Since the traffic on this blog continues to increase then perhaps it is time to review the comments policy. I see this blog as an extension of my home. I do not give total strangers free rein in my home. The same principle applies to my websites. If people are seeking a public forum in which they can express whatever opinion pops into their minds, this is not the place, especially if you do not use a real name and/or I have no idea who you are.
I think Lifehacker makes some excellent points in this regard. Most of the people who comment regularly on this site are people who have written to me privately, identifying themselves or else I have seen them around the internet on their own blogs and other people's blogs. If a total stranger comes here for the first time and immediately starts criticizing any of my usual guests, then I will not publish what they have to say. As a hostess, it is my duty to make certain that my guests are not insulted, especially those friends who have been coming here for years, and have found this blog a site where they can express an opinion without being pounced on.
As for people who wish to use this site to attack the Catholic Church, this is not your forum. Your comment will not be published. Neither will any slanderous comments be published. That does not mean that people do not have a right to express their opinions on any number of topics discussed here. They have and they do. As long as you know that if I do not agree, I will say so.
I have made some wonderful friends through the comment box, even with people who I clashed with at first. However, when visiting and commenting on this blog for the first time, I recommend a few pleasantries as a way of introducing yourself before diving into a discourse about why you think someone is wrong. It's the standard for my home and it's the standard for this blog. If someone is uncomfortable with this policy, then please go elsewhere to express yourself.
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10 comments:
Thank you EMV for keeping your blog a place of intelligent discourse and polite discovery. There is so much junk on the internet; I think your blog is refreshing! :)
Thank you, Margaret, for your kind words and continued support.
Mrs. Vidal (being a younger man I ought to address you as Mrs)
This is sorely needed. The truth is Americans as a whole (and probably most youth in other countries) have entirely lost the art of conversation. People often do not treat on subjects rationally, or they take a rejection of their opinion personally rather than evaluating on merit. People don't often express the tact which they ought, (particularly to ladies) nor do they know how to accept positive criticism let alone give it.
The impersonal nature of the internet helps this. You don't feel like you've done anything wrong if you've attacked a digital image of someone else 1,000 miles away. I applaud this move and hope to see more bloggers move in this direction.
I have always admired the gracious and charitable way you handle this blog. It is a very civilized and hospitable place.
Excellent policy Elena.
Mdme Recamier chaise award goes to you. The art of conversation and contrasting commnetary has sadly gone away. I think it happened in the US about the time the hippies used to protest Viet Nam. Ears and mind closed they attacked anything and anyone they disagreed with. Such is the mob.
Never wishing to be part of the great unwashed, I slept through the 70s.
Brantigny
Thanks, everybody. I am touched by your kindness.
I could not agree more!!
I was stunned last week to receive a comment on my blog that consisted of nothing more than swear words and insults. Anonymous of course.
I love your analogy of the blog being your home. Quite right. We wouldn't give them house-room in the 'real' world.
Sorry to hear that some Anonymous coward was so rude to you. They do that to new bloggers. Screening comments has made a big difference for me!
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