have the last word. Remember that a poorly executed flame is worse
than no flame at all.
Know your facts before you start flaming
Any time you flame you're going out on a limb. Check your facts.
Check your spelling. Check your citations if you've quoted someone
else. Check that you're sending it to the right group. Submit the flame
to a sanity check, remembering that the net never forgets.
It's good form to warn readers that you're about to let off steam. Just
write "FLAME ON" at the beginning of a diatribe to let readers know
what's coming. That way, they may still be offended, but at least they
were warned. Additionally, the "FLAME ON" marker can indicate that
you yourself don't take the diatribe entirely seriously. When you've finished flaming, write "FLAME OFF" and resume normal discourse.
Flame-bait is a public statement deliberately designed to provoke
flames. Usually those who post flame-bait are looking for attention.
You're best off not giving it.