Blog reader Scott Springman left a pretty clever comment on this blog post about a nasty Twitter shouting match between a National Post technology reporter and a Toronto based PR consultant (warning contains strong language):

“In cyberspace, everyone can hear you scream”

Virtual catfights and fisticuffs are nothing new. People have been arguing with each other online long before sites like Facebook and Twitter appeared. What is new is how fast and how widespread news of your virtual spat can go. One day two relatively unknown people engage in a nasty public argument online, the next day, their argument becomes a cautionary tale on hundreds of websites, blogs, and social networks.Even worse, the public record of this fight can stick around for a long, long time. It’s entirely possible that someone can type in the names of this reporter or PR consultant in Google several years from now can get a whole list of websites that have talked about or relayed the news of this long ago fight.

If you’re using social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and LinkedIn, it’s important to remember that what you tweet, post, share, email, link, or upload becomes a part of the public record, and it’s likely to remain public record for a looooong time. Think of the Internet as one huge cocktail party where everything is being recorded for posterity. Just like there’s some things that you can and can’t do and say at a cocktail party because it’s a public forum, there are things that you can and can’t do or say on the Internet. Before you write that tweet or post that photo to Facebook, please use the following guidelines:

  • Don’t post anything that you might regret in 10 years- In a feature from On the Media about, Growing Up Online, they’ve found that some young adults who grew up using Myspace and Facebook as children and teenagers are finding that employers are now finding “less than flattering” photos and videos of themselves that they posted long ago. In some cases, these incidences are costing them job opportunities. When it comes to posting on a public forum or on a social networking site, remember that it can have a shelf life of two, three, five, or even ten years. And while you can easily take incriminating evidence down off your blog or your website, what if someone has a copy on their blog or Facebook account? Getting it removed might not be so easy. Bottom line, if you think something can come back to bite you, leave it offline.

  • Don’t talk about someone behind their back- Have you ever gossiped about someone at a party only to find out that you were talking to that person’s best friend or their next-door neighbor? Or even worse, that person you were gossiping about was standing right behind you? You have no idea who is looking at what you post online or who they are connected to. So before you start writing about someone online, think twice and try to imagine how you would handle if of the person in question ran across what you wrote.

  • Don’t engage with jerks- If you’re participating online in any way, sooner or later you’ll run into a person that has nothing better to do than to pick fights with people. They’ll leave a nasty comment on your blog or they’ll make fun of one of your pictures, or they’ll argue with what you wrote on a forum. The worst thing you could do in this situation is to respond to them. That’s like trying use gasoline to put out a campfire. The whole fun of the situation for the jerk is to make people react to them. The more you react, the more you encourage them to continue their jerky behavior. The best thing for you to do is to just let it go and ignore them. Once they figure out that they can’t get a rise out of you, they’ll go on to find someone more fun to harass.

  • You may want to intervene if the jerk is distorting the truth or lying about you- The one time that you may wish to confront what the jerk is doing is when they are distorting the truth or telling outright lies about you, your company, or your products. The best way to do this is by engaging with the bystanders of the group and not with the jerk themselves. Don’t worry about convincing the jerk or winning the argument with them. Being right and reasonable is not the point for these folks, getting a rise out of you is. Therefore, address your points to those others who may be watching as the events unfold. Be reasonable and polite. Don’t insult the jerk or address them directly. Once you’ve made your point, don’t continue to engage because they will react to your reasoned explanation with more vitriol. Ignore it…you’ve already made your point. This will convince a lot more people than getting into full-scale war will. In situations like this, it’s the one who doesn’t look like a lunatic that wins in the eyes of the public.

  • Don’t use the behavior of a few as an excuse not to use social networking- After reading this list, you might be tempted to think that the whole social networking thing might be more than you bargained for and decide to stay away. But in reality, there’s a whole lot more pluses than minuses to these tools. In most cases you stay out of trouble by using these rules and by employing just a little common sense. Don’t let the antics of a few keep you away from what can be a great marketing tool for you and your business.