Since things seem to be especially tense #onhere these days, I thought I'd offer up some of the questions I ask myself before I criticize. Think of it as my own personal standards for not being an asshole during Twitter conflict. A thread:

1. Center power. Always. Do you have more power than the person you want to take on--be that through your job, your follower account, or your identities? Think intersectionally. Don't punch down.

2. Check your biases. Would you come after someone in the dominant group (white people, men, etc.) as hard as you are a marginalized person? The rules don't apply evenly to everyone. Don't be part of the problem.

(And even if you would make the same critique, would it land the same way to others? Take responsibility for how your followers will react too.)

3. Did someone already make your critique? If so, give it a like and move on. No piling on.

4. If you're critiquing someone marginalized (especially over something minor), is your critique worth everything that you might be fueling (e.g., hate mail, doxxing, threats, workplace retaliation, other real life repercussions)?

5. Is the critique reasonable? Is it worth the other person's time and energy? Are you having a productive conversation or are you just trying to make yourself look good?

6. Should you be educating instead of criticizing?

7. Are you the right person to make the critique? Considerations may include your identities, how familiar you are with the other person and their work, and your own expertise level.

8. Do you have the mental and emotional space? If this blows up, can you be your best self in the argument that ensues?

9. Never tweet screenshots. No doxxing. Never threaten violence. No workplace retaliation (with the exception of reporting harassment or discrimination--but that isn't actually retaliation). No taking it to anonymous messaging boards.

10. No mocking anyone for blocks. Everyone always has the right to set boundaries. And similarly, no victory laps over deleted tweets.

11. Subtweet with caution. It's a huge violation of trust, especially if you actually know each other or share a community.

12. In general, if the person upsetting you is someone you have a real relationship with, take it offline. If an in-person conflict isn't worth it to you, a public shaming probably isn't worth it either.

13. When possible, be constructive. All the rules for good offline critique apply online too.

I'm certainly not perfect. Sometimes I break my own rules, but believe me when I say I usually regret it later. When Twitter gets unkind, it affects marginalized people the most.