if you think “correct” (meaning standardized) spelling is optional, here’s a sample text from Chaucer from a time when “correct” spelling didn’t exist (not as we know it today, at least):

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.
01 Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote,
02 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
03 And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
04 Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
05 Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
06 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
07 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
08 Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
09 And smale foweles maken melodye,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
11 So priketh hem Nature in hir corages-
12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
13 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15 And specially, from every shires ende
16 Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende,

ALL HAIL THE ETERNAL VIGILANCE OF THE INTERNET SPELLING AND GRAMMAR POLICE!

You know what’s worse? The people that listen to them and do nothing but complain about them.

f u cn rd ths u prbly dnt nd the int grm plc

dogrun81, as I understand it, the “troll” designation is for those who make deliberately incendiary comments just for the sake of stirring up trouble. However, many people apparently have difficultly distinguishing between that behavior and sincerely voicing an unpopular opinion (though to be fair, trolls often try to appear as the latter type).

If 95% think one way on a controversial topic, and the “troll” thinks another way, that will almost always “provoke a furious reaction” no matter how respectful the post is.

One-sided blogs are generally intolerant of opposing views. They like to have their own website without input from the other side. Anyone who comes in is viciously attacked until one side gets tired of posting.

But the “troll” in this case is blamed, with almost no responsibility on the many posters who attack him.

DaveL – The words are “What did” not “Waddid”. Just so you know.

“Usenet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhea — massive, difficult to redirect, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it.”

also Kumbaya

Not an underware gamer? Hmm, you should try it sometime.

http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/index.htm

It is an illustrated list of different kinds of internet flamers. Hit the “begin” button on the right to go through the list.