A little posting advice

[Bill]

A little advice on making posts that could raise the hackles of others.

Think twice before pressing that post button, does this message say what I mean to say and in the right tone, more importantly is this appropriate for public posting or should I approach the person direct by PM or e-mail and discuss it with them.

If it's liable to be controversial maybe speak privately to one or two others about the advisability of the post or change it to make the topic more generic and start a new thread. An example; would it be better to post a message in my thread on Hybrids criticising and condemning me for producing and propagating them or to start a separate discussion on the whether or not we need to produce hybrids.

Don't make it personal, the forum is for public discussion, if you have an issue with an another member take it private

The written word can be a difficult tool to work with, authors are masters at conveying emotion as well as meaning, us mere mortals don't fare so well which is where misunderstandings can come from, particularly in posts made in haste.

If you do get carried away and realise it, approach the other person first and own up, it's often the quickest way to diffuse the situation.

Remember engage brain before keyboard.

If the mods don't like this then delete it, if you do then maybe make it a sticky,