Of comments and community
Posted By Mike Orren in Square Pegs on June 3, 2007
Just last week, I crowed in our weekly email newsletter about how pleased I was about the volume and substance of user comments on local news items on our site.
Now I've spent much of the last three days worrying over how to handle comments that were alienating many members of our community and standing in direct opposition to the ideals behind Pegasus News.
In the midst of the substantive local conversation, peppered with a fair dose of fun and silly stuff -- we've had a handful of folks posting comments that made me uncomfortable. And based on the emails I've been getting from longtime users, I'm not alone.
(Note: I am not talking about any single user. There are several who have prompted this line of thought.)
We never want this to be a site where comments are moderated before going live -- nor one where we only post through things that we've sanitized.
That said, everything we do is, as I've long said, "aggressively, inherently local." So, is there room for users who want to make every single local story about Big Global Issues like religious preference, sexual identity, race and right/left politics?
That's what we're struggling with right now. And so far, my answer is "no". Just as we try to pick our shots and deploy our staff resources to cover things that are unique and not duplicative of a thousand other news sites, it strikes me that we can't be a hub of discussions to solve all of the world's Big Problems -- DFW's are more than enough.
But what's the harm in letting three or four members of the community hash these things out on the site? My answer is that when they do so constantly, it quashes out the substantive local conversation. I'm not 100% comfortable in that, though, as I know that while I may disagree with these folks, they are advocating sincerely held beliefs. And we are about encouraging, not quashing conversation.
Our CTO, Jeremy, sent me a link to Metafilter's tips for managing community. Good advice here:
1. Take emotion out of decisions
2. Talk like a human, not a robot
3. Give people something they can be proud of
4. Bring users in during community decisions
5. Moderation is a full-time job
6. Metrics spread the work out
7. Guidelines not rules
I think we're doing pretty well on these -- and please tell us if we're not. But I want to take particular care on #4:
How heavy a hand do you think we should take on comment moderation? Where in the spectrum between regimented organization and invigorating cacophony should we fall? Are you slowed down by waves comments from the same people making the same arguments over and over? Or is that part of what you expect from a site like ours?
We've moderated more comments in the past week than we have in the year and a half TexasGigs/PegasusNews have existed. Part of that is because we're starting to hit critical mass. I hope that the moderation just means that a wider audience is bringing some noise we need to filter as opposed to our pushing out diverse voices. But I'm counting on our community to help us see the bright line there. Let us know what you want. And remember that we can only hear the voices that speak up.
I do think Pegasus is making a potential mistake in its handling of comments, but not by shutting down the idiots. I say you give them too much room, like you're bending over so far trying to be fair that you're biting your own ass.
One of the best things about this site is that you allow comment conversation and you trust users to post immediately. No other site does that. Most don't have comments at all.
That is because they throw the baby out with the bathwater running from these idiots.
You allow people to yell about evil Christians, bad Jews, horrible right wingers, stinking liberals, shiftless blacks, or racist whites at all and they start thinking it is their right.
As a news guy, I appreciate the amount of work you must put in to this site. That means it is your right to tell people where to get off.
Stop apologizing for smacking down the trolls. Start doing it sooner. I'm tired of the racist guy and the anti-christian guy already. I don't really care whether they agree with me or not. I'm just tired of being annoyed.
You need to decide if you are running a message board or a local news community. I think it is local news and I hope it is. If it is, throw out the trolls.
atlasslipped Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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I was attracted to Pegasus because it appears to be a hard-news site - allowing discussions about the news. But in order to be fair, in an AMERICAN sort of way, that means allowing all points of view - not just the ones that are pleasant.
Today, our country is in the throes of a NeoChristian insurgency. 50 years ago, it was a racist insurgency. 100 years ago it was management v. labor. 200 years ago it was democracy v. monarchy.
We survived not because we silenced either side, but because we allowed the discussion to go forward.
There is only one group that needs to be silenced - those who call for the silencing of others.
To that end, I think that the BEST strategy for long-term success is to disallow anonymous posting, and to add an "ignore this user" button.
Registration guarantees that abusive posters don't flood the site with garbage posted under multiple aliases. An "ignore" button puts the power of censorship in the hands of the ones who want it.
Together, those features would free the site operators from the censorship demands of the those zealots who would put an end to the AMERICAN tradition of free exchange of thought.
If that were done, I could be free to do what I love - to speak out against the religious zealots, bigots and other right-wing militants who wrecked our country.
At the same time, those who wish to fiddle as Rome burns would be free to do what they love - to stick their fingers in their ears and sing "lalala"... to THEMSELVES.
Sanders Kaufman Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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Having been in online discussions going all the way back to the early to mid 1980s BBS days (as is the case probably with a few people here), so let me throw in something.
There is nothing special about PegasusNews comment threads as is pertains to the psychology of how people behave in remote anonymous/semi-anonymous, written discussion threads about arguable topics. Sorry folks. Thats the way it is. You ain't special.
The fact is most threads will be dominated by a few people while most only post a few times. This is "Long Tail" phenomenon. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long...) Some of this posting will involve the same arguments being rehashed over and over by the same people. Usually the same aggressive, self assured people will frequently post whether or not they have anything intelligent to say and even if what they say is completely without merit. This makes such discussions uninviting to a particular segment of people who might have valuable information but who are put off by the aggression and arrogance.
This all makes sense because who is going to fill a vacuum that doesn't have standard rules of expectations and behaviors? Introverts and extroverts? On top of that of that, which extroverts will try to aggressively butt-in more?: people who have a conscious clue about how they appear and have understanding about polite social cues or people who haven't looked at their own behavior in the mirror for years? It also makes sense because online remote dialog is generally free of real consequences unlike, for example, a face to face conversation with a neighbor, spouse, or even a stranger in "meatspace."
If PegasusNews allows completely unfettered commentary by those who don't have a REAL stake in the consequences, then they will get the natural results of those choices. That result will be the a lessening of useful and pertinent, news-like discussion and a de-evolution of the site into nothing but a typical internet discussion board... which frankly amounts to nothing much.
Marshall McLuhan is applicable here. The medium is most definitely the message. If the medium is untethered and anarchistic that will be the message also. The medium and message will devolve into one.
Politically incorrect but this image sums up such untethered commentary: http://dogtoe.com/weblog/wp-content/u...
I say moderate away and moderate heavily. You will piss some people off and you will make mistakes. That's OK and its preferable to the alternatives.
J.
J_Mortimer Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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j_mortimer, you have the right to your own opinion, and obviously you have lots of experience but you're wrong about one thing: pegasus news IS SPECIAL!!! smiley face!!! (how dare you!?)
Teresa Gubbins Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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What about reddit-style comment voting? Registered users can vote comments down, and the craptacular ones aren't shown by default.
Pavel Lishin Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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hehe.
Queue Gauntlet voice: "Pegasus needs smileys....badly."
Your point is well taken. When I mean its not special, I mean that what makes it unique will not change human behavior ... unless there is some experiment going on at the office that you aren't telling me.
J.
J_Mortimer Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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First off, kudos to Pegasus for trying to bring the issue into the open and giving the readers some input.
I think when people go off on wild rants linking everything to conspiracies, it sounds stupid and gets everybody off topic. It also creates a lot of noise and makes you want to not read the thread and participate.
Atlas made some good points...all of the racist talk...the neo-con conspiracy/left-wing conspiracy talk...etc etc needs to go. Being irreverent is one thing but some things shouldn't be tolerated.
Don't let that 5% of readers tear down what the other 95% of your readers love about this site.
Michael Davis Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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This is what we need less of: "Today, our country is in the throes of a NeoChristian insurgency."
Lots of places the tin hat crew can congregate. Unless the NeoChristian insurgency is marching on DFW, it doesn't belong here.
atlasslipped Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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re: Don't let that 5% of readers tear down what the other 95% of your readers love about this site.
In truth - according to what the Pegasus staff tells me - most of the readers agree with the statements, but just don't want to hear so MUCH about it.
So you make up statistics and blind yourself to the realities - and then you scratch your head and wonder how folks like Bush and Perry could both be elected, and re-elected, and re-re-elected to the highest offices.
Sanders Kaufman Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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You inject your political opinion into threads that don't even talk about politics. That's the point.
But hey you're getting you're 15 minutes so have at it, I guess.
Michael Davis Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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I think an executive decision by the staff must be made as to whether the site's emphasis should be placed on the stories themselves or on the commentary.
If you want to keep the emphasis on the stories, require user verification and even limit who can register to comment or heavily moderate. (The former will probably be better received by the community.) Include explicit statements (not to be confused with explicitly <i>profane</i> statements) in the user agreement that will allow you to revoke membership if deemed necessary and don't be afraid to exercise that power.
If emphasis is placed on commentary, implement a rating system similar to slashdot. The "ignore user" might be a useful addition, but in theory the users who deserve to be ignored will be taken care of by the community as a whole.
Ultimately, this is your site and your vision. We can come along side and help, add to, support, and nourish the vision, but we are not its architects. Make a strong decision, and don't be afraid of pissing a few people off. But give too much decision making power to the public and they'll lynch Aristotle.
David Gouldin Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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re: You inject your political opinion into threads that don't even talk about politics.
Politics is relevant to every aspect of society the way math is relevant to every aspect of science.
If you don't like reading about that stuff - don't read it. Just skip to the next message.
Sanders Kaufman Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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The two best things about PN are its local focus and its user comments. But they have to be treated differently.
The staff stories have to be local, of course. But user comments shouldn't be limited to local issues, as long as they are germane to the story topic. Global issues affect local people and color their views about what's happening in their city and in their lives. And those global issues usually are Big Issues like politics, race, environment and religion.
Totally random example: A Starbucks moves into a neighborhood. One person is furious that it takes biz away from the existing local coffee shop. Another person is happy that they can now buy Fair Trade coffee from Guatamala right next door. And yet another person is pissed because all of sbux coffee isn't Fair Trade, sees a corporate conspiracy and doesn't want that in their hood. I think all the comments are valid.
My favorite thing about PN is its light touch with comment moderation. You guys have been really good about not crashing down on any particular point of view no matter how "radical." To me, that totally adds to the value of the site, enhances public debate, and informs me about things I might not have known about otherwise.
The problems I see with comments are people having one-on-one conversations when they should just email each other, people bringing personal fights into the public forum and people making - and responding to - comments that have nothing to do with the story.
I think you should continue to monitor comment threads (not viewpoints) in the way you have, alerting particular users when they're abusive or comment-heavy and shutting down threads that have strayed from the original story or are a conversation between two people. It's a labor-intensive approach, and as more users discover the site it'll become an even bigger job. But I think it's the best approach.
twisteddog Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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I think you should ask the gay-bashing neo-Christian Nazis what to do...they seem to have something to do with everything.
Seriously, I think an 'ignore user' option would be great. It would allow me to filter out comments that I know will just annoy the H out of me and focus on the ones that are probably most relevant to the topic.
...and I'm not "blinding myself to reality", rather, ridding myself of vomit-mouth every time I see comments from particular people.
James Scott Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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Thanks so much for the thoughtful responses so far, and I'm looking forward to more. We're taking all of these to heart and formulating a strategy incorporating some of these ideas.
One thing I didn't make clear in the original post that I should have, except it didn't become clear to me until today. In general, we wouldn't be so concerned with off-topic comments if it weren't for the fact that we know (via our traffic stats) that a very high percentage of our regular readers choose to navigate the site via the "latest comments" thread. These are the people who are really die-hard, visit multiple times daily, and whose appetite outstrips our current news-gathering resources. So, they hit the site and dive to the latest comments.
So, one of our worries, both in terms of our community and our business is that people hit the latest comments thread and see lots of comments from the same people making the same points -- points that a majority of users would consider off topic -- over and over again.
So, whatever we do to try to achieve balance in comments, I think that a different way of handling "latest comments" may be part of the answer. Perhaps a lower threshold for removing comments from that string than for removing them from the site altogether?
At any rate, we're listening and working on it...
Mike Orren Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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I am dumbfounded -- even here, where we are looking for solutions, it happens. The "targetshooter" above insinuates that *"In truth - according to what the Pegasus staff tells me - most of the readers agree with the statements, but just don't want to hear so MUCH about it."*
Like, WTF?! Pegasus polled its user base, collated the results and told you, and you alone, Sanders, via email? Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
That is exactly the kind of dialogue (I really want to say diatribe) that I think this thread here is trying to find a way to fix -- pseudo-expertise, masquerading as "in-the-know" and "nanny-nanny boo-boo" to the rest of you and your topic.
Many boards use the "time out" feature where users are temporarily banned and sent to ride the bus between the old compund at Waco and Prairie Chapel Ranch. May I respectfully suggest that such a bus be procurred for Pegasus? They are cheap. One ride... and if you drop your drawers in public again, then it's hasta la vista, baaaaaayby.
I, too, tend to agree with j-mortimer with a minor correction. McLuhan's book was the Medium is the Massage and it was a mistake by the publisher. McLuhan let the 'a/e' mistake stand, because it portrayed the real message he was attempting to get out, amongst other things then. And, we certainly can see what a banal mind massage the CNNs of world are today! (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Medi...)
Don't massage Pegasus too much that the local message is lost. But don't forget that your attraction can easily be distracted, and ultimately crapped on, if you allow certain kinds of global whitewshing and bait-casting to continue unfettered.
Billusa99 Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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TO: MIKE ORREN and Pegasus, regarding this subject /// I have found your concern regarding openness and inclusion to be model professionalism. The 'problem' with some blogs and almost all one way or another, is that a few see the com boxes as their ongoing political platform. And as Mike says, revert to the same regurgitated diatribe no matter what the subject matter or reader response comments. Being a media peripheral myself, I am not suffering in my work life from 'no one listens to me' syndrome. But many others see their chance to grandstand on minutia, to co-opt a blog as their own. The result becomes the repetitive turnoff we are discussing here.
Blogs will be lost to us ultimately because they are high maintenance and time gobbling. This is still the internet in its pre-teen infancy. Can't we enjoy it while we can rather than making it open house for mindless stream of unconsciousness? At its best, Pegasus is irreverent but not irrelevant. Where one can read spontaneous thought rather than thoughtless spontaneity. Please know that readers want to be amused and engaged. Not subjected to blog thread posts written after that third glass of Chardonnay or the second six pack. On a blog as elsewhere, sounding intelligent and showing manners is a worthy adult goal. Hookah Horns!
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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I haven't been posting for a while, and I'll tell you why. One person. You know who it is. Google the username and you'll find the same redundant tripe all over the internet. This person is not the only offender, just the worst, and a shining example of how a great idea could end up as nothing but a forum for exhibitionist web-geeks who ought to stick to their own blogs.
That said, the good things about this website still outweigh the bad (by far). But I have to admit that the format is attracting some of the wrong kind of attention. The news stories are the main target (each one's comments in a downward spiral ending, usually, in race war) - but even a pizza debate drew those who have no qualms with insults and name-calling. So, how do you keep the site focused on its goals: "dedicated to bringing you everything -- and we mean everything -- you could possibly want to know about the things that most interest you about the place where you live?"
Even on the FrontBurner the bloggers can get overzealous (Katies, anyone?) and Wick will get online and tell them to knock it off. Why? Because nobody wants to read it, and he knows it.
As for Pegasus, I can think of one suggestion which might help. Enforce comment limits on the NUMBER of comments a person can post, per day. That way, we don't have to hear from the same people 50 times per story and others might be more inclined to weigh in. The over-posters will have to be much more selective in which of that day's stories is most related to White Separatism. My second suggestion is to the readers: this site is, in a way, too cool for Dallas. Meaning we are lucky to have it. Before posting, decide whether you are making a contribution to the whole or just ranting and/or alienating others. If we want the site to be a success, our added content must be worthwhile, too.
WhitneyTM Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Sanders Kaufman Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
Sigh.
WhitneyTM Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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Sanders, that's exactly the kind of comment that I have a problem with. You have no basis that I can see for calling Whitney a white separatist -- In fact, she's made comments on this site indicating that she's the opposite.
Again, I find it interesting that you see yourself in a comment that does not mention you.
We've bent over backwards to accommodate you and not shut down repeated lines of discussion that are annoying many of our users, and frankly, me. I see now that trying to work with you rather than shutting this down sooner was a mistake.
Call me a NeoChristian gay-basher right wing toady if you like (although anyone who knows me could tell you that I'm far from any of the above). This isn't about ideology. It's about learning how to co-exist as part of a community.
Consider this a final warning. If you don't like it, go elsewhere. Our community has spoken. The NeoTroll conspiracy stops. Now.
Mike Orren Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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Despite the overdue rant above, we have learned much from this discussion-- And we still look to incorporate some of the good suggestions above into the site.
And if we've been too heavy-handed, I'd like to hear about it from any longtime user / regular contributor who thinks so.
Mike Orren Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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I think you should just kick him off now.
twisteddog Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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Can I have a bye if there's going to be a rule against posting after beers, cognac, champagne and vino?
DC Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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No rule on that, DC. Otherwise, half the content on this site wouldn't get created.
Mike Orren Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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I agree with the suggestions to eliminate anonymous posting and offer an "ignore user" feature.
Scott Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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I'll drink to that!
This is your blog to protect. Set limits on posts per day, and # of threads, and block repeat offenders altogether. Meanwhile: When someone comments on anything from restaurants in Arlington to ground hogs in Lakewood and easement applications at the Arboretum and lesbian poetry readings in Wilmer, it's a sign they are either hyper involved in our community at large, or have absolutely no life whatsoever.
.
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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Moderate proactively instead of reactively and the trolls go away. They keep posting on this site or any place because they feel they have an audience, and because they get a reaction. Take away their drug and they seek it elsewhere.
J
J_Mortimer Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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Geezzzz, no room for tongue-in-cheek, cynicism or sarcasm??
Aawwwww, pishaw Ren!
;)LLM
Lisa Lawrence Merritt Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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Mike - Of course I could tell Whit(n)ey was talking about me. Heck - this whole dang thread was about me. That's why you started it - to figger out what to do about me. Right?
Interestingly - had I posted anonymously, this would never have been the problem that you've blown it up to be. Indeed, it likely would have caused you to do what you should have done all along - disallow anonymous posting.
I started out nice - and you liked it. I wrote about the news articles - and you liked it.
But then you let a few bad apples redirect your focus away from the news articles, and onto me personally.
Now, because I defended myself under my own name, you've got this lengthy Ban-Bucky thread going - which has nothing to do with what's in the news.
What's worse - now you've even censored out my perfectly ON-TOPIC post.
People of weak character often get sucked up into mass hysteria this way.
So, perhaps you're better off sticking to reviewing bad bands and pop restaurants and leaving the controversial hard-news discussions to those with the strength of character to handle difficult topics.
In your defense, this is how the Dallas Morning News reacted when their readers didn't like hosting discussions about the religious zealots, racists and White Separatists that plague our community.
So you're really no different from them, are you?
Harshness aside - I get your point. You're okay with me posting this stuff, and even posting a LOT of it. The only problem you really seem have is that I post UNDER MY OWN NAME.
But for that - this would never have been a problem.
Sanders Kaufman Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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As usual, you miss the whole point. Had you been anonymous, it would have been no different.
There were three users who spurred this conversation. The other two appear to have altered their habits to fit in with the expectations of our community.
You don't read, listen or follow anyone else's arguments and yet you expect us to follow yours.
I have no problem with discussions about things that plague the community. But I do have problems with discussions that plague the community.
I appreciate the attempt to get a rise out of me with the DMN comparison. I can guarantee that you're the only one here who feels that way.
I wish you were discussing controversial hard news. But it's rare that your comments cover anything but opinion without any foundation in fact -- at least that you're willing to share.
I am not OK with you posting this stuff, or a lot of it. You've missed that point from the beginning.
We've wasted enough time on this single user issue and learned some things along the way. Best of luck to you Sanders, and may you find a community that fits your mode of discussion. We're not it.
Mike Orren Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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Gone, but forgotten. Vive la Pegasus.
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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I second Rawlins. We can get back to being on topic and having fun on this piece.
Thanks Mike
Michael Davis Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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re: Registration guarantees that abusive posters don't flood the site with garbage posted under multiple aliases.
Yeah, it would totally suck if people did that.
DC Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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Re: "Blogs will be lost to us ultimately because they are high maintenance and time gobbling. This is still the internet in its pre-teen infancy."
Wow... do ya think there is a world market for maybe five computers, too, like Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, said in 1943? I have to totally disagree with you there, Rawlins.
I like quite a bit of your NPR stuff, and that vein you ride is the same vein as this and other blogs. Tell Marcos (Kos) that 500k readers a day are going away. NOT... NADA... Murdoch pipedream... ain't never happenin' bro'. The democratization that happens via here, away from the massaging CNNs, will always be around.
So, Mike, carry on... from whatever floor you choose. And as for SK, I miss said... the province, not the poster. ;-)
Billusa99 Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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Sir, thank you for any kind words regarding NPR or my work there. But NPR, where my pieces might ultimately be heard by many millions, is not a 'blog'. It is a make-sure-you-know-what-you're-saying-and that-you-mean-what-you-say-and checked-your-facts-bastion of accountable professionalism. In fact, at this time, the gold standard of accessible accountability.
I am blessed to have made a mid-life change of career on-air. But rest assured, I have never, nor WOULD ever, put one word into the airways that has not been thoughtfully mulled and chosen. A 3 1/2 minute piece translates to 500 plus words, and as such, each word is like spending a dollar...when they are gone they are gone. That is totally different...in fact, polar opposite...from this or any blog where access and length is unmonitored. Before I record a piece, I make sure even the word 'the' is necessary. Nothing is left to chance.
To simply scribe whatever comes to mind, on and on, and in the same vein, day after day..... that is when you know that there is a need for other outlets. Personally, if this or any blog becomes about two, 3 or 4-5 people, why would I read it? And better still, contribute? I'm trying to add something here, not take away. I have a lot of places to go and be heard. I just think there's something potentially special about Pegasus IF people will realize that it ….(as my old boss used to say to me when I would be self-involved) is NOT about YOU.
I took a lot of time to talk about Dallas recently and I was tripping over empties over and over when I would hear misinformation repeated, by those completely unused to being challenged in an adult manner. Some were more used to saying it and if they said it, to hell with whether there was a shred of truth to what they posted. If they felt it, it must be so. 'Perception is fact' is the single biggest 'truthiness' of our era. In fact, perception is often the opposite of fact. What impresses me about Pegasus is that they are being witty without being snotty. So why all the snitty posts?
To paraphrase Cyndi Lauper, “Bloggers just wanta have fun”. I hope people like my piece that runs tomorrow morning. It’s very personal if it’s the one I think airs at 6:35 and 8:35 90.1 fm. I recorded two, one sweet, one tart. The sweet one seems to have got tomorrow’s berth. Much love to anyone listening. Adios esta noche.
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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RE: "I am blessed to have made a mid-life change of career on-air. But rest assured, I have never, nor WOULD ever, put one word into the airways that has not been thoughtfully mulled and chosen. A 3 1/2 minute piece translates to 500 plus words, and as such, each word is like spending a dollar...when they are gone they are gone. That is totally different...in fact, polar opposite...from this or any blog where access and length is unmonitored. Before I record a piece, I make sure even the word 'the' is necessary. Nothing is left to chance."
To simply scribe whatever comes to mind, on and on, and in the same vein, day after day..... that is when you know that there is a need for other outlets."
OK, Rawlins... take a step back and look. You can't see the forest for the trees on this, because by typing the statement above, you assume all about all.
You don't know what others do for a post vs what you do for an NPR talk. Saying that they think xx seconds then type, yet you parse 500 words then talk, is a disingenuous implication. You have no way of knowing the thought process behind the blogger, just as we have no way of knowing if you are reading from an email rehearsed from your old college prefessor.
Please don't bring into this discussion "snitty posts" either, as that's a canard and totally unrelated to your blanket statement of "Blogs will be lost to us ultimately because they are high maintenance and time gobbling. This is still the internet in its pre-teen infancy."
Either defend that on the face of it and without assuming you know what bloggers do vs what you do, OR absolve yourself of the fact that there will be a use for more than 5 computers in the world in future. And, you simply spoke prematurely.
You can't have it any other way... and still post on a blog.
Billusa99 Anonymous
2 years, 5 months ago
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Gents, there are few things about which I am oversensitive and feather-ruffledy.
But one of them is this: This is not a blog.
Well, OK, this (Square Pegs) is a blog. It's the only blog on our site.
But Pegasus News is not a blog. Nor is it a newspaper. Nor is it a unicycle.
I'll deliver a more fully baked explanation of that later (for this isn't even a lowly blog post; it's a comment).
But in the meantime:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/blogs/pega...
http://www.pegasusnews.com/blogs/pega...
Discuss amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic: The media revolution of the aughties was neither media nor a revolution.
<img src="http://www.singleservecoffee.com/images/lindarichman.jpg">
But tonight, I'm a bit verklempt. I'll get back atchya...
Mike Orren Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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I never considered Pegasus News a blog. But rather an alternative journalistic forum link with timely local sass to balance almost anything else baked in the Metroplex. I consider the Square Pegs Com Box a de facto reader 'blog'. In any case, hereafter, I'm a reader not a writer. Off to find a round hole and crawl into it for the night. Over. And out.
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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Another suggestion:
If you continue to allow anonymous posters, publish their IP address so that we can tell when different anonymous accounts are actually the same person (as in the Kavala reviews).
David Gouldin Verified
2 years, 5 months ago
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Dave, we've thought about that, but we're trying to walk a line between transparency and privacy. That's why we don't publish IPs, but call BS when we see it by having one of our admins check IP's on fishy posts. And that's why we say "same location," but don't post the IPs.
I believe we're going to continue to allow anonymous commenters, as that covers the vast majority of our users -- and occasionally great tips come from credible folks who could get in trouble for providing info under their real name. But we're working on a reputation system so those who aren't regulars can still recognize the regulars and assess their overall posting behavior.
Mike Orren Staff
2 years, 5 months ago
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