Updates to the Comment Policies

For the past few weeks the moderator team has been reviewing our comment policies. The new guidelines have been developed taking account of our experiences as well as feedback we have received in the past few months such as Brian’s ‘Ask me anything’ post as well as the ‘Questions and suggestions’ post the mod team hosted last November.

It’s worth going over the new guidelines, even though a lot of it is common knowledge, though the two key points are that we are moving away from using cards as a tool for moderators to one which has meaning for commentators (and yes, there will be a Card amnesty implemented shortly after this post goes live) and that the moderation team will be taking over the moderation inbox (so Brian will no longer be the immediate point of contact for moderation questions). This moderation inbox is new so please be sure to be sending your queries to the correct account.

The guidelines will be accessible on the Comment Policy page, but we are listing them here in case you have any questions that you can post the comments. We will try and compile a Featured Post in the next few days with what we deem to be the most important questions and our answers.

Community Guidelines

The core goal of Slugger O’Toole is to create a high-quality forum for debate.

In order to keep the standard high, we have some rules to discourage the abuse that ruins so many online conversations. Our aim is to provide an outlet for considered, considerate comments, encouraging creative conflict, shared understanding and at very best, actionable insight. Where comments fall foul of our commenting rules the Moderators can take action from deleting the offending comments or applying time outs of various lengths, including a permanent ban. And to be clear, if you have decided to post on our site, we are taking that as acceptance of our rules AND our decisions.

To add a bit of clarity to time outs and bans we, the Slugger Moderators, have decided to put together a short guideline which will hopefully be more transparent for Commentators – the rules haven’t changed (and can be found Here) but we think it important to be a bit more clear on how these rules are applied

1. Timeouts for a day won’t result in a card (unless constant Time Outs accrue) – think of this as more a cool down when things get over heated 
2. First proper timeout (for more than a day) garners a yellow card
3. Second timeout a red
4. If on a red card a further bannable offence will result in a permanent ban
5. Appeals will only be heard in the case of a permanent ban and will be reviewed by someone not involved in most recent decision

Any notes to users via Hyvor will simply list reason for ban (see list of infringements below)  

Also note that we do not discuss moderation decisions on the threads. If you have an issue you can email us at [email protected] – any attempt at discussing mods decisions will be deleted and timeouts applied. 

Moderators will still apply an immediate ban for comments that break rules in an extreme fashion (calls to violence, for example). If an individual tries to get back in with the same, a similar or a different name, this will result in a lifetime ban that cannot be revoked. For the avoidance of doubt: sockpuppet accounts and banned users returning under the guise of new accounts will not be tolerated.

The idea of Slugger has always been that of a convivial pub, where ideas are debated in a vigorous but respectful way, and with a bit of craic- the aim here isn’t to be overly strict but to set a clear framework that’s transparent and that keeps the pub convivial and the conversation flowing.

Who are the Moderators?

As things stand there are several of us, all of varying backgrounds and opinions. The key rule, play the ball and not the man/woman, provides us with a simple non political means to decide what stands and what doesn’t in pursuit of a consistent and level playing-field.

However, we are also all human, and we don’t always get it right in every case. This is why there are several of us and why we approach decisions as a team, to mitigate the possibility. 

When do we Moderate Comments?

First of all, we do not pre-moderate comments. Apart from the huge cost, resource and time implications, our first presumption is that everyone who comments has read the rules, fully understands them and is committed to acting in good faith.

Most folks on Slugger take time and effort in composing their comments, and so the vast majority of them always remain untouched, in all their raw glory. If you see something that shouldn’t be there, please do report. The flagging system is an invaluable tool that helps your Moderators locate problems, but please flag wisely and never vexatiously; there are consequences for abusing the tool. 

We will step in in the following circumstances:-

Libel or things that are plainly untrue. Self explanatory. When making a controversial claim, please take some time to verify your own view with linked research. It will help you banish weaknesses in your claim and strengthen your argument.

Spam. This is usually ads, gibberish, bots. Also long sections of cut and pasted text.

Incitement to violence.  This is a criminal offence and we reserve the right to enforce an outright ban in these cases.

Foul language. Usually an indication of weakness in your argument. Often Disqus will tag such a comment automatically and put into a ‘pending’ folder for moderator approval. Most of these comments will end up deleted.

Man/woman playing, including personal attacks and insults. A rule made internet famous by Slugger – play the ball not the man/woman. To facilitate plain speaking and robust criticism, argumentative strategies which focus an opponent’s character rather than their argument is treated as pernicious rule breaking. Persistence usually ends in exclusion.

*NB this also applies to public figures.

Naming Conventions. Derogatory nicknames, slurs or deliberate misidentification of an individual or organisation is grounds for the post to be edited and/or deleted depending on the severity of the offense. Persistently flouting the naming convention can lead to sanctions.

Going hugely off topic. Self explanatory. Conversations with purpose usually require focus and engagement. Sometimes divergence can be enlightening and entertaining. It’s a matter of degree.

Trolling. Provoking people, spoiling for a fight. Especially by sockpuppets.

Crass generalisations. Applying stereotypes to an entire section of the population. “All unionists/republicans/Brits are X” type comments. Remember there is a difference between a political party and the people that vote for them. Consider whether your argument is straying into the ad hominem (aka ‘man/woman playing’) non arguments.

Excessive and circular whataboutery. Sometimes it’s necessary to bring in “but what about” for context and counter-point. But this gets stuck in an endless feedback loop of evasion and can bury other more valuable conversations.

Volume. If a commenter is making an unmanageable quantity of comments a day, particularly argumentative, trolling comments, this buries and derails real conversation and a sanction may be applied.

Negative comments that bring nothing to the conservation. Our writers give a lot of themselves to this site, for free. By all means critique their ideas. But comments like “this is crap and you’re an idiot” may be moderated.

Persistent Vexatious Flagging:  Vexatious flagging is flagging a comment that does not break the site rules. While people can make errors in the heat of the moment, if an individual regularly flags legitimate comments then that will lead to timeouts and other sanctions. 

After GDPR, we no longer have access to your email addresses. So if you have any queries, or would like an explanation for your ban, drop us a line at [email protected]. 

We will get back in touch so long as this facility is not abused. We take a very dim view of our private communications regarding moderation being posted on other platforms in an attempt to disparage the site, and if discovered will result in the commentator in question losing access to the privilege of a response.

That’s a lot of rules – what about free speech?

At Slugger we are committed to creating an open, pluralist space where deeply different views can be expressed. Division is the reality of our politics, and we have no desire to whitewash this. If you’re a regular here, you will know that we leave a huge amount of comments in place that are on the line and close to the bone. Because this discomfort tells us much about where we are politically. And this needs to be heard.

But free speech is not an absolute. Everyone has it on their own platforms of course. But we’re trying to do something a bit different here.

Slugger has been the passion project of a small team for 20+ years now. We give our time, for free, to try to facilitate difficult conversations across political divides. This means we all need to take a bit more care than usual when we’re here.

Not just to avoid libel. But not to attack people whose experience of this place may be radically different to your own, or to constantly derail with crass generalisations or circular whataboutery.

If that feels restrictive, that’s fair enough. It is a bit. And if that drives you nuts, it’s possible that this isn’t the place for you. It doesn’t mean either of us is wrong. Just that we’re maybe trying to get different things out of this particular online experience.

Hopefully, some of these explanations and clarifications are useful in understanding how things work backstage. As moderators, we will aim to be inclusive and generous. Multiple chances will be given, explanations and a right to appeal will be offered. Because we all get it wrong sometimes.

But we hope you will come along with the wider project of making Slugger a space for thoughtful debate, where we can disagree well without poking one another’s eyes out in the process.