Monday, May 07, 2007

You must now register to comment on this blog

By Diane Silver

The days of anonymous comments are over on this blog. You must now register with Google in order to comment. People can still hide their identities by using an alias.

Before I changed to the new Blogger, I had limited comments to only registered users, but the change over seemed to cut off some of the old commentators. I think there's been enough time now, though, for folks to figure out how to register.

Let me know if you have any problem registering with Google.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Not sure if I'm registered. Test, test, test...

Diane Silver said...

Welcome Mousie! You are very much registered.

Sebelius Sucks said...

kindof a strange move for you Diane, why the change?

I know you said in the post - but give us the real reason...

Diane Silver said...

There isn't anything unusual about this at all. It is merely the reimposition of a policy I had before.

To repeat, the real reason is that before I moved to the new blogger, I had restricted comments to people who registered. When I moved, some of the previously registered people had problems posting. I gave folks time to readjust to the bloggers new set up. Then I basically forgot about the whole thing.

In the last few months, anonymous posts have become problematic, including ones on the Jerry Johnston posts and on Phill Kline posts, and no, I don't mean the anonymous comment about Sebelius. Thus, I decided to change.

However, the policy still allows what is basically anonyous comments only it requirese people to use an alias, such as you have done. People can do as you have SS and register immediately before they post, and people can use a variety of aliases. Unfortunately, Blogger does not require people to use their real names in registration.

I believe that one of the biggest problems in the Internet is the fact that people don't take responsibility for their opinions and their actions. That is why I and the rest of the In This Moment contributors are all fully identified.

Openly identifying oneself and taking responsbility for ones actions is both the adult thing to do and an exercise in common decency. I do it because I believe in the Golden Rule.

I'm going to see how this current policy goes for a while. If it doesn't work, then I think the next step may be to simply not allow comments, but to ask folks to email me directly.