Unfortunately, I think we are also seeing a rise in deliberate baiting. There are new users who appear to be trying to undermine Dem candidates by luring those candidates’ supporters into make stupid comments or into battling each other. If we rise to this bait and fill threads with nasty back and forth comments, we risk alienating new users who will think that BMG is just a bunch of bickering political insiders. We also provide fodder for our post-primary opponents. Worst of all, we divide what should be the blue GROUP and reduce the chances of working together after Sept. 19 to elect a Democratic Governor.
Before you post, think about your goal in participating on the BMG site. Are you trying to spin information that will help your candidate? If so, then try to measure each comment before you post it, and ask whether your comment truly serves this goal. If you search your heart and find that you are just mad at someone, or you are irritated by bad grammar or misspelling, or you have a more snarky way of saying something that has already been said, then perhaps you should refrain from posting.
You can always use the rating tool instead of commenting. (Although it doesn’t help to recommend a superficial or snide diary just because the writer happens to support your candidate. Evaluate the substance and content first!)
If you find someone else’s diary or comment to be incredibly offensive, take a moment to click on their user name and find out their history. If they have been on the site less than a week, they may be some kind of mischief-maker, deliberately trying to draw you and others into a pie fight. Have they posted a profile? Do their other comments give you a comfort level that they are thoughtful and constructive? In other words, don’t fall into a trap.
I know I have probably offended some partisans with a few of my comments, but I have always tried to be substantive and to provide logical arguments for my opinions. Whether it rises to the level of raillery, I don’t know, but at least I try to avoid deliberate provocations about “kool aid drinkers” or direct attacks on other candidates.
I wish that the site was down after 9 pm Sunday night so I would not have read and posted some things so quickly!
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Thanks
I think this advice should be posted in the “netiquette” section of the “About” box…
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Only sorta half kidding there — your comments about needing to unite after the Primary should be uppermost in everyone’s minds. Let’s not send people home mad if their candidate doesn’t win. That’s probably why we lost the last election.
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And, Wayne, your mea culpa is totally misplaced as far as I can remember — you’ve always posted polite comments — or maybe they just seem so because you’re supporting my candidate! đŸ˜‰