People on the internet are NOT always strangers. I know quite a few people who post here.

I've seen people here develop a strong hatred for someone else, I've seen scorned cyber-sweeties turn into nutso cyber bunny-burners and I've seen (and continue to see because they aren't and CAN'T be stopped the way Mudcat works) outright cyber stalkers. I don't know if they're considered to be bullies in addition to being stalkers or just one or the other. I suspect bullies don't hide so much and the stalkers do, which means stalkers log out and post as a GUEST. Sometimes they justify it by saying they're getting even, but nothing justifies what they (or their allies) do. Then again, maybe bullies do hide. It doesn't much matter--they're all evil.

The Wikipedia entry on 'Bullying' gives the following:

"Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus defines bullying as when a person is 'exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons.' He defines negative action as 'when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways.'"