The only things I delete in the comments at View From The Wing are:
- Extreme offensiveness – racism, misogyny, graphic sexuality.
- Non-public information about individuals – the full name and address, for instance of another commenter who uses a pseudonym.
I’ve been pretty lax in doing that. I’ve never once gotten an email from a member that I can recall thanking me for having such a light touch in the comments. I’ve gotten many emails like this one questioning the value of the comments section that flows from such a light moderating touch,
So I’m not a fan of the comments section of your blog. That’s mostly because it adds so little value to any conversation you start, and you have an abnormally high number of jackasses commenting on your site. For some reason you like engaging some of these folks, but I really question whether the majority of your readership shares that interest.
However I’ve long been reluctant to ban commenters or censor ‘the jackasses’.
My general approach is that ‘it’s the internet’ and that what someone writes reflects more on their own character than on anyone else. I’ve been a denizen of the internet for more than 20 years, and I probably have too pollyannaish a view of what kind of free speech community it was supposed to become that derives from a mindset formed in the early 1990s.
More importantly though I question my ability to be particularly Solomonic in my approach to moderating comments. It’s too easy to let distaste for a commenter’s truly offensive posts become a slippery slope into dislike for someone who thinks I’m deeply and morally wrong on some issue. Wouldn’t the comments be much nicer without their invective? Wouldn’t it be nicer without the commenter who says I’ve got no idea what I’m talking about?
If I start down this road, anyone becomes a target for banning or comment deletion if they disagree with me or call me out. So I tend not to delete comments or ban commenters… even when they cross into the two areas that I’ve said aren’t acceptable in the comments here.
Which is a long way of saying that for only the third or fourth time in almost 15 years at View From the Wing I’ve gone ahead and banned a commenter. I also deleted a different commenter’s “contribution” yesterday which came close to advocating violence.
I’m pretty sure I’ve done the right thing in these cases, and I wonder what readers think about my approach and whether I should rethink it with a goal of developing a comments section that is more useful and constructive, of commenters sharing not just their opinions but their experiences, as a way of helping other readers dive further into an issue or offer that I write about? Should I be taking more of an active hand in the comments than I do?
Right of admission reserved.
It’s your blog, so of course you’re right.
If someone doesn’t like it he/she should move on.
I enjoy most of your blog, the parts I don’t I ignore.
And I do appreciate your comments on this issue too.
I’ve never understood why bloggers or anyone else would be reluctant to ban a poster or delete their post. They aren’t paying squat to read the blog. It’s your blog. You can do what you see fit.
There’s the old saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” This is a good approach for most blog comments sections except when someone threatens to use “sticks and stones.” So I would ban threats but not much else.
Sounds like you are doing it about right. I don’t like censorship, but when people use their speech to advocate violence or hatred, it may be time to ask them to clean up their act. If they can’t be civil, they should find other places to “express themselves.” There are plenty of those places on the internet these days, for better or worse (worse I think – it seems we as a society are getting uglier rather than more civilized). It’s your blog, and I respect your right to make it reflect your values, but thanks for asking.
I like the idea of readers sharing their experiences. I know I feel victorious when I follow your advice and achieve the the stated goal. Reading other’s victories could help spur on an approach I might not take until I see that someone else (besides you) did it.
As far as haters go; They should follow the adage, “Take what you need and leave the rest.”
Your blog, your rules.
Happy New Year.
If they can’t behave themselves and clearly are present solely to disrupt, ban ’em.
Sounds like you’re violating the First Amendment of the Constitution, but what do I know?
Your boy Barry’s the expert.
I wish you were more ethical in regards to the fact you often advocate a credit card when its only in your interest. I think being more transparent would be a nice resolution.
Like the “no fly list,” this person may have been banished from other blogs. I predict this person will now become a future graffiti artist.
By the way, Clinton Denizens. Some lessons in the years ahead.
1) There is no such thing as a “hater” . It’s a construct of your own mind. You believe everybody wishes to be “you” therefore anyone who doesn’t think like “you” must hate you. Incorrect, they simply aren’t like “you”
2) Yes you’re very good at the shell game. And playing well after all it’s my ball isn’t it? That is right up until the very moment where somebody steals that ball ( legally of course no fouls) and dunks on you. Then they just once again…. “hatin'”
Good Luck in the “YEARS” .. yes many… ahead.
I agree with the early consensus of removing comments or commenters who you deem need to be removed.
Yes, slippery slope and all that. But that’s a challenge to yourself to be objective and make those decisions. As a blogger you are already swimming in that ocean every day, every time you post. So why treat the comments section any differently when you’re already having to make those value judgements about everything you write?
There are hateful people in the world, and I don’t see any reason to allow them an outlet. Hateful comments add no value and do have a negative impact on others.
I think you’ve take the right approach, Gary. I would much rather have you spend time on interesting content than policing each and every comment. If someone really crosses the line, though, toss ’em.
Gary, I agree with you, many of the responders have gotten out of hand. I also submit some of the responders have little to no knowledge of what their saying, seriously.
On the other hand many of the “Blogs” have gotten carried away as well. It seems everyone is a travel expert. Last year I did 122K business travel alone, coupled with a total of 150K overall that has been a close average for the past 10 years. I do not consider myself an expert nor would I ever even consider writing a blog. Some of the bloggers self serving, almost a cut and paste of some else ‘s post. Many many rehashing the same topic. One of the biggest is the 380 and “look at me in FC”.
When these blogs started to appear on a regular basis I enjoyed them and they were very informative, now it’s all about getting “hits”.
Your’s is one of the best and for me the only one that I read and heed.
Thanks for the good work Gary and Happy New Year Safe Travels
You’re pretty tolerant so I would imagine if you were moved to ban somebody, they probably super really deserved it. People ca. Be such trolls…. especially when they hide behind a keyboard. Don’t sweat it. You did the right thing. Thanks for the excellent blog and Happy New Year!
They may need some mental health help if your blog causes such reactions. At any rate, not your problem. You don’t have to permit garbage. Disagreements are inevitable. I just unfollowed travel bloggers who posted a “positive” tweet including the F word. Wow, I thought these people were decent, but they’re not. I can handle the “F” word in context though I definitely don’t say it. –Thanks to my religious training and background, but I don’t seek it out and I will judge your character and intellect for using it for NO reason.
@Gary: @Jack: +1. Little to add beyond what was said, except wondering if people have become more unhinged recently or if that’s always been the case…
Safe travels in the new year and thanks for all the work which goes into making VFTW.
Gary, do you read all comments left in your posts? If yes, I guess you should “filter” them to keep your blog a family place. However, make sure you have clear rules on what is not appropriate. It would be a disaster for your blog if you start deleting comments just because they disagree with you (which I don’t think you ever done). Another option is to look for auto filters that will ban offensive comments. I am an active participant in a car forum and if you enter any offensive words in your comment it won’t publish it until you soft the tone of your words. The problem in filtering all comments is that it is very time consuming.
I can’t imagine in what context anyone might advocate violence in relation to air travel or others’ comments about it so yes I think deleting or banning in this or similar instances is the right thing! Too many people hide behind the anonymity of online fora to release poisonous and unnecessary attacks which are destructive, not constructive, and I don’t think that’s the point of a blog or its comments section.
In any case keep up the great work of your blog, I really enjoy it.
I am not a fan of reading comments that have nothing to do with the blog subject, so if I ihave to pick through comments to read others opinions and many are just irrelevant then I won’t bother. I would prefer those be deleted, I don’t follow your blog to read crap!
@Andrew I think I’m really transparent highlighting every post where a link provides any benefit to me, offering an argument for whatever recommendation I make, and leaving the comments open for people to disagree with me. I do not ever hide that I receive referral credit for certain cards, and I highlight MANY cards that provide me no such benefit. So I guess I’m not sure what standards you’ve recommend against which you consider me to be ‘unethical’.
Surely @Marcus Smisek is trolling me to make the point of this post.
I think (like anyone cares 🙂 that you do a good job. I think if you want an interesting comments section you should let it run on it’s own until it crosses over “your” line. It’s your blog so why not. For example if you strike up a conversation with someone at say a bar and they start telling you how they hate you or are vulgar, etc. you can just walk away. With comments you can just ban them or delete them I assume.
Many times there’s great information provided in the comments, but it can be missed when there’s so much crap to read through. I’m a fan of moderation and keeping things on-track. Besides, it’s your blog, not theirs!
Gary, considering your extremely light touch in terms of moderation, I support your decision. I’m all for diversity of opinion–that’s why I read the comments in the first place–but if some of those comments get so far out of bounds, it makes the whole section unreadable and then no one benefits.
what about bloggers’ own senseless full-page vent? I remember back when the election was over, a few “young” bloggers of BA cannot hold themselves and had to vent/lament the outcome, like “What I Told My Six Year Old Daughter”, the only thing remotely related to travel is “Our family actually could move to Canada”. my point is everybody can be ticked by certain things & write a whole page or a few sentences.
Yawn
While it is your blog and you can do what you want, there are plenty of other places on the internet to read rants, nonsense and outrageous posts, so you don’t need to create space for such things. Maybe just limit posts to relevant and civil discourse. You might start a trend!.As for the First Amendment, it only restricts actions of the federal government, and by virtue of the 14th Amendment, to state and local governments. You are legally free to censor as you see fit.
“Which is a long way of saying…..”
That’s a much bigger problem with the pleasantness of your site than unruly comments.
You should find shorter ways to say things.
Very much support this decision Gary. Blogs are ruined by trolls and there’s no place for ’em.
Of course, the worst trolls aren’t hemmed in by blocking.
I like your light touch. Easy enough to skip over useless or silly (DCS) posts. Your blog, do what you want, but I’m all for the extreme end of openness. But, don’t forget to add misandry to your list of banned comments. If you have misogyny you ought to have misandry, right? 🙂
@marcus – you forget that 1st Amendment only has to do with government restricting speech, not private parties doing that. If that were the case then anyone with a beef with Disney could stand next to the Walt and Mickey statue and spout off whatever he/she wanted. The 1st Amendment, however, protects that person’s ability to stand on the publicly owned sidewalk along Harbor Blvd and to say whatever he/she wants. There’s a distinct difference.
Just eliminate the comments section altogether. There’s hardly any good information and ultimately all it does is give trolls like Marcus Smisek and Andrew a platform for spreading their cretinism.
We have the benefit of reading your headlines before clicking on your post and thus we can decide whether or not to read what you write. With the comments section on the other hand, one has to browse through the whole section in search of some useful info but almost inevitably will stumble onto some asinine comment that you can’t “unread” later. Just do away with it altogether, no big loss.
Trolls do generally need to be persuaded to go elsewhere.
It’s hard not to think of someone who posts slurs on “Barry” as a fat, deranged Trump bully like we saw shoving a young black student on her own campus between a circle of these ugly morbidly obese hatefaces. Decent America would have intervened to protect the girl and shamed these grotesque bullies back into their basements. Most surely have daughters, but still bullied this man through to the Presidency knowing he was a serial molester with a dozen women complaining along with thousands of veterans who he’d stolen their life savings and settled their lawsuit the day after the election.
So there are some of us in defense of decent America who feel the need to smack these fat bullies down wherever they raise their canned ham heads. We know who you are. You are not America of the future, but the last gasp of a dying lynch mob.
@marcus – not to mention that all this banned person needs to do is to use a different email address and name and comment again.
Frequently what is clear to one is not clear to another…
Keep the relevant contributors-both positive and negative. There are great ideas exchanged.
Dump the ones who just attack you personally for no other reason than to attack (ie all the comments about credit cards when the subject has nothing to do with credit cards). It’s not informational to the reader you’re looking at keeping or attracting.
Would love to see more…especially when they post outright lies trying to puff up “their” respective program, unsupported by any links or documentation
Gary, comment sections are going to be the downfall of our society, revealing all the ugliest sides of human nature. There’s too much negativity in the world, I’m down for no comments or only useful ones, and it’s your blog so whatever you choose to do is acceptable.
Good plan until the time comes you come face to face with someone you banned and they are a nut case.
I truly think it is your prerogative to ban or remove comments as it is your blog. If this however is viewed as censorship (especially if it is done to those questioning you) then I believe people will catch on soon and will likely move on. I do agree with others that I sometimes scratch my head at the continually promoting of credit cards that clearly are only being promoted due to the referral bonuses the bloggers are getting…sometimes this is out of control and it seem that some of the advise given is not the full truth or just for the sake of promoting the card. Would I potentially comment on a post like that? Yes, but I would not post something that would even consider getting me banned. I also agree that it seems like most of the information provided is just a regurgitation of the information that was already reported on…just look at the landing page of the Boarding Area and count how many posts on that page or on the exact same topic. This is annoying but I understand it as some people only go to one or two sources so everyone feels they need to report on it.
I honestly believe this is one of the best blogs anywhere (one of the few I try to read every day) and appreciate that you have not tolerated my sometimes caustic commentary. However my wife has requested that you ban me because she feels I spend too much time on the internet.
Last week I discovered that I have been banned from commenting by Mother Jones for reasons unexplained, though I suspect they simply do not want to hear dissenting opinions. Apparently they haven’t learned their lessons from the recent election. This is the only site that blocks me.
I encourage you to ban and/or delete comments as you see fit. I’ll still read the blog if you don’t …will just quit reading comments.
A blog is the cyber equivalent of a 19th century salon. you need to be hospitable and engaging, but, at the end of the day, this is your “house,” and you have the right to ask someone to leave.
I think there is a way to disagree even emphatically without being offensive or obnoxious. I would apply a rule of civil discourse: don’t kick someone out because you hate what they say, but feel free to kick someone out because you hate how they say it.
all in all, you are doing a great job and providing a terrific resource for savvy travelers and those wanting to learn more about travel. thanks for everything you do day in and day out! happy new year , Gary!
It’s your blog, and as you are the moderator you should ban and remove as you see fit.
When I saw this today I was reminded not everyone is safe to fly:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4073560/Delta-flight-diverted-couple-fights-crew-mid-air.html
As a corollary, not everyone is safe to be commenting on blog posts. So here’s to your blog’s no-fly list.
I thought it was funny that I was posting above on the fact that bloggers regurgitate posts and then when I refreshed your main page I see a post you must have been posting as I was typing recapping the AA changes which Lucky had just posted. 🙂
It’s your blog and as a regular reader I have total faith in your judgement. People can be over the top nasty when they hide behind a keyboard. People on Ben’s blog have been particularly awful. Just please don’t eliminate the comments section, as others often suggest, though. It’s a valid tool for people comparing notes on the topics, deals, and ideas you post, especially when you reply to us!
I get sooo much out of the comments on your blog (in comparison to news and even health blogs where I never read the comments because of the biased, ignorant and hate filled comments.
I WANT YOU you moderate the comments enough to keep them from denigrating to what they are on the majority of the internet.
I also don’t understand the people who read your blog and then proceed to rag on you for stupid reasons. I’m constantly thinking “then why do you read it?” If someone believes your post is biased, they should thoughtfully explain why, not just throw out a turd. I subscribe to the adage “The price of criticism is a better idea.”
I approve of your policy but feel it absolutely necessary to have added “homophobic” content
I agree with your decision! I also enjoy comments from others, but, they do not need to be obscene or vulgar. I do not appreciate those type of comments.
Civil disagreement is one thing. Slander and vicious attacks are quite another. Allowing the latter to pollute the comment section of your blog does nothing except drive readers away. So I for one have absolutely no problem with your decision to ban persistently uncivil commenters.
When someone becomes an absolute troll and starts putting everyone on the other side of the argument down with extremely veiled ad hominems, it’s time to block him, too. It becomes a huge waste of time for honest people to go look up the facts, and link to them, to counter their Trump-like total BS assertions, but when you don’t, their last spewing of troll excrement is what is last seen standing.
@ Allen…what the heck does that mean? Saying he’s “homophobic” or saying that people are posting “homophobic” comments?
I have found there are often good comments that are helpful and contribute to discussions. It is also useful to ask a question and get an answer from Gary or a reader. If you are a blogger, getting feedback is useful, too, whether that is critical feedback or praise.
As to banning someone from commenting, I am glad that the concept of free speech is being upheld on the blog and only the most egregious stuff is removed.
What did the banned person do to warrant getting banned?
The first time I commented on one of your posts was over a year ago. You were reviewing the benefits of a credit card and made a slight mistake in your post, so I pointed it out – very simply and without any snark, which is more than I can for some of your readers. A simple thank you would have done, but instead, within minutes of my comment, you corrected the post and my comment was denied and not posted. That incident has left a sour taste in my mouth ever since.
This is my second post. Will you actually post this one and apologize? I’ve seen you give credit where it is due before, so your actions on that day truly surprised me.
I think you are right on banning this person.
All/any of the blogs I read, I use as a guide line not as a bible. In comments people share their personal relative experience and opinion. Also, comments give us an opportunity to ask specific again relative questions.
I don’t understand when people complain about FREE information provided. Nobody is forcing you to use provided links or click on adds. Look at this as at the store when you are looking to buy something… like it or live it.
@Robert I am quite sure you are mistaken. I’ve certainly acted quickly on a comment without saying thanks (my poor manners, I’m often in a huge rush) but I do not think I have ever deleted such a thing!
Is it possible that someone else left a similar comment, I saw theirs and acted on *it*? And perhaps your comment went to spam and I didn’t see it?
It’s hard for me to go back and figure out the story based on what you’ve written but I’ve never intentionally done anything like that.
I certainly apologize if your comment didn’t get posted for some reason (such as going to spam and I didn’t catch it). I welcome criticism here, and I definitely welcome and appreciate comments that offer valid advice and corrections!
@Matt – it was some pretty frequent and extreme racism and misogny
Gary, IMHO you are handling everything perfectly. I enjoy your daily briefings on travel details.
I assume @Allen is referring to adding to the list of things I do not allow (in addition to ‘racism, misogyny, graphic sexuality’). I did not mean this to be an exhaustive list, and I should not tolerate the most extreme versions of sexual orientation slurs or attacks for sure [along the same lines I would treat racist content]. I do not intend to limit the expression of viewpoints, just the manner in which they’re expressed.
@Christian we’re always going to have similar content driven by similar news events, though each with our own take. Sometimes I’m first, sometimes someone else is first. I assume he got the same email from AA that I did. 😉
I think it is your blog and you DEFINITELY have the right to ban people who are rude, nasty or who are on here just to spew hatred and insult you and other members. I have social media accounts for my business and I absolutely eliminate any negative comments, I’m allowed to do that. Same on a blog you’re presumably paying for or are responsible for in my opinion. Given that you are a somewhat public figure, I would worry about the nut jobs that Mike referred to, they are indeed out there, I talk to crazy folks every day and as a friend of mine pointed out, they spend money too, lol. There are a lot of trolls in every industry and a lot of very angry people so you can’t be too careful I suppose but it is certainly your right to kick off people who are just being ugly, using profanity, insulting other members because they disagree or just because you don’t like what they have to say. If they don’t like it, they can certainly find another blog or start their own.
Couple thoughts, do with them as you will…
– Typically a small % of people even read comments (if you care to estimate the %, there are ways to do this via scroll-tracking software, but it’s probably quite low).
– An even smaller % leave comments (unless it’s a contest/giveaway).
– If someone actually wants to discuss a post in detail, blog comments are pretty much the worst format to do so, especially (as is the case at VFTW) comments aren’t threaded.
Maybe it’d make sense to move from comments to a forum? (Doesn’t have to be one you set up here — you could auto-post to Inside Flyer whenever a new post goes up and just link there from beneath the post.)
You could enable comments for giveaway/contest posts only, or just have a link to a contest form in those posts.
Reply to Christian: what I said was that where Gary says:
“The only things I delete in the comments at View From The Wing are:
Extreme offensiveness – racism, misogyny, graphic sexuality.”
I think it nescessary to have added the word homophobic comments as comments that he would delete along with racism, misogyny and Graphic Sexuality. I doubt Gary disagrees.
The only things I delete in the comments at View From The Wing are:
Extreme offensiveness – racism, misogyny, graphic sexuality.
Non-public information about individuals – the full name and address, for instance of another commenter who uses a pseudonym.
@mike murphy – I was once stalked by an employee of a credit bureau which was kind of scary
I read about 90% of your posts, and about 20% of the comments following the posts because generally there are so few helpful responses. Many people who comment hide behind a pseudonym and attack you and/or spout irrelevant screed that is at best tiring and at worst seriously alarming. I do like it when people disagree with you on the facts and generate a robust debate, but this is rare in my experience. The question I would have if I were you is whether it is worth the time to read everyone’s post. That said, it is indeed your blog so you are well within your rights to censor as much as you deem fit. If people think they are beginning to read propaganda rather than news they will move on.
I trust your judgement. I’ve been reading your blog for about 6-years, and sometimes I scan through the comments. Fortunately the ratio of buffoons in the mix has been low on most occasions, and I suppose we should all be thankful for that, because the comments section can be helpful and useful at times. Great blog. Keep up the good work!
Gary, you say “most “extreme” of sexual orientation slurs or attacks for sure [along the same lines I would treat racist content].
I think you should not allow any racist, , misognistic or homophobic content. Since when is some racism acceptable?
In response to your saying
“I should not tolerate the most extreme versions of sexual orientation slurs or attacks for sure [along the same lines I would treat racist content]
I think you should not allow any racist, , misognistic or homophobic content. Since when is some racism acceptable?
If anything, I think that you’re too forgiving. Many times you’ll tolerate some of the trolls that are obviously just being rude or combative to cause other people misery or strife. You most certainly did the right thing. Well done.
Bottom line: It is your blog. You “call the balls and strikes” as you see them.
You have a massive amount of readers, and speaking for myself, I find myself mostly ignoring the comments.
You give us pearls, for which I am grateful. It is your “space,” and as any such space, it works and looks better if kept free of trash and junk.
Hag Sameach.
Extreme racism and misogyny has no place on your blog. By all means, you banning the person from commenting on your site is not only your prerogative but the smart thing to do.
Gary, you are definitely making the correct decision. I have been reading & enjoying your blog for years and one of the reasons I like it so much is because it’s YOUR BLOG. Thanks you and keep up the good work! Happy new year wishes to you as well
I read your blog everyday. If I want to know more about a particular post, I’ll scroll through the comments to look for additional conversation/information. My perception (it could be skewed because I haven’t looked at actual numbers) is that the highest percentage of the comments are people using pseudonyms to complain about click-bait, tell you you are a horrible person, want to bring you down a few pegs because you got national media attention and generally being trolls.
My personal preference would be fewer trolls. But I’m not willing to put the time and energy into gathering and disseminating the information that you do. I don’t have skin in this game. It is your blog. Do as you please.
BTW – thanks for your blog. I learn a lot from you.
Gary,
I would agree with others that it is your blog and yours to moderate as you choose. As the moderator of a much smaller listserve dealing with community organizations, I had to set and enforce very basic rules such as no political posts nor for-profit posts. Luckily for me, community pressure was usually enough and I only had to ban a couple of folks through the past 10 years.
It does seem to me that you attract more than your fair share of trolls and folks who comment just to trash you or other commenters or make snarky political posts, but if you dive into heavy handed moderation, it can become a major headache and timesink. No easy answer, but I would probably lean towards warning and banning folks who repeatedly post comments that violate some basic rules of civility with a bar much lower than present.
I enjoy your writing and wish you good luck.
Thank you for all the kind words in the comments here, I really appreciate them.
@Allen I don’t think it’s acceptable. I think the best response is to (1) let people reveal their true selves (2) combat bad ideas with good ones. I also don’t think I’m especially well positioned to be the arbiter of what is and isn’t racism etc. So it’s only the most extreme stuff that I’m willing to actually remove.
As someone with a blog that receives almost no comments, I often dream of the day that I have an army of haters who fill my comments section with vitriol. In my opinion, your blog is your house, and you’re the arbiter of free speech in your house. Too bad there isn’t a middle option, where you could require certain trolls to complete a series of excruciatingly intricate Captchas before they could post comments. Banning someone gives them a martyr complex, whereas annoying them over and over is just funny.
Gary–there is constructive criticism, and then there is destructive criticism. The second has no value and should be removed. It only encourages hate and more vitriol.
Gary,
1) No matter how carefully you try to balance free speech with maintaining a polite discussion, you will never win. Someone will take issue with whatever rules you write. So if you can’t win, why worry at all?
2) Free speech is not an absolute. If it were, every parent in America would be in jail for at some point telling their kid to shut-up. Seriously, you are not compromising your principles if you set some boundaries for a civilized discussion. That is not censorship. It is common sense.
I enjoy your blog very much, and contrary to some of the other comments here, I do browse the comments now and then. I have absolutely no problem if you want to filter out some of the nonsense. In fact, I’d appreciate it.
Gary-
Your only guideline is “think of your readers.” We of course want to read comments that further the discussion, whether they complement, supplement or dispute what you wrote. But a comments section is useless to readers if irrelevant or off-point comments derail our information-gleaning process.
You’re the editor here. Do us a favor —use your judgment as the bar, rather than the Internet’s lowest common denominator “all the garbage that’s unfit to print.”
Best,
Anne
This is why I don’t provide the means for discussion on my website. I believe I get the same useful info by providing the means for my readers to write to me via email. I then pass on that useful info to my readers.
In the 18 or so years I have been running FreeFrequentFlyerMiles.com I have received exactly two offensive emails.
Hi Gary.
Despite being UK based now, and less relevance to me since you have a US focus, I have thoroughly enjoyed your take on events over the past few years and have learned some very useful things – and saved some cash too – so thanks from a grateful reader.
I think you let a few things go that I certaintly would not have the patience for – I can think of several “contributors” I would have blocked years ago!
You have done the right thing so dont worry about it.
Thanks for all your hard work in keeping us informed – have a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Gary you have an excellent blog, and generally write in a clear and objective position.
I personally have never seen anything offensive in your comments so feel that your lack of moderation has been pretty spot on. Sometimes readers will make comments that are wrong, but other times I find their comments valuable, especially when offers or deals have expired or starting to be gone. As well I feel the comments help keep you honest.
Keep up the great work on your blog Gary and hopefully don’t change it too much in the future.
Thanks for opening this discussion.
Here and elsewhere, I’ve read some terribly unbalanced posts which are way off topic and rather creepy. Their goal is to cause train wrecks and in its aftermath they revel.
Since trolls hide in the shadows anyway, send them off to oblivion.
As far as the “Solomonic touch” goes, your readers are smart enough to decipher if posts to your articles lean one way or another.
You’re doing well, Gary; now it’s time to do better.
@Dave sez: “I like your light touch. Easy enough to skip over useless or silly (DCS) posts.”
I will provide here links to my recent ORIGINAL posts and let’s see who thinks they are “useless” or “silly”. It is the same high quality “debate” on travel/loyalty-related issues that I have tried to bring to the comments section of VFTW. If you consider my posts “useless” or silly, that’s a reflection on you. REALLY. Check these out and call me in the morning:
1. Year-end Asian Escapade: Anatomy of a Big-time Redemption -2016 Edition: https://goo.gl/06fMYo
[I am still having fun on this big-time redemption and just saw this thread on someone being banned].
2. No, SPG upgrades policy does not “entitle” platinum elites to suite upgrades: https://goo.gl/xEvy5L
3. UA MileagePlus and the Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa: The Loyalty Game’s One-Stop Shop: https://goo.gl/Prtzht
4. Earn up to 8 points/dollar on the Chase Sapphire Reserve by double dipping! : https://goo.gl/TGHVjw
G’day from Hilton Pattaya where things are simply rockin’!
Gary, right call by you and your blog. Here’s some statistics that put your remarkable ability to engage with your readers on the positive side. As you note, this is only the third or forth time in 15 years. The perspective is that over that time, your blog has garnered 221,429 total approved comments (an additional 5,294 comments were captured by Akismet spam filters). Three or four times/comments over nearly a quarter million comments is a positive reflection on just how much you value input from your readers. Congrats for one of the best blogs and one of the most ‘reader engaged’ bloggers out there.
UA-NYC sez: “Would love to see more…especially when they post outright lies trying to puff up “their” respective program, unsupported by any links or documentation.”
This comes from a guy who has repeatedly posted my personal information — of the kind that @Gary rightly singled out as going beyond the pale — both here and over the OMAAT.
You have no credibility and are unhinged. You should have been banned for repeatedly violating other posters’ privacy.
As for “unsupported by any links or documentation”, you would have no clue what that means even if it hit you in the face.
G’day!
I’ve read your blog consistently for the past 6 months or so. I’ve never commented. As was stated earlier, its your blog, you call the balls and strikes as you see fit.
Depends what purpose you want the comments to serve. I’ll say this: I often visit posts on this blog specifically to read the comments for entertainment. They often are more entertaining than those of other blogs. If you think there are lots of others out there like me and this drives up your readership, then that’s something to think about. On the other hand, if you want everyone to stay 100% on topic and only deliver questions/comments that are 100% constructive toward travel, then go ahead and get mod-heavy.
Gary, you’re a walking cloud of airline cholesterol. That’s what you really are, you fake.
Huh?
It’s amusing that DCS links to his original content post on SPG upgrades (a subject in which he has no personal experiences to share), and said post created 2+ weeks ago has exactly zero, yes, zero, comments. I guess sharing hate, lies, misinformation, and no source linking doesn’t work so well. LOL.
There are often times when the conversation goes severely off-topic, especially when it concerns politics (an ultra hot-button issue right now) and religion. There is also frequent personal abuse. You have the right to delete comments covering the above, as it is generally distasteful to the sane portion of your readership anyway. A useful addition would be a mod. comment from you saying that a particular thread is now closed from further comment, and promptly deleting any further comments made in defiance. You could also ban offensive/crazy commenters for a period of time (7, 10, 30 days; whatever) in which time they will take their hate and/or loopyness to some other place, and hopefully never return .
Way to go Gary! Hold the line! We support this decision!
Most of my (rare) comments have probably been critical, I guess, but none of them has ever been deleted, banned or otherwise not posted. A light touch, as you say.
The comment accusing DCS of not supporting his stuff, by the way, is actually laugh-out-loud funny. Anyone reading these words who has even a vague idea about what the the guy does for a living is laughing, too. So ha, ha, ha . . . .
I agree that the light touch is best. A ban should be used infrequently, like the hyperspace button on the old Asteroids video game. However, it does disappoint me how many people simply post negative comments on some of the blog posts – that’s one of the reasons why I don’t have my own blog. Keep up the great work!
I think it is your blog and you can ban any comment you wish. Sure I agree with freedom of speech, but you are the one who controls who comes into your blog or your house. You control the tone of your blog and its comments. Personally there is enough hate and negativity in the world, feel free to ban more than you do!
I read your blog and often learn a lot. Sometimes on the rare occasion the info you are sharing may be something I already am up to speed on. But I am choosing to read your blog. If I disagree with your views or style of writing who am I to ask you to change? Instead I should simply not read your blog. So it baffles me to hear people complaining about your blog. Hey folks this is not mandatory reading! You don’t like it go away and don’t read it! Keep your comments to your self and go away!
Banning someone or blocking someone wont take you far… they will just change their email address or IP address. Both are easy to do.
I dont always agree with you. Its your blog and you can do whatever you please and I can decide what type of person you are because its my freedom to think that. In most cases, I got positives things about you but you got some annoying negatives that get under my skin at times. You wont hear me pulling you down because thats who I am. I chose to ignore you when you get annoying.
@Gary – I’ve been reading a few years now, and your comment sections are getting longer all the time. It’s difficult to keep up with, especially with so much noise (read: opinions shared without useful insight). I do NOT expect you to keep up with your comments and doubt that you could. However, perhaps you would consider looking into alternative commenting styles. Examples include the aforementioned forum postings, or the upvoted/starred/pinned commenting systems from sites such as the now-defunct Gawker suite or Reddit.
Yer alright Gary .A few ( thankfully very few ) of your commenters I am certain I would cross the street to avoid . So give ’em the boot !
Mr. DCS , So maybe you work for Hilton , you own a lot of Hilton stock or you just really like Hilton . Good for you .
You often comment and have explanations for why you prefer Hilton . That’s not bad either .
What is regrettable is the continuing hostile tone in your comments . Maybe you don’t realize this . Throw that big chip off your shoulder and have a happier life .
I say ban all useless comments, because I (or we) do not want to waste our time reading a post that contributes nothing to the subject. We won’t miss it, if it isn’t there.
I subscribe to your newsletter because I want to read what *you* have to say. If I wanted to read the thoughts of others, I’d subscribe to their newsletters.
@Dalo — I do not work for Hilton, I own no Hilton stocks, and I have no chip on my shoulder. I simply correct bogus claims. It is that simple. If you followed the first link I provided about to the big-time year-end redemption I am on now, you will see that I redeemed points for stays at 3 Hyatt and 2 Marriott properties. I am wedded to no program, although my preference is clear. I am an equal opportunity opportunist, who will go with a redemption that gives me best value and not always with my preferred program. That you find my comments hostile simply reflects the fact that they tell truths that you’d rather not hear, or they simply burst your bubble. My comments my also sould hostile when I respond in kind, which I will ALWAYS do because I can give it just as good.
Now, got anything substantive to say, or are you going to spew more conjectures, suppositions or unsubstantiated claims.
UA-NYC: “It’s amusing that DCS links to his original content post on SPG upgrades (a subject in which he has no personal experiences to share), and said post created 2+ weeks ago has exactly zero, yes, zero, comments. I guess sharing hate, lies, misinformation, and no source linking doesn’t work so well. LOL.”
You are laughing at yourself, moron. The reason no one commented was precisely anyone other than had the good sense to shut the hell up when they could not challenge the argument. REMEMBER that Google keeps track of links that I post here or elsewhere and compiles the stats of the traffic generated. Well, that post debunking the claim on SPG suite upgrades broke the record of any of my posts for the number of INDIVIDUAL clicks. What should tell you is that people read the post and had the good sense to shut up when they had nothing to contest. I told you would be the only person contesting the post because you are too stupid. Other people know better and have more dignity than to contest an argument that cannot be contested.
I see that you never addressed my comment about how you believe it is okay to disclose other posters’ personal information in a public forum.
Just pathetic.
I’m new to the world of points and miles, so I find your posts informative and very enjoyable reading. I also get value from many of the comments. As to banning someone, it’s your blog and you have every right to manage it as you see fit. You strike me as someone with sound judgment, so if you felt the need to ban this person, so be it. Sounds like s/he earned it…
One thing as a newbie that does stump me sometimes are the acronyms that the points and miles pros use. Any chance you could develop a glossary for those of us new to this world? 😉
Thanks, Gary. I resolve to pointing out times that I question your blog’s ethics over the course of 2017 in a constructive manner. I don’t mean to single you out, but Points Guy, OMAAT, and VFTW are some of the big boys in the blog world, and thus I think have additional ethical responsibilities to readers of not just your blog, but also to readers of other blogs that are imitating your work.
Like (I think) most of your readers, I come here for useful content, most of which comes from your posts, but occasionally from a helpful comment. The juvenile and invective-filled comments have gotten so out of control on your blog in the past six months or so that I actually stopped reading it for quite a while.
If it were my blog, I would ban anyone who (in addition to the issues you mentioned) engages in ad hominem attacks or repeatedly rants on anything not directly related to the topic at hand (e.g., political rants). And anyone who repeatedly comments about how much they hate your posts. None of that adds anything to the conversation. It’s your site and you have every right to block anyone you want.
I founded and ran a travel site for over a dozen years and I chose not to allow comments on it. I didn’t want to spend all my time moderating trolls and worrying about other readers being offended, attacked or just plain distracted from the useful content on the site.
People sent me useful tips and corrections all the time, by email, and I often posted those or made the corrections, crediting the people who were kind enough to share information. The crazies sent me emails, too, but those I could block, and more importantly, they weren’t able to harrass the 99% of my readers who just wanted useful information.
Gary:
In the end, you write this blog for economic reasons, not simply altruistic reasons. If a post offends the large majority of your readers because it advocates hate or violence (not just an unpopular point of view), I think you have an obligation to your readers to delete it. And if someone repeatedly offends this rule, or any other rule you put in, you have the right and the obligation to ban them.
Remember, (a) it’s your blog, and (b) your readership is paying the freight.
Without knowing which commentator was banned, hard to say if your action was appropriate.
However, it’s your turf and manage it as you see fit.
Long long ago I was banned for one week on FT by Randy. He asked me to revise my remarks and I replied “no”. What a long strange trip it’s been…
Feliz año nuevo
I have no idea what I am talking about.
I find your blog to be informative and helpful. I appreciate comments that are helpful and add to the conversation. I wholeheartedly support banning offensive or obnoxious people and even more heavy handed moderating. It’s very annoying for a useless, mean-spirited post to rile up readers and hijack an otherwise interesting conversation. In fact, more moderation would really be nice tand help to keep things civil.
Also, @macJ made a comment that I really agree with. Free speech “rights” don’t apply universally, need not apply to your blog, and most certainly do not apply at my dinner table!
It is your blog so you can do as you please.