Quiddity! - the SEO Blog

Man alive! What is it about the internet that seems to attract the lowest forms of human (and I use that word in its loosest terms) debris imaginable?

Is it that some of these people have been the victim all their lives and this faceless, remote environment of the world wide web gives them the ideal opportunity to exert a long cherished-for modicum of power at the detriment of others?

Or maybe they have no 'real' friends – by real I mean somebody they can talk to without the aide of an IM, email, or an internet connection full-stop – and so haven't the first clue on what social interaction entails? It's doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to see why.

Stay Your Hand, Pardner
But woah up there, Nick! Cool ya heels. What sparks this uncharacteristic attack? What gives?

Well it maybe the England team's dismal failure to qualify for Euro 2008 on Wednesday and the eejut that's been in charge for the past 18 games that's set me in this rather embittered frame of mind - and I'm fully aware I've already fallen into the trap of sounding a little like those I'm criticising, with my opening salvo - but the real venom that's triggered this little rant can be found in a post on Caroline Middlebrook's excellent marketing blog, regarding the amount of abuse she'd received over at StumbleUpon, in correspondence to a post in which she discussed thanking those that stumbled her blog .

Now I don't want to dwell on this particular episode as Caroline herself has said that she wishes to draw a line under it and move on.

So why mention it at all, Nick?

Well as I said, I'm probably still seething from the national team's dismal departure from next year's European Championship's, but I also felt that I couldn't not say something as we are part of a global community and it's our responsibility to speak out against bullying tactics, abuse, or any injustice that is perpetrated by (thankfully) a minority that seek to ruin it for everybody.

Step into the Arena
I have been an avid user of the internet for many years now and the trolls that stalk forums have always been an unfortunate fixture. The motives of these individuals could be anything from too much booze colouring their judgement, through to the downright nasty with nothing better to do with their life than insult others. With the birth of web 2.0 and social media shifting its gaze towards blogging and social networking sites in particular, the world has never seemed smaller.

Since I myself dipped a somewhat tentative toe into this whole arena, I have made a number of contacts from across the globe. These are people from various walks of life, backgrounds, and countries. Between them they share two common characterstics.

1. They didn't know me from Adam.
2. They were welcoming and friendly.

You'll see I've put emphasis on the word 'friendly' there. What with the world  set to buckle under the state we've let it get into, it is always reassuring to have one's faith in human nature restored by the prospect that not everybody out there is looking to turn you over. Shoot me down in flames if I'm barking up the wrong tree here, but isn't that what the social in social media is all about?

Freedom of Thought
Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not for a moment advocating that we should all be singing from the same hymn-sheet. Imagine that - a lovey-dovey, cotton-wool-cloud utopia where we all stand on a hilltop,  holding hands, swaying from side to side and lip-synching to the New Seekers I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing. Ugh! Sounds like a nightmare I once had... Or was it an advert?...

*Shudders* Anyway, difference of opinion moves us forwards. It matures our minds and shapes our beliefs. True, it also causes war and death on an abominable scale, but that is the dark price of 'freedom of thought' and endemic of human irresponsibilty.

e.g. If the Nazi's had successfully achieved world domination, quashing all resistance, it would've forcibly ended difference of opinion and in turn war but not made the world a better place.

A little simplistic, I know, but what I'm trying to get at is there's absolutely nothing wrong with healthy debate (You don't need me to tell you that), heated or otherwise, nor arguing until you're blue in the face on a subject you believe passionately in. 'It's a strongly held conviction that stands its corner to the last, when under fire from all sides' - source: 'me'.

Preaching to the Converted
I believe the internet is the natural home for discussion and debate, where differing viewpoints can be expressed in an adult and civilised manner. Good working and social relationships can be built when like-minded people come together and lock horns to deliberate over their interests and beliefs. Unfortunately this also attracts the element that think because they're safely on the other end of an internet connection they can abuse this system with insults. Be they personal, racist, or just plain derogatory in nature.

It may seem a little like I'm preaching to the converted, for the web as a whole is thankfully inhabited by those of us that have a reasonable idea on how to treat others - it's just this rogue element that can be vocal enough to spoil it for the less battle-hardened, and therefore they should be brought to account. If the only way they can communicate is through such invective, then why not keep it amongst themselves instead of hawking their poison across the rest of us?

If someone does hold ulterior motives when they're saying something as simple as 'thankyou', it's neither here nor there. Either ignore them and move on, or tell them so - but articulate yourself. Don't be so downright pathetic, churlish and idiotic as to resort to mindless and spiteful insults. Despite what you may believe, the internet and it's applications don't belong solely to you and your little clique of virtual friends. Go out, get a life! It only serves to reflect ten times as bad on you - But then I suppose the type that engages in this sort of behaviour doesn't really care about that.

Oh, and one more thing.  Try investing in a dictionary and look up the word social.

Social:

1. pertaining to, devoted to, or characterised by friendly companionship or relations: a social club
2. seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious