Comments on comments
: I’ve had some discussions with folks about comments lately and so I thought I should give you my policy. It’s quite simple: This is my house and I do as I please. I tend to let discussions go — I like interactivity — and rarely kill a comment. But I will kill comments that are brazen personal attacks on anyone (and I’m shocked at those sites that don’t do this). I will kill comments that are wildly off topic. I will kill comments about my work, because this is a personal site (I sometimes mention my work but that’s my prerogative; otherwise, I won’t drag my colleagues into this parallel universe). And I will kill a comment if I really don’t like it just because I don’t like it. Dont’ give me any crap about “censorship.” That’s not censorship. That’s judgment, editing, choice, dictatorship. Censorship is something a government does. Killing comments is something a power-hungry editor does. That’s me. Just so you know.
9 responses to “Comments on comments”
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You make me think I should have been more aggressive in killing comments over the last 18 months. I don’t like comments that don’t advance the debate, but just serve to troll.
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I agree with you being ‘shocked’ that rude comments are not culled more readily. Some of the comments left on Liz Spiers’ site recently I thought were utterly appalling.
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Jeff-
Your site. Your rules. No problem.
Just to give you a comment to kill right off the bat regarding your work, how about a blog or forum on those series of sites for users to discuss the services that are provided? Recognizing that you probably don’t want a bunch of comments about work here, I’ve been pretty restrained about posting such questions.
And I know a bunch of other patrons that would be interested in your commentary because it is interesting. But knowing some of the knuckleheads that would flood this place, I haven’t recommended it publicly (other than as an addition to my blog roll).
Kill this message. Leave it without a response. Fine by me.
But an interactive “comments” box on the sites your company produces would be invaluable.
Regards. -
Sorry Jeff, I misunderstood. I thought your whole purpose was to provide a forum for meaningful dialogue. That would obviously preclude any posts intended to be offensive or abusive, but I’ve seen you delete posts (some of them mine) that were not offensive or abusive, but merely offerring an informed explanation for behaviors of institutions that have incurred your wrath. It appears that your real purpose here is to collect a bunch of toadies who echo your opinions. Therefore, I must offer my humble apology. I misunderstood your intentions. I discovered your blog at the height of the Iraq situation and was impressed by the give and take dialogue and was under the mistaken impression that this was a forum for it. My mistake. Good-bye, Jeff.
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Yes, it would be a shame if the only comments left were those from the ultra-right-wing nutcases that seem to be attracted to this site.
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This was my first Blog. I was looking for a place where a middle aged, moderately lefty Canadian could talk to some folks what the American right was thinking.
I came in from the Discussion Forum/Chatroom culture, and when I arrived, I was pretty offensive (some would dispute my use of the past tense here). After a few days I got a very friendly note from Jeff explaining the cultural difference between Blogdom and Chatdom…his famous barroom vs. cocktail party analogy. I’ve tried to maintain my civility since then (as most people here do), and have never had a post pulled, although I have heard a few toes crunch.
Steve, one of the weaknesses of Blogdom (I think) is that they tend to attract like minded people who find in the Blog a warm bath of collective approval and continued confirmation of their views. This place does permit diversity, there are some very bright folks posting here, and there have been some great discussions (and some terrible ones). So stick around. -
“Moderately lefty” balbulican?
Well, ok, I’ll grant you that. I do note, however, that any discussion about anything worthwhile is likely to raise passions in somebody, and get a bit heated.
Then usually it’ll be three or four days later and everyone stops reading those comments and moves on to the next debate. -
“Moderately lefty CANADIAN”, John, which is the American political equivalent of Emma Goldman and Mao Tse Tung’s bastard child.
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LOL ok very good point bal.
