This is the post that every blogger never wants to write. But the time has come since I’m now aware of more than one incident of a commentator here being harassed by another commentator. After finding out about those incidences I dug through the comments and there definitely is some fishy behavior where one person appears to be using a number of aliases. And we’ve all noticed the increasingly banter between folks which some find humorous and sarcastic but I’m sure others find offensive.
So, I’m not turn off commenting completely but I will be paying much closer attention and will liberally remove comments that I deem in any way offensive. I’m not saying you can’t be critical about projects or be critical of our local condo economy but I am asking you be thoughtful, constructive and most of all don’t harass anyone (shouldn’t this go without saying??)
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6 responses so far ↓
1 Justin Bowers // Dec 4, 2008 at 10:52 am
phew! Glad you said it. We’ve had to delete many comments from people saying anything they could to just be negative, as opposed to making an attempt at initiating a thoughtful debate. We have to go through a sales pitch every time we want to do an interview or take pictures because of negative comments that have left a poor impression on professionals who are out there just doing their job. Great post!
2 Troubletown // Dec 4, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Matt–
I love your blog, but I admit that I’ve just skimmed or stopped reading the comment threads over the past couple months because the crazy-factor was spiking hard.
I totally support you reasserting control over the comment thread, and I’m looking forward to resumption of thoughtful, interesting, and respectful discussion.
3 JB // Dec 4, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Sorry that there’s a idiot who thinks this is DIGG and is a coward. You can reason with someone who is crazy with a computer
4 Cosmo Seattle // Dec 4, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Thanks Matt! Sockpuppetry (multiple identities for the purpose of deception) is annoying and undermines a lot of the good that can come from citizens sharing stories, insights, etc., online. Would you be willing to out the puppet masters (or at least their aliases) so the blogging community can help moderate?
5 The MD // Dec 4, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Good job, Matt.
6 EP // Dec 4, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Good to know you’re reigning it in. I’ve been reading and enjoying this blog for months but didn’t want to participate in any discussions to avoid getting assaulted via comments.
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