Originally Posted by gazzak
I treat this place like the pub, like I'm with a group of friends and reply as I would if it were face to face with a beer or two. Sometimes it means an honest opinion, sometimes it's a wind up, sometimes it's what we would call talking b****cks for the hell of it. However, I find it much easier to express myself in the real world than with a keyboard.
As in real life you can get comfortable with some people and not be afraid to say what you really think. I've had "discussions" with friends that have had people looking at us as if we're about to start fighting, because we know each other so well that we know how far to push without causing insult. The difference here is that when that happens there's always another post to throw things into chaos, and it's quite fun to watch it unfold sometimes. I think a lot of arguments are quite meaningless to the actual people arguing but look much worse to someone reading the thread but not actively taking part.
The problems begin when people cannot seperate virtual and real life.