How I Manage Comments on My Blog
I often get comments like the following regarding how I handle comments (which I moderate):
Jason Heath is censoring free speech.
I’ve tried to post several times but he won’t allow me to and all I have is a contrasting view-point without any foul language.
Here’s my response to this person. I didn’t mention this in my reply, but a sure way to not get your comment approved is to leave a fake email address or fake name. Generally, people who do that are leaving “flame” comments:
I moderate all comments on this blog and generally go through the comment queue once per day. This is due to hate speech and inappropriate comments that come through. This blog gets a lot of comments, so it takes me time to go through this material.
Also, this is not a public forum–this is a blog that I run, and I reserve the right to approve or delete any comment as I see fit. That’s how a blog works. I actually DO approve a lot of negative comments. I don’t recall the comments you mentioned posting, and I apologize if I deleted them inadvertently. I like to see debates get going on this blog, and I like hearing a lot of different viewpoints. But you’d be amazed at the hateful and vitriolic stuff that comes across my virtual desk in the form of comments. I simply have to approve them one-by-one.
A lot of kids read this blog, and I want to keep this place clean and not let crazy ranting comments stream under each post. If I didn’t moderate then that’s what would happen. I’m sorry if this is annoying, but this isn’t actually a public forum–it’s my blog. It even says so in the title! I welcome comments, but I will “censor” as I see fit. This is my policy. I even have a page on the blog describing this policy: http://doublebassblog.org/features/blogging-policy
I’ve found that people write things online that they’d never say in person. As a result, the level of discourse gets really low online–an perusal of YouTube comments will demonstrate this. If this starts to happen here (and it does), I try to nip it in the bud.
21 May 2009, 10:17 am
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with deleting any comments. If people are so concerned about free speech they can go start their own blogs and write about it. There is no such thing as free speech on my blog. If I read something I don’t like, I delete it.
21 May 2009, 10:23 am
Freedom is importent, but some comments are evel and showing
Moronic way of thinking, anvy!
this kind should be out!
21 May 2009, 11:08 am
“Jason Heath is censoring free speech”
NO No No no no no …
Jason censoring “moronic free speech” that came from the bottom of the anvy way of life – leading to evel un-fair comments!!!
BRAVO Jason !!!
(Dont let unloved children place in your blog!)
21 May 2009, 11:39 am
Joel Spolsky has some excellent things to say about comments on forums (and by extension, I think, blogs) on his site: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/BuildingCommunitieswithSo.html
Recommended reading – especially the last half or so.
Jacque
21 May 2009, 3:19 pm
Funny how people hiding behind “Freedom of speech”
and try to feed us with low comment through this,
Jason, all the way, this is not YouTube, You dont need this kind of low level conversaion-cult in your blog, stop it at the moment
before it even begin!!
03 June 2009, 9:21 pm
Sweet blog. I never know what I am going to come across next. I think you should do more posting as you have some pretty intelligent stuff to say.
I’ll be watching you .