Flaming
Flaming, also known as bashing, is Internet slang for when a user posts hateful comments in an attempt to degrade, anger, or discredit another user. The user who posts these comments is called a flamer. A popular viral video produced by College Humor called "We didn't start the flame war" puts a humorous spin on internet flaming. (Back to index)
=Flame War
Flame war is a term used to describe a viscous fight back and forth between two different users in a comments section or blog post. Often times these spark when a user is trolling (see: Trolling) and an upstanding user or a moderator attempts to yell at that person or otherwise reprimand them for their inappropriate comments or posts. These types of interactions get out of hand very quickly, as one side of the argument is often times only posting to instigate the other users. The flame wars engulf entire comment threads and occasionally entire blogs, which is why most moderators immediately delete all posts from trollers and remove the privileges of those engaging in flame wars. Often times other users with chime in with comments along the lines of "don't feed the trolls" in reference to the popular belief that if you feed a stray or wild animal it will return to your house the next day to get more food. In that effect, the "don't feed the trolls" comment is a plea to the other users to ignore the comments of the trolls and they will eventually get bored and leave due to a lack of response to their provocations.
