Slog
News & ArtsSaturday, February 14, 2009
Housekeeping Monday Is No Dick Day on Slog
Posted by Paul Constant on Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Just a quick reminder that the day after tomorrow is No Dick Day on Slog.
Our team of dick-sniffers are engaged in strenuous training exercises all weekend long. On Monday, they will be de-dicking every comment thread by deleting every comment made by a dick. We're getting excited, and we hope you are, too.
If you need a tutorial on how not to be a dick commenter, you should read comments by Greg and Jocelyn, who are both great, thoughtful commenters who didn't get a shoutout yesterday, but who are great examples of total non-dicks.
1
does this mean there won't be any posts slamming or about mayor nickels, SPD, TD jakes and his gay kid, the Rev H, mars hill, republicans, developers or paul allen?
wtf, that's the only reason i check out this website...
wtf, that's the only reason i check out this website...
4
Hey what about Jude?
He has self-esteem, mommy, and daddy issues, but he's not a dick and seeks recognition wherever he can get it.
He has self-esteem, mommy, and daddy issues, but he's not a dick and seeks recognition wherever he can get it.
5
Monday is a holiday, I don't even think I'll have time to comment on the slog while I'm having too much fun not reading the slog.
6
WHAT!!!???
I need the Internet and slog comments precisely to be a dick. THIS IS WHAT THE INTERNET IS FOR! (well, this and porn) Without the ability to be as huge a dick as I want from the safety and the anonymity of my living room I'll have to start expressing my ill-informed but still very strong opinions in public! This is a recipe for disaster! The only forum available for that much 'freedom of expression' is on your local metro.
I need the Internet and slog comments precisely to be a dick. THIS IS WHAT THE INTERNET IS FOR! (well, this and porn) Without the ability to be as huge a dick as I want from the safety and the anonymity of my living room I'll have to start expressing my ill-informed but still very strong opinions in public! This is a recipe for disaster! The only forum available for that much 'freedom of expression' is on your local metro.
7
This has ineffective disaster written all over it. I'm starting to believe the meme that you guys are just doing whatever it takes to drive up the number of hits on the site.
How about you take a staff day to implement SLOG registration instead, like you've been promising for two years now?
Wondering if SLOG really has jumped the shark,
How about you take a staff day to implement SLOG registration instead, like you've been promising for two years now?
Wondering if SLOG really has jumped the shark,
9
Paul,
I'm curious as to why this is a one-day exercise. It's like getting two bratty siblings to stop tormenting and hitting each other for a day. The following day they go right back to it and everyone is still miserable. The reprieve is nice, but doesn't solve anything in the long run. If you're hoping everyone will see how lovely Slog can be with polite discourse that every commenter will change his or her ways, I think you'll be disappointed. Slog has been a pretty nasty place for a long time. It's not just anonymous trolls posting under different names. There are a few regular commenters that are as bad as the trolls.
I might also suggest you look at the content of Slog posts... y'all have been tossing up a lot of troll bait lately. These flamewars aren't starting because Megan posts a kitten video, Lindy writes a fucking *hilarious* post about the Psychic Friends Network (my fave Slog post of all time), or Jen about local art. There are a few writers on staff (not naming names) that post with the clear intent of egging people on. Either that, or they are clueless about what they're doing, which I don't believe for a second. Maybe they need the attention, or are trying to drive site hits up, or actually enjoy the ensuing nastiness in the comments. Whatever the reason, when you post about foie gras (like ten times after a flamewar has already started), innocent youth pastors, gang shootings and hip hop, or pitbulls, you post that knowing full well that by comment #10 there will be a full-fledged battle erupting.
So then you have a choice - post that stuff and don't allow comments; post and allow a free-for-all and accept it for what it is; post and moderate comments. Or issue warnings and ban the IPs of repeat offenders - for chrissakes I still can't understand why you all let that ecce homo thing drag on for so long. Registration in and of itself is pretty useless - look at the PI and Times comments, which are garbage heaps of humanity (that both require registration). It's your blog, make up rules and enforce them. Whatever route you go, good luck.
More...
I'm curious as to why this is a one-day exercise. It's like getting two bratty siblings to stop tormenting and hitting each other for a day. The following day they go right back to it and everyone is still miserable. The reprieve is nice, but doesn't solve anything in the long run. If you're hoping everyone will see how lovely Slog can be with polite discourse that every commenter will change his or her ways, I think you'll be disappointed. Slog has been a pretty nasty place for a long time. It's not just anonymous trolls posting under different names. There are a few regular commenters that are as bad as the trolls.
I might also suggest you look at the content of Slog posts... y'all have been tossing up a lot of troll bait lately. These flamewars aren't starting because Megan posts a kitten video, Lindy writes a fucking *hilarious* post about the Psychic Friends Network (my fave Slog post of all time), or Jen about local art. There are a few writers on staff (not naming names) that post with the clear intent of egging people on. Either that, or they are clueless about what they're doing, which I don't believe for a second. Maybe they need the attention, or are trying to drive site hits up, or actually enjoy the ensuing nastiness in the comments. Whatever the reason, when you post about foie gras (like ten times after a flamewar has already started), innocent youth pastors, gang shootings and hip hop, or pitbulls, you post that knowing full well that by comment #10 there will be a full-fledged battle erupting.
So then you have a choice - post that stuff and don't allow comments; post and allow a free-for-all and accept it for what it is; post and moderate comments. Or issue warnings and ban the IPs of repeat offenders - for chrissakes I still can't understand why you all let that ecce homo thing drag on for so long. Registration in and of itself is pretty useless - look at the PI and Times comments, which are garbage heaps of humanity (that both require registration). It's your blog, make up rules and enforce them. Whatever route you go, good luck.
10
That's ok SLOG!
Since you seem to want to chase away readers, I suggest others look at
http://technorati.com/search/dicks?langu…
and
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?…
Or any of the millions of other outlets on the Internet that don't practice censorship...
Since you seem to want to chase away readers, I suggest others look at
http://technorati.com/search/dicks?langu…
and
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?…
Or any of the millions of other outlets on the Internet that don't practice censorship...
11
@9... or anyone who wants to "ban IPs"....
Please look up what IP addresses are. It would help if you understood.
Please look up what IP addresses are. It would help if you understood.
16
My point @14 is that it's a lazy way to address something that requires serious consideration, which is how to prevent drive-by trolling.
If ecce or Issur or any of those old-school goons want to stand up and argue their idiocracy fine, but these new noxious posts from people who show up once, never defend their views, and then vanish without a trace really diminish any of the enjoyment that I think most people get out of reading and posting to SLOG.
The "Third & Pine" thread has degenerated into somebody just throwing up vile shit S.A. newswires. That person isn't a member of the community, they're not trying to engage anyone on anything, we'll never hear from them again (at least, with that moniker) and they're just pooping in our sandbox.
One day of heavy censorship is not going to fix anything. Decide how to fix SLOG, and then spend the money to rewrite the code. Anything else is windowdressing.
If ecce or Issur or any of those old-school goons want to stand up and argue their idiocracy fine, but these new noxious posts from people who show up once, never defend their views, and then vanish without a trace really diminish any of the enjoyment that I think most people get out of reading and posting to SLOG.
The "Third & Pine" thread has degenerated into somebody just throwing up vile shit S.A. newswires. That person isn't a member of the community, they're not trying to engage anyone on anything, we'll never hear from them again (at least, with that moniker) and they're just pooping in our sandbox.
One day of heavy censorship is not going to fix anything. Decide how to fix SLOG, and then spend the money to rewrite the code. Anything else is windowdressing.
18
The comments are just a symptom.
The core problem is that the people running slog are, in fact, the real DICKS.
The core problem is that the people running slog are, in fact, the real DICKS.
19
@18 OMG you just totally burned them. Turn the clever down a notch before your neighborhood goes up in flames.
21
Dick dick dick dick dick dick dick dick dick dick. Sung to the tune of "Old MacDonald had a farm"
23
If you wanted to prevent trolling with a minimum of effort you would not have an anonymous forum for discussion, everyone would be openly identified, with their actual name and general location.
But that takes a lot of the fun out of it, too.
But that takes a lot of the fun out of it, too.
24
@16 is 100% correct. I would have said it myself but I'm an uneloquent retard. The drive by trolls are killing this place lately. The problems are not with dicks (I myself am a dick roughly 80% of the time) but with people purposefully killing discussion with their nonsense. Whats wrong with registration?
26
I cannot believe that this hasn't been posted yet. Monday is going to be FUN FUN FUN!
http://www.videosift.com/video/Team-Amer…
http://www.videosift.com/video/Team-Amer…
27
It's a real dilemma. Whether it's better to leave dicks uncut, or whether it's better to sniff each one, and cut it if it seems noxious.
In all seriousness, though, kiddie trolls are like geese. They fly around looking for fresh pasture. Then the flock lands, and shits and shits and shits. When they don't get what they want anymore, they fly off.
If you want a diverse, thriving ecosystem on slog, then something has to be done so that trolls stop getting what they need here.
Remember-- even Craigslist was a cool, thoughtful place when it was young. And it was laid waste just that fast.
In all seriousness, though, kiddie trolls are like geese. They fly around looking for fresh pasture. Then the flock lands, and shits and shits and shits. When they don't get what they want anymore, they fly off.
If you want a diverse, thriving ecosystem on slog, then something has to be done so that trolls stop getting what they need here.
Remember-- even Craigslist was a cool, thoughtful place when it was young. And it was laid waste just that fast.
28
@15, I could have a different IP address for every post if I so desired. It isn't hard. (And no, I'm not posting how to do it.)
29
i also agree with big sven @16 the house trolls are not the problem (they're kinda fun, imo), it's the drive-bys.
(ps to sven: you asked me a very good question abt. hfc' pollution recently, and i'm gonna double-check my facts on that).
(ps to sven: you asked me a very good question abt. hfc' pollution recently, and i'm gonna double-check my facts on that).
30
@28, there are the rare tenacious ones like the Dan Supported the Iraq War troll or Hulk Rize (though I think that one's kinda funny) that might proxy surf. I'm guessing most of the driveby trolls on Slog aren't that ambitious. I know I'm not.
31
I agree with #16, it would be better if we had permanent registered usernames. I, for one, found John Bailo's trolling pretty amusing, but these new people (could be just one person), who have a "witty" anti-Savage/ECB comment as their handle, are just tiresome.
32
@8, you have a subject-verb agreement problem:
"[The] staff is filled with stoners and self-righteous cunts who GIVE a shit."
"[The] staff is filled with stoners and self-righteous cunts who GIVE a shit."
33
dear paul constant,
you amaze me. when i read you're reviews, I think aloud "how did paul manage to turn another review into a rant about his particular opinions and/or himself?"
that u will be deleting comments by 'dickheads' is just too much...
hahahahaha...
btw, when is that novel of yours coming out?
you amaze me. when i read you're reviews, I think aloud "how did paul manage to turn another review into a rant about his particular opinions and/or himself?"
that u will be deleting comments by 'dickheads' is just too much...
hahahahaha...
btw, when is that novel of yours coming out?
35
Beyond Fifty-two-eighty's insightful point, it is also possible for more than one person to have the same IP address.
Most broadband addresses are dynamic: they change from day to day. Today you could be assigned the address that yesterday belonged to a "banned" user. Some households have more than one person posting, especially in roommate situations, all sharing a single broadband router and IP address. And of course, cafes and other wireless access points like schools can all have the same IP. Finally, I know lots of people who piggyback wifi from their neighbors; if you don't lock your wifi it's an invitation for others to share it. I don't lock mine and my neighbors can hop on as long as they don't go overboard with the downloads.
In other words, lots of bad people can supply themselves with virgin IP addresses as needed, and lots of good people can and do share the same IP address. Banning IP addresses is meaningless nonsense and that's why it's hardly done anymore, except by fools.
Most broadband addresses are dynamic: they change from day to day. Today you could be assigned the address that yesterday belonged to a "banned" user. Some households have more than one person posting, especially in roommate situations, all sharing a single broadband router and IP address. And of course, cafes and other wireless access points like schools can all have the same IP. Finally, I know lots of people who piggyback wifi from their neighbors; if you don't lock your wifi it's an invitation for others to share it. I don't lock mine and my neighbors can hop on as long as they don't go overboard with the downloads.
In other words, lots of bad people can supply themselves with virgin IP addresses as needed, and lots of good people can and do share the same IP address. Banning IP addresses is meaningless nonsense and that's why it's hardly done anymore, except by fools.
37
to make another point that no regular commenter will - some of us use variable aliases to avoid stalking attempts by other commenters. If you think that doesn't happen, ask DOUG.
38
According to the Interwebz, Marlee Ginter is still blowing goats.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mar…
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mar…
39
And let's not forget Vanessa Ho of the P-I, and the first thing that comes up when you search her name on Google:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=van…
Or Dan's gloating over this stunning achievement:
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/beho…
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=van…
Or Dan's gloating over this stunning achievement:
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/beho…
40
HERE IS HOW YOUU DOO ITT -
There are mask sites you use to interface and provide phony IP
have a slip some where with the name, try google
The so called Trolls are a generalized FEAR in many neuro damaged minds - mostly those clinging to conformity and rules - just like Pastor John and control Mommie taught them.
It is called censorhip in a free voice and thought society.
I plan to BOYCOTT Monday, as I don't think this is funny.
Is SLOG freedom with some trash talk, or, it is Mommie and Pastor John sending their echo down wind.
Fuck the idea of word control and glory to dickheads, cause mostly they have advanced educations.
BOYCOTT or GET VERY CLEVER AND WITTY ...
There are mask sites you use to interface and provide phony IP
have a slip some where with the name, try google
The so called Trolls are a generalized FEAR in many neuro damaged minds - mostly those clinging to conformity and rules - just like Pastor John and control Mommie taught them.
It is called censorhip in a free voice and thought society.
I plan to BOYCOTT Monday, as I don't think this is funny.
Is SLOG freedom with some trash talk, or, it is Mommie and Pastor John sending their echo down wind.
Fuck the idea of word control and glory to dickheads, cause mostly they have advanced educations.
BOYCOTT or GET VERY CLEVER AND WITTY ...
41
As a few people have mentioned, the real irony is how many of the topics (or "riffs") are in fact dickish themselves.
This exercise would be much more interesting (and maybe effective) if the dick sniffers also took a hard look at the main posts that are being put up (presumably by their colleagues) and deleted the ones of those that ar truly dickish (sorry for the sentence structure here....).
This exercise would be much more interesting (and maybe effective) if the dick sniffers also took a hard look at the main posts that are being put up (presumably by their colleagues) and deleted the ones of those that ar truly dickish (sorry for the sentence structure here....).
45
ellarosa@29: I still do want to know more about the hfc question. So thanks. I have a professional interest in the answer. Feel free to sent me a note at my (currently incredibly boring) blog if you want to comment offline.
47
@9 We cabn just say it, it's why they keep Erica and Charles on staff. Numbers lagging? Have Charles throw up a post about how pregnant women can never be attractive, or Dan throw up a post about blacks n gays.
Regime change starts at home, you know.
Regime change starts at home, you know.
48
You realize, of course, that everyone will now spend monday working as hard as possible to get deleted.
I will, anyway. Looking forward to it!
I will, anyway. Looking forward to it!
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
SL Letter of the Day: Putting It In by Dan Savage
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
Meet the UW "Swagga Suit" by David Schmader
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (51) RSS