How to identify a troll on DU almost as fast as Brother Blue_Tires:

[Blue_Tires]

14. Part 3: "Is this DUer trolling me?"

These aren't hard-and-fast rules, just personal rule-of-thumb guidelines I use when I see something suspicious...

1. Post count -- Most trolls do little to hide themselves on DU, even when their post count is still well under 1,000, so that's an obvious red flag when combined with a sketchy or highly questionable post...Some of the smarter and more patient trolls are at least smart enough to pad their post count in the lounge or subforums, so with a suspicious poster it's prudent to look at their profile and see where the bulk of their posts have been if it's over 1,000

2. Join date -- If someone joined yesterday and is spewing nonsense it's obvious...If that person joined 6+ years ago and has a grand total of 400 posts it's an obvious sockpuppet/trolling alt...More importantly, if for example a DUer has spent most of his or her time poking bears in the Trayvon Martin threads, and you see the join date is April 2012, it's reasonable to assume this person just joined DU to shit all over those discussions...So when in doubt always check the join date

3. Getting to know you -- It's now easier than ever for trolls to rack up 15-25k post counts on DU if they're patient, clever, make a close friend or two and blend in just enough to not get noticed (FWIW trolls were doing that in the old days even when we had mods hunting for them, but it was much more difficult then)...But how well do you know the person? Being on DU for a long enough time means revealing something about yourself bit-by-bit as you feel more comfortable and speak out more often on the political topics most important to you as you become a regular everyday 'established' DUer...Who knows? Maybe you grow bold enough to meet some DUers IRL, if that still happens...Eventually, other everyday posters should get some feel for who you are -- Your gender, age bracket, general interests, occupational field, online personality, your state/country, etc...

Where am I going with this? My point is even when trolls survive for years with fat post counts and are respected by some (if not most DUers), they typically reveal very little about themselves, or have a hard time remaining "consistent" with their backstory when they do...If you're suspicious of someone and want to be sure, sometimes a quick search of the archives (which are so under-utilized it's a crime) shows some clues...For example maybe they were on one side of the issue in the past and conveniently flip-flopped without anybody noticing over time? When trying to assert their expertise on a subject has their occupation changed from being an ex-cop to an ex-marine to an ex-attorney? (Yes, I know it's possible to be all those things perfectly legit, and that's when you need to start pressing that poster about what he did at which time)...FWIW, If you work in the same field as the suspected troll, it's always fun to casually ask a couple of questions only a person in your field would know...(Note: This might be easier for me because my brain quickly identifies deviations from an established pattern, so YMMV)