Title.
I know it's something that a lot of people would laugh about, but as I look deeper, maybe there's more stuff going on then I thought.
I've seen alot of my friends get cyberbullied when I'm looking, alot of them get really hurt or want to commit suicide.
What are your guys thoughts on this? I've never thought of this as some sort of serious matter, but what I've seen lately really makes me feel bad for the person on the other side. Has this ever happened to you?

to be honest, people who GET cyberbullied are not the smartest... you could just walk away from your computer etc. but no, stay to take in the whole effect. a smart person would 1. go offline (for ichat,skype,aim etc.) 2. would walk away from the computer 3. Not believe what the other person is saying.


so clearly the person being bullied could easily avoid this... but they choose not too. this is atleast what i believe about the whole thing

i think cyberbullying is just WRONG.

doesnt make any sense at all,

The forums can't support cyber bullying. It works better on facebook where you know who you're poking fun of, but in here you're a click away from shutting everyone up and disappearing into the vast interwebs.

I have had experiences and i found them really funny :P

It always ends up with me embarassing them. They only do it to get attention because at home and at school they are nobody. So they take their anger out on the net. Really stupid but yet funny. Even though this is no joke

I'd have to agree with Dropkick, there's always a way to avoid or get away from it.

Even here on the toribash forums, say someone like Gorman (continuing your example) decided to follow you around, you could always post in your clans forum and let them know that since they aren't part of the clan, they shouldn't post. From there it's taken care of. If you don't have a clan and you post in discussion threads, then the best they can do is find rebuttals for your points, which is the main focus of this. Outside of that, all you'd have to do is switch to a new thread.

On facebook, they have preventive measures about this, mainly, the blocking of a certain person. Also, since it's usually looked at as a "serious" issue, you could easily report the name and that person would be contacted or the account dealt with.

Facebook being the most public networking site I can think of, all other sites would be easier to deal with than that one, thereby eliminating any difficulty in dealing with cyber-bullying (assuming you don't sit there and cry about it).

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Onto the topic of whether or not it's right or wrong.

Either or, some people get a kick out of it, and some don't. As there are simple measures to be taken to stop it (stated above) those who do not like it, don't have to deal with it. Those who do, can. From there, it is up to the individual to accept the risks of using the internet. It's the same as, say, going outside. There are people in real life who will target people for no other reason than to amuse themselves, but is it taken as seriously as cyber-bullying? Nah, it's just pointed banter at that point, but put it in text and hot damn, you've got a thirteen year old committing crimes.

I understand that the world is tending towards an "online culture" but that doesn't mean there should be stricter penalties for things done online.

The only real reason they're any more restricting when it comes to online usage is because it's harder for the parent to fix.
Let's assume little Timmy is being cyber bullied, likely he'll feel bad, but try to fix it himself.
But, let's assume little Timmy is being physically bullied. Then he'll come home with bruises and an assortment of other things, making it pretty obvious.

Now, do I personally believe it should be monitored any more than outdoor bullying? No. But do I understand why it is? Yes.

And what would stop them from switching to a new thread?
And what if the person is an smod or other staff?

What would keep you from NOT ignoring them?


Unless everyone in the staff hates you and you did something to cause the bullying from a member of the staff (In example, being sarcastic, annoying everyone, being an smartass, etc) then it is your fault, otherwise you could simply report that person to a higher up and they would have a "talk", not a punishment but most likely that person would keep distance from you.

If that person is not part of the staff then you can simply report their post/PMs if he broke the rules (Racial insults, religion oriented insults, etc) but if he did not, anyone could simply ignore that person, from either the forums, in game or in IRC.