New West.Net Comment Policy & Tips
NewWest.Net encourages robust and lively, but civil participation from our readers. By posting here, you agree to the NewWest.Net terms of service. You agree to keep your comments on topic, respectful and free of gratuitous profanity. Contributions that engage in personal attacks, racism, bigotry, hatred or are otherwise patently offensive will be subject to removal.Other than using a filter that scans for comment spam, we do not moderate contributions before they are posted and we do not review every thread, so we ask that you help us in keeping the discussions civil and appropriate. Please email info@newwest.net to notify us of comments that may violate these guidelines. Thanks for your help and cooperation.
A few tips on the best way to interact on NewWest.Net:
- Take a few moments to fully think through your comment before you post. This will keep you from posting something you might regret later.
- In reference to No. 1: Resist throwing the second, third or forth punch. We understand that at times, people will violate the above guidelines and that will make others mad, but throwing another flame will just fuel the fire.
- Keep your comments as brief as possible. We don't have a word limit on postings, but keep in mind that if you really want to keep anyone's attention, be concise.
- Be respectful of others in how often you post. Please be watchful that you're not abusing the forum by dominating it. Let others have a chance to weigh in.
- Don't be a Google scholar. If you have relevant links to add to the conversation, use them. But too many links, especially on the same subject, can be redundant and can turn people off (after all, they have Google too!). To top it off, too many links can get you caught in the spam filter, which is like participation purgatory -- not a fun place.
- Speaking of the spam filter, if you're regularly getting caught by it for no good reason, try registering and logging into the site. This should help you bypass the filter.
- If you do get caught by the spam filter, please don't take it personally. It's a robot that chokes sometimes and getting stuck in it has nothing to do with the substance, stance or politics of your comment. Please email webmaster@newwest.net if you have questions or problems with the spam filter.
- Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this space is meant to bring about meaningful discussion about important issues in our region. Ideology wars don't achieve that. So, please, try to be constructive and open-minded while engaging here. That means not resorting to blanket statements against groups or ideologies. (Calling someone a right-wing crazy or and liberal elitist environmentalist does not elevate discussion or get your point across very effectively.) Listen to what others have to say, even if you don't agree with them. Call us pollyannic, but we believe you actually can disagree with someone without being rude.
