Kindness in the Combox
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Sunday, June 27, 2010 6:51 PM
I wrote a post recently that received a few snarky comments. By snarky I mean these comments had an edge that wasn’t called for.
Of course this begs the question, “is an edge ever called for?” I’d like to think not, but do any clicking on the Internet and you’ll find plenty. People feel quite confident at the helm of a keyboard and relative anonymity and my goodness you can encounter some mean personalities online. In my recent situation, I wouldn’t call the comments over-the-top mean, but they carried a tone that simply was not necessary.
My encouragement to all of us spending time online is to really think before we write. And then think again before we click “submit.”
Like so many people, I have come across posts on blogs that irk me; they had notions I didn’t appreciate, or opinions totally counter to mine. A few times I’ve been so annoyed at my perception of a post that I’ve been tempted to write a scathing comment.
In those moments, however, I have forced myself to sit back and ask, “Is what I want to write necessary? Is it true? Is this going to build the Kingdom of God?”
While that might sound a little over-the-top (it’s just a silly blog for Pete’s sake!), I really want to be in the habit of only writing what I would be willing to tell someone face-to-face. It’s one thing to have a spirited discussion on politics or religion; it’s quite another to insinuate lack of virtue due to personal preference.
Having said all that, taking all that into account, if you still feel motivated to be negative, then all I can say is: please don’t. It just really isn’t necessary. It doesn’t bring peace. This is a gathering of men and women, both the writers and readers, who are trying to be the best followers of Christ that we can be. There is no room here for unkind remarks.
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