Clarity of expression is a valuable element of wiki discourse. Saying what you think or feel openly and with clarity, frankness and no hidden subtext is crucial. But often this doesn't happen on wikis, where authors believe they are so word-clever that throwing in an innuendo or more here and there can't be a harmful thing. It is and here's why.

• It convinces others that they are personally at fault, in trouble or despised
• It teaches others to communicate in a style that encourages sniping and underhandedness
• It does nothing to make the situation clear or to make a person's real feelings evident
• It's confusing and in being this way, is disrespectful
• It isn't wiki

Take the example of a post that reads sarcastically to everyone - bar the person who wrote it. Even though it is evidently sarcastic, the person can legitimately claim that this is not what he or she meant.

This is called switchback. It is possible in the world of the written word. If a person realizes that frank, open and honest responses to their posting are directed to its innuendo and sarcasm, the suddenly defensive writer does the only thing left and twists it back onto feeling hurt that his or her post has been misinterpreted and now feels upset.

It's an old and nasty trick and the best way to play is not to play. Send an apology (because this person is seeking attention for their cleverness and what's more clever than bringing the other people to their knees in subjugation before your cleverness?) and then move on. In other words, feed the cat quickly and don't let it yowl any longer.

However, it does beg the question of how to handle sarcasm from a contributor on a wiki. Allowing a user to keep making obscure, unclear and baiting commentary provides a poor precedent for the rest of the community. Dealing with such a person is complicated where he or she is a member of some standing and thinks that this is a clever means for getting across a message. Perhaps the only answer is to engage such a person off the site and try to explain to them how this behavior is easily misunderstood by many users and how it creates a sense of community friction. Leave your ideas here if you have other ways.