The 3 Golden Rules for Successful Online Discussions

Remember, you are what you portray online!

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

I love Facebook groups, I have learned a lot from the people who post in them and made really good friends along the way.

However, there is a dark side to engaging in online discussions.

One of my least favorite things about being on social media is interacting with people who seem to be looking for a fight. There are certain types of personalities that come off brash and a little unhinged.

They are not bad people but they don’t know how to express their opinion without coming off as condescending or defensive.

When I look back on the times when people have attacked me online, it is usually because I didn’t carefully choose my words. When you watch what you’re saying, it gives very little room for trolls to step in.

Many people don’t want to edit themselves and that is fair, but expect to deal with some confrontation along the way if you “wild out” online.

Lately, I have witnessed vile arguments break out online and all because people were not willing to put their pride aside and move on.

I figured I would do some research and come up with some tips for engaging with others respectfully online.

In these times, we could all use a little reality check about how we carry ourselves on social media.

Choose Your Words Carefully

I am the queen of this, to a fault. I write about marginalized people so I am extremely careful to be completely respectful while still getting my point across. Anything that carries controversy is a sensitive topic for people, so I am very careful about choosing my words when I address anyone online.

We have all posted on social media in the heat of the moment and regretted it. Once your post is out there, it’s out there. “No take-backsies”.

That’s why we should choose our words carefully. Some people may not like this, but we have to be careful about what we express online because of cancel culture.

For example: As a writer, I may not have a big following but it’s still a platform and I would never want to alienate anyone who…