Comments on: It’s the Conversation - Isn’t It? http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/ Connecting People With Technology Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:01:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Benjamin http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1084 Benjamin Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:22:10 +0000 http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1084 Thanks Bob. It is amazing what can cause a controversial conversation. I have a healthy respect for people who've had to put up with that sort of abuse. I have been spared it so far. I definitely agree that a blogger's blog is their space. We wouldn't let someone graphiti on our front door, so why allow it on our blogs. The amazing thing is that people do it, or do things that are close to it. We have scripts for acceptable behaviour in different social settings. The scripts for the blogosphere are still being established. What is acceptable and what isn't is different from place to place and from what people would do face to face - at least from some of what I have seem, I hope it is - although I could be wrong there. A comment policy sounds like a very good idea. It makes the blogger's expectations explicit, some blogs seem to welcome offensive comments. I don't think we are in that camp! I'm learning. Thanks Bob. It is amazing what can cause a controversial conversation. I have a healthy respect for people who’ve had to put up with that sort of abuse. I have been spared it so far.

I definitely agree that a blogger’s blog is their space. We wouldn’t let someone graphiti on our front door, so why allow it on our blogs. The amazing thing is that people do it, or do things that are close to it.

We have scripts for acceptable behaviour in different social settings. The scripts for the blogosphere are still being established. What is acceptable and what isn’t is different from place to place and from what people would do face to face - at least from some of what I have seem, I hope it is - although I could be wrong there.

A comment policy sounds like a very good idea. It makes the blogger’s expectations explicit, some blogs seem to welcome offensive comments. I don’t think we are in that camp!

I’m learning.

]]> By: bobleckridge http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1083 bobleckridge Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:59:50 +0000 http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1083 Benjamin, when I posted about homeopathy I got some of the most offensive comments I've ever received and I decided I just didn't want such comments soiling my blog - like Steve says our blogs are our spaces. So I did two things - I switched on full moderation and I entered some text in a text widget on my wordpress blog which describes my comments policy. I would allow an anonymous comment if it wasn't offensive and wasn't spamming but that seems pretty rare! Most reasonable commenters are perfectly happy to say who they are Bob Benjamin, when I posted about homeopathy I got some of the most offensive comments I’ve ever received and I decided I just didn’t want such comments soiling my blog - like Steve says our blogs are our spaces.
So I did two things - I switched on full moderation and I entered some text in a text widget on my wordpress blog which describes my comments policy.
I would allow an anonymous comment if it wasn’t offensive and wasn’t spamming but that seems pretty rare! Most reasonable commenters are perfectly happy to say who they are

Bob

]]> By: Benjamin http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1079 Benjamin Sat, 08 Mar 2008 08:06:33 +0000 http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1079 Spoken like a man of experience! I like the pub analogy, it made me smile on a cold and frosty morning. I take the point about the anonymous comments, I think there is definitely a line that can be crossed, where you walk away from the conversation if it is abusive, and where the nature of digital media means that others can be spared the abuse. I guess it is fairly civilised around here. Without really thinking about it, I haven't allowed anonymous comments on any of my blogs. Maybe I should? Spoken like a man of experience! I like the pub analogy, it made me smile on a cold and frosty morning. I take the point about the anonymous comments, I think there is definitely a line that can be crossed, where you walk away from the conversation if it is abusive, and where the nature of digital media means that others can be spared the abuse. I guess it is fairly civilised around here.

Without really thinking about it, I haven’t allowed anonymous comments on any of my blogs. Maybe I should?

]]> By: Steve http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1077 Steve Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:37:24 +0000 http://redcatco.com/blog/communication/its-the-conversation-isnt-it/#comment-1077 I think it's important to keep hold of the fact that it's still your blog, and therefor your space... the idea of democratising a blog can have diminishing returns if your remit isn't 'free speech above all else' - I've deleted comments from my blog and the forum on my site before now, usually with an explaination, sometimes without if the person was posting anonymously and offensively... In your case, it seems odd that your comments were deleted, and that seems like a breach of the unwritten blogger's protocol to offer no explaination, but that's how the conversation can go... like someone getting distracted and ignoring you in a chat in a pub :o) Sx I think it’s important to keep hold of the fact that it’s still your blog, and therefor your space… the idea of democratising a blog can have diminishing returns if your remit isn’t ‘free speech above all else’ - I’ve deleted comments from my blog and the forum on my site before now, usually with an explaination, sometimes without if the person was posting anonymously and offensively…

In your case, it seems odd that your comments were deleted, and that seems like a breach of the unwritten blogger’s protocol to offer no explaination, but that’s how the conversation can go… like someone getting distracted and ignoring you in a chat in a pub :o)

Sx

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