To my pals who like to check out ol' Olaf now and then and leave comments, I'm afraid I've had to institute a moderation step into the process. Due to perhaps my own intemperate (considering the effect) commenting on another blog, I experienced a mild version of internet harrassment, including having my blog name and link spoofed. Thanks to Ed Ward at Berlin Bites (check it out--excellent writing and also listen for Ed's pieces on culture and music on Fresh Air with Terry Gross), the damage was limited.
What a pain in the ass. But that's the price of freedom of the net.
Anyway, now I'll be checking posted comments to filter a particular individual's ravings. I hate censorship, but that's essentially what it amounts to.
We had a similar problem at our local city council meetings. At one time, anyone could address the council for any purpose with no time limit...until one individual started using it as a personal platform for random ravings and insults to the council members totally unrelated to policy. The consequence was that now all citizens have a three-minute time limit imposed. In the formulation of public policy (aside from asphalt contracts, maybe) most issues are complex enough to require more than three minutes to explain one's position, but thanks to the ranter, we've all had our access constrained. That limit has already been used to try to shut out dissent, and that's the truly terrible result from those who cannot or will not understand how self-control is an essential part of adult discourse.
And that's what's so damned maddening on the internet--99.999999999 percent of all users can be good stewards. Even when involved in truly rabid flame wars, all but a tiny few don't end up trying to sabotage other people's presence in the blogosphere or wherever. But a single individual with no more than an internet hookup, access to a PC, and some malevolent and pretty useless intentions can create a royal crimp in the flow of opinion.
So I'm sorry, but until I can automate filtering the way I'd like to, it's a manual process and you may not see your comments as soon as you've sent them. I'll do my best to frequently check for new comments and get them up.
Again, sorry for the hassle. Don't let it deter you saying whatever you like--I'm only filtering for one jackass.
6 comments:
Wow, that sounds rather absurd. Kinda wish I knew who that was. But anyway, yeah I like to pop in on ole Olaf from time to time and leave my own gladbabble. I enjoy pointing out fallacies in discourse. SO I hope this does not entirely deter from the angry nutballs that occasionally wander these hallowed halls. They do a bring a certain carnivalesque to the whole endeavor.
lol, guess an "angry nutball" here. i am just so glad i voted "for a change" last tuesday. the dems have yet to officially take over and let's see, we have san fran nan backing murtha and murtha fighting with fellow dems for goodness sake. bet a lot gets done in the house...lol they can't even agree among themselves. then i hear that some are planning on just cutting the funds for iraq. make no mistake, we can't continue in the same direction in iraq, but to just simply cut the funding?!?!?! that sends a great message to our brave troops doesn't it? not to mention that i guess we are telling every family of a fallen soldier, "sorry folks, your son or daughter died in vain"
damn i hate ALL politicians
When the political process continues to fail, when is it time for revolution?
angry nutball here again....
very good question Olaf. my vote is that the time is NOW!! we the people MUST hold these crooks accountable for their actions!!
You know you have arrived when someone is cloning your blog! You have to moderate comments now because people keep trying to post their ads on them. Now that is what I call sad.
Oh, nobody was cloning my blog, but rather impersonating me as a commenter on another blog as well as creating a problem on this one. No advertising, just harrassment.
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