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The longer the exchange goes back and forth, the more danger there is.
Right.  So in 80%, 90% of the cases, the outcome just isn't so important, that we can't just shrug and give away the last word...
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Take away the verbal and visual cues that humans evolved to read and the communication can break down. Easily.
Right.  The internet is conducive to flame wars.  Two guys who might be great friends in real life become mortal enemies across two monitors :- )
Have never quite figured out what this means.  But am aware that Matthew ch. 18 emphasizes, in huge capital letters, if I have a problem with somebody I'm supposed to go look him in the eye and talk about it.  It's amazing how much more reasonable we are in that situation...  again, not sure what it says about us, positively or negatively...
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IIRC, I remember someone meeting Dave from USSM at an event a couple of years ago and being shocked at how soft spoken, polite, witty and engaging he was. I've heard much the same about the LL boys and Churchill as well.
Does not surprise me a bit.  Thanks for saying it, too.
Have said four or five times across the years, that had the Seattle blog guys all met in different circumstances -- say, playing in a flag-football league or whatnot -- that we'd probably all be best buds.
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Ya, the net is weird, and the answer is to put a little extra effort into de-fusing that tendency it has towards friction...
That's one reason I put the stupid little smileys :- ) into my comments a lot.  To compensate a little bit for the internet's lack of non-verbal cues, the tendency towards hostility, and my own insufferable personality...