Comments Policy

Most people who read The Wages of Wins Journal do not leave a comment. Comments, though, are certainly welcomed. If you wish to leave a thought (or two, or three, etc…), though, you should understand that the comment section is primarily a discussion area for readers. In other words, because writing the second book is currently my focus, I will not be spending as much time participating in the comment section (at least, not as much time as I did in the past).

Although I am not participating (much), I will do my part to police the forum (since I do read the comments). What follows are the police guidelines. One should note that these policies are basically borrowed from both The Volokh Conspiracy and Sabernomics.

Policy #1: Be Nice

If you do not know what this means (and apparently some people don’t get this concept):

from The Volokh Conspiracy.. think of what people would think if you said this over dinner. If you think people would view you as a crank, a blowhard, or as someone who vastly overdoes it on the hyperbole, rewrite your post before hitting enter.

And if you think this is the other people's fault -- you're one of the few who sees the world clearly, but fools wrongly view you as a crank, a blowhard, or as someone who overdoes it on the hyperbole -- then you should still rewrite your post before hitting enter. After all, if you're one of the few who sees the world clearly, then surely it's especially important that you frame your arguments in a way that is persuasive and as unalienating as possible, even to fools.

Policy #2: Posts that are not “nice” will just be deleted.

from The Volokh Conspiracy... As editors, we reserve the right to delete posts, and even to kick out posters, though we hope that both of these will be exceptional events. (We also reserve the right to be busy with other things, and therefore (1) not remove all the posts that might merit removal, and (2) ignore demands such as "You should remove A's posts, because they're just as bad as B's!")

Our goal is to provide an interesting and pleasant environment that can help inform readers. To do that, we'll occasionally have to exercise our editorial discretion. Think of this as an in-person discussion group, where having different voices is critical to a great conversation -- but where sometimes the leader has to deal with cranks who sour the conversation more than they enliven it.

Naturally, there's always a risk that this discretion will be used erroneously, no matter how well-intentioned the editor. But discussion groups (especially on the Internet, but also off it) generally need an editor who'll occasionally make such judgments.

And, remember, it's a big Internet. If you think we were mistaken in removing your post (or, in extreme cases, in removing you) -- or if you prefer a more free-for-all approach -- there are surely plenty of ways you can still get your views out.

Policy #3: Anonymous posting is allowed, but not encouraged.

from Sabernomics... Anonymous posting is allowed, but each person is allowed only one persona. Using an alias to bolster your own point is inappropriate.

Let me add... If at all possible, try and use at least your first name when you leave a comment. It’s very difficult having a serious conversation with many of the pseudonyms people use on-line. I would also add that using an alias to bolster your own research (published or just posted on the Internet) is very inappropriate (and somewhat pathetic).

- David Berri (May, 2008)

Return to The Wages of Wins Journal