WordPress commenting has been restored to WEHOville!
As of today, the WordPress commenting has been turned back on.
While the tech guy was working out a bug with the WordPress system, we decided to experiment with commenting through a Facebook plug-in.
That experiment turned out to be a failure. Readers didn’t like the extra step of having to log into Facebook to register a comment. Some didn’t have a Facebook account, while others didn’t want Facebook tracking their activity.
Consequently, commenting fell off dramatically and many readers emailed me to complain.
In their emails, readers talked about the virtual town square WEHOville provides to discuss issues going on in town. Some saw this as the most vital function which WEHOville provides and were especially upset by the disruption to the commenting.
Others talked about how they felt less isolated because of the commenting, noting that is good to know others feel the same way they do about certain issues. They also said the connection WEHOville provides is even more important since people are staying home during the pandemic.
A few even talked about friendships they’ve developed that started via interaction on the WEHOville comments section.
With WordPress commenting functioning once again, it’s a good time to remind people about some rules of conduct and civil decorum:
- Stay on Topic – Address the issue at hand and don’t veer off to into personal attacks, insults or accusations. I was far too lenient in approving some comments when I first started as editor and things were getting out of hand. So, fair warning, comments that attack/insult others will automatically be deleted.
- Treat Others the Way You Want Them to Treat You – Ask yourself if you would like to be on the receiving end of a comment you’re about to submit. If the answer is no, then reword the comment.
- No Profanity – Any profanity will automatically be rejected. Doesn’t matter how insightful the comment is, using the f-word, s-word, etc., means no one will ever read it.
- Only One Screen Name Per Person – While commenters are allowed to post under a pseudonym, they must choose ONE screen name and stick to it. People found to be using multiple screen names will not see those comments approved (I check IP addresses regularly). Similarly, the email address used with that screen name should be valid in case I need to contact you.
- Be Short and Concise – Keep your comments under 300 words. If you feel the need to write a longer comment, then consider submitting it as an op ed instead. You’ll get a wider audience with an op ed – far more people read the opinion pieces than read the comments section. Submit your op ed ideas to me at James@wehoville.com
As always, thanks for being loyal WEHOville readers!
