Despite the word 'spleen' in my anagram, I tend to think venting it online is a bad move. I do ocassionally snap at people I think are talking bollocks, but more often than not don't bother engaging - especially as I am quite capable of talking bollocks myself. Unless it's when someone is grunting and moaning about the evil nature of cyclists, of course... then I might have something to say!

I do think that odious shite wrapped in pretty ribbons is still odious shite, though I totally accept that to someone out there it's going to be lovely, sweet-smelling shite. I also think that if in making your point you're directly abusive to another, no matter how much you disagree with them, it reflects more badly on you than the person you're having a pop at. The battle of ideas is surely where it should be at? Though admittedly it's sometimes tempting to throw the odd barb...

I also think that wading into arguments, discussions and conversations purely in order to slightly snottily look down on the participants as some sort of lesser species engaged in their petty mortal squabbles is deeply unseemly. As is the approach taken by some of the posters here which seems to be "why can't all nasty people whose views I disagree with stop posting so we can simulate a world of peace and harmony where everyone thinks like me (or if they don't think like me at least they should keep their dirty mouths shut)." Finally, I am always slightly bemused by the people who tell us it was all lovely in the old days. I avoided Mudcat for ages because it had a reputation as a haven of bad tempered old gits... when I started coming here I discovered that everything they'd warned me was true... ;-)

Finally, some of us don't actually have the time or inclination to spend hours and hours here and become an integral part of the "community", aren't that bothered about earning a niche as a well-loved character and maybe get embarassed about the idea of emotioning on line to the entire world. That's actually ok, though.