The Internet is a wonderful place for people to express themselves, share opinions, and learn. There are websites, chat rooms, discussion groups, and blogs about any topic you can think of. Unfortunately everyone doesn't remember their manners when using the Internet.

It doesn't seem like it would be hard to be courteous to others online, but I've often seen people tear each other apart for the smallest infraction. Instead of stepping back and realizing that it's not as easy to judge what another person means online as it is in person, they just automatically go on the defensive. Many of these encounters could have been avoided if clarification had only been asked for.

My Mother always told me, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." If everyone would live by this rule going online would be a lot more pleasant. Everyone doesn't have to agree all the time, but there are ways to express your displeasure without belittling and demeaning another person.

People need to think before typing responses to others and ask themselves a few questions. Did I understand what they said correctly? Could it mean something else entirely? Do they have a point even if I don't agree with it? After you've asked yourself these questions and taken time to think over what was said, then you can reply more appropriately. It's the old rule of counting to 10 before acting. Taking a few extra moments to re-read something will go a long way.

Debate is wonderful if people can debate a topic without bringing each other into it. When you cross the line and bring personal attacks it's no longer a debate, but an argument. I don't understand why people want to argue with someone over the computer. Too much is lost in the communication process for it to even be an effective argument. Stick to the facts of what you're debating and leave the person out of it!

I believe you need to have thick skin if you are going to participate in chat rooms or discussion groups online. Expect people to say anything! Don't take offense easily and you will be fine. I find the best thing is to just ignore people who are belligerent or down right mean. If you don't feed the trolls they will go away.

If everyone would follow the golden rule the Internet and online experiences would be so much better. It's not hard to get along with people if you really do treat them as you'd like to be treated yourself.