Comment Policy

Commenting

Like most bloggers, I love when readers take the time to comment. That lets me know that someone is reading this stuff that I work so hard on. The comments are a continuation of the article which, as a blogger, I enjoy very much. I appreciate and learn from the feedback. For me, the interaction is what makes blogging worthwhile — that interaction is the major difference between a blog and a website.

I don't for a minute think that my articles are the be-all/end-all/final word on any topic, which is why I often ask for reader opinions. I also recommend that readers who are interested in a topic check out the reader comments. Often much additional information and insight is added. If you are leaving a comment and want to point to a link on your own or another site that is relevant to the topic then please feel free to do so.

Spammers and trolls

But like anything and everything on the internet, a few (or many) people tend to ruin it for everyone else. Websites tend to sink to the lowest common denominator. That is why so many websites require registration, sign in, captchas, moderation, and/or email verification that so often annoys or inconveniences the rest of us, too. Some websites no longer allow commenting at all. These days a responsible website owner has to have some controls or the website will be overrun with spammers and trolls, making it an unpleasant place for the blogger and the readers.

After 5 years of blogging, I've become less tolerant of people who want to use my blog for their personal purposes. I do not pre-moderate comments, but I make use of Disqus' automated spam and other filters and I have a one strike and you are out policy toward spammers, cyber bullies, and extreme vulgarity. Life is too short to spend time dealing with people who use no common sense.

Civility

I do not object to differing opinions, but if someone is unable to state their argument without being offensive, juvenile, venomous, abusive, vulgar, or making personal attacks against me or other commenters, then I consider that that their intelligence level is not suitable for this blog or my readers. So if you think that I or anyone else is wrong, feel free to say so and to argue why you think so. "I disagree with LG because of ....." is an appropriate comment. "La Gringa is an idiot" is not, and that comment will end up in the trash bin.

The Blogicito has a wide variety of readers of all ages, nationalities, and religious persuasions and I don't want to offend them. If you would be able to say it to or in front of your grandmother, you can probably say it here. I also understand that some of the topics discussed here bring out heated responses and I try to make allowances for that. Readers also have the ability to 'flag' comments for review which they think are inappropriate.

Anonymous comments

This blog allows anonymous comments, but I really appreciate it when regular readers use a name or nickname so I can remember them in the future — it can get very confusing with many "Anons" commenting on the same article. It is fun to 'get to know' readers when I have something to remember them by. One time registration with Disqus will allow you to select a name and upload an avatar that will be shown every time you comment. Disqus will remember your computer so that you don't have to sign in each time. You don't have to register with Disqus, but it is a good way to link to your blog, too. More detailed information here.

Missing comments

Please keep in mind that there are many reasons why a comment may not appear other than 'censorship'. Sometimes people (like me!) just forget to click the post button before they leave the page or sometimes there are technical problems. Occasionally a legitimate comment gets caught in Disqus' spam, IP, or dirty word filters by mistake. If you feel that your comment was appropriate for posting, please try again or send me an email if it doesn't appear.

Privacy

Your email address will not be shown, used, or shared when you sign in to comment on this blog. Don't worry about it. To protect your privacy, please do not include personal information (e.g., an e-mail address or phone number) in the text of your comment.

The Disqus commenting system uses “persistent cookies” to save your registration ID and login password for your convenience for future logins to the site.

All comments within this blog are the responsibility of the commenter, not the blog owner. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with the readers' comments. By posting your comments, you grant La Gringa's Blogicito irrevocable permission to copy or display the commenter’s work publicly and free-of-charge. Please do not post copyright work in the comments.