Moderation policy
We review all comments submitted to our blog, after all, we provide commenting tools because we want to hear what you have to say, so we'd be bonkers to not read them! However, we also moderate comments to erradicate spamming (common place on all blogs), to encourage interesting debate and to remove anything that we believe to be inappropriate, irrelevent or offensive to other readers.
We completely support the principal of freedom of speech but reserve the right to have final say over what is published on our website. If you have something to say that we will not publish then say it on your own website.
We only accept comments from registered users and this is to ensure people post their comments responsibly. It is easy to be offensive anonymously and we believe that users of our site should take responsibility for their comments.
Moderation of comments could lead to the following outcomes:
- we decide not publish a comment
- we publish at first but then decide later to remove a comment
- we censor a comment (removing part of a comment)
- we disemvowel a comment (remove all vowels, making a comment more difficult to read) to indicate our disagreement or displeasure with the content of a comment.
- we remove hyperlinks from your post
Here is some indication of what we consider unacceptable behaviour that will provoke us into taking action:
- Spamming, linkwhoring, re-posting text you've already posted all over the Internet.
- Directing unpleasant comments at any individual, if you have a problem with a posting contact us about it.
- Being nasty without reason.
- Using unnecessarily inciteful comments. If you have a point to make, make it clearly but please do so in language not likely to spark an angry response.
- Jeering, sneering, or being condescending. Telling people they are naive or boring is unecessary. Its like my Mum always says... "if you can't say something nice about someone then don't say anything." Besides, other readers are able to draw similar conclussions for themselves.
- Simply repeating a comment that someone else has already posted.
- Registering under a new account when the account you were using has been removed for bad behaviour.
Please contact us if:
- If you believe our moderation of a comment to be unfair.
- If you believe a comment to be offensive or unacceptable in anyway.
- You have a comment to make but would prefer that we don't publish it.
- You take issue with any aspect of this moderation policy.
n.b. This document is subject to change.