Dos and Don'ts for Internet Communication

DO: Say the first thing that comes to your mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s not entirely relevant or if people might misunderstand what you mean. Just add whatever you’ve got to say.

DON’T: Spend too much time editing your comments. You want them to be as natural as possible, like they are in real life.

DO: Insult people if you think they insulted you. Your instinct is usually right about this, so jump in quickly with an insult of your own.

DON’T: Let people get away with disagreeing with you. If someone says something that is contrary to something you said, call him on it. Make sure he understands that you’re right.

DO: Attack someone’s character when you cannot come up with a logical response to what the person said. He or she probably had it coming.

DON’T: Waste time looking up to see if what you're saying is true. It probably is, and it's more important to be timely than right.

DO: Respond with something like, "Yeah, well, you're dumb," if you don't know what else to say. This will make the person realize that he or she is stupid, and that you are right.

DO: Use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS if you're SURE that you REALLY know something, but you're aren't exactly sure how to say it. People will realize that you really do know what you're talking about, and they will appreciate all the emphasis in the right places.

DO: If someone says something you don't like, point out to everyone else that that person is a troll. A troll is someone who disagrees with you.