I was intrigued by the article itself, and while I had no intentions of commenting, I did read the first of 78 responses. I was surprised at how articulate this particular commenter was (what blogs have I been reading anyway??) and couldn’t help but read a few more.

As I got further and further into the debate of whether or not management is considered a profession, I decided this is the way all comment threads should be. There are opposing viewpoints, but in the form of “While I think so-and-so has some valid points, I’m not sure his reasoning is well thought out,” and “I think you have missed a fundamental point underlying this particular observation…” These comments aren’t insulting, they’re factual.

Bravo Harvard Medical Review.

I’d like to see more of this type of language on comment threads, personally. While not everyone has to be so formal, I think these basic guidelines given by the Bleacher Report (yes, sports related) can apply to nearly everyone:

Personal Attacks versus Debating

Despite popular belief, there is a difference. First, let me explain what constitutes a personal attack.

A personal attack involves insulting the member you’re debating with in some derogatory way. As soon as you drop a “moron,” “idiot,” or “dumbass,” you have personally attacked someone.

Now I know we all feel very passionately about our respective teams and players, but if you drop an insult on another user, you open yourself up to having your entire comment deleted.

Name-calling and talking about someone’s mom is not only immature, but it also detracts from the credibility of your argument.

Now I’m not saying you can’t disagree—quite the opposite. Intelligent debate is encouraged on B/R. Most sports junkies are competitive by nature, so B/R is the perfect place to say what you think and defend your point of view.

Keep it classy.