Time to Get Tough: Managing Anonymous Reader Comments

Recently there has been a spat of comments that sought to demean me and my wife. I have received emails from people appalled by the comments of some of these people. Even a phone call from a personal friend that reads the blog on a regular basis. Over-all the comments can be summed up by the following paragraph.

I have been a loyal reader of your blog for over 3 years now. I am appalled at how you are being treated by these internet trolls. You have somehow collected ******* and ******* who seem to feel it's their personal mission to demean and bully you. I can't tell you what to do, but I would highly consider not approving any comment that doesn't come from a google account, that is hyperlinked back to a profile. This may even be the same person

I hate having to admit that they are right. I have not wanted to block anonymous comments. However, I see no other choice. I will allow registered users. Meaning anyone with a Google (aka blogger) account or any OpenID (LiveJournal, TypePad, AIM, Word Press, etc). This decision does not come lightly.

It is based solely on the fact that it was anonymous comments that were demeaning my wife and trying to bully me. As the e-mailers said:

I also wouldn't allow any posts that demean your precious wife in any way. These people are hiding behind their trollish fake identities and don't give a toss about you or your quest to live your life, being the best steward of your finances possible. It is fine to disagree with you or some of your decisions--BUT it can be done in a tactful and respectful way.

Now know that you have some fans out there, and we'll stick by you. I have had to stop myself from jumping on the comments and telling ...... where to shove it, but that would only bring me down to their pathetic level.

I completely agree that disagree with each other can be done in a tactful and respectful way. However, there specific posters were more interested in attacking me and my wife rather then respecting us as individuals. I will keep an eye on the comments and I will delete any comments that demean my wife, any other commenter or myself. I will not tolerate any such abuse. I want to apologize to my readers for letting such abuse go on for so long. I am taking steps to make sure that doesn't happen. I realize that registered users could still be just as abusive, but I find that when they have their name attached to their comments they tend to be a little more respectful. Again sorry for having to put up with the trolls recently. Hopefully we won't have a repeat in the future. With these changes I hope to see a more free flow of thoughts that are respectful to all.

---
go ahead share your thoughts with me now, my ears are open. I'm always eager to hear what you think.

follow me on Twitter and facebook

---

---

---

austin bloggers

Powered By Ringsurf