Originally Posted by
MarkBastable
Juniper, you have my sympathy. Your problem is covered by the MB Principles for the Conduct of Internet Debate, of which these are four (of a dozen or so):
1) Never self-deprecate. People too insecure ever to do it themselves will find it impossible to believe you're not serious and will use it against you.
2) Never, under any circumstances however tempting, employ irony. Many of your correspondents, tragically, were born without irony receptors and they have no more chance of understanding you than a sardine has of coming second in the Tour de France.
3) Despite (2), never demean yourself by resorting to the use of smilies. It doesn't help really. It's the equivalent of chucking a tricycle overboard in the hope that a passing sardine will develop some vague idea of how to tackle the Mountain Stage.
4) Never make a serious point with a humorous metaphor. Po-faced people will engage you in argument about the metaphor, rather than the point.