You’ve probably read countless articles about guys like Digg founder Kevin Rose or YouTube CEO Chad Hurley. These guys get showered with praise for creating online communities that facilitate “conversation,” the watchword of Web 2.0. How unfair. The bigwigs collect the accolades while we ignore the people who really drive the conversation.

I’m talking about the trolls, the flamebaiters, the illiterate “fanboys” and the malcontents who call them out. The Internet would feel so empty without them. These humble warriors wake up every morning to unload their rage on the Internet in the form of withering comments. Sure, they seem cruel, but they want to make the world better for themselves and their children. Mostly for themselves.

In the debut of “Keyboard Napoleons,” I document the career of Eric Twillman, the original “This isn’t news” guy. You’ve probably met Eric, or one of his many acolytes, around the web. Whenever Eric believes that a blogger is drifting off topic or suffering a lapse in quality, Eric steps in to comment, “This isn’t news” (or, if he’s feeling rhetorical, “How is this news?”). It’s Eric’s gentle reminder that the people of the Internet are there to inform and entertain him.

In his career, Eric has deemed more than 3 million articles to be “not news,” and he shows no signs of stopping.

I welcome comments, especially from followers of the Twillman Way, on the video’s YouTube page.