[quoting Noah, 19 Sep 95] In this, it is similar to conversation. Few of us would expect to be held accountable for statements made in idle chat with friends and colleagues, and a lot of communication is in that mode. On the other hand, we can and do say things that we mean to be taken seriously, in conversation and through the computer.
One problem, then, with speech is knowing what level of seriousness to assign to a person's remarks.
Shouldn't we write our comments on the net to fit the context? ITForum, for example, could be understood to be a professional environment for which we write with the understanding that we could be quoted.