There be dragons!

I'm finally at a place where I can identify N's quickly  in person.  The predatory look is pretty much a dead giveaway. What they say and the look on their face or their actions don't match up.  As soon as I see it, I can strengthen boundaries and keep them out. Life is good.  Whew.  But online....  If we're only seeing words, if we can't match that with looks/actions, how can we tell who's who?  N's are sooooooo good with words - they're quintessential con men.  (I'm sure there's a gender neutral way of saying that, but I can't think what it might be...)  Some N's, of course, identify themselves even with their mean-spirited, abusive words - but since a lot of ACON's are flea-ridden before they begin to heal, it's sometimes difficult to sort out.   We ACON's can be a prickly lot and learning to set good boundaries takes a lot of practice. 

To admonish someone to be careful online is silly if you can't offer a way to be safe - and since I'm new to open blogging, I have little to offer by way of tips.  I'm really dependent on reading faces and body language - I learned that early. I'm one of those people who have to sit with her back to the wall so I can scan a room, always watching for danger, probably the result of being raised by abusive Nparents.   I've had a closed blog for a long time - not only to avoid Nstalkers, but also to give myself time to practice what I'm learning without some of the abusive commentary I've seen online.  Basic Nnonsense - cyber bullying, junior high stuff.  Really, people?  Name calling as adults? 

For those of us who are intuitive people, who read people primarily using facial expressions, voice tone and body language, the internet is fraught with peril - there be dragons!  And I'm really not sure how to deal with it - obviously, one has to avoid the bullies and they're easy enough to spot - anyone who calls a person who's been writing and helping people for years, who supports and encourages people, and whose writing is absolutely chock-full of research a "narcissistic" without any evidence thereof, is nothing short of a fool.  And we know the best way to deal with N's and fools - or foolish N's - is to completely ignore them.  I know that bloggers get slammed all the time for not publishing/not replying/not feeding the beast, but we KNOW that we have to ignore them in real life - should we treat them differently on the internet?   Why give them more credence because they're behind the curtain rather than right in front of us?  And why can't the rules of blogging take into account that some responders are narcissists and they are decidedly NOT our audience?  I say we should go NC with all internet N's- don't give them air time on our blogs, don't respond in any way - don't invite them in.  Period.