Gah — I hate online bulletin boards. People on them forget how to be civil to one another and race to see who can scold a new poster for not reading the entire thread (or searching for an answer) before asking a question.  I imagine the folks doing the scolding are people who were once scolded for the same action.

Another tactic some veteran users like to do is pick apart someone’s post by asking them to define certain words or phrases used. In real life, do these same people listen to someone talking about their love of the color blue and then say something like, “Define ‘I really like the color blue’. Do you like cerulean blue or is it sky blue you are gushing about?” Gee, can’t someone profess to like the color blue without having to go into detail?

I think it has to do with pecking order. Some people feel better about themselves if they put other people down. Then if the person being put down complains, the putter-downer either accuses the put-downee of being too sensitive or misinterpreting their earlier comment or being not open to challenge. Perhaps they really feel that way, but I doubt it.

I should know better than to post in online forums, because no matter that I’ve been posting in online forums longer than some of the members in forums have been able to type their names I’m often considered a “n00b” because I’ve only posted one or two comments in the couple of forums to which I still belong.