Always keep in mind, that what you say over the Internet is being said to a real person, despite your level of knowledge on who they may be. After having been on the bottom end of this all once before, I would like to kindly remind everyone that what you say to someone on BYC, or any other forum, needs to be respectful to obvious age differences (when that happens to be the case) and something you would be confident in saying to the persons face. Be aware also, that when things get tense between yourself and another member/another group of members, that you have the ability to control the situation. If you feel you are being targeted, you should confront the person doing so to you in a way that will not fuel the situation. As we saw, it’s not always easy to walk away. You might feel that it is left on a note that represents you in a negative way, but if you feel this way about it, leaving it behind would be the greatest option. This is because the more you add to it, the more the person can add to it as well, and usually, what is being added is not something on its way to a resolution. Instead, it is probably something that will continue to grow worse. Now, despite BYC being a chicken website, people will be people, and not recognize reality to be present past the screen. Try to be the positive one. When you post, imagine your are the one on the receiving end. If it’s not something you want to be targeted at yourself, don’t post it. If it isn’t something you would say to their face, don’t post it. Avoid people who ignore these important concepts, or make you feel hurt/mistreated.
If it comes to the point where trying to ignore it doesn’t work, or isn’t something you can do, report the post immediately, or PM a Moderator directly so that they can review the situation and take down any harmful or upsetting posts. And no matter WHO the poster or user is, never let any of these situations get out of hand.