alias_sqbr

I've been thinking for some time about writing a post about the various techniques I've used to get around the difficulty of communicating with people on the internet when you're tactless.

But I've realised that before I can post that I need to lay out the necessary basic principles which I think underlie successful communication on the internet so that I can refer back to them.

I'm probably going to go back and add to this post as I go, but for the moment here are the principles that have come up, with links to clarifying posts where I felt they were necessary.

A lot of these are going to seem really self evident, but perhaps due to my background in pure mathematics I like having the principles I'm working from made explicit.

Basic Principles:

Other people's feeling are as important as your own
It is possible for rational, intelligent, well-informed people to have different opinions
Freedom of speech does not actually mean saying whatever you like whenever you like
Pay attention to what is being said, by you and others, and be aware of the different ways it could be interpreted

Sub-principles

Other people's feelings are important
The fact that you think someone is wrong doesn't mean it's ok to treat them like crap
Stay on topic
Be careful what you leave unsaid
Actually read what people have said

I am, as always, totally up for people pointing out any flaws or inconsistencies or expressing a different opinion.