Preparing to launch a “flame”.
A couple of things have happened this week that has made me look at this blog just a bit differently than in the past.
- I’ve had to ask for help for the very first time in moderating comments as I’ve run out of hours in the day. Thanks Jeez.
- I’ve had one of the most stressful weeks ever in trying to juggle all the workload with this blog, including a wildland fire that has made 5 of my 6 employees absent today. The phones are quiet at the moment and nothing had broken (yet) in our 50 or so servers.
- The realization that I’m going to have half a million unique page views this month
- Some very rude and juvenile comments were posted as of late by anonymous commenters, some of which I’ve simply deleted wholesale. Some I’ve banned. The trend for this has been upwards.
- I’m not getting other important work done, such as getting the surfacestations.org database updated as new stations are surveyed, and I need to deploy my Stevenson Screen paint experiment again. One of the screens has been damaged my a recent windstorm (knocked over, anchors pulled out).
- I’m falling behind in email correspondence.
As I review my time, I find that a good portion of it goes towards managing this blog. It has become a hungry insatiable animal. While I have no lack of material for postings, doing the moderation/management is becoming a bit much. It is often irritating as well as time consuming.
Faced with a choice of giving up blogging (as Roger Pielke did for awhile) turning off comments altogether (as Roger Pielke did when he returned to blogging) or changing the way comments are handled, I’m considering the latter.
One of the things that has always bothered me about blogging and commentary is that the “anonymous cowards” (as Slashdot calls them) generally have the upper hand. Science bloggers like Tamino and Eli Rabbet fall into the “anonymous coward” category, as do many of the rude posters here and elsewhere. Some like “Dano” and “TCO” have whole careers based on snark. Who are they? I don’t know/don’t care, as they are irrelevant. But, they waste everybody’s time nonetheless.
Being anonymous or using a handle allows you to say any stupid, hateful, inciting, derogatory, or otherwise negative thing you want and have no accountability for your actions. At the same time, your opinion or writings is generally worthless as it can’t be verified. Anonymity IMHO, serves only the purpose to allow bad behaviour while protecting oneself or one’s reputation from any real damage.
On the other hand, people that put their name out there with their work or writings, such as John Coleman, Roger Pielke, Joe D’aleo, Basil Copeland, John Goetz, Steve McIntyre, David Smith, Evan Jones, Jim Goodridge, Warren Meyer, and many others (I’m sorry if I missed anyone), including myself, often get viciously criticized for putting their word and reputation on the line every day for writing something they believe in.
The “anonymous cowards” that publish blogs or comments take no such risks when they criticize or challenge. They can work for NASA, be a member of the IPCC, work for a science organization, be a professor at a university, and can taunt, castigate, or criticize in any tone they wish, all without risk to their professional or private reputation.
So today, when I got some angry anonymous comments, one of which came from a NASA employee (which I know because WordPress.com automatically puts the source IP next to each comment, that’s not something I had to search for) it made me think about “why am I taking all the risks”?
Peilke and D’Aleo solved the problem by turning off comments. I like comments because they give myself and others new perspectives, but I don’t like the easy “drive by vitriol” that sometimes springs forth from anonymity. The commenter “MA” recently provided an example of the worst sort of that.
My father, God rest his soul, always told me to “stand behind my words”. I do that, by putting my name on everything that publishes here. I’ve taken a lot of heat for doing so.
So I’m considering this:
Change of policy – all commenters must use their real name and have valid reachable email. The name would be published, the email would not.
Sure, that will anger some folks, but at the same time it will also force those that wish to comment to choose their words carefully, to act responsibly, and to be courteous of others. It will also cut down on the volume of comments that need moderation.
I figure if you have something to say, and what you have to say is useful, factual, and important enough to add to the discussion, you’ll have no problem putting your name to it. Right?
Ok have at it. I’ll make a decision next week.
“Why not make the registration fee one dollar.” Mike Bryant
Excellent idea! You can read for free, but for talk there’s a fee.
The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 people of Integrity. If they had no backbone they may have signed like this:
John Hancock Herbie Hancock
John Adams J A Da Mannn
Thomas Jefferson Jeff Thompson
Benjamin Franklin Ben Jammin’
Samuel Adams Sammy Dammit
Benjamin Harrison Harry Boy Ben
Samuel Chase Smoothie
Just a little humor to lighten things a bit…
For regular talk… one buck
for rhymes… half a buck
( i know this don’t qualify)
M. Bryant: “Why not make the registration … ”
I’d go for that. Does WordPress give you the tools for it?
REPLY: Almost all of the suggestions regarding registration would require me to move to a private dedicated server to install such plugins. I setup a dedicated server for Steve McIntyre at Cliamte Audit last year when his previous web host in London got flooded, maybe it is time to do it for this blog.
I’m not sure about charging money to make comments though. Maybe charging for cuss words however…
While it would hit me hard personally, a penalty fee of five dollars may be appropriate when a joke falls flat.
Cuss words are not necessary to insult. Not even bad intentions. I seem to have run off Pam. Woe, woe that I am.
I like the lass it’s true.
Her head’s too red
but her heart’s true blue.
I agree with you fully. I comment from time to time on blogs and newspaper articles, always under my full name, as above. I see no problem with that. The only thing is, some blogs, like Samizdata have made their comment access quite complex, with message rejections for, for me, non-understandable reasons. It could be that my non-understanding is my own fault for just being plain thick, but even so, since time is dhort, I have just deleted Samizdata from my favourites, which is a pity, because I like it.
I have no intention of deleting “Watts up with that?”, well certainly not under present managed. Wishing you continued overwork.
brgds
Peter Melia
Been at my son’s graduation from Western Oregon University. I like having people use their real names. I also want to vote for keeping comments open. I love reading what other people have to say on either side. However, I hate comments that are stereotypical. I’ld much rather see true debate on both sides regarding science, data, theories, etc. Saying that conservatives believe this or liberals believe that doesn’t help me understand what the data is saying. That is not to say that we should be a members only blog. I’m afraid that GW’s wouldn’t want to belong which would make it difficult to have a debate. Use real names, but until we need more control (hope not), lets just start there.
While it would hit me hard personally, a penalty fee of five dollars may be appropriate when a joke falls flat.
Five bucks, please.
I like the anonymous comments as it means that if you work in a particular field / government then you can be open about your views without it affecting your career (part of what I do is advise on carbon trading schemes – my personal view is that they are a pile of rubbish but if that were known then I wouldn’t be given the time of day).
And as to why I do it my belief is that if it happens it will happen and I may as well try and get it working efficiently.
As an alternative why not have a registration system so that postings can only come from pre-approved email addresses. That way you can block email addresses should a user regularly troll.
Anthony,
You don’t need to move the blog to enforce registration. WordPress.com allows people to create accounts without needing to create a blog. Since the registration requires a real e-mail address your “problem” is solved.
Then you change your blog settings to registered only and voilà!
I would however question whether registration is really the answer. You just need a group of people you can trust to enforce sensible moderation policies. The pain you’re suffering is just the natural problems of growth in a popular blog.
The greatest problem posters I had on CA were people who published under their own names – so its not the anonymity that produces the “keyboard kourage” but something else.
Anthony,
There are many sources of nformation that I have found I can not trust.
You I trust.
Whatever you need to do.
But I’ll still let my Evil Twin sign the post.
Regards,
Steamboat Jack
I, for one am glad this blog is here, debunking all of the Al Gore (and others’) hype. And I am glad the readership numbers are so high. Yeah, the kooks are out there, as always, opposing the truth. I find your information fascinating.
Hi,
I just stumbled onto this site and want to see it continue. You do what you need to to keep it rolling.
J Frank La Due
Anthony,
As someone who moderates a very tightly controlled message board (in terms of civility, anyway) I think registration is the way to go (with the registrant asked to provide a real name to you, and encouraged to use as his or her posting handle), and a “report an inappropriate comment” button would allow some group help with the moderation. Probation periods also work well.
While I have no objections to using my real name, I can certainly understand the objections others have voiced. No one wants to be blindsided by a politically motivated boss using internet comments to determine raises, etc.
Anthony,
I just setup an account in WordPress without creating a BLOG. I can now post without having to enter my Email account. I admit this would be a problem for some people who would be subject to reprisals but it would discourage a lot of the junk postings. Too bad you are no longer displaying avatars, I uploads a (vary bad) picture of myself.
Mike
REPLY: I’m aware of this reg process, it doesn’t do much for this situation though
I use my first name, last initial only because my name is unique enough that it would be easy to find in a Google search. I worry that some highly-programmed HR director or bureaucrat would do a search, not agree with something I said, and then that would impact a future opportunity. And of course like so many commenters here, I don’t abuse the privilege.
At the same time, I believe that outright anonymity is a refuge of cowards. And there are so many on the web making awful comments and hiding behind pseudonyms. I would prefer a balance, or a registration scheme to posting full names. But as many have noted, it’s your blog Anthony. Your rules.
Either way, it’s a fantastic blog, clean, and well maintained and generally free from the terrible trolls, and I will continue reading.
REPLY: Making and keeping it that way is a huge amount of work. That is the issue.
(Formerly superDBA) Fair enough. On my infrequent trips off the sidelines, it was only a conservative’s general desire for privacy that caused me to use a nom de plume.
Well it’s your choice, but I don’t think most of your readers will be pleased with your decision.
Excellent blog, I love it and read it every day. I fully support a decision to require actual identities to post comments. I rarely take time to comment on blogs because of a busy schedule, so I can appreciate the sacrifice of your personal time in moderating the blog. As for the ones who don’t want to be identified because of fear of repurcussions from the alarmists, I can only say it’s time to grow a pair and saddle up. Putting one’s personal interest above the pursuit of the truth is what got us into this looming catastrophe in the first place.
Nathan Stone
Hendersonville, TN
I post semi-anonymously simply for privacy reasons — to protect myself against weirdos, spammers, and identity thieves. I use my real first name, but only my last initial. Those who know me can know that the comments came from me; by not using my full name, those who wish me ill are less likely to bother me.
If I were to use my full first and last name, then I fear that simply by googling, a person could learn more about me than I wish to share with the world. (I have no problem with submitting an email address that does not get published.)
James S: “And as to why I do it my belief is that if it happens it will happen and I may as well try and get it working efficiently.”
An efficiently working pile of rubbish is still a pile of rubbish. Find another line of work.
When I first started commenting (doing battle with the likes of Dano 10 years ago) I went by jerel. Then I realized that I would not be able to take credit for my words when they turned out to be proven correct. I started using my real name and have never regretted it.
What kind of a country do we live in if government and/or university employees are afraid to express an opinion in a scientific debate? Stand behind your words and let’s shine the light on the neo-Nazis that want to control your speech. When you give in to these out-of-control authoritarians, you empower them!
Just want to put my vote in for jeeztheadmin’s moderation solution.
Also want to voice agreement with posted concerns of some becoming targeted if their real name becomes known. I’m a real nobody and can give as good as I get but, many don’t have the time or inclination. As has been noted, there could be real political and professional consequences for some.
In terms of community policing and moderation, other structures such as yahoo groups or vBulletin forums may provide better tools. However, for me, the comments to your post here are very much a part of the sharing and camaraderie surrounding and supporting your blog.