One of the nastiest things to run into on the Internet is a thing called "flaming". Most often it happens because somebody got angry and let fly in a message - it can be quite embarrassing if it happens in a news group where many readers can "eavesdrop". Quite often it is a result of a misunderstanding...after all - we can't see the person who is writing and check out the facial expressions and body language. They may mean what they wrote ironically or with tongue in cheek. Sarcasm doesn't seem to travel well at all on the information highway.
To avoid hurt feelings, it is adviseable to observe the rules of etiquette or "netiquette" whenever composing a message. Smileys or emoticons were developed to help this idea of gentling a message :-). Also, there are expressions like In My Humble Opinion or IMHO for short that help things along. And finally, there is an option in E-mail to postpone sending a message - in PINE it is Control O. If you are feeling rather upset or frustrated in your response to a message, it may be best to take a breather, get some perspective and come back to the message later. When you come back, PINE reminds you that you have a postponed message which you can continue at any time.
So we are glad you are able to join us around our happy campfire, and we wish you a flame-free future in Cyberspace!