Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!uw-entropy!mica!charlie
From: charlie@mica.stat.washington.edu (Charlie Geyer)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: To flame, or not to flame...
Message-ID: <2203@uw-entropy.ms.washington.edu>
Date: 21 Aug 89 19:20:29 GMT
References: <20393@sequent.UUCP> <1584@ns.network.com>
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Reply-To: charlie@mica.stat.washington.edu (Charlie Geyer)
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In article <1584@ns.network.com> logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) writes:

> How many times I have seen Net Gods flame and belittle -- and then
> sanctimoniously call to Netiquette as their sacred badge of honor.
>
> It does no good to get in a flame fest with these guys, because they
> truely believe they hold the moral high ground -- and anything is justified
> in defense of their positions.

No those are not the real Net Gods, who are mostly very polite.  Those
are the Net Bozos, who sometimes pose as Net Gods to fool you.

For the benefit of new users, I post the following advice on how to
react to being flamed on the net.

  (1) Think before you post.  Read your article carefully and make sure it
  makes sense and is spelled right.  Do not ever post to a group that you
  haven't read for at least a week so you can be sure that your question
  was not answered yesterday.  This will save you from lots of flames.

  (2) Most flames have a point.  The poster may be rude, but the point is
  correct, for example when the flamer says RTFM and the answer actually
  is in the manual.  If so, just let it drop.  You got your answer and a
  lesson, if not a polite one.

  (3) Of the pointless flames, most are from well known flamers who
  everyone knows are bozos.  Don't even bother to reply.  They have been
  flamed by much more experienced hands than you, and it has never done
  any good.  Just every few days or so, they get an urge to flame someone.
  This time it was you.  It doesn't mean anything.  This is another reason
  to read a newsgroup for at least a week before posting.  You get to know
  the bozos.

  (4) This leaves a very small fraction of flames where the flamer has a
  point but not a very good one and some argument is worth while.  In that
  case, wait until you have completely cooled off, compose a completely
  logical and polite response in the best writing style you are capable of
  that will explain to the rest of the net why you are right and the
  flamer is wrong.  Do this once.  Let the flamer have the last word
  immediately.  He or she will get it eventually anyway.   Do not attempt
  to convince the flamer.  You will not be successful and will look
  foolish in the attempt.

Hope this helps.