Blogs are open for everyone to see. If you said something that could cause quite a stir which you thought would only be limited to your usual audience, think again. People have friends. And their friends have friends who have friends who might be reading your blog. And besides, people Google themselves regularly. Anything you say that’s off-color could cause an argument.

Still, even if you’d said nothing that’s out of line, there’s the probability of argument igniting within your domain due to the differences in opinions of your readers. Thing is, people are naturally headstrong. The more gossipy, casual types of blogs would attract foul-mouthed unsavory comments. However, in my opinion, blogs supposed to be geared towards the more “civilized” audience sparks the most hardcore debates. After all, the only response you can write for curses are curses, granted you’d want to leave such a reply at all. But when someone challenges your intelligence, that’s a whole different matter altogether.

In blogs where people tend to be opinionated, those who think differently would challenge your assumptions and conclusions. It’s hard to handle arguments in real life, what more online where people don’t usually back down. I haven’t been in many online arguments before. If I had, there were very few and far in between, mostly started by misunderstandings. Nevertheless, here are some lessons I’ve gleaned that I want to share:

1. It never pays to be hotheaded.

Lose your head in an online argument and you lose. It’s not like in real life where you can knock people out. Online argument is dependent on words. The moment you lash out at someone who argues civilly is the moment you ruin your reputation — that is unless you hide behind anonymity (which I don’t encourage or condone). When you feel like the other party’s being irrational or being a mule, chill. Don’t compromise yourself because someone else is getting to you. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and count to three. Try to think rationally all the time or at least learn to get off the computer when you’re ready to explode.

2. When the argument is happening in your blog, learn where to draw the line.

If you’re not directly involved in the argument but it’s happening in your blog, learn where to draw the line. When abuse rolls in, cut it short. Bad traffic doesn’t always mean revenue, remember that.

3. Don’t get personal.

If you’re arguing about something else, don’t launch personal attacks against the other. This would make you seem real desperate for a witty response that you don’t have. Stick to the topic at hand and stick to arguing your case. When arguments get personal, that’s when it gets ugly.

4. Try to end it in a friendly manner.

Whether you or the other party admits defeat, try to end it in a friendly manner. The web is a dynamic place. You’ll never know if your erstwhile enemy could be your biggest ally in the future and vice versa.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 12:53 pm and is filed under blogging. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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