How to be a Bully.....online?

[limey]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

... But, as i think about it, I can't seem to decide what it is about what I say or the way I say it that makes it 'bullying'. It kind of bothers me.
...But the usage of the label 'Bully' implies intent. I can't honestly say whether or not i have 'intent to bully'. Not consciously, i think. ....

Substitute "bossy" for "bully/ing" above and that could be me talking, so I feel a pang of sympathy for you LJ.
I think we are both very direct in what we say and the way we say it. I think you like to "get a rise" out of people and then pursue it to see how far it'll run, perhaps out of disbelief that they get so aerated about what you're saying. I think you enjoy playing to the gallery, too, so once there is an audience to your bating of a person, you are spurred on to greater efforts.
I like to wind people up, too but this is usually not so much in the form of personal attack (this is how many of your posts appear to me, LJ), but by leg-pulling, so this behaviour of mine is a little removed from my "bossy" persona. Maybe that's how I get away with it and you don't, LJ? I'd still rather not be seen as "bossy" and the only way around it that I can think of is to warn people that I don't mean to be bossy even when I appear to be so - doesn't work all that well unfortunately .