INTERNET DRAMA. It's a serious problem for furries and nerds alike. These rules seem to keep me out of most of it. I only ever seem to have internet drama when I break one of them.

1. DON'T TRY TO BE FRIENDS WITH EVERYBODY. It's not possible in real life either. The larger your circle of friends is, the harder it is to spend time with all of them. That time is important to make real, strong, personal connections to people. There's also more likely to be in-fighting amongst large groups of people on the internet. That can put you in some seriously awkward positions. If your group of friends is smaller and closer, there's less likely to be misunderstandings.

2. DON'T ASSUME IT'S ABOUT YOU. If somebody makes a vague bitchy statement, and you think it's about you, don't say anything. Eventually, if they're a good friend, they'll come to you about it directly (see rule 4). If you tell everyone it's about you, then it is, whether the poster meant it that way or not. If it is about you, and you never say anything, then no one that's not directly involved will know. This can keep you from chewing out your friends when you shouldn't, or spreading and validating rumors about yourself.


3. IGNORE BULLSHIT. Don't respond to trolling, bitchy journals, rude comments, hate art, or any irrational attacks of any sort. No matter how calm you stay, it will still look like an argument. It will validate their statements and encourage them to continue. If you say nothing at all, it shows you don't care about fighting. Eventually, they'll get tired of it and go away just like your mom told you when you were little.

4. DON'T WHINE ABOUT IT. If you have a problem with someone, talk to them directly, calmly, and most importantly, privately. People are human, and sometimes they make mistakes, and sometimes you make mistakes. Chances are, you can work it out, but if you can't, there's absolutely no reason to smear it all over the internet. It will only get you more "enemies" or lose people that could've been good friends. In the end, it only starts fights and makes you look bad.

5. DON'T WRITE IT DOWN. This is THE most important rule of all. It slams home all the other rules. Don't write about it in your journal, don't draw hate art, don't make bitchy comments, or send threatening e-mails. If it's something you don't want everyone on the internet to know, don't let ANYONE on the internet know. If you don't start shit, it can never hit the fan.