January 21, 2011
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How to Argue on the Internet
I haven’t participated in a good flame war in ages, but I remember the internet before Facebook. I remember the days when I was a blogger but nobody knew it was called “blogging” yet. I say this not to brag, but only to chuckle at the knowledge that some things never change; one of these things, I believe, is ignorant people using the internet as a forum for their inane commentaries.
Yet, this time, after someone left an expletive-laden comment on something I had written elsewhere, I obliged and posted a scathing response elsewhere.
Comments (6)
Wow, that person overreacted … a LOT! What is that site you post on? I’ve never seen it before, cool!
I found from personal experience that among gamers one can find the worst of the worst, the “I pwn you” crowd. Found them from Unreal Tournament to WoW. Good retort.
@Sunrise_Hope_Joy - That would be Bukisa.com — a great tool for independent contractor freelancers, but also for anyone who writes a lot. You post your articles, then make money when people click on the ads. It won’t make you rich, but it’s nice to have a few extra dollars in your pocket. If you’re ever interested in that or similar services (other websites, for example, exist that pay per page-view even if the reader doesn’t click an ad), send me a message, it’s a big part of what I do nowadays.
@TheSutraDude - Oh gosh, so true! And thank you — I recently participated in a collaborative review (available for view now at http://NintendoLegend.comhttp://VGMastersClub.com and I imagine other sites that participated…) and was absolutely amazed at how widely opinions could vary even among supposedly similar people (retro gamers with experience in writing reviews). It was incredible to see, just in a handful of gamers, polar disagreements over basic ideas like: Is this game innovative or old-fashioned? Is it too easy or too hard? Crazy to see such different experiences…
@theericbailey - That’s so cool, thank you so much! I will take you up on that, and good for you for doing it.
You’ll find flamers, trolls, and all sorts of nasty people every where on the web. It’s rather sad, but it’s something I’ve come to accept. I’ve seen worse comments elsewhere, and while your response is nicely done, I think I would have just ignored it. You just gave him publicity, and made something into a bigger deal than it needed to be.
@Wings_of_Magic - *shrug* Hey, as long as I enjoy it, still seems worthwhile.
And by no means was this was the worst comment I’ve ever seen — but it was nice to flex some debate muscles.