Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Changes Around Here

There are a few.

- Comment moderation is enabled. My judgement is harsh and cannot be appealed. (John B, if you have to apologize "for abusing your sensitivities" when you use a euphemism for a briefly-popular comedic expression, count on not getting your comment posted).
I'm saving all comments but a few (4 so far) are not getting published; one has been published as an image. The author of that one, "Bill," has sent another comment in much the same style, chortling about how "you got played;" there's another from "Anonymous" claiming "there would never be enough 'verifiable' information to convince [Roberta X]." Anon, there is a difference between "verifiable information" and "information enough to convince Roberta X." I could publish the first; the second, not so much, as inference and consilience* are tough to successfully defend. I could certainly make my own conclusions based on the second, though, and I have done so.

- BlogMeets will be invitation-only until I decide otherwise. Probably dates will be published, locations will not (and they will be new ones); RSVP and if you're unknown to me, you will be checked out. This is based not so much on recent events as it is on the attendee at the last one who prompted this post. I don't have any problem at all calling out "He@rtl@nd Irregul@rs" as a bunch of racists, since they provide all the evidence on their website, but I'm not going to increase their web-visibility by linking to their site or even spelling their name with the right letters. --I put off starting a fight over it but I was in no hurry to schedule the next BlogMeet. Now that I'm moderating comments, there's not going to be a fight.

- "Once bitten, twice shy." Hey, I try to be nice, and fair, and decent, and to let stupid notions reveal their own stupidity. But I can be a hard-nosed ol' babysitter when I have to, and I can be harsh on myself when that is merited, too. Readers are fine and most of you are appreciated, but like Unk says, "I write this for me, not you."
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* Thanks to SF writer Michael Flynn for introducing me to the term in his fine book, Eifelheim, which bounces between star-traveling aliens stranded in 12th-Century Europe and a scholars in a future only a few years from now.

25 comments:

jetfxr69 said...

I see nothing here that should rile reasonable people. You have been consistent in your expectation of civility and in calling out rudeness as needed. I don't know if the loss of shame in society preceded or followed the growth of incivility, but I'm certain they are linked.

Please do publish the Blogmeet dates. I've been thinking of making the trip from Dayton for quite a while. If one of those weekends finally works out I'll have no qualms asking separately where the event will occur.

Larry said...

I'm sorry it had to come to that, but it's one of the reasons my comments section has always been moderated.
It's your place. Run it as you see fit.

perlhaqr said...

I'll be running through Indy on the 27th or 28th of December. I'd sure like to meet up with some of you folks for lunch or whatever meal is handy for when I'm rolling through.

(Delivering a car from Baltimore to Seattle over winter break from school, so not much time to dawdle, but I gotta eat anyway.)

The Jack said...

Yeah, this is your shop. You've gotta call 'em like you see 'em.

Shame about the mod and the blogmeets but they forced your hand and you're under no obligation to make a clubhouse for those you don't want to associate with.

og said...

See, this is the problem I have with Blogger. At my site, when some butthead shows up, I edit his comments to say what I think he really means, often with hilarious results. I used to engage them, and try to reason with them, but I will have no more battles of wits with the unarmed. Blogger does not allow you to edit comments, to my knowledge. Oddly enough, though many have made personal threats, and my actual location is remarkably easy to find, not one person yet has showed up at my door.

Tango Juliet said...

I noticed that moderation had been enabled.

I don't blame you at all. I am surprised in fact, that you had been able to run w/o moderation fired up for all this time.

You owe no one an apology or an explanation Bobbi.

Ed Rasimus said...

Always sad to have to admit that some folks can't engage in reasonable conversation and rational debate. So far I've not had the problem, but I'm not blessed with your traffic level. Press on!

Blog Admin said...

I had that same group follow me on Twitter. After I found out what they were, I blocked them and encouraged my Twitter followers (they seemed to follow a lot of the local/state politicos) to block them as well.

Wayne Conrad said...

I've never had a problem with the way you run your blog, and I still don't. I'm sorry you have to be a bouncer at your own party.

BobG said...

It's a sad state of affairs when there are people who are so lacking in manners that you are forced to moderate their comments.

Roberta X said...

Og: editing otherpeople's comments can be very funny, but when you do it over their name (and URL link), not everyone gets the joke and they get a free link.

I won't gaslight people. Commenter's words are their own here -- they might not get through the filter, or only get through as an image or an obvious partial quote (usually to omit offensive or actionable words) and get mocked, but I won't rewrite and claim someone else wrote it.

Bob G: it's not rudeness per se, it's me not wanting to give out links to stuff I don't care to encourage or be associated with.

Perlhaqr: e-mail me and/or Tam. Looking forward to it!

Comrade Misfit said...

"Consilience". I'd not heard of that word before.

(See, boys and girls? Reading blogs is educational!)

og said...

"but when you do it over their name (and URL link)"

Ah, I always change the URL too. Since you haven't clicked on one of the updated links, let me assure you: Do NOT click on the updated links. You do not want to see to where I re-link trolls. It would make those cute Betty Page bangs stand up like Don King's hair for ever.

karrde said...

The place don't look too different.

Except for that moderation thing...

I don't have any pressing reason to head through (or to) Indy-city, but I have been debating about scheduling a visit to a blog-meet.

I'll keep my eyes open, and maybe toss you an email or two.

Sport Pilot said...

This is your Blog written for your own reasons and viewed by the public. Having to take some flack from uncivil folk's is one thing, being bombarded by problem children another. By all mean's follow your own best judgement here, it's your right.

LabRat said...

Having a race war in one's comment section or at the dinner table is not an acceptable thing.

WV: "Naccinations". What one does to prevent the above...

Jeffro said...

Only on the inner tubes.....

I can always count on this place being a model of civility, fairness, honesty and morality.

Illegitimi non carborundum!

I am reminded of Groucho Marx's quote: I won't belong to any organization that would have me as a member, and I'm just glad you've let me hang around!

Guffaw in AZ said...

'What Maroons these mortals be!'
(Conflating Shakespeare AND Chuck Jones)
It's your blog, do as you wish - gfa

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

All I can say after 5h on the road is that you rock, modded comments or no.

Roberta X said...

Nathan, you'll make me blush!

Indy Student: yep.

Drang said...

Sorry it came to this, but
1) Your backyard, ball, and rules, and
2) It beats the alternative, which would, I suppose, be you not blogging. (NOOOOOOO!!!!!)

A shame a good cause was orginazed by someone with skeletons in his closet, especially since they are skeletons that our opponents love to accuse us all of sharing.

Brian In Florida said...

I think this is the first time I have commented on your nice blog. At least I think it is, you have been a daily ready for quite some time and I wanted to say Thank You.
There will ALWAYS be at least 1 in every crowd, sorry it necessitated changes but it is for the best. Trolls like to be fed and fed often. Again thanks, and have a Merry Christmas.

Mark Alger said...

Damned shame. That's why we can't have nice things. ::sigh:: One thing that's kept me marching on is the thought that, "Once I get back on my feet, I'll be able to go to Indy for the blogmoots again." The open-door freeforall had been -- for me -- a bright spark in a dark world, well worth the day on the road. Sorry to hear/see that sullied.

M

Bubblehead Les. said...

Your House, Your Rules. Sorry you had to do that for the Blogmeet. I can vouch for Karrde, if you don't know him already. Ask him about a Fire during a Thunderstorm at the NorthCoast Blogshoot last September the next time you see him.

Angus McThag said...

Your place your rules!

I fully support your decision to enable moderation.

I say this because I see far too many comments from people complaining about how their first amendment rights have somehow been truncated by the addition of said moderation.

I assume that it's enough to bring one down, so I think some support is merited.

Dang shame about the blog meets becoming quasi-secret. I'd hoped to attend one someday while traveling between Florida and Iowa. Say-La-Vee (Huked awn foniks French!).