I’m Troubled About A Couple Things * Open Thread
By SusanUnPC on November 19, 2008 at 9:05 PM in Current Affairs
A two-parter note from Susan to all our wonderful NoQuarter readers; first a mea culpa, then a request:
During the harried days before the election, I needed help — a lot of help — with managing all of the trolls who trashed comments threads. Many people were given privileges to help with that, and I was so busy (or ill, unfortunately, so I had to rest in bed, without my computer, at least 65%+ every day). Some of these people made decisions I wouldn’t have made. And sometimes I made decisions that I’ve come to regret.
Many dissenters, including many “moderates,” were driven from the blog by others and, I’m sad to say, a couple times by me. It was usually, actually invariably, a two-way-street kind of situation. The dissenters, including the “moderates,” got very testy with the belligerent, stubborn readers, and said very rude things to these people.
We really dislike rude, personal comments towards other readers. That kind of behavior may fly at Daily Kos, but we at NoQuarter aspire to a more thoughtful critical response from our readers, with no personal attacks. (Now, don’t climb all over me — I know we miss a lot of those comments, simply because we don’t have the (wo)manpower to catch them all.)
At any rate, if your privileges were suspended or you were banned, and you’d like a fresh start here, please e-mail me at susanunpc at gmail dot com. You MUST include the username under which you wrote those comments so that I can look up what you wrote. I kept records of EVERY comment by EVERY person who was banned or placed on moderation. I’ll review those records and then work with you personally about restoring your privileges.
THERE’S ANOTHER CRUCIAL RULE ABOUT COMMENTS BELOW:
Just so you know: Many of those “comment helpers” who were the most harsh and hard-headed no longer have privileges to erase or unapprove comments. Many of them took undue advantage of their rights. They’re gone.
It’s mostly me handling the comments these days. Especially since the Obamabots — mostly college kids who should have been studying instead — have pretty much started leaving us alone.
If you do see a comment that you don’t like, do not say, “Hey, administrator” in the comments area. Sadly, chances are we won’t see your cry for justice. Instead, send me an e-mail at susanunpc at gmail dot com, and I will review the decision.
We need to be more open these days. If someone writes a criticism of Puma people or Hillary Clinton, or if someone writes something complimentary about Obama, LET THEM! Argue your POV, but don’t bash them. In some cases, they are very correct. I wish I could say more, but it’s best I don’t.
NOW FOR ONE BIG RULE THAT I BEG YOU TO HONOR:
Our writers are brilliant, talented people who have excelled in any number of fields. If you knew their “bios,” you’d be blown away. We have professors of the classics and mathematics and literature and the fine arts. We have prominent economists and attorneys and educators and ministers and actors and mothers and artists, and on and on.
When they write a piece, they give it a great deal of their PRECIOUS TIME — time that they have little of to give because they’re very busy people.
It is unconscionably rude to post off-topic comments below their stories. It is demeaning and cruel.
I cannot tell you how SAD these writers are when their exceptional works are ignored because some person has some “hot” news about Phil Berg or Obama’s birth certificate, or about any of the latest hot theories.
That is why we try — VERY HARD — to post several OPEN THREADS every day.
Other prominent sites also have readers scanning for an OPEN THREAD in which to post their off-topic news items or opinions. Besides the administrators on our site being the “cops on the beat,” our readers certainly can do some community policing as well, and bash (gently?) anyone who posts something off-topic in a topical post or diary.
If you see someone posting an off-topic comment in a topical post, send me an e-mail at susanunpc at gmail dot com. We’ll issue ONE warning in a topical thread. Then we will simply erase any off-topic comments. ERASE THEM.
– And now — without further ado — it’s YOUR OPEN THREAD! ENJOY! Talk about green cheese on the moon or the latest trick you taught your dog or what you think of Pumas or Phil Berg or Hillary or Bill or Barack or Michelle.
Hugs and much love to all of you, Susan
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
by 
* (Included in the 
* 
.by David Fredosso who wrote 2008's 
- You'll have access to 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books, as well as ultra-fast Web browsing with Amazon Silk -- faster than iPad. Full e-mail and document access and a keyboard. Fire can transmit what is on your screen onto a connected TV or monitor without an accessory. It runs Flash (iPad doesn't). 
