Most of us have at one time or another either participated in or been privy to one of the Internet’s most common currencies — the flame war. Usually these erupt when two well meaning individuals forget that the person on the other side of the Ethernet cord is a real, flesh and blood human being. Generally, typing matches degrade into name calling, redirections and the sort of school yard bullying you might remember from your grade school days.

For the most part, these silly scuffles are fought from behind a computer monitor. Sometimes, they boil over into the real world.

Web Rage

After John Anderson posted a satirical image that accused Russel Tavares of being a “nerd” and disagreeing with him on certain political issues in a photo sharing community, Russel decided to take matters into his own hands. Russel made his way across the country from Virginia to Texas, taking pictures along the way (which he posted to this same website). Upon arriving at Mr. Anderson’s trailer, Russel set fire to it using a gasoline soaked piece of foam.

Mr. Tavares was sentenced to seven years in prison for arson. Mr. Anderson had $50,000 worth of damage done to his trailer and lost his computer equipment. Just to prove that some people never learn, during sentencing Russel was caught taking pictures of John using his camera phone.

Web 2.0 Roundup

Instead of just calling this an incredibly poorly thought out act by someone who obviously let his anger get the best of him, let me point out that this is not the first incidence of “web rage” to be reported. In the UK, a man was convicted of traveling 70 miles to beat a man with a pickaxe handle after a scuffle in a chat room.

What can we learn from this? Well, here are four tips to disarm your next Flamewar before it turns it something much worse.

Perspective. Trust me, nothing you are fighting over on the internet is worth jail time. In fact, most of the arguments you find yourself engaged in online are barely worth the time you’re spending fighting them in the first place.

The Golden Rule. Never say anything to anyone online that you would be afraid to say if your lawyer (or psychologist) was present. Just because it’s “only the Internet” doesn’t mean that no one is listening.

Politeness. The best way to disarm a Troll is to be polite. They are looking for you to take their bait. For once it’s exactly what your mom always told you, if you ignore them they will go looking for greener pastures.

Walk Away. If it looks like things are escalating, cut off the conversation. Take control of your communication online.

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