About Publishing Comments
Regrettably, we have recently had to delete some abusive or otherwise improper anonymous comments from this blog. Some blogs do not allow anonymous comments, some (of the most successful in terms of their traffic) not only prohibit anonymous comments but also require registration as part of their efforts to contol abusive or spam-like comments. The dilemma for bloggers, like news editors, is to strike a balance between having no restrictions on what comments will be published and not allowing comments at all.
Unfortunately, it is always a few anonymous abusers who spoil it for all the reasonable commenters as well as our readers. Some of those abusers have used a spamming technique of posting the same comment, verbatim, over and over again with every post. Not only does this tactic violate the etiquette of blogging; it is down right annoying to our readers. Some of those abusers, at times, may even have something reasonable to say, but they pair it with so much personalized abusive name-calling and other ranting behavior that the publishable part of their message gets lost.
So we, like so many other bloggers, have had to do something to deal with those anonymous few who have abused the posting process. Our message to these abusers is: (1) you (and we) know who you are; (2) go start your own blog if you can't or won't abide by common blogging etiquette; and (3) your abusive behavior will not get you attention on this blog.
Regrettably, rather than prohibit all anonymous comments (as we have been advised to do by other bloggers) we have begun, as you may have noticed, using a bit of technology, used by many news editors, so that we can review comments before they are published. Comments are like letters to the editor. Like every newspaper editor, we try to publish comments that are interesting, are well written, are sensible, are focused on the issue of our post, are free of name-calling, are not abusive or libelous, and are not mere personalized rants. If your comments meet these criteria, there is high probablity that they will be published, even if we disagree with them.
We are not interested in stifling dissent or opinions that disagree with ours; in fact, it is just the opposite. Our interest is in making this blog more readable and more interesting, while at the same time encouraging responsible debate.
Unfortunately, it is always a few anonymous abusers who spoil it for all the reasonable commenters as well as our readers. Some of those abusers have used a spamming technique of posting the same comment, verbatim, over and over again with every post. Not only does this tactic violate the etiquette of blogging; it is down right annoying to our readers. Some of those abusers, at times, may even have something reasonable to say, but they pair it with so much personalized abusive name-calling and other ranting behavior that the publishable part of their message gets lost.
So we, like so many other bloggers, have had to do something to deal with those anonymous few who have abused the posting process. Our message to these abusers is: (1) you (and we) know who you are; (2) go start your own blog if you can't or won't abide by common blogging etiquette; and (3) your abusive behavior will not get you attention on this blog.
Regrettably, rather than prohibit all anonymous comments (as we have been advised to do by other bloggers) we have begun, as you may have noticed, using a bit of technology, used by many news editors, so that we can review comments before they are published. Comments are like letters to the editor. Like every newspaper editor, we try to publish comments that are interesting, are well written, are sensible, are focused on the issue of our post, are free of name-calling, are not abusive or libelous, and are not mere personalized rants. If your comments meet these criteria, there is high probablity that they will be published, even if we disagree with them.
We are not interested in stifling dissent or opinions that disagree with ours; in fact, it is just the opposite. Our interest is in making this blog more readable and more interesting, while at the same time encouraging responsible debate.
posted by Conchette at 10:35 PM
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