Flames
Flames are pretty basic. They are the first rule of email netiquette.
Defining flames is a bit hard, but you'll know it when you get one.
A pretty graphic example (which has been edited) would be:
"Hi,
I visited your site and I think it's
sh*t. You suck! You are a f*cking mor*n with a g*damn f*cking..."
Ok, you get the picture.
Things like these are an everyday occurence, but most likely you'll
only receive massive doses of those if you're a webmaster who happens
to be popular. People have mixed feelings about popular topics or
popular sites, which is why you can get so many fan mails and an
equal number of flames.
Handling Flames
Here are some things you can do when you receive a flame:
- Before anything, check first if it's a genuine flame. Sometimes,
a coward (cowardice is actually a usual trait for flamers) will
use another person's email address to send offensive mail. Verify
first if you have the email address right, but also make sure
that you don't send mail using your correct email address. If
you reply using your real email address, it's like a confirmation
that your email is available for spamming.
- If you're sure you have the right address, you can write back
and explain your side to the person (or go down to his level
if it suits you). This is for criticisms that aren't handed
out effectively. Who knows, one of your works just need an improvement
and this other person just don't know how to express his disapproval
in a civilized manner.
- If you are repeatedly harassed, forward your email (complete
with the headers) to their ISP. Usually the Abuse Department
has an email that goes abuse@[name of isp here].com.
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