I learned the first time I got slashdotted:

1. Don’t engage in public with an antagonistic or upset user or reviewer.

2. The thread will unroll itself, and the immaterial ones will die out on their own.

I think the most important rule is only write in public for the secondary audience, not the antagonistic user.

People watch what you say, sometimes there can be value in responding carefully if it plays well to spectators.