Drive-By Shootings In The Blogging World

"He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him." Proverbs 18:13

I have noticed with the technology of blogging, combined with Google and other search engines, that it is easy to search for one's favorite pet peeve topic, find somebody's blog who mentions it, get royally pissed off, leave a flaming comment, then go away for ever. Or until the blogger responds, then an argument can start. Many blogs I've read over the [few] years have had such a problem with this that they've had to radically alter their comment sections - or even blogs - to avoid this. Many bloggers don't mind comments that oppose their viewpoint, as long as it's done civilly. Some blogs even offer a topic and encourage debate in the comment section. I don't have a problem with this, but my concern here is with the anonymous flaming.

I've had a few drive-by's from anonymous strangers. It's just a part of the blogging world we live in. But to avoid doing this myself, I've learned to read any blog new to me for a while to get the flavor of the blog; to get to know the character of the blogger; to get to know the blogger in a more personal way. Often, drive-by's miss the point, miss the context, miss the opportunity for good interaction. So, get to know what you're responding to before you respond.