26
2009
New / Old Comment Policy
An article by 
I finally got round to putting together the comment policy for this site. It has been on my “to-do list” for a while. It is adapted from my old personal blog. It is available for viewing in the ”Comment Policy” page at the top of the blog, but for the sake of introduction here it is:
On this blog we welcome discussion. Although we welcome discussion, we expect that discussion to be civil and have no time for some of the vitriol that appears on many other blogs and forums around the internet. There are many different world views represented amongst the people that read here and therefore the conversation has a high potential to get out of hand. We think we can do better than that and be a good example of people of differing thoughts coming together in discussion. So to keep the conversation good and safe, here are some guidelines.
Anonymous comments are not allowed. Anything that appears as “anonymous” will be deleted.
We ask that you use a name when commenting here. That name can be made up, but we would ask that you use the same name whenever placing a comment. This is to avoid confusion. When we have more than one person posting anonymously, it can easily get confusing and personalities can get mixed up.
We would also encourage that whilst we are happy for people to exercise freedom of speech to a point, we generally prefer polite, respectful discussion. We would encourage not using saracasm as it can easily cause a discussion to become inflamed. Remember you are talking to other PEOPLE… treat others as you would wish to be treated.
We understand that some of the things we post involve topics that can cause high emotion. We do it because we believe if the discussions can be handled respectfully, with disagreements being approached as a sharing of views rather than an all out attempt to change another’s thinking and if that’s not achieved, doing your best to demean the other’s thoughts, then we can foster a better understanding between people and groups that do not see eye to eye.
So, here are the ‘rules’ on commenting:
1. Give yourself a name and use it consistently. “Anonymous” comments will be deleted no matter how good they are.
2. Be respectful. Talk to others in a manner that shows that whilst you may not agree, you see them as a valuable human being (as you should). Disagreement is fine, demeaning another person is not.
3. Be polite. Negative sarcasm is not appreciated. Obvious jest, where it is taken as obvious humour is another story.
4. Where you find your emotions boiling over because of another person’s point of view, don’t respond.
…. and yes, we will need to work on some of these ourselves.
Understand that comments will be deleted at the discretion of blog administrators.
Persistent ignoring of the the values and “rules” set out in this comment policy will result in being black-listed and blocked from commenting on this site. The purpose of this is to maintain a safe environment where all commenters feel respected. Once again, such an action is at the discretion of blog administrators.
Let’s keep the conversation at a level we can all enjoy and benefit from.
About the Author: Frank Ritchie
Frank is the Education and Advocacy Manager for TEAR Fund NZ. Frank is a licensed Minister in the Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand and has a keen interest in biblical perspectives of Justice and how this connects to service to, with and for the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized people of the world.
10 Comments + Add Comment
Leave a comment
TEAR Fund New Zealand
Get Blog Updates Via Email
Recent Comments
- BuffCrIsoff on World’s Poorest Prove to be a Good Credit Risk
- hébergement de site internet on NZ Prostitution Law Review Committee: Report
- hoagsardell on Cyclone Aila in Bangladesh – Diary of a Humanitarian
- Twin Bed Frame on The Controversy of Easter. The Crucifixion & Freedom.
- Kelvin on Rebellious Media Conference
Blogroll
- Aid Watch
- Change.org
- Empire Remixed
- From Poverty to Power
- God's Politics
- Good Intentions are not Enough
- Just Comment
- Just.
- New Internationalist
- Restorative Justice
- Tax Justice Network
- The Distributist Review
- The Green New Deal Group
- The Thoughtful Campaigner
- Truth Dealer
- Wronging Rights
- ZNet – the spirit of resistance lives
Frank. I want to be respectful and get along and I’m not just out looking for a fight .. but …
2. Be respectful. Talk to others in a manner that shows that whilst you may not agree, you see them as a valuable human being (as you should). Disagreement is fine, demeaning another person is not.
A person’s value is not diminished by calling them what they are. If a person is lying they should be called a liar. If a person is posting nonsense then they should be called on it. If the right to judge correctly is going to be regulated against then you will not be able to judge rightly.
4. Where you find your emotions boiling over because of another person’s point of view, don’t respond.
Anger can be justified. If a poster says blasphemous or hateful things then one is justified in giving him a serve and banning him. It’s good for the soul
I hear you Grant, but still think that one can make a judgement call in a more tactful manner than the specific comment I was calling you on.
You had every right to state that you think Damian was wrong and then give reasons why. In your comment, you did not, you simply said you thought his comment was the dumbest thing you ever read. It then took another comment from him (that did not respond in kind) for you to explain why.
On this blog, if you disagree with someone, take the time to say why in the initial disagreement.
You will encounter world views on here that are different from your own. What you deem to be “nonsense” may very well simply be the world view of someone else. I would not want them to call your thoughts “dumb” or “nonsense” even though they may very well see them as such, therefore I expect that you won’t do it either.
Some reading here are atheists who would believe that much of what I am writing is nonsense… you will notice that they haven’t ever derided anything that I have said in regards to the faith I hold. I am more than happy for them to offer disagreement, but I do not expect them to be rude. I expect the same courtesy to be offered to them.
As already stated, by all means disagree, but choose your words to fit what is put forward in the comment policy. It won’t be changing anytime soon
Of course atheists thrive in an environment where people aren’t allowed to speak the truth …
You are still allowed to disagree and state your case. That has been mentioned time and time again. If you struggle to present your understanding of truth within the basic guidelines set out in the comment policy (which is simply about politeness and respect) then the issue is yours.
The comment policy and what it seeks to achieve is not going to change.
So .. am I or am I not allowed to say the comments policy is anti-Christian?
I have good reason.
It’s anti-Christian because God says to speak the truth. Sometimes it is plain and simply true that someone’s contribution is stupid and the most loving thing one can do is point it out.
I love ya, Frank. This comments policy is stupid
Speak the truth IN LOVE. I believe that’s what the command actually was.
Grant, the comment policy is not changing no matter what you think of it.
We all think we’re right. But on many topics it could be us that are wrong, the other person who’s wrong or we may both be wrong. In fact, given the sheer number of topics in the world and diverse opinions it’s extremely likely that we’re wrong about many things.
Intuitively I feel that I am 100% right on all topics but logically I have to accept that on topics where intelligent people disagree it’s likely that I’m mistaken 50% of the time.
If we know logically that we are prone to delusion on 50% of contentious topics we ought to be looking for opportunities to improve.
Using insulting language forces emotion and gets in the way of sharing ideas and, hence, any chance of improvement.
Presenting our understanding and arguments calmly and logically makes them more palatable.
Damian, well said. This sums up the intent of the policy well:
Expect to see it added to the policy.
I was just rephrasing what you already say in your policy. No need to change anything IMO.
Mate, I’d be tempted to just say “it’s *my* blog, *my* policy and if you don’t like it go and make your own blog with your own policy”.