In an email sent last night a friend characterized regular HE commenters as “a pack of wolves,” and then said this is why she doesn’t comment herself. She doesn’t want to get bitten or snapped at, and so she’s a lurker…safer that way. This is not a new concern, but for some reason hearing her say this gave me pause. The vast majority of the biting and snapping is directed at me so why would an average reader (i.e., one who doesn’t have the personality of a timber wolf in winter) feel intimidated? I’ll put it to the wolves…er, the commenters themselves. Does my friend have a point? Does HE exude a snarly atmosphere that is scaring off potential commenters? Do you feel it’s fair to characterize HE regulars as wolves? If not, what animal species would be an appropriate metaphor? And lastly, is there anything I can do to remedy this situation? Or should I just shrug my shoulders?