As the number of commenters and readers has grown here, so has the degree of rancor, name-calling and vituperation on this site; and I often can’t keep up with the comments because of other commitments. So let me emphasize again a few long-standing rules.
1. Please do not dominate threads with your comments. If you exceed 15% of the total comments, you are commenting too often. What I particularly dislike is one-on-ones, where two people go hammer and tongs at each other. (I have never seen a rapprochement from these engagements!). Take it to private email if that happens.
2. Please do not comment solely to advertise your own website or a cause that you want promoted. If you think there’s a cause that would interest the readers, please call it to my attention via private email.
3. Please do not call the other commenters names. If you wish, you can call public figures names (I have trouble restraining myself vis-à-vis creationists!), but I don’t want a lot of invective directed at the readers. There are plenty of websites where you can curse to your heart’s content. I can’t guarantee that I’ll find every violation here, but I expect people to abide by this request.
4. Please keep your posts reasonably short; do not write essays. If posts are too long I often contact the commenters and ask them to shorten their remarks. If that happens to you, please do the editing without complaint.
5. Finally, do not diss the host. I don’t mind people criticizing my ideas—indeed, I encourage it—but don’t call me names, don’t tell me I’m a hypocrite, that I should relax, that I should not be posting on certain topics,that I shouldn’t eat BBQ, and so on. This website is like a home to me, and you wouldn’t visit someone’s house for dinner and then insult them. There’s been a surprising lack of social grace in many recent comments. If anything will get you banned here besides moronic creationism, it’s rude behavior.
kthxbai
I’ve been way too busy to drop in recently (always check the kitteh posts), but have seen you post this kinda thing more than once & I’m sorry you’ve had to.
I like your roolz & well said!
I concur.
Jerry and his civility is what makes this website great. Just mind the hydrogenated oils, mate.
I couldn’t agree more about the long one-on-ones, they are extremely tedious, usually on a topic few others care about or often even understand.
So long as I can still say ‘fuck’ I’m good. 😉
😉
I fucking love you, Marella
For fuck sake I fucking love the fucking fuck out of you, Marella!
😉
BBQ? Really? Huh. I am overwhelmed by a compulsion to tell you to relax while eating non-barbequed food. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Don’t type it don’t type it don’t type it… Sorry.
I once again would like to say just how much I enjoy the atmosphere you have created and maintained here — one of the only websites where the readers make the comments worth my while to read.
The internet is rampant with violations of the above rules. This is one reason I rarely read comments about postings. The violaters ruin it for those who actually have something substantive to say.
Yeah, I saw one on You Tube this afternoon where the commenters were absolutely viscous. It was disgusting.
So their comment was polluted with language that prevented the argument to flow?
Like molasses in January.
Maybe they were just thick?
<3 the roolz
Actually, >3 … since there are 5.
/@
On name calling and the lack of a Rule #6:
http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=_f_p0CgPeyA
Yes, I would just like to second the others’ thoughts concerning the atmosphere here and say how grateful I am to the host for maintaining it. This is one of the only websites where I not only read the comments, but actually look forward to doing so.
In environments where less civil standards hold sway, people can still say interesting things and have meaningful exchanges, but you have to do so much wading to get there.
I’ll reiterate what some others have said and let you know that I think this blog is like a breath of fresh air compared to so many others – largely because of the rules you have posted. Kudos.
pssst…. (hushed whisper) …website. 😉
Oh… so does rule #2 mean we can advertise our own blogs? 😮
/@
It is wrong for anyone to insult the good host. I mean seriously, he does a good job both to educate and entertain
Respect !!!
When anyone accesses Jerry’s site it’s the same as them entering his Home !!! and as such they should leave their aggression outside, take off their Shoes, show Courtesy and hopefully have a Sense of Humour so that we all may enjoy each others Company…
I’m grateful to be on this site, due the depth of the discussion combined with the integrity, knowledge and wisdom of the host. Whilst we quibble about the oxymoron of Xtian philosphers, we agree on the incisive work done by Hume, Russell and Wittgenstein.
Jerry is a the sort of academic you dream about – amazing intricate knowledge in number of fields and willing to share himself and his skills with the wider community.
Big smile. Truth is easiest.
Yes, as others have aid- respect for the atmosphere you’ve created.
Agree about not writing essays. If I see something several paras long I tend to skip it. As Groucho Marx once wrote (tho possibly pagiarised) “If I’d had more time I could have written you a shorter letter.” It’s good to trim a long-winded argument down to the salient points, so it stands a better chance of actually being read.
Have you thought about having a page on the blog, such as “Before you comment?
That way, anyone moans you have it clearly shown what action you will take. Without repeating continuously.
Generally try to avoid essays unless invited in comments by blogger to expand. Better to on your own blog have a detailed response and link back.
Rool 6: there is no blog! (with apologies to Monty Python).
GREAT! I especially agree that the one on one debates need to move on to private discussion. I usually skip those comments.
Thank you for this post. If you feel I am breaking any of your rules, I hope you will let me know immediately.
Beth http://www.sprocketsinside.blogspot.com
How to contact you via email if one don’t have your email address? 🙂
Is there some way of internal communication with other bloggers via WordPress? I have an account, so…
Ask Google.
Look for our host’s name, and check the results for his University page – it’ll be near the top. Email linky there.
Got it. Thanks!
Not eat BBQ? Blasphemy! One should be shunned for life for suggesting such a thing.
If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, Dr. Coyne, give 4 Rivers Smokehouse a try. They have some of the best BBQ Florida has to offer, I think.
Many thanks for the wonderful website and the astounding photos. In the short time I’ve been visiting your site, I’ve grown quite addicted.
I follow lots of folks on Twitter who post links, but none of them have a better batting average for getting me to click on them than Jerry does.
Slightly sorry about last weeks GSS “miracles” thread.
But really, this is science where the full data set is on-line, and some basic analyses are automated. There’s damn little excuse for ignorant speculation in those circumstances.
Echoing several of the above, this is about the only website where I usually read the comments, precisely because of da roolz.
There have been a few cases where Jerry has interpreted something as snark where I’m pretty sure it was not intended as such, but comparing WEIT to Certain Other Websites suggests that it is indeed better to err in the direction of seeing the snark-tiger when it is not there.
Is it OK to mention that the design in the ‘O’ of the Jerry’s Motel graphic looks like a digitus impudicus?
The welcome seems a little ambivalent once you notice it.
Hear, hear! I appreciate JAC’s reminders re the ROOLZ, particularly since I make WEIT required reading for my science/religion class.
I love this website. The writing is top notch. I like the rules too. It is clear that a heck of a lot of effort goes into writing the posts and maintaining the website. We appreciate it!
I am a musician with a life-long interest in evolution. How do you feel about my asking the occasional question for elucidation?
Kink has a question:
“What’s a rool?”
A rool if broken makes you a fule.
Love it here. Come back often. Read read read read read. Brilliant. Find snark, cheap import from elsewhere. Roll eyes. Ignore. Proceed. Ace.
Don’t get the objection to one-on-ones. It can be really educational to witness 2 people thrashing out an issue, providing they know what they are talking about.
+ 1
These conversations can be informative and, sometimes, fun. They can also be pointless, but in that case I just scroll on by.
We need a way to separate the worthwhile ones from SIWOTI.
http://xkcd.com/386/
Yeah, I mostly find them easy to scroll by if I’m not interested, too. But I imagine it’s a pain for JAC in his efforts to monitor things here.
(Maybe if there’s a particular one-on-one that seems especially worth-while, more of us should chime in to let that be known…)
You run a great site, Jerry. And while the food pictures often make me painfully hungry and envious of you, especially when you’re dining with Dan Dennett & Richard Dawkins, I’m willing to forgive this.
In addition to the atheism & evolution stuff, you often have some of the best kitty videos.