact, skilled. Insults, as that is all the acolytes uses, are generally vague and dry (e.g. "ur religion is dumb"). Nonetheless, these trolls will bring genuine emotional response from a few unwieldy morons, like religious fundamentalists. Chewy, bitter. Goes best with Diet Coke.
* Apprentice (20%): Officially capable of doing mild to moderate damage. Popular topics may include religion, politics, and personal hobbies. These trolls are capable of subtlety, though to anyone not suffering from down syndrome, the subtlety is often lost (as an example, "I don't think ur religion really respects women and neither do u"). Overly sweet. Shots of tequila are advised.
* Intermediate(9%): Moderate to unpleasant damage possible. These trolls have a rudimentary philosophy and awareness of their antics. They know what they want, and they know what others want, and they're prepared to use every tactic in their arsenal. Topics vary – trolls at this level begin to understand that the preferred topic isn't as important as the most important things for whoever happens to be reading it ("u guise serious?? I knew u didn't actually eat milk"). The 3rd stage feels and tastes like tissue paper. Battery acid (Duracell for the tang) turned out to be a nice compliment.
* Advanced (1%): Here the levels show a greater difference in skill, and severe damage is very likely. The advanced troll possesses all the faculties of the intermediate troll, but wields them gracefully: here, trolling becomes a art. Topics will not necessarily be argumentative or insulting, and yet every resulting reply will be an insult or argument. An example would be a short, useful paragraph (which, to other advanced trolls, is clearly just as useful as baseball bat for ballet) on how to get girlfriends on a message board where the majority of users want women as much as they loathe them. Advanced trolls are hard to discern from legitimate stupidity. Dark, brooding flavors. Try a phonebook for dessert.
* Epic (Undefined): Trolling truly done right. Here, the trolls would gladly join in, if for nothing else than to share a little of the glory. "how is babby formed? How girl get pragnent?" A noted difficulty is that an epic troll is completely indistinguishable from complete stupidity or earnest problems, and thus no specific percent can be taken without statistical overlap. A complex flavor that needs no compliment. Water recommended.
SOURCE: http://news.mmosite.com/content/2009-12-18...rolling,1.shtml