What Do You Think of Restricted Commenting?
We’re kinda curious to hear what people think of the restricted commenting. We’re certainly glad that we don’t have to spend the time deleting gazillions of spam and babysitting trolls, but we certainly miss some of the energy that the greater volume of comments generated. (Interestingly, the traffic on the site has not decreased with…
We’re kinda curious to hear what people think of the restricted commenting. We’re certainly glad that we don’t have to spend the time deleting gazillions of spam and babysitting trolls, but we certainly miss some of the energy that the greater volume of comments generated. (Interestingly, the traffic on the site has not decreased with the comments.) Anyway, for those of you who have taken the time to create a login, what do you think? Should we continue to require registration? Or is it worth it to put up with the trolls to have more debate?
oops , sorry about that.
Keep it. In case you hadn’t noticed no more pro- Ratner anonymous coward trolls who double and triple post.
Keep it. In case you hadn’t noticed no more pro- Ratner anonymous coward trolls who double and triple post.
I think the problem with the idea of being able to censor anonymous comments, ItsAWrap, is then you would have a 100 comment thread that had half of the comments missing because you chose to ignore comments made by anonymous people. You would see named people responding to phantom postings and it would be a confusing mess.
Let say someone is totally offended by something i said. Is it possible for them to self-censor or place me on “Ignore”?
If it were possible to “ignore” an individual member, would it also be possible to ignore “anonymous” posters. That way if someone feels they might be offended by an anonymous posting, they can censor themselves. ie. Call-Id and Caller-id block.
I dont see why the burden of censorship should be on your shoulders. Vulgarities, x-rated material, slanderous statements etc.. Yes. Content that is deemed provactive by some…. NO.
How can you be mad at a thread that goes 100 posts long because people are energized and excited about a certain topic?
I have mixed feelings. The old system was often fun, trolls and all, but on balance there was too much BS. The trolls just kept repeating their nonsense, the low points IMO being the stupid “busted” responses a few months ago and those awful pics of mutilated bodies posted under Tiny URLs.
The sign in system can STILL be anonymous, except for those brave (or possibly dumb) enough to post under their real names,so I can’t see it restricting free expression much.
I say keep it for the many good reasons already stated.
ItsaWrap, I kinda get the bar analogy, but at the pub you can’t easily change your identity from minute to minute to suit your needs, or offend people anonymously.
If some of the trolls repeated what they said here in a bar, they’d likely get the crap beat out of them.
So restrict the commenting and keep the cowards away.
I preferred the ‘bar room’ atmosphere that existed prior to the login reqs. Outside of dispensing alchohol, bars serve a very important role is social affairs. Although they are privately owned, they are considered by most to be a ‘public place’. People go to bars for many different reasons. Some want to get away from the family. Others want to get away with their family. While others go to bars trying to laid and in the process of trying to impress the opposite sex, end up throwing drinks and getting into a fight.
The login reqs, have turned this once public bar/blog into a private social club. Sure it only takes a couple of mins to register, but it prevents someone from dropping into your establishment for a drink. Just because a couple of folks got too drunk a couple of times, doesnt mean you have to take such a totalitarian actions.
Brownstoners, its your joint, you run the bar. If you prefer the Cheers crowd “Where everybody knows your name….,” thats pretty much what you have now. If you want the Bar to be happening like it was before, drop the login reqs.
I like it.
For one, it adds continuitity. You don’t have to say, “3:48 here.” As well as know, from thread to thread, who you’re talking to as their opinion on one topic may inform you on where they’re coming from or what they’re trying to say on another.
For two, it really isn’t a big deal to sign up. Two minutes tops. And it’s not like people still aren’t “anonymous” in most senses of the word… I still have no idea on who any of you are if I was to pass you on the sidewalk (and likewise).
For three, the discouse has seemed to have gotten less catty. I have no idea on how many threads I read previously that denigrated into, “Well, just because you’re poor and live in XXXXXX neighborhood, don’t be jealous of me and what I’ve worked for.” Barf. At least people have some sort of reputation that they can be tracked by and so don’t get into that nonsense.
That all said, Mr. B., I think the question is what kind of place you’re trying to create. Do you like the soup that gets created from trollers who pop in, argue their point, and then find somewhere else? Or are you creating this for a more core constituency? They both have salient points and I don’t think that one of them is objectively better than the other. It’s a matter of taste and since this is your place, your taste.
But I like it.