Plaintalker has been taking comments since March 2008, but lately some commenters have devolved into just using derogatory terms and making allegations of illegal activity or improprieties that border on slander. If you submitted a comment but didn't see it on the blog, maybe that's why.
Almost any online entity that allows comments has run into such issues. Some have decreed that commenters can only post with Facebook names or have simply banned anonymous comments. Others have tried various means of screening them.
In the print world, a letter to the editor must be accompanied by a real name and phone number for verification. Swear words and slurs are not allowed. The idea is to give one's viewpoint on an issue, not to attack an individual.
I am asking readers to imagine you are writing a short letter to the editor when you comment, and leave off the characterizations. It's easy to toss out a catchy epithet rather than explain why you had a reaction to something you read on the blog or that you observed at a public meeting. This is a year when lots will happen locally and strong reactions may ensue. Keep on commenting, just keep it civil, please.
--Bernice
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
mmmm.... I thought I had accidentally closed the page when submitting... lol ... Is cool Bernice if my comment was left off although I'm not entirely sure why.
ReplyDeleteBUT... I do find it refreshing when you remind everyone that it's your blog, including myself.