realskiers

John, while I agree 100% with what you're saying, there is also a style of writing posts that can perhaps best be described as passive-aggressive.  I have to say I find this just as un-civil and off-putting as a more direct aggressive approach.  What I mean, is the kind of repeated posts that are consistently contrary, negative, and have a tone that subtly questions the intelligence and the experience of others posting.  And all done in short, one- or two-sentence jots that offer no insight into the thoughts behind the words or qualification of the position taken.  This style of communication has no hope of opening a meaningful dialogue with such a person, is completely unhelpful, and offers almost no benefit to the larger discussion.  In the best cases, it puts a negative damper on the chat.  In the worst cases, it's a conversation killer.