Searching for Not Trolling

When thinking about this post, I had considered using the last word in this title. But, after checking several definitions, that seemed a poor choice, so it was changed.

What I'm searching for are new-to-me blogs to read, not necessarily follow, which isn't

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something I do even with current blogs. There's no special reason because most are written by fellow bloggers I've been reading and commenting on for several years. 

Interestingly, the word troll can be used interchangeable as a noun and a verb. As a noun it's often been used in Scandinavian folklore to refer to an often ugly-looking giant that inhabits caves or hills. 

As a verb, it was commonly used when referring to the sport of fishing as in to fish by trolling a baited line or lure through the water. It's been used in a corporate sense to describe companies trolling for new business opportunities. Here's an example of another verb in which it is similar to search. She trolled through thrift stores and flea markets looking for bargains. 

But in more modern usage, the term has an entirely different and unpleasant meaning, was it refers to social media trolls who troll the Internet.

A troll usually now refers to an intentionally disruptive Internet user who has been known to bait others online. This action of baiting is now known as social media trolling, not because the people doing it are considered to be ugly looking people, but rather have ugly motives. A social media troll is anyone who purposely posts something controversial to get a reaction from others. This person often creates online discord by posting inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community. 

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Some older more mature folks among us may remember that trolls were popular toys in the early 1960s and one of the biggest toy fads in the U.S. 

Troll dolls (Danish: Gjøltrold) were created in 1959 by Thomas Dam, a Danish fisherman and woodcutter, who couldn't afford a Christmas gift for his daughter and used his imagination to carve a doll with furry up-combed hair depicting a troll. Other children in the Danish town of Gjøl saw it and wanted one. Dam's company, Dam Things, began producing dolls made of plastic under the name Good Luck Trolls, which were popular in several European countries, before being introduced in the U.S. 

They became briefly popular again during the 1970s through the 1990s and were copied by several manufacturers under different names. During the 1990s, several video games and a video show were created based on troll dolls. In 2003, the Dam company restored the U.S. copyrights for this brand, stopping unlicensed production. In 2005, the Dam company modernized the brand under the name Trollz, but it failed in the marketplace. In 2013, the brand was bought by DreamWorks Animation, which produced an animated feature film, Trolls.

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This 2016 computer-animated musical comedy film was based on the Troll dolls. In the film, the Trolls are small colorful creatures who live in an almost perpetual state of happiness, singing, dancing, hugging, and having fun all day. They are discovered by the Bergens, large ugly miserable creatures, who feel happy by eating a Troll. The film follows two trolls who go on a quest, to save their village from destruction by the Bergens. The film received positive critic reviews and grossed $346 million worldwide against its $125 million budget. A sequel, Trolls World Tour, is scheduled for release in April 2020.

More digression and now back to the original purpose of this post. I would appreciate if fellow bloggers could let me know about blogs you enjoy reading. I already read several blogs which others also read. Feel free to post your suggestions in a comment to this post. Thanks in advance.

Now for your entertainment, here's a popular song from the Trolls film. Spoiler alert: this video features folks happily dancing around similar to those in another pop tune, Happy, by Pharrell Williams.

Can't Stop the Feeling was written, produced and performed by Justin Timberlake. It was a #1 hit in 17 countries, including the U.S. and Canada. 

Hope this tune put you in a happy mood — It always does that for me.