11-29-07: Recently, I've been following a couple of online situations: One is between an artist and a fan while the others involve video games in general as well as how said games are reviewed. I don't need to get into too much in the way of detail, as they are pretty unimportant. "Then, why are you ranting?" you ask. You see... it's not the original situations that have put me into a ranting mood. It's the reactions (in the case of the fan and artist, the reactions in both camps) that have honestly pissed me off and disappointed me. If you've surfed the 'Net long enough, you know how quickly drama can build out of a simple situation and explode into something much, much worse than it ever could have hoped to be by simply adding a hefty sprinkling of anger. "Opinion" plus "Anger" equals "Tears" - a simple equation for drama the world over. Of course, the folks at Penny Arcade have made their own, more blunt, version. You don't believe me? Need proof, you say? Well, try these classics on for size: - A comic book is published and some folks find something offensive about it (the content or the cover). Sprinkle in a less than stellar reactions by the company/persons who make it and the flames of hell rise to greet you. Congrats on building your internet-based drama. - Someone makes a comment about a video game. Maybe they didn't find it as fun or as good as the majority of folks out there. Toss in a few fans with an axe to grind and you get instant drama. - Someone comments about game reviews lacking substance. Instead of letting this common complaint slide, a reviewer goes and blows their top over it. More insta-drama. I could toss out a hundred more examples just like this but that isn't the full point of this little work of mine. No, my deal is much worse. You see... I still have hope for people. Indeed, indeed. Even in this age of rapid-fire opinions and anonymous comments I still feel people can learn to do the right things to avoid this crap. I won't claim innocent in this as I have done this, too. On many occasions. Many, many occasions. Look... there is a reason this one's called "iDumbass," after all. o.O The thing that saves me from many an Internet (and real world) based bitch-fest is time and research. I've found that when I'm pissed, if I simply step away from the situation for a bit I'll be right as rain when it comes to commenting. The time away allows me to cool off a bit, clear my head and do the second bit - research. You would be amazed how much you learn by simply researching whatever is being argued and who is doing the arguing. Maybe the person who started the whole thing is having one hell of a week. Maybe you're the one who needs to back down because, though the person is being a complete ass, they're actually right. Maybe (read: nine times out of ten) you simply need to ignore the whole thing because the original parties involved have either resolved it or the Internet Peanut Gallery is in full swing and you will be flamed in half a heartbeat. Look, the idea is clear. If you wish to avoid Internet Drama, simply do so. If you've found yourself knee deep in it or you're really hard up for joining in on the party, give yourself a minute to cool off and do a fair bit of research. If after all that time and research you still want to go forward with it, at least you'll have a cooler head and knowledge on your side. Remember, not everyone will be reasonable during an Internet Drama session but, with these steps, at least it you will be. Of course, that's just what I think..