online media presents a deeply weird juxtaposition of isolation and connectedness, anonymity and identity, parts and whole. In this baffling environment people can be unbelievably brash and vulnerable at the same time.

In this realm, the vermin of communication thrive. Recognizing them, and choosing to react appropriately, is the key to avoiding their damage…

Now Amy writes very well, writes often, and covers a lot of territory in online communication. I scan her “web” feed and read most of her articles. She may be surprised, but more often than not, I either agree with much of what she writes, or learn from her shared experiences. Sometimes she tosses up a tater, though that is too much to resist taking a swing at.

And that makes me a porcupine. A bad one, according to the definition and treatment guide:

People who seem unable to write a sentence that lacks a barb. There’s a rude, condescending, dismissive, or insulting edge to nearly everything they say. Often these barbs are thinly disguised as humor, or as hyper-rationality. Believe it or not, most porcupines are not aware of how irritating or hurtful they can be. They believe it’s “just their personality,” or they transfer the problem to you. (“Can’t you take a joke?”) They believe they are concealing their vulnerabilities, when in fact barbs only make underlying insecurities more obvious.

Ouch, my quills are quivering.