For those who have accounts and log in:
As far as I'm concerned, you have complete free speech on this blog, except when it comes to posting link spam. (Note, however, that David is less tolerant of foul language than I am.)
For those who choose a consistent username, but don't log in:
As far as I'm concerned, you will usually have free speech on this blog, but if you are nasty toward others, post link spam, or I suspect you are engaging in sockpuppetry, I may delete your comment.
For those who insist on posting as "Anonymous":
If you want to hold other commenters accountable for their previous statements on this blog, then at least have the courage to choose a consistent and unique username for yourself (other than "Anonymous") so you can be held accountable as well. If you make snide remarks towards others, your comment may be deleted. If your comment is offensive or disagreeable in general, your comment may be deleted. If you attempt to hold others accountable for their previous statements while you cowardly hide behind the username "Anonymous", your comment will definitely be deleted.
In short, the five seconds you save by not using a unique and consistent username will substantially increase the odds that your comment will be deleted.
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ReplyDeleteIt is good to fix some commenting policy because this helps to maintain the importance and value of the blog. The content should be personal opinion or the fresh information.
ReplyDeleteOkey-dokey.
ReplyDeleteAre you trying to revitalize this blog? Perhaps time has passed the idea of a housing bubble.
808housing (linked to on the right, under Regional Housing Sites) has been dead for a half year. Not inactive, gone. You might pull the link.
Greater NOVA is full of recent buyers with a few holdouts who miss Lance, still lovingly speak of him, and claim that prices will fall further, because, well, just because. Those same wise individuals maintain that even though prices did not fall as they expected in the immunozone, Arlington, DC proper, the prices will fall, real soon now.
I believe that the DC area RE market has seen the lows. 0-10% down for the immunozone. Perhaps 20-50% down for the boonies. YMMV.
I'm guessing that we'll see few years of herky-jerky rises interspersed with flat years. After that, it will be up, up, and away.
Of course, the overall U.S. and global economy still has problems and nuclear war in the mid-east or on the Korean peninsula will change the calculus.
I respect what you're doing here and your comment policies, but I don't understand why you use the nofollow tag. You moderate your comments. Shouldn't people who contribute thoughtful comments that contribute to the discussion be rewarded by having their links recognized?
ReplyDeleteChris said...
ReplyDelete"I respect what you're doing here and your comment policies, but I don't understand why you use the nofollow tag. You moderate your comments. Shouldn't people who contribute thoughtful comments that contribute to the discussion be rewarded by having their links recognized?"
This blog uses a template created by Blogger. The nofollow tags are automatically included. However, I agree with the use of nofollow tags because blog comment areas attract link spammers who have no interest in the content of the blog. The nofollow tag is the first line of defense against link spammers. It requires much less effort than comment moderation in order to ensure that link spammers are wasting their time.
Nofollow tags are easily removed.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/04/remove-nofollow-on-blogger-backlinks.html
In regards to avoiding link spammers, I can't help but respectfully point out again that you already do moderate your comments. If you, as a real human being, determine a comment to be worthwhile, then shouldn't that person also receive credit with search engines for contributing to your site? You wouldn't have to do any more work than you already are doing.
There is no legitimate reason for someone's PageRank to go up just because they have left a lot of blog comments with links to their own website. I'm not going to remove the nofollow tags for blog comments. I believe they should be there, as does Google, the company that owns Blogger.
ReplyDeleteSomeone who is overly concerned with nofollow tags is not really interested in contributing to a blog's discussion. Let me ask you, Chris, how long have you been here contributing to the comments on this blog? As you said, I do moderate comments, and I haven't seen you around much. For you to show up here new, and then complain that if you leave comments you won't be rewarded with higher PageRank just seems a bit selfish to me.
James,
ReplyDeleteIt's not a complaint, it's a philosophical question. You run an excellent blog from what I've seen and I look forward to both reading and commenting more, but I was curious as to why you supported this practice when it has no practical benefit to you since the problem it involves is solved by your own moderation practices.
That being said, I don't see how my presence up until this point factors into the equation. For example, if I had been a part of this blog for years, a frequent commenter with wonderful and thought-provoking insights, would the policy be different for me?
I understand completely if this comment is deleted rather than posted, but please understand that I hold your blog in the highest respect and was simply curious, not attempting to make unnecessary waves.
Sorry, Chris, but I don't like moderating this blog. I spend far more time than I'd like trying to hunt down link spam. Enforcing the rules listed above is pretty easy because most people have learned to follow the rules. Link spammers, on the other hand, just keep behaving badly. Nofollow tags are just one of several lines of defense against link spam. So, yes, there is a practical benefit to me by having nofollow tags: It discourages some link spammers, so I don't have to waste as much time tracking down link spam.
ReplyDeleteMany link spammers leave comments that appear to be constructive. It can sometimes be difficult to tell if someone is a link spammer or a legitimate commenter. If I make the decision not to delete a link spammer's comment, the nofollow tag at least minimizes any gain the spammer gets from his spamming.
Also, speaking philosophically, there is absolutely no legitimate reason for someone's PageRank to go up just because they post a bunch of blog comments linking back to their own website.
Finally, you are not a frequent commenter with wonderful and thought-provoking insights who has been a part of this blog for years. From my perspective, you're a potential link spammer, who showed up here and, as one of his first actions on this blog, decided to check to see if I have nofollow tags preventing his links from increasing his website's PageRank. Then, upon discovering the nofollow tags, decided to complain about them by arguing that he should be rewarded for the wonderful and thought-provoking insights he leaves in his comments. That's how your presence up to this point factors into the equation.
If someone takes the time to post a comment I would imagine they should take responsibility for their words. Jessica Leimback
ReplyDelete