When I started this blog three years ago, I made the conscious decision not to moderate comments. I always said that I'd leave it that way until I got my first comment from a troll.
Well, that happened over the weekend and now comment moderation is enabled.
I'm honestly surprised that it took so long.
The funny thing is that I pride myself on being a person who can have an intelligent conversation with just about anyone on just about any topic, regardless of whether or not that person and I have different views.
But if the past year has taught me anything, it's that civil discourse is a distant memory from a bygone era.
So to the anonymous person who encouraged me to "think beyond the surface," know that I have. For years. Literally years. And every time I conclude the same exact thing. We need to make guns harder to get. Period. We can do this while still upholding the Second Amendment. It goes beyond making me feel nice, warm, and fuzzy. I value human life. And I always will.
You know, I actually view Troll comments as a good thing. They only pop up when a topic is worth talking about and the goal is never to engage in useful conversation, but to pick a fight. I pretty much guarantee the person who left the comment has been regularly checking to see if there’s a response. But that’s tangential. Because the point is you hit the nail on the head with this past post. It’s exactly what so many people who are naive about guns and proper ownership fear, but these same people are also killing themselves and their children every year due to accidental shootings that could have easily be prevented. So....
ReplyDeleteComment moderation is one of those things that is needed. The way I’ve gotten around it is requiring people to register with blogger to leave a comment. It’s not 100%, but the idea of being identified is enough to stop most of the fly-by trolls.
I've always had comment moderation enabled, but I do allow anonymous comments. For now, anyway. I've had the odd snarky comment, but they're quite rare. I tend to get (& reject) more of the obvious spam type comments. I especially loathe the ones who claim their dr performed a miracle and got them pregnant. Ugh!!
ReplyDeleteI don't have comment moderation, but when I do get spam comments (along the lines of advertising clinics or miracle cures) I delete them asap. I tend to leave comments that disagreed with me or that I disagree with, but then they are almost always about infertility. My Separate Life blog tends not to be controversial. So far ... If I wrote about gun control or politics I suspect that would change. Bottom line is that these are our bliss, and we get to choose. Freedom of speech applies only to us, and we should do what feels right for us.
ReplyDeleteOops. I've just re-read this, and saw that my iPad changed blogs to bliss. Argh. "... these are our BLOGS, and we get to choose." lol
DeleteOh, the trolls. I have comment moderation but got it because my ex-husband's mother started commenting on my blog to tell me what a great father he is (ugh), and I didn't get to it quick enough to delete it so I'd just as soon control what goes up on my space from the get-go. I get a lot of "Miracle IVF cures and spells" crap too, and I don't want them on my space. The trolls are awful. I think Mali had a post once about how her blog is not a democracy and she can delete comments without feeling bad about it if they aren't constructive. I'm glad you are protecting your space, and a hell yes to valuing life and the need for gun control.
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