Some of the changes are new editing tools that our moderators can use to deal with posters who consistently violate our rules and drive away people from participating. The goal is to reduce the number of disrespectful or snarky comments and make Town Square a more welcoming forum for all to share ideas and opinions, not just those with thick skins.
Other new features enable you to:
● Express agreement with a post by clicking on the plus-sign "like" button next to each comment.
● Get an email alert when new comments are posted on a topic you are interested in.
When you give your email address to receive notices of new comments, we will not otherwise use or provide that email address to any third party for any reason. And each notification email provides an easy way to stop the notifications. I encourage you to give it a try.
In monitoring Town Square, our moderators can edit comments, remove them (with a notation), or "hide" them (so the post completely disappears). In addition, moderators can restrict the topic so that comments can be made by registered users only. Now, moderators have new tools to restrict the visibility of comments and even block all comments by a poster. We have added an "email the moderator" link to each comment to make it easy for a poster to request another chance at unrestricted posting.
Many of you have asked why we don't simply prohibit anonymous postings. There are three major problems with this.
First, there is really no practical way to eliminate anonymous posting. We can require all users to register, but we have no way to verify the identity of someone who registers. All we can do is verify that the email address provided belongs to the person registering (by sending a verification email). We can and do ask for the person's real name and street address, but there is no practical way to verify the information.
Second, registered users are just as capable of posting disrespectful, derogatory or inflammatory comments. Requiring registration is therefore neither a way to avoid anonymity or improve the quality of comments.
Finally, we believe there is value in allowing anonymous comments, particularly when people fear retaliation for expressing their views. After doing this for many years, we have concluded that monitoring and moderation is better than requiring all users to register.
Next to each comment is a "Report Objectionable Comment" link that is an important tool for you to alert our moderators to inappropriate comments. While our moderators regularly review comments, your alerts will get attention more quickly.
We welcome your feedback on these changes, as well as suggestions for improving Town Square. Many of the new features are a result of user suggestions and we are constantly looking for good ideas.
