Commenting Guidelines

Subject: Commenting Guidelines Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:59 pm

First of all, I want to make it clear that I highly encourage
everyone who reads 161st Street to comment. I understand a lot of people
either don’t like to comment or do not have to time to comment, but the
commenting system is very simple yet very rewarding. The most important
part of any blog is reader interaction, and it’s tough to have that
without comments. Still, while I want all readers to comment, there
should be some guidelines to keep in mind when commenting which are only
intended to encourage more people to comment. Here they are:

Commenting here at 161st Street is very simple. No registration is
necessary, and it is possible to comment without providing any
information. However, I ask that you do provide a name and e-mail
address. A name is particularly important because many people do not
like talking to people who go by “anonymous.” And do not worry, I will
not share your e-mail address with anyone so you can be sure that it is
safe.
Do not post spam or advertising. If you wish to promote your own
blog you can do so easily by placing the URL of your site in the field
found in commenting section labeled “website.” Promoting your own site
withing an actual comment is unnecessary and can draw from a
conversation.
The posting of false breaking news will not be accepted. By this I
do not mean that you will not be tolerated if you post news that a
journalist reported that turned out to be false. I simply mean that you
cannot just post breaking news that you just made up. Regarding true
breaking news: you may either post about breaking news on the Off Topic
page or use the “Submit a Tip” box in the sidebar to contact me,
assuming there is no blog post already on the topic.
While I do not censor any comments for profanity, let’s keep it to
a minimum. While some people may take no offense to profanity we must
keep in mind that others may and that 161st Street may be read by people
of all ages and all walks of life.
It is essential to keep comments on topic. Avoid posting something
not related to the post at hand. Off topic comments are distracting and
they take away from the subject at hand. If you wish to say something
that is not related to any recent blog posts you are more than welcome
to use the Off-Topic
page where you can talk about just anything, including non-baseball
related items, as long as it is not distasteful. I challenge you to post
something “on topic” on the Off-Topic page.
If your comment does not appear shortly after posting it, do not
worry. Your comment was either marked for spam or you are a first time
commenter. Either way, I recommend that you just wait. I will approve
your comment as soon as possible and once you are approved once your
future comments will be automatically approved as long as they pass the
spam filter. If after waiting some time and your comment is still not
visible, you are welcome to e-mail me and I will get back to you as soon
as possible.
A majority of 161st Street’s readers are probably Yankee fans, but
non-Yankees fans are encouraged to participate here as well. On that
matter, fans of all teams, including the Yankees, are to be treated with
respect. In addition, personal attacks will not be tolerated.
I understand that you will not always agree with my opinions, and I
respect that everyone will have their own opinions. However, I will not
tolerate anyone putting down others because they do not share their own
opinion. If you wish to voice your disagreement with something I say or
something someone else says, please go right ahead, however, do not just
say, “You’re wrong.” Always try to back up your statements with
substance, because quite frankly, empty arguments are not very
believable even if they are correct.
The following guidelines are not really rules but rather just comment etiquette:
1. Correct grammar and spelling are highly appreciated and make a discussion much more fluid and comprehensible.
2. Repeated comments are unnecessary and distracting. If you post
  something in one thread, there is no reason to post the same comment in
  another thread. Obviously, if you repost a comment by accident there is
  no reason to worry, but I might delete one of the repeated comments.
3. Anyone who feels the need to declare that he/she was “first” to post
  in a thread will probably never comment here again. I don’t expect
  anyone to do this, but I’ve seen it elsewhere so I just want to make it
  know that this is unacceptable.
4. There is no need to write anything in all capital letters. Writing
  in all capital letters in annoying and obnoxious. If you feel the need
  to show emotion, exclamation marks work very well.
5. When citing recent material, it may be helpful to link to your sources so people don’t think you are just making something up.
6. To keep things fluid and understandable I ask that whenever you wish
  to reply to a comment please use the “reply” button. This is important
  because in longer conversations it can be difficult to find replies if
  they are not in the appropriate location.
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Well, if you just read all of those guidelines, thank you very much.
These guidelines are not intended to shoo people away from commenting,
but rather to encourage more people to comment. I’ve never really had
any issues with any commenters, but that doesn’t mean present
frequent commenters shouldn’t follow these guidelines. The only thing I
am trying to change here at 161st Street is the quantity of commenters.
My ultimate goal with this blog is to create large community of
interacting baseball fans. So please, I know many readers do not like to
comment, but please, give it a try.

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