The comment threads at Greater Greater Washington have always been valued as a place where a thoughtful and open discussion occurs. But recently, some of those threads have taken a turn for the worse.

Comments on a few posts have become unnecessarily nasty and personal. When the discussion goes bad like this, it discourages many people from sharing their views. And it distracts from a thoughtful discussion. Furthermore, it turns off many readers.

When you disagree with a contributor or a fellow commenter, explain the reasons behind your thinking. Make your case. That’s the only way to win an argument, especially in the eyes of those people on the sidelines whom you could sway. Name-calling and other insults do not convince anyone that you’re right, only that you’re petty and a sore loser.

If your goal is to prove your side of the issue is right, be civil and logical. Doing that might win the argument. But if your goal is simply to make other people feel bad about themselves, go somewhere else. There are plenty of places where vitriol and hatefulness are accepted as a matter of course. This is not one of those places.

In an effort to improve the dialogue, and also to clarify the boundaries of appropriate commenting, the GGW contributor team has devised a comment policy to articulate more clearly what we are looking for and what kinds of comments will lead to deletion.

The policy is posted below. It goes into effect immediately.

Greater Greater Washington encourages comments from all, regardless of point of view. We hope to build a strong dialogue around the issues discussed on the website. A healthy debate and differing opinions is an important part of making Greater Washington greater.

Welcoming a discussion with multiple points of view does not, however, mean that anyone has the right to post any comment. Comments that attack other commenters or contributors or dissuade others from posting their ideas serve to chill the discussion. We will monitor comments and may, without notice, delete those that violate the following guidelines:

  • All commenters must treat their fellow commenters, authors, and other users of the site with respect.
  • Comments should address the substance of the argument being made, not the person making the argument. Arguments which criticize a person rather than specific ideas are not permitted.
  • Name-calling or comments which berate or belittle other individuals will not be tolerated. If you disagree with someone’s ideas, please make your case using a well-reasoned, logical argument.
  • You are not required to use your full name to comment here. However, if you use a pseudonym, please be consistent. Stick with the same name and do not publish multiple comments under various names. When picking a “handle”, please pick one that is unique. If another regular commenter already uses the same handle, you may be asked to change yours.
  • Impersonating another commenter is not allowed. You should always speak in your own voice.
  • We do not tolerate profanity or abusive language. People of all ages read this site and it its important to keep the dialogue civil.
  • Do not advocate violent acts against any individual. Comments which do so may be referred to appropriate authorities if necessary.
  • It is not appropriate to post the same comment in multiple areas of the site.
  • If a comment is deleted for any reason, feel free to email the editors with questions. Making repeated comments in an effort to test the editors’ boundaries or lash out in retribution will only lead to further comments being deleted.

Editors may, at their discretion, remove any other comments that do not contribute to a healthy discussion or which fail to treat other commenters or contributors with respect. Editors may also remove any other comments for any reason at their sole discretion.

Greater Greater Washington is not responsible for the content of comments generated by users of the site. By posting any comments, posts or other material, you agree to comply with this policy and give Greater Greater Washington a perpetual, transferrable, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works from, and otherwise use your submission for any purpose in any form and on any media.

Thank you for reading Greater Greater Washington and helping to build a strong dialogue.

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Tagged: about ggwash, meta

Matt Johnson has lived in the Washington area since 2007. He has a Master’s in Planning from the University of Maryland and a BS in Public Policy from Georgia Tech. He lives in Dupont Circle. He’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and is an employee of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. His views are his own and do not represent those of his employer.