[RockStar]

My perception of "real world" involvement is anything that can be perceived as a threat either to a persons physical or financial well-being. Posting trash-talk on the internet won't usually have any effects on someones personal life, but threatening to, or engaging in activities off the board (or posting information that can give someone else the ability to do so) that can have a real life impact on a member is where I would consider the line to be crossed.

If you post questionable personal information about yourself on a forum that is well-known for its ruthlessness then you should expect to take a beating, but you also have to be able to discern between harmless insults and mean-spirited attacks. Even today I thought that the least offended person in that entire thread was Emilie, and she was the brunt of most of the smack! There are way too many knights in shining armor around here that need to just keep their mouths shut unless they feel personally threatened in a real-world manner. Either that or join in the smack, keeping in mind that in the end it's all just words on a screen and 99% of the time bears no ill-will.

I laugh almost every day at some members that get their panties in a wad over some one-liner that was cracked about their posts, or a stereotypical jab at their job or education. Even some of the ethnic takes are hilarious, and any normal person with a sense of humor will laugh at themselves if the crack is good enough.

Blatant racism and real-world interference should not be tolerated, and from what I've seen the mods do a great job of keeping some of the questionable posts in check. Today was just another classic example of the closet anarchists seizing an opportunity to pounce.

I consider myself to be fairly thick-skinned, and will usually laugh my ass off if someone nails me to the cross (sorry Nate, it's just a figure of speech). In the past if I've actually had a problem with a post I've simply PMd the person and said "hey man, it's all good but I think you crossed the line". I don't even care if they go back and edit the post, I just want them to know how I feel. Of course, not long after that they usually make their way into the leading role of one of my stories and the problem goes away on its own.

Common sense and a good sense of humor is all you need to survive around here. Don't forget, people, you always have the option to leave, or simply stay out of the AG section. Don't claim to be thick-skinned and then cry foul when you get a little paper cut between your fingers.