More on reader comments; NCAA tourney blog
I heard from a couple of readers about my first blog. Here’s what they asked and how I responded:
One reader thought it interesting that, in a blog about what we won’t allow in reader comments on our web site, I used some of the same words and expressions that would get a post deleted.
(I, of course, didn’t use those words in the context of expressing an opinion; I used them as examples of what we don’t want on our site).
I thought about the potential irony before posting my blog, but I decided it was best to be specific. We’ve had a number of posters contact us after their comments were taken down who just wanted to know where the lines are drawn. I can’t think of a better way to demonstrate that. I hope no one was offended.
Another e-mailer asked why we don’t require posters to use their real names when adding a comment to a story. We don’t have the technical capability to impose such a requirement. And besides, there is nothing that would prevent a poster from making up a name, or worse, using someone else’s — just like a few do now.
We’ve discussed the possibility of requiring posters to register e-mail addresses before adding comments, but we want to keep the site as accessible as possible. A lot of internet users don’t like or trust required-registration sites, so we’re not inclined to take that step. That’s not to say that we won’t do it eventually if bad comments get so out of hand that we can’t keep up.
I should also point out that any time we see a post that purports to be from someone well-known, we take it down immediately. If that person lets us know that it is his or her post, we’ll put it back up. We’ve yet to have that happen.
Finally, let me add one more item to the list of things that get your posts taken down: advertising. If a post appears to have the sole purpose of promoting a web site or retail product, it goes.
On a different topic, some readers may be interested to know we’re going to have the Morning News sportswriters who are covering the Razorbacks in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament do a blog from the game sites. The Hogs play Southern Cal Friday night, and our blog entries will start Thursday. They will continue until the end of the team’s tournament run, whenever that will be.
Keep an eye on our web site at nwaonline.net for a link to the NCAA tournament blog.