I must be doing something right!
This week I’ve managed to catch the attention of several blogs of the hysterical “OMG, the Episcopal Church is apostate” stripe. Even a guy in Canada – whose stake in this discussion would be what? – is sending folks my way. Thanks, guys! You’ve done worlds for my site stats!
But here’s one word of warning: So far, I’m allowing anybody who’s registered to post comments here. Mostly, folks have behaved like Christians. I’ve even enjoyed some very good exchanges with Dallas Deacon Phil, despite our disagreements in the Presenting Issue, in the comments downstream.
However, this evening I’ve come to the attention of one of those bottom-feeder blogs that Elizabeth has characterized so aptly, and the first commenter coming from that site does not bode well for my continued open-door policy.
So … friends … I’ll be monitoring the blog closely in the next few hours. If you go over the top, I’ll turn comment moderation ”on” again, so that I’ll have sole approval over each comment, determining whether or not it gets published here. Disagree if you wish. But let’s speak as the Christians we claim to be.
Edit 08.03.06: Friends, the trend I perceived has indeed come to pass. This latest blog to link to mine has directed some commenters here whose language and neanderthal level of cognition would be awarded medals on Virtue. So I've had to turn comment moderation on. No comments will get through the site until I get back home and have a chance to review each of them. I'm sorry this will get in the way of the thoughtful souls who want to comment here. But I'll review all your comments and "clear" the Christian ones as soon as I get back to e-access.
But here’s one word of warning: So far, I’m allowing anybody who’s registered to post comments here. Mostly, folks have behaved like Christians. I’ve even enjoyed some very good exchanges with Dallas Deacon Phil, despite our disagreements in the Presenting Issue, in the comments downstream.
However, this evening I’ve come to the attention of one of those bottom-feeder blogs that Elizabeth has characterized so aptly, and the first commenter coming from that site does not bode well for my continued open-door policy.
So … friends … I’ll be monitoring the blog closely in the next few hours. If you go over the top, I’ll turn comment moderation ”on” again, so that I’ll have sole approval over each comment, determining whether or not it gets published here. Disagree if you wish. But let’s speak as the Christians we claim to be.
Edit 08.03.06: Friends, the trend I perceived has indeed come to pass. This latest blog to link to mine has directed some commenters here whose language and neanderthal level of cognition would be awarded medals on Virtue. So I've had to turn comment moderation on. No comments will get through the site until I get back home and have a chance to review each of them. I'm sorry this will get in the way of the thoughtful souls who want to comment here. But I'll review all your comments and "clear" the Christian ones as soon as I get back to e-access.
posted by Lisa Fox at 8/03/2006 06:23:00 PM
2 Comments:
Censorship is very unbecoming.
Open your heart, and tolerate a little diversity okay? Painful as it sometimes may be.
Marty, I'm willing to tolerate diversity. I'm not willing to tolerate hatred.
There are two kinds of censorship.
One squashes every view that differs from his/her own. I'm not doing that. In fact, I believe you'll note that I've ok'd every comment you've submitted -- as well as many others this week that are very critical of what I've written here.
I'll "release" [a.k.a. "publish"] critical comments here (like yours), as long as their authors know how to have civil discourse. Or ... as my grandmother was wont to say ... "as long as they keep a civil tongue."
The other kind of "censorship" culls-out degrading, obscene speech. Those are the ones that I've had to delete today. And which I will continue to cull-out.
Let me explain.
I will allow some mild profanity here. The occasional mild expletive does not get my knickers in a twist. But there are certain four-letter words [think of those beginning with "c" or "f"] which will not appear here. Use one of those "hot-button" expletives, and I guarantee I won't publish the comment.
And there is some plain-old hate-mongering speech, which attacks individuals very personally, which has been submitted here ... and I'm not going to publish that, either.
I'm making up my editorial policy as I go along -- since I'm only one week into My Life in the Blogosphere.
But here's one concept I've drawn from everyone from Fr. Jake to T19: Attack the idea or reasoning as viciously as you want to. I'll probably let it stand. But attack a person, or engage in name-calling or demeaning language ... and your comment is grass [and I’m the lawnmower]. It won't appear here. There are plenty of "reasserter" sites where that kind of attack will be accepted. But this is not one of them.
All that notwithstanding, I have and probably will continue to accept a few comments here that have a terribly hateful, unChristian tone. I want those people to be seen for what they are. As long as they don't attack an individual and as long as they keep their language such that my mother could hear it without blushing, I'll probably accept a representative sample, merely to show how hateful those folks can be. [I accepted one of those downstream.]
And, yes, because I lean toward the "left" side of the current TEC debates, I'll probably accept some comments from my “left-side” friends that you think are not "fair and balanced."
So be it. It's my blog. You want your version of "fair and balanced"? Go set up your own blog.
Yikes! I didn’t mean for this “comment” to go on so long. Maybe I should just copy or abstract this into the main blog into an “Editorial Policy” note. I’ll think about that tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I wanted to give your comment/question some thoughtful reply.
I hope this helps you understand the purpose and limits of my "comment moderation."
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