July 10, 2007
I just have to say, I question the value of having anonymous comments on our Web sites. Is it positive is it community journalism is it benefiting and enriching our Web site? I say absolutely not. I think anyone who wants to comment/participate in any fashion should be a registered non-anonymous user. I think the discussions and posts will be much more thought-through, educated and thought provoking from non-anonymous users.
John Temple, publisher and editor of the Rocky Mountain News, does a good job in his Blog of explaining why newspapers offer this sort of anonymous bulletin board service.
I agree with John that anonymity fosters participation and that we distinguish between the credibility given anonymous web postings and say, letters to the editor or guest commentaries. I think readers definitely make such distinctions.
But I also am intrigued by Dan's suggestions. We already allow readers to adjust their anonymity settings and identify themselves. But I guess it says something that of 2,285 registered users, just 19 (including me) have adjusted their anonymity settings to identify themselves.
I agree with Dan that requiring registered users to identify themselves might raise the level of dialogue on the Web site and reduce the nastiness. But I also fear that it would drastically reduce participation. I admit - I have forsaken the former in order to encourage the latter.
Dan and I wonder what the rest of you think. Would you still post if your name was attached to your comments? Call, e-mail or post your response below.
Scott Stanford, Editor
sstanford@steamboatpilot.com
(970) 871-4221/(970) 291-9278
Comments
thecondoguy1 5 years, 10 months ago
P.S. Scott how is your mom? posted on wrong link, but wishing her the best..............
thecondoguy1 5 years, 10 months ago
I think the anonymity does allow more input from people who want or need to remain private, I do not worry about the nasty stuff, it is minimal, and we all recognize it as nasty and non credible. This is a wonderful forum for interested people to contribute on a number of topics, I am a old guy and I have learned a lot from these contributors. That being said, if you think about it...... you all know who I am.
JQPUBLIC 5 years, 10 months ago
I don't believe I would use the forums as much without anonymity. The sheriff and the ex-mayor of OC is the first and second reason that comes to mind, I wouldn't put retaliation beneath either of them... in fact I'd expect it. The same is true for OC's ex-"chief" when she had the power for retaliation. This is a good place for people to exchange ideas and opinions without being persecuted for them. Believe me, I know.... some people will stop at nothing to protect themselves from the truth and/or public scrutiny.
corduroy 5 years, 10 months ago
The point of forums on the Internet is to express views, and one of the perks about that is the ability to do that anonymously. I wouldn't expect to go to a site like fark.com or youtube and be expected to give my real name and information. Asking people to do that is essentially asking for us to hold a meeting, in person, instead of people freely expressing ideas online. You take away the anonymity, you take away many comments. Most people are afraid of saying how they feel, then because someone knows who they are in reality, they get attacked personally. I think its a horrible idea
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 10 months ago
Scott- You and most others already know how I feel about anonimity. If you are afraid of retaliation, don't speak or act. It's the only way to stay truly safe. I've heard all the crap about fearing for lives, family, etc. If you cared, you wouldn't teach them to be afraid. Most terrorists stay anonymous, right? You always see them wearing masks in those videos we always see. Or, they stay in hiding like Bin Laden.
SBvor points toward liberals. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter all seem to be alive and well and they WANT the attention. Have they had threats? Maybe. Does that stop them? No. They don't speak anonymously. They make money on what they talk about.
If you aren't willing to say it face to face, it's cowardly to say it anonymously. I own up to everything I say and people who know me personally know that I will say it publicly. Look at the people I challenge when they say they "personally" can attest to something in a thread (ie: D's emails, Nerney's court case) and yet you can't verify it.
Do most people in this world just take everybody's word for what they say? I don't think so. In fact, SBvor's hero, no doubt, is Ronald Reagan. I'm guessing at that, but SBvor never relates any personal experiences when personal experience and quoting a link are not always the same thing. One of Reagan's favorite sayings was "Trust...but verify." Forgive me if that's paraphrased.
If you can't stand up for what you say, why say it? To me, anonimity is a coward's venue.
(posted on http://www.steamboatpilot.com/forums/open/reader_forum/273/ also)
zzzz 5 years, 10 months ago
jqpublic wants to stay annoymous so that he/she doesn't get persecuted but is ok with persecuting others. Hmmmm. The hateful messages offer no positive value and are actually hurting the community. The comments remind me of junior high slam books. Take Devins' suggestion and get rid of the anonimity option. The paper will seem less like the National Enquirer. The Rocky Mountain News isn't printed for just a small town so their on-line dialogue is probably quite different.
OnTheBusGus 5 years, 10 months ago
Anonymous postings are good for our small community. If this was a metro paper it would be different. You all know how small town talk can swirl into a tornado of misinformation! This could lead to problems for posters such as retaliation, etc. as mentioned above. I am certain that there are some well known locals posting here and others might have opinions about them and their views that are less than favorable. So, anonymous is good for us here in Routt County. I enjoy reading the postings and seeing what fellow members of my community have to say about a topic. I love all the perspectives! I have also learned a lot and am glad that there are intelligent (and sometimes not so!) people around to share insight and another way of looking at things. If something moves me, I'll chime in but I'm pretty much an avid observer. I think the Pilot staff and regular posters do a good job of policing the forums for filth and other things that do not belong or fit into the forum guidelines. So, I vote for anonymous unless you want to reveal yourself!
ffv 5 years, 10 months ago
Pacificus Secundus, A Traveller, Homespun, A Londoner, F. B., B. F. , A New Englandsman, A Friend to the Poor, A Well-Wisher to the King and All His Dominions - These were all signatures that Benjamin Franklin used in his letter's to the press prior to the Revolution. In all, Franklin anonymously wrote 300 plus letters to the press signed with 22 different names during the period of 1758 to 1775. My point, if it was good enough then it is good enough today.
stunnedindaboat 5 years, 10 months ago
Scott, Your are correct when feeling that the participation would drop without anonymity. The commuity is small and I think most people would feel that they would be placing them selves at risk for some type of retribution.
We are smart enough to judge the credible comments from the, let's say "zaney", mis-informed and just out right "mean" comments from some. Blogs are a great way to communicate and as with all types of communication among people there will always be hateful and mean people who just want to complain and offer no reasonable solutions...watch CNN. But at least here we can do it!!! I don't agree with many of the things written in blogs, but if I respond, I don't have to get ugly and mean! (I did that in Middle School!!) Keep it they way it is because communication on any level is better than no communication at all. By the way I have been having a great time listening to you on the radio!!! We get to read your words but is is also great to hear your words!!! good job!!
P.S. could we get spell check on this?
beentheredonethat 5 years, 10 months ago
the paper's current policy is spot on. allow users to post and contribute anonymously or if they choose, use their real name.
sportzmama 5 years, 10 months ago
I'm on the fence with this one. I've posted anonymously because the position I had in the community wouldn't allow me to do so otherwise. I do however think people would tend to put more thought into their posts and not just rant and rave. I realize that in our country we are allowed the freedom of speech - thank god - however, we are not granted freedom from retaliation which is what I think most anonymous posters are afraid of.
Scott Stanford 5 years, 10 months ago
Addressing thecondoguy's question, I have posted a blog entry about my mother:
"About my Mom"
Scott Stanford
another_local 5 years, 10 months ago
The liberal/conservative tension is interesting. It looks lto me like you could exchange the occurances of the word liberal" for the word "conservative" and vice versa in any post and the post would make as much sense or lack of it as it did when written.
Worried about retaliation? The merits of both sides appear to be equal.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 10 months ago
Scott- As we know, due to anonimity, this site doesn't have 2300 or so registered users...just 2300 different handles. How many are the same person? Hash/Id freely admits having multiple identities and because of that, circumvents being banned. I personally know that Hash isn't the only one.
This also goes to the unscientific polls that some people still cite in posts. I've already shown how you can vote multiple times from a single computer as long as you have different browsers. Even more if you have access to multiple computers with multiple browsers. Funny how SBvor has admonished me for admitting I skew the results of a poll on purpose, but I challenge anyone to prove they don't do the same thing. They can't, and won't. I know for a fact I'm not the only one who does it.
Plus, anonimity allows people to say things they wouldn't say in public. People have come back a few times when challenged saying they'd have no problem saying it to someone's face. Only 1 person I know so far can say that and prove it. When people bring up personal experiences, it's only good fiction unless you can prove it. Anonymous people can't prove those things. You get told you just have to take their word for it, or they don't have to prove anything to you. Well, if you are here talking about it over and over, you must be trying to change someone's mind and prove to them what you said. Otherwise, you wouldn't be saying it.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 10 months ago
How about having a way that keeps people who have been banned as actually banned? If they are allowed to just make up a new identity each day, what's the point in banning them? Even the Playstation and XBox forums have this ability.
another_local 5 years, 10 months ago
It would be nice you could add an "ignore user" feature to the forum as some other forums have. There are some folks I just don't need to read any more.
sbvor, you missed my point alltogether. I'll grant you it was not well stated, but it had nothing to do with moral equivalence.
beagle 5 years, 10 months ago
Keep the anonymity option but make certain changes: Do not allow postings on obituaries. It is truly tasteless to have people writing rude things about someone who just died. Also, the Pilot staff needs to monitor continuously. Some horrible comments have stayed on way too long and they really drag down the whole forum. If you don't allow anonymity, you're going to have almost no comments. Like it or not, cyberspace is not a place most people want to be identifiable.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 10 months ago
And to another_local: Don't worry about Moral Equivalence. It's a term made up to justify hypocrisy. It's a Cold War term that was invented to justify doing the things our enemies would do.
ghrohrs3 5 years, 10 months ago
The Piolt is just copying the trend of spiraling into chaos, just like the rest of Steamboat and its surrounding areas. Anonymity is needed to get the truth out and to really invite true emotions. There is no need to hate the messenger. They are the pure voice of any place. They see the evil and the digression of the few. They are the heart and soul of what really matters in a place. They were probably there before the nonsense started and hope to return it to what it once was. Nothing stays pure for very long anymore. Our planet survived and flourished for eons until greedy, disgusting humans came along like a virus and poisoned everything. Want to help the world, destroy everything that angers you and send a message that it won't be tolerated. Go watch Fight Club and start your own PROJECT MAHEM in Steamboat. That will get those pencil-neck, money-loving dirtbags to pee their pants like the cowards they are. Build it and we will raze it. Let the revolution begin!
colobob 5 years, 7 months ago
Many people have business considerations to think about when posting comments about community issues. Many businesses depend on each and every customer that pass through their doors, especially in the off season to stay afloat. Anonimity allows these folks to participate in public forums without fear of losing any of their clientel due to opposing view points. Forcing these (or any) individuals to identify themselves would surely reduce participation and a number of worthwhile comments and ideas would be lost. As far as vulger or nasty remarks are concerned, all that would be needed to control this is a "report this" link similar to those attached to each and every comment posted on AOL blogs. The pilot staff would then be able to regulate posts and suspend or revoke posting privilidges when inappropriate remarks are made. If people just don't respond to derrogatory remarks the persons making these remarks will just fade away, or the Pilot staff could just revoke their priviledges.
If voters were made to write their names on a voting ballot how many people would stop going to the polls to vote?
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