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Being negative and being an asshole is not synonymous!

Believe it or not, it is completely possible to disagree and/or be critical of someones idea without being a jerk or an asshole. As we all know, emotion, intention, and connotation are all hard to convey in a text-only medium. Take a bit of extra time to ensure your comments are polite and respectful, and always keep in mind - PERCEPTION IS REALITY.

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100% agreed. being an asshole is one problem, thinking about what's shared, and like you suggest, taking a moment to make sure if our message will be perceived as we intend is another.

i enjoyed this article a while back, it touches on the stuff we'd do better even if we are polite and respectful on the surface.

http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3124-give-it-five-minutes

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