Welcome to Olyblog! The comment policy that follows is for you. It's for us, consumers and contributors just like you. It's not about free speech but rather about being civil and honest. We ask that you be accountable for your conversations here. We ask you to help us enforce this policy by living it while you're here. You wouldn't be here unless you wanted to be so please make yourself welcome.

This comment policy is subject to change at the discretion of Olyblog docents and the Olyblog community. No changes will be made without the consensus of Olyblog docents. Docents reserve the right to make immediate changes to this policy in the best interest of Olyblog. All comment policy changes will be communicated via Olyblog's front page. Any questions about the comment policy should be directed to a docent. They are listed on the front page. Want to make it better? You can let us know how by contacting a docent.

Olyblog User Accounts:

Olyblog requires that you register an account while remaining anonymous if you so choose. You can select any username you'd like but please don't include profanity in your username. Entering personal information is voluntary. While you are encouraged to enter as much information as you feel comfortable with, in order to promote a more personal atmosphere, we understand if you limit access to your identity. You may not have access to more than one identity at any time. Choose a strong password and never, ever give your password to another user.

Account tampering or using multiple accounts will result in your dismissal from Olyblog. Re-registering under a different username is not permitted and violations of this policy will result in the same consequence. We can spend our time managing Olyblog users or creating content. We'd prefer to create content.

Links in signature lines or links in comments not relevant to the discussion will be removed. If you'd like to let people know the URL of your site or blog, please do so in your account profile.

Comments:

We appreciate your comments. The value provided in the comment sections cannot be ignored. What can be ignored is listed below. They won't be tolerated as a rule and as an exception. Be nice. If you can't be nice, don't comment.

Disclaimer: Comments are edited by docents occasionally. We strive to maintain Olyblog and its appearance. We reserve the right to format comments, fix HTML errors, and delete duplicate comments. If you need to have a comment of yours deleted please contact a docent. As a general rule comments will not be deleted.

1. Spamming. Linkwhoring. Re-posting text you've already posted on a dozen other sites.
2. Making supercilious and unpleasant remarks in a civil liberties thread about how the victim had it coming. This is not to say that victims never have it coming; but there's a species of internet demi-troll that appears to specialize in posting such comments. Try not to look like you're one of them.
3. Making snide comments and insinuations about the editors. That's right out. You don't like one of the editors? Take it up with them in e-mail. If you're going to comment on an entry, talk about the entry.
4. Being nasty to no purpose. (This is your catch-all)
5. Using unnecessarily exciting language. Making an argument is fine. Making your argument in language guaranteed to make your hearers see red? Bad idea. It practically guarantees that you're going to have a dumb (and therefore boring) argument. And if the argument's not going to be interesting, we don't see the point.
6. Jeering, sneering, condescending, or one-upping when there's been no provocation. Telling people they're naive idiots for caring about whatever-it-is. Like the "I'm bored" pose, it's empty attitudinizing, and it's remarkably unpleasant.
7. Failing to notice that there are other people in the conversation. Posting a remark that's already been made five times and answered six. Coming back and re-posting essentially the same material after a twenty-message thread has discussed your previous comment. Trying to forcibly wrench the conversation onto one of your own pet topics. Posting a stale, canned rant you've posted a dozen times before at other sites. Not coming back to see how others have responded to you.
   Why post comments at all, unless you expect to be read? And if you expect to be read, you must know you're part of a conversation. Therefore, you should act like it. Engage with what the other commenterís are saying. Read the thread before you add to it.
8. Dragging in one of those topics that have guaranteed to generate a huge thrash that goes nowhere, like gun control, abortion, or Mac vs. PC vs. Linux. You're only allowed to discuss those if (a.) they're relevant to the entry; and (b.) everyone in the discussion is making every attempt to say something new.
9. This list could grow. It's in our hands, literally.

Should you decide to disregard the list above your comment will be disemvowelled. Disemvowelling is the removal of all vowels from a comment. It renders the comment illegible in most cases. It suppresses unwanted comments and discourages future comments of a similar nature. The dialog remains and with effort may still be legible. But who wants to spend their time parsing a comment with no vowels? Instead, take it as a message that you didn't want to read the comment in the first place.

A possible explanation that's guaranteed to be wrong; we're not going to delete or disemvowel your comments because we simply can't deal with the vast swoop and majesty of your hard-hitting opinions. If we tell you it was due to your behavior, believe us.

It's rare but comments do disappear. Either into an Internet abyss or the content filter we run. Any comment that you feel is missing or taking too long to post should be brought to the attention of a docent. Complaining publically only conjures up attention and never attracts desired results. Keep it simple, let a docent know.

Olyblog not only supports freedom of speech, we practice it. We also believe that you should be able to have (or refuse to have) anything you want on your own blog, as long as it doesn't deprive others of their rights. By that same token, freedom of speech also means the people who contribute to Olyblog have the right to share anything they want on their own blog. If one of the things they don't want is a comment that you have posted, they aren't depriving you of your freedom of speech. You're free to put that comment up on your own blog. Yes, it would be easier if we could all just ignore the comment. Not all of us can. That's why we have this policy. We can't accept losing users to an ill environment. Make others feel welcome and we'll welcome you.

Attempt to establish credibility within the Olyblog community. You don't have to visit Olyblog daily to do so. Just maintain a history of posting clear, well-informed, meaningful and entertaining comments. If you're posting for the third time and the first two times you made were snarky and unilluminating remarks, it doesn't help your case. Remember this when comments you've posted that are disemvowelled or altogether removed. And don't be alarmed when it doesn't seem fair. We're only trying to help you establish your credibility. With pain, we must say it, Olyblog isn't for everyone.

Personal attacks in comments are not allowed. Play the ball, not the player. Swear if you must but disguise the word in some way. The use of a '*' in place of a vowel or two should suffice. Again, we want to welcome everyone and all ages to Olyblog. Be appropriate. Blatant rants will not be tolerated. Just because you didn't swear or attack someone doesn't sum up an appropriate comment.

Keeping on topic proves difficult. Understandably you might have something to say about a subject hoping to sway in favor of your opinion. That's fine to do but do it respectfully. Don't bring down a conversation professing how bored you are. We don't care. We do care about how much we can learn from each other. This can only happen when we allow others to speak their minds freely and with confidence. Shattering opinions with harsh torts might empower you in the short-term. What it does to the opposite party is immeasurable.

All of this might sound like we don't want your comment. We do. We want your comment to be unique and related to the subject at hand. If you need to say something, explain yourself. We can lose translation and tone when communicating over this type of medium. Help everyone who reads you understand what you mean with clarity.

Docent Moderation:

Docents don't enforce compliance with political views in mind contrary to popular belief. True, we have political positions. They aren't the basis for moderation. Olyblog is not a political body. Docents are as much individual users, with independent views, as we are moderators.

Discussions through comments are in no way a debate. Not formal or informal. Comment moderation in a thread should not be inferred as being in disagreement with a docent. It does not mean you violated the rules of an imaginary debate. Simply put, you forget one or more of the things that inevitably derail a discussion.