(note from Ron: This is arguable the most important guideline - read this carefully.)
Don't fall for flamers, jerks or "trolls".
"Trolling" is the practice of sending or posting obviously offensive comments, brutally untruthful statements or words and phrases that we all know to be those that would instigate a fight if stated in the local tavern.
When you see posts or receive email that is offensive or rude, you can bet that someone is trying to "get your goat" and/or is basically a jerk. This is a common practice in Newsgroups. Some Knucklehead with too much time and too little of a life will post to a Newsgroup something very inflammatory. They know Newbies will not recognize they are "trolling" and will not be able to ignore their post. The Newbie then flames back with venom and vigor. The instigating troller then sits back and watches the thread (conversation) continue knowing they did it just to get your reaction.....and it worked!
In these situations you need to not become involved. Pass up any urge to communicate with those that do not have the same moral and ethical behavior as you do. If you just know you will not be able to communicate with clarity based on an exchange of ideas without degrading to name calling and personal insults - click away, leave, find other like minds to spend your time with. It is not your job to show them the light, or try to change their opinion. Sometimes it is best to just walk away when conversations degrade and mature conversations are no longer possible. With Netizens like that, keep in mind their mission is to annoy you no matter what your opinion is. There are those out there where you just can't win. So just move on and find others with like interests to communicate with.
This is not to say you should not respond to any email that may have negative content. Healthy, constructive conversations are one of the neato parts of being online and give us exposure to new ideas or different points of view. The unfortunate part is that some folks don't realize when they are wrong, have been rude or are not playing by the rules. Part of participating online is that there will be times that you will get email from others who may not be happy with something you said, have a difference of opinion or who are simply misinformed.
Calmly and professionally respond to their email point by point. Even though their opinion is just that - their opinion - they may not have all the facts and/or are unwilling to look at themselves constructively because you hit a soft spot. Nothing you can do about that other than to email back with your comments and hold the high ground. Don't lower yourself to their level by resorting to name calling, personal digs that have nothing to do with the issues in dispute, ambiguous accusations or claims of self-importance. If your reply produces even more of the same from the sender, don't reply again. It is clear there is nothing you can say to appease this type of individual who more times than not is overly bold because they have the ability to hide behind their computer's screen. Simply create a filter in your email program to identify their email address on the download and send it directly to your trash.
If unfortunately, you do get harassed or threatened, do not hesitate to send a copy of the offending email to the sender's ISP. This does not include those who simply have a different opinion than yours and state so clearly without using obscenities or resorting to personal name-calling or threats. Report ongoing email of this nature to
abuse@theirISP.com (i.e.
johndoe@aol.com -
abuse@aol.com). Abuse@ is generally the address to send threatening or offensive emails to.
As a courtesy to your fellow Netizens, don't contribute to a troller's bait or a flame war. There are many more productive and enjoyable things to do online.