*Update:* Due to a mail I just received, I have decided to open the comments on this entry. Let me know what you think of this general tendency.
In a continuing effort to bring down the amount of clutter, repeat questions and non-discussion, I have decided to move all support-like discussions off-site. From now on, support questions concerning Kubrick, Livesearch and whatever else that might need support, should be dealt with at the Binary Bonsai flickr group.
And remember, if it is concerning a general WordPress support question, your best bet will be the WordPress Support Forums.
Also, from now on I will moderate comments on this blog considerably more. I’m not interested in “Yeah, me too!” comments any longer. The same goes for ping- and trackbacks. I realize that the current setup makes you wade through a bunch of mostly irrelevant pings before you get to the actual comments, that’ll change.
Furthermore, I recently started asking you to use your real names over your handles / nicknames. I understand, and do not have a problem with some of you choosing a name other than your own from time to time. My preference is merely the creation of a more ‘genuine’ atmopshere.
This also applies to your spelling / grammar. I have absolutely no problem with errors due to English not being your first language, or whatever. But I do have a hard time tolerating laziness in spelling / use of capital letters. If you intend to spend a few seconds jotting down a message that should be worthy of people’s attention, you also have a few seconds to quickly spellcheck skim your comment and correct the odd errors.
Glad you opened the comments for this entry.
Please define “me too” comments. How about “funny” comments, or off-topic comments?
Concerning spelling mistakes:
1. doesn’t WordPress have a spell checker plugin?
2. tip to fellow posters: install FireFox spell checker, Spellbound.
I spend some time on the Webmaster World forums and something which helps direct the tone, is that you can see when a moderator alters a comment. WMW does not allow users to post links to their own sites, so you might see moderator comments such as this one. As people often lurk around for a long time before posting, this is a simple way of showing the etiquette of a site. Just a thought.
Jens, ‘Me too’ comments could be for instance if I post that an entry which says something along the lines of: “I don’t like the new Justin Timberlake album” and someone chimes in with “Yeah, it sucks! Justin Timberlake is gay!” (this is merely an example, I don’t want to reference any on-site comments, for obvious reasons).
Nine times out of ten, it doesn’t add anything to the site / the worth of the entry. And while there are people who will find the following presumptous, I’m going to go ahead and say it like it is: When Binary Bonsai was a small blog, with 60 readers a day, I took all the comments I could get. But now there is a tendency for entries that deal with certain subjects, to automatically receive a plethora of comments, and while I would normally consider that a ‘good thing’, quality beats quantity.
I don’t mind funny comments. You know me, IRL I can’t keep my mouth shut, so who am I to stop people from something like that ;)
Off-topic comments are slightly more difficult. On one hand, they can be great. Weird discussions can arise, and when that happens, all is dandy. But I have started deleting comments that point out spelling errors, validation errors, SQL problems and what not. Don’t get me wrong, in most of these cases, I want to hear about these things (I am most often already aware of most problems, but that’s hard for people to know of course), but I don’t want the blog to become the communication channel used to tell me these things. That’s what this is for.
Anyway, WordPress does not have a spell-checker available in the comments form. But even so, I should be more specific on this. I won’t go on a rampage deleting every comment with the occasional slipup or whatever. What I am trying to avoid, is the laziness with which some people approach comments. I try to always present what I write in the best possible way, through the use of capital letters where applicable, paragraph changes, punctuation and so on and so forth.
With text being a fairly frail medium of communication, I think it should be worth people’s time to be a bit more careful with these things. It makes them look better, and it eases the digestion of their message.
I have started moderating random spelling errors and stuff like that if I feel that I have the time.
I would like to have a way of showing which comments have been moderated and what not, but to my knowledge there is no such system available right now.
At the risk of being your first moderation victim, let me just say that Spellbound roxer my boxers.
On topic: I understand your viewpoint, and agree with its essence, but it does kinda come off as slightly snooty :) Having known Michael for the a great number of years, let me just assure anybody else, before that tangent is taken by flame, that he is the exact opposite of arrogant.
I can understand your want to keep discussions related to topics not directly concerned with your entries to their appropriate places/forums.
But I wonder about your desire to force users to spell correctly. Where does it end? Is the occasional typo all right? What about grammar, style of writing, punctuation? Will we be marked for originality, creativity and word use?
Is sarcasm still acceptable? :)
Many studies have shown that spelling is not important for conveying your point. Not only this but words are constantly evolving. Spelling changes, meanings change and new words are created. The English language is a language that is very much alive and the Internet is having a huge impact on it. Is capitalizing internet the most appropriate method? Which dictionary are we going to use as our spelling bible? Because if it is Webster’s, I will strongly oppose. Is it acceptable to start sentences with the word because? It wasn’t when I was a child but it seems to be generally acceptable now.
What it really comes down to is are you going to go back and change all your and others “thens” to “thans”. I understand that this is because English is not your native tongue but you are asking for a group of spelling fascists to point out your every mistake.
David, we don’t take to well to sarcasm ‘round these here parts!
I should have been more clear on the whole ‘spelling’ matter. It’s not that I’ll flip out and kill a village of children over spelling errors. I make mistakes all the damn time…
What I am trying to do something about, is lazy writing.
ive tlaked aboot tihs befroe. 1 yr ago.
Michael,
I completely understand and agree to your taking this course of action.
“I came here for the reading, and stayed for the design and the reading”. Or something.
Indeed, in the wake of Kubrick et. al. the site has become much, much more active. And as an impatient reader, I find it hard to distinguish “good comments” from “bad comments”. It can simply easily drown.
As such, Michael stepping up and moderating this, is quite simply a promise of quality. A moderated, relevant discussion, is worth spending time on. Meaningless comments are not.
I have no problem with that. Not only is this Michaels website, but the entries to which we comment, are his too. Not to mention the fact that commentary is a feature quite generously granted to us. “With great power, comes great responsibility” — surely you’ve all seen what happened to spidey?
One thing I worry about, though, is the awesome amount of work it’ll take to moderating all the commentary. Aren’t you worried about some form of moderator burnout?
As for moderating lazy spehling, I agree to that too, especially comments pointing them out. Reminded me of a few quite striking quotes about online commentary:
Meldrum’s Corollary:
As a drawn-out online argument grows longer, the probability of someone picking up on typos or punctuation errors in order to score points approaches one.
… and then this:
Gaudere’s Law:
Any posting that criticizes another poster’s grammar will contain a grammar mistake.
These are laws derived from Godwin’s law.
What if we post, “I wholeheartedly agree,” instead of, “me too”? ;)
Your site has a pretty good signal-noise ratio when it comes to comments and such, Michael, and it’s nice to see that you’re trying to keep in that way.
Yeah, I feel the same way as Sean
(this is a joke)
Didn’t you forget “just more!” :)
Sorry if one of my posts were the useless comments. I’ll use your support forum if I need help.
No need for apologies. I am marking tendencies, not people.
I’m not sure if you are aware, but Paul Scrivens made a similar request on comments today over at whitespace.com. I would just like to thank you for doing it in a way that doesn’t make those that make “me too” comments seem like sheep trying to join the in-crowd (read his post and you will understand).
I read this blog everyday and don’t usually make a comment. However, the contrast between your request and his made me want to say “thanks!” Thanks for the posts and the great attitude and commitment to the community (i.e. kubrick, etc.)
Yeah, I did read Scriv’s entry, which was long and unfocused, even by my standards. He has an unfortunate tendency to lash out at others, for whatever reason. I’m sure he’s got a point or two hidden somewhere within that mess of an entry, but most of it was hidden underneath “I’m being used by sheep” and “A-list bloggers are stupid because they get more traffic than me… But I don’t care”.
Bottomline: Get to the point :)