Derek Sorensen

In our increasingly connected world, everyone needs to be able to use Social Media tools effectively. One essential skill is in the effective conduct of online battles, otherwise known as Flamewars.

The world’s bestest Social Media training company, Flamebyte Coaching, is proud to offer accredited [1] courses in flaming to anyone with a bit of cash. There are three levels of accreditation available.
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Sometimes in an online conversation you’ll find yourself talking to someone who seems not to understand what you are saying. In this situation the natural thing to do is to try to clarify what you mean, particularly since if one person has misunderstood then it is quite likely that others have misunderstood too. As long as the misunderstanding is in good faith, then this is usually the right approach.
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Isn’t it frustrating when you copy and paste someone else’s writing into your blog, only to have some interfering busybody point out that you aren’t the original author. They might even go so far as to email the *real* author to tell them you have copied their work. And all you were doing was quite innocently trying to pretend you had some knowledge you didn’t have. How unsporting of them. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
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You’ve seen The Secret.

You’ve seen The Secret behind The Secret. <– this one is a MUST SEE, trust me, it really is.

But are you ready for … The Secret of The Secret Behind The Secret?
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This quotation is often attributed to Mark Twain, but poor Mr Twain gets attributed with almost everything these days, along with Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill. There’s a writeup from York University’s Mathematics Faculty about the true origin of the phrase, for anyone who is interested. But I digress.
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Do you know someone who is terminally gullible? Do they believe every crackpot story they hear, spend thousands every year on ebooks from self-styled internet gurus who promise them the secret to riches? Do they believe that spirit mediums can contact the dead, or that homeopathic remedies can make you well? Do they pass on every “Virus Warning” they receive? Do they forward every email Chain Letter to “Ten of their contacts” in the hope that “Good luck will come [their] way today”?
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August 2nd is National Talk Like A Life Coach Day, sponsored by the Talk Like A Life Coach Foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to relieving the suffering experienced by Life Coaches. Talk Like A Life Coach Day is a fun initiative aimed at raising awareness of the problems faced by Life Coaches every day of their lives. By participating, you’ll experience at first hand some of the problems and prejudices facing Life Coaches and related professions as they go about their important work.
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You might have heard of a system of self-discovery named “Core Process”. This involves a lengthy session with a specially trained[1] Core Process Psychotherapist where your innermost self - your Real Self™ will be revealed to you and encapsulated for all time in a pithy two word verb-noun phrase[2].
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I was reminded recently of a story about Homeopathic Crystals. For those not familiar, the story goes like this:

One day in 2003 a New Scientist Reader named Gareth Thomas came across a site selling Homeopathic Crystals, which made all kinds of claims for these special healing stones. He posted a critical assessment of the site and it’s claims on Uk Pagan - a site devoted to all things mystical.

Several regulars on the site responded to say that Homeopathic Crystals really do work - that they are exactly as described. Other posts were less than complimentary to Thomas, even going so far as having to be removed by the site’s admins. Thomas then posted a point-by-point criticism of the site’s claims, and was met by even fiercer resistance. More heated replies followed, and Thomas was branded a cynic for his views.
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