08 March 2008

Comment Guidelines

Though we strongly support free speech, that belief does not require us to provide you a forum. This is not the BYU Soapbox or the UCL Union. Even those places limit speech.

We reserve the right to delete your comments for any reason whatsoever--even a made up reason. We will not explain ourselves.

That said, here’s our guess at the types of comments that will be deleted:

Personally offensive comments. Please, debate the topic on its merits.

If you have any doubt whether or not you should post your comment, ask yourself the following question: in civilized company, would this get me punched? If the answer is yes, try and rephrase the comment with less insulting/offensive language.

Do not spam the comments section. You may refer to another blog or site, but it must be topical.

If you want to see something specific discussed or posted, email us. Attempts to hijack a comment thread will be deleted.

Keep your language PG-13. Use of the "F-word" will get your comment deleted every time. If you find this limits your language, we recommend using the thesaurus at dictionary.com.

Refrain from making derogatory comments about other commenters personal motivations. Again, debate the topic on its merits.

This is by no means intended to be a complete list of reasons for which you may be deleted. Furthermore, you may see our standard unfairly or unevenly applied.

We love free speech and will not delete your comments because they disagree with our point of view. This is not Soviet East Germany and we are not the Stazi. We only ask that you treat other commenters civilly and with respect. Our goal is to provide a forum in which everyone feels comfortable airing their opinions without fear of personal attack. Attack the idea, not the person.

Commenter Identification

Fake names are fine, even encouraged. Offensive names are not, and will get your posts deleted. The important point is that you consistently post under the same name. Do not impersonate another blog commenter/reader.

We will do everything we can to regulate civil discussion. If you happen across a comment you think violates our comment guidelines, please, email us. We do not want thoughtful commenters turned away because of a few domineering bullies. If you want to sling mud and use foul language, head on over to the Daily Kos.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I really can not resist commenting on the comments section of my favorite blog to post comments! Right?

Trust me, I frequent the thesaurus when posting on your site. So it is possible to express yourself, if this foul-mouthed dude can do it tastefully. I hope.

As for being offensive, I hope my recent post on the BYUSA guys was not too over-the-top. As a liberal reader, I find it very interesting to personally engage with both the topics, their authors, and the other commenters. I also appreciate this forum for allowing/using comedy to explore some of the darker subjects in politics, culture, sports, and good 'ol BYU!!!

I vote that you allow posts in good spirited ribbing, though draw a firm line between hurting people's "personal" feelings and their "political" feelings.

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