Oops, bit upset eh?. Please think for at least a moment about the difference between opinion, which is free, and statements of fact, which are actionable. There’s long been a bright line between the two in traditional media. Why should this medium be any different?
I have a few rules for myself that I try to stick to, don’t always succeed, but I try.
1. Try not to be an Internet rumor -monger. When you see on Twitter that somebody has died, for example, try to verify before tweeting and retweeting “RIP so-and-so”.
2. Be prepared to back up your assertions, at least with anectdotal evidence.
3. Be extremely careful before accusing anybody of bad stuff, especially felonies.
4. Be careful of jokes. I have seen humorous tweets that I would like to retweet, but they are too dirty, or occasionally objectionable for some other reason. Sometimes I will reply to the person, “That’s funny but too dirty for me to retweet.” People in my timeline can locate it if they want to.
5. No drunk tweeting.
6. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. This really applies to letters and comments in online newspapers and that kind of thing. When I was young I wanted to write a letter to the paper(don’t remember what about) but my mother wouldn’t let me because she was afraid people would launch on me. Now I’m an adult I do it and people usually engage with me civilly, because of these rules, no doubt.
But you have to be prepared for angry, disagreeing people if you are talking about controversial things, especially. For example if you are asking taxpayers to fund your birth control, you may be opening yourself up. No whining.
7. Try to keep it clean and civil. I use bad words sometimes, but generally try to remember the old notion that those words are generally for people who haven’t learned better ways of expressing themselves. And if you don’t use them very often they pack a bigger punch when you do.
8. Be willing to admit when you’re wrong. If you flow these rules, it won’t be often.
9. Be aware of bait, tricks, traps and people who aren’t what they claim to be.
10. Give others credit for content you get from them.
Oops, a bit flip, eh? Please think for a moment about the First Amendment right to anonymous speech. There’s a longstanding bright line of protection for it in the courts. Something about the government keeping databases on people - you know, irrational paranoid stuff like that.