Morons and idiots 

Oh, now, Dave. That was funny and provocative, and I felt a germ of truth in it, but don't you think that putting an exponent in there might be stretching the point -- and wouldn't you acknowledge there are a bunch of exceptions to your formula:

On the Internet the volume of messages posted by idiots plus those posted by morons always exceeds the number posted by well-meaning moderately intelligent people, squared.

Did I express that right?

I think exceptions include:

Well-tended places with bloggers or moderators who model the behavior they want,

Groups sharing a passionate interest in some narrow topic,

Communities of mostly women. I'm not saying we don't fight, or that there are not morons among us, but I really do believe we're:

Better mannered in general,

Less likely to be trolls, and

Less hung up about needing to win.

What are some other exceptions?

I also think blog commenters tend to take more pot shots than posters to message boards and certain mailing lists. It's a drive-by thing. On most blogs that accept comments, folks don't get a chance to form a community because they're more audience members than participants. Plus I'm a devotee of the threaded discussion format and I don't believe the linear nature of blog comments lends itself to conversation.

To be fair: 1) I'll allow that it's possible I don't have a good read on all this because, although I've been hanging out in online discussions since BBS days, I won't stick around long if a group is conflict-oriented, or not too bright, or full of kids. 2) Dave was generalizing, and so am I. There are exceptions to my exceptions; I know that. 3) It's entirely possible I've just been caught in one of Dave's tease traps. Let me out!