We are compelled to be clear about how Rostra’s automated spam filter treats reader comments.
Most of the comments made on the blog go into a pending filter, with some of them going into spam. It’s either that or have hundreds of inappropriate automated spam comments, many with offensive language, appearing on the blog. We get about 1,000 spam comments per day. All of the comments are vetted to approve the pending ones and to ensure legitimate, real ones haven’t gone into the spam file.
It’s not a perfect, but it works pretty effectively. Unfortunately, we can’t have immediacy in this process, although we do our best. No one gets paid for administering Rostra and our elves do have lives, take vacations and sometimes go camping, just not at the Community Concourse.
So, please be patient when you post a comment and it doesn’t appear right away. Most of all, there is no need to berate us over it, or assume the worst.
Those who include references in their comments such as “You probably won’t post this” are not assisting in the process. That is the game of nine-year-olds. Newspapers have seen such “challenges” in letters to the editor for hundreds of years and typically choose not to print that portion of the letter, if they print it at all. We certainly know of no credible newspaper editors that have ever felt challenged by those types of sophomoric inclusions. They could reply with, “You’re probably too dumb to know that won’t help you get published,” but we haven’t ever seen that either.
Oh…and yes, we will post our admin comments in bold right at the end of a reader comment from time to time as the need arises — just as we have done here — as we damn well please.
Thanks for your understanding and patience. Keep those “cards and letters” coming.
Comments 3
I think the Rostra comments system works pretty well. When I post, I check comments several times a day to approve them. And I like challenging comments. This means Rostra is getting read by a wide spectrum of people, not just the true believers.
Two suggestions: Allow verified readers to comment without moderation. Second, look for a spam filter we can use, which would allow unmoderated comments for everyone.
Finally, I think even with our limitations, Rostra’s comments system is far superior to that of most newspapers, which have no clue on how to manage comments.
My insider’s guess is that most newspapers regard comments as a burden instead of an opportunity to engage readers. Newspapers only have comments because they feel they have to look Internet-savvy, or because their corporate masters mandate it.
In their ink-stained hearts, newspapers really wish the readers would just shut up.
Sounds like you use basically the same system as we do at the OBRag. Here’s our take on the “where’s my comment?” bunch:
There are real live people behind the scenes here. We have lives, children, families and hot meals waiting for us, so we may not be right here, on the spot, all the time. If you left a comment and it has not been posted please be patient. We’ll get to it, there is no need to repost your comment again and again. The subsequent comments will only go into moderation also.
Thanks for clearing this up.