Comment etiquette

Dear Readers,

I have been with you for many years now, and first of would like to thank you for reading this blog, caring about community in general and Eastwood in particular, and contributing to conversations that are started here. You are the activists who continue to believe that we all need each other to make this a better place in which to live. Your contributions are mightily appreciated.

When I post on some particularly “hot” issues, I often receive a variety of comments and comments on comments. There have been some concerns expressed about commenting etiquette, and so I thought I would take a moment to share with you some types of comments I encourage and some types I find unacceptable:

Types of comments I encourage

• Comments respectfully disagreeing with my posts or other commenters, offering alternative information, or taking a new view on an issue
• Comments agreeing with or supporting a post or other commenters
• Comments about the topic of the post and links to related topics or links to reputable sources that back up assertions
• Developing ideas based on other commenters ideas and suggestions to build a respectful conversation about an issue
• Suggestions for actions, ideas or future posts

Types of comments I find unacceptable

• Comments which directly threaten or insult me or other commenters or groups of commenters, or rely on personal attacks and/or vulgar language
• Comments which are entirely off topic or posted only to push an unrelated agenda or product
• Comments which prevent or discourage other commenters from having a dialogue about Eastwood, urban design, community-building and related issues
• And of course comments which use racial or homophobic slurs or language intended to incite hate or violence (which, thankfully, we have seen none of on this blog)

Commenters not following these guidelines will be given a chance to re-write and re-submit their comment (actual spam I simply delete). I hope this brief guide is helpful in making Walkable Eastwood a community where people can come together to share ideas and express concerns in a safe and respectful environment.

Your Humble Blogger,

Lonnie