The words of wise opus ring so true in my ears. A large problem with online communications is that you don't get to see the person talking. Their tone and mannerisms make a large difference in how your receive their attitude. Just as an example, eurotrash. I don't know if the guy was being sarcastic or serious, and he didn't use the only attempt we have at determining this (the or is used to show sarcasim and the like). Nonetheless, better safe than sorry, so I say don't post something like that since people likely won't know you were kidding.

When I joined FlyerTalk at the start of this year, I was amazed at what I saw. A great group of travelers who unite to discuss their true passion in a comfortable setting. I arrived just before the newbie crush, and as frequent fliers increase and the board becomes more known, our population too increases. We now "know" fewer FlyerTalkers, and this can account for some problems. For example, many know Nick Merry is often very sarcastic, but if you didn't see enough of his posts, you might think he was mean or rude. He has no malintent, but if you don't know his style, you might think that.

Nonetheless, I feel that some problems will take away the finest, most interesting, greatest FlyerTalkers. I ask everyone to use judgement. Think before you bash someone. Ignore their posts and replies. If you need to get something out to them, try e-mail. If we all use judgement, we can keep this a clean place.

Enough said.


[This message has been edited by BostonBoy (edited 07-11-2000).]