Yeah, I said it without any fancy symbols to block the “offensiveness” of saying “it.” So, here, let me say it again, but louder: DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE. That’s my “rule #1” these days for bloggers, Tweeters, Facebookers, or anyone participating in social media and social networking. “What’s bringing on this little rant, Heather,” you might ask? Well, I naively commented on a post a bit ago, and I keep getting pinged with the comments since. They’re not nice. The author posted a piece, and some people commented, then the author got nasty with everyone who didn’t completely agree with their opinions. The author’s responses (in my opinion) are uncalled for and inapproriate. Yes, the blog/Facebook Wall “belongs” to the author, but really, who the heck has an “open house” and then yells at the people who attend. I don’t get it. We who blog should (okay, that’s a Pollyanna qualifier) want to have a conversation. A CONVERSATION. You know, I say something, you comment, I reply, other people weigh in. We agree. We don’t agree. We agree to disagree. We move on. Yet, some bloggers don’t want to converse, they want to SHOUT out their thoughts, challenge those who want to converse, then SHOUT all over them with a sense of entitlement. I think we can safely define that behavior as bullying, or, in the mood I’m currently in, acting like an ASSHOLE. Yuck. I wonder what these people are like at a cocktail party after a couple drinks. Let me explain something to you that I hope you would have learned in Kindergarten: If you don’t have something nice to say, than don’t say anything at all. Really, grown-ups, if I can call you grown-ups, the anonymity of a keyboard does not give you license to be an ASSHOLE (yeah, I said it again). So, let me give you rebel rousers on your blogs, Twitter and Facebook Walls the same spiel I give my kids when they’re acting like this:

If it’s not: 1) TRUE, 2) KIND, and 3) NECESSARY … then don’t say it.

Because when you do, you just come off looking, sounding and acting like, well, an ASSHOLE.