What’s the origin of the phrase “Don’t feed the trolls?”

Question

It&rsquo;s one of the best things that&rsquo;s ever come out of the internet. But where was it first stated and how did it propagate through communities to become common wisdom?From what I can tell, it seems to come from an Oscar Wilde quote. But I&rsquo;m curious about where and how it was first applied to online discourse?

dredmorbius · Accepted Answer

I know this from Usenet days. It's difficult to search early archives these days, though this 2005 verion of the net.abuse FAQ contains a reference. If you can trace that document back earlier you'll likely get closer to the source.http://www.faqs.org/faqs/net-abuse-faq/troll-faq/

garmaine · Answer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Billy_Goats_Gruff

wrp · Answer

I always assumed it was inspired by the warning signs posted at national parks, "Don't feed the bears."