New Series a-comin

Hello, Friends,

In the past few years I have noticed a pattern in online communication. I’ll look at a blog post, a forum post, or a video clip, and almost inevitably someone who doesn’t like something about it has posted a rude comment, which in turn draws a bitter or even obscene response from the original author or someone else. More people jump into the ruckus, exchanging a regular fusillade of malice, and it goes downhill from there. (The animal world sometimes does the same thing, as I described a couple of weeks ago.)

Do you suppose it might be possible to soften these online feuds, maybe before they even start? I have been studying some specific ways people can exchange ideas without starting a gang war. I will share the results in a series, in hopes that we can all benefit from more effective communication. Or at least gain some food for thought. Over the next week I plan to cover three aspects of online conversation:

“The Soapbox” (Posting an opinion piece)
“The Snappy Comeback” (Disagreeing with someone else’s opinion)
“The Skeleton Closet” (Posting about your family)

Meanwhile, I am linking up with my Company Girls friends today. Ladies, you might like my post from the other day, all about a sewing project that could have gone better…

Thanks for reading,
Jan