Every now and again, I think it necessary to remind people of the basic rules with regard to commenting on this blog. I think such a moment has arrived again. If so, everything I note that follows is additional to the comments policy, which is available here.
As I have mentioned of late, my workload has been fairly considerable this autumn, which I am taking steps to manage. I admit that the success of this blog and its associated YouTube channel has added to that workload. This blog is now getting more than 20,000 reads a day on average, and in the last 28 days, the YouTube channel has had 1.6 million views and, quite literally, tens of thousands of comments. All of that has added to my workload, but I remain, as ever, keen to provide a free-to-access moderated space for discussion here if I am able to do so. Comments are an essential part of this blog as a result.
That said, it remains the case, as it always has been, that those who arrive here with the very obvious intention of trolling, or to abuse, or to promote ideas that are very clearly alien to the ethos of this blog will always see their comments deleted.
It is, however, now apparent that few trolls reveal their hand in their first comment or two when posting here and do instead take time to reveal their true agendas. In that case, if you are a new commentator, please understand that I am, as a result, almost invariably wary of the comments that you make as a consequence. You might be posting in complete good faith, and I will be pleased if you are. Equally, it takes time for me to have some confidence in anyone who posts here, and some people have taken up to 50 comments before suspicions about them have been proved to be justified, meaning that they have then been blocked. This does increase my workload, but is unavoidable.
It has also been the case of late that a few more seasoned commentators have taken to posting relatively abusive comments, many of which have implied that they have not bothered to read much, if almost anything, of what I have written. Persistent behaviour of that type by one person who had commented over 1,000 times recently saw them blocked because I simply do not have the time or inclination to deal with their newfound negativity that added nothing to debate.
I stress that last point. You're welcome to disagree with me on this blog, and many people do. But when doing so, I think it is reasonable to ask that you do a number of things.
Firstly, please read what I have written. It is very boring to receive comments about matters that have already been addressed inside the post to which the commentator is responding.
Secondly, please do not ask me to do your Google searches. You can do that just as readily as I can.
Thirdly, please do take the time to familiarise yourself with what I previously said on the issue on which you are commenting on this blog. There is a search function on it, and it does work quite well. Please use it before accusing me of things that you think I might not have done. I was, for example, recently accused of having no concern about tax havens. That just revealed the failure of the commentator to do their research. If you want to post, please don't waste my time by getting things wrong.
Fourthly, please do not be gratuitously rude to me or any other commentators. I will, almost invariably, delete you if you do. You might also be banned. This is meant to be a safe space and not one where abuse is offered.
Fifthly, if you want to tell me that my proposal is wrong, tell me what might improve it. If you have no suggestions to make, don't bother to comment. You are not adding to debate.
Finally, please don't be stupid. If you want to be so, please do it somewhere else. I have time for intelligent debate but not for addressing obviously ridiculous comments, and I am not frightened to point out what falls into the latter category. You might say that's being rude. I call it closing down irrelevant angles that require no further discussion.
I stress that all are welcome to comment, but if you're going to do so, please try to present a comment that adds value and not one that wastes my time. I do not have time to waste, and am not inclined to encourage those who do waste it. You might think that unfair of me. I call it trying to do my best for everyone when my time is finite.
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Nicely put. I agree 100%.
“I have time for intelligent debate but not for addressing obviously ridiculous comments,’
With the exception of the ‘Wildlife posts” BayTampaBay will cut back on the Yank snarky comments!
No, you have never been a cause for concern. You passed the hurdle of doubt some time ago.
I don’t have the experience and knowledge of Mike or Pilgrim in economic affairs so I try to be like Cromwell with his self denying ordnance ( though he imposed it on other people, not himself ) in posting.
I said to my wife, I worry you might try to do too much. You seem to be getting more and longer posts. The best is the enemy of the good. You might need to make choices. Your work is too valuable for you to burn out.
The long posts are the videos. We turn in the camera. Usually I have only written the title in advance. I talk. Thomas then has the hard job of producing them. All I do is check the transcripts he produces. The risk if burn out from other work was real. It is now getting under control.
If it ain’t worth saying I try not to say it.
Even though I do crack the occasional joke
Jokes help
no comment 🙂
As a regular reader of your posts and an occasional poster I usually read all the contributors comments because they usually add to the debate and give additional insight. However there are occasions when I can feel myself wincing and chuckling at the same time when reading your replies to some of your contributors. I can only wish I could be as succinct and eloquent as yourself when you use brutal honesty in getting to the core of the subject. That being said, I can also reflect on my own experience with friends when discussion centres around economics and politics, as recently, I was accused of being arrogant because as one of my friends put it “I was always right”. That would seem to be something you would have to put up with a great deal because you choose to “close down irrelevant angles that require no further discussion.” Please do not stop what you are doing, your postings are as always a breath of fresh air.
Many thanks
Well said, Richard. I hope my comments will eventually pass your trust test! I really value this blog and all the hard work you put in. Thank you.
Thanks