No MORE 'Ellen Barshevsky' and OTHER Comment Policy Notes
Dear Readers,
After reviewing our last week of comments, we have decided to become more assertive with our comment moderating.
We will more readily exercise our authority to remove inappropriate comments, those that are particularly off-topic and those that generally flout the rules of civil discourse and persistently disrupt the comment stream.
Specifically, we have tolerated for some time, often to the delight, but increasingly more often to the dismay of our regular readers, what we can only assume is the fictional “Ellen Barshevsky” and her various personas.
As of this morning, “Ellen” has formally been banned from commenting on the site. As is our practice, we generally attempt to warn commenters if they are crossing a line or abusing comments before we institute a ban. But because “Ellen” doesn’t attach a real e-mail address to “her” comments, this has been impossible.
Our comments and traffic to ABAJournal.com continue to increase. We get thousands of comments per month, and welcome robust discussion.
As a reminder, here is our comment policy. It remains fairly open, but has boundaries. We expect there to be debate and disagreement, but without personal attacks and name-calling.
ABA Journal Comment Policy:
Comments are a place for our readers to debate—sometimes quite vigorously—the issues we cover. Please respect our readers’ diversity of opinion and look for ways to further the discussion.
But there are also limits to that debate. Don’t use profanity or resort to name-calling, threats or personal attacks. Don’t spam the site with advertising. And don’t masquerade as someone you’re not. We reserve the right to delete comments that are inappropriate and block users who consistently violate our policies.
By posting a comment on this site, you are agreeing to allow the ABA Journal to reprint your comment in all forms of media at any time.
If you believe a commenter has violated our rules or if you spot an error in a post, please let us know.
Also, because of the increase in comments, we are especially appreciative of those who spot abuses before we do. Please don’t hesitate to report abuses using this form.
Happy reading,
Molly McDonough
Assistant Managing Editor/Online
ABA Journal
