Systems-Overload recently decided to install and use Disqus as a comment management system. With the adoption of a comment management system also comes the adoption of a Comment Policy as well.
We've been toying with some sort of comment management system at Systems-Overload for a while now and finally decided to take the plunge and install Discus. While the quantity of comments here doesn't yet rival the big blogs, there are enough that it makes sense to put something into place. It is our hope that the installation of Disqus will make it easier for readers to give us their comments and this will encourage better and more comments. We'd also like to take this opportunity to ask for our patience and understanding while our learning curve with the use of Disquis trends upward and realize that this blog is being run by humans that make mistakes from time to time.
The Comment Policy at Systems-Overload
Every blog or website that accepts comments (and even those that don't) have some sort of commenting policy, regardless of if it is officially formulated and publicized, or not. It is our hope that this will encourage quality comments, allowing readers to express their opinions and ideas without being overly offensive and abusive.
Because Systems-Overload often publishes family oriented material, we don't wish to see any comments that could not be read before or by children, because you never know who might happen to find one of our articles.
All comments should be in English. We were surprised to see a large number of comments posted on one post in oriental characters (we're not sure if all the comment were Chinese, Japanese, Koren, or other languages) but because we don't know what the commentators are saying we can't, in good conscience, publish these comments. We've also seen some comments in Russian, and so other languages. Until the day comes when the staff at Systems-Overload is big enough that we have people that are able to read comments in languages other than English, we're going to only publish comments in English. We don't wish to offend anyone but we do need to know what is being published at Systems-Overload.
We're not selling prescription or non-prescription drugs, body enhancements, or other products that you wouldn't advertise in front of kids, so don't post links to such products, write about, advertise, or promote them in your comments .
We realize that people can have differing opinions and ideas and this is one of the things that makes life more interesting, but we won't publish comments that are insulting other readers intelligence, character, or generally abusive.
Promoting your website, blog, or products is permitted but your comments should be geared towards the article that you're commenting on. If your comment is overtly promotional, or you post overly promotional comments on multiple articles, these will not be published. Also, think about if you'd like to see the comment that you're trying to post on your website or blog if you were seeing it from someone else before hitting that send button.
When putting links in your comments, please use the long form and not url shorteners so that it is possible to see where the link might take you before clicking on it. We won't publish blind links and certainly don't wish to see or readers come upon any form of virus or malware because they clicked on a link.
You can remain anonymous in your comment(s) but the comment(s) that you're posting should be in compliance with the other comment guidelines published above.,
Don't be afraid to comment. Don't let worry or concern about your grammar or spelling stop you from posting comments. At Systems-Overload and our readers (we hope), the idea is more important than the packaging or delivery. We realize that our readers have varying levels of knowledge and use of the English language (especially when English is not your first or even second language!) We also realize that typos can easily happen. Don't let worry that other will criticize or disagree with your comment(s) stop you from sharing your thoughts and ideas. You never know where a good idea will come from.
Your suggestions about improving the blog, topics, and articles that you've read are always welcome and encouraged. Please follow the guidelines spelled out above to get your comments published at Systems-Overload. We hope that you'll join the conversation. Have fund and thank you.
Photo Credit: news 2 courtesy of lusi.
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