Announcing The Untimely Departure Of VanillaDude, Tallnikita, Nefdawg, Obruni, And Dingram01
You may have noticed: We moderate here much less than we used to. We count on the urbane behavior of our commenters. Usually, that works. In the few cases when it does not, we usually don’t edit or delete comments. We issue a warning when the line is crossed.
That warning is no idle chatter.
Commenting at TTAC works like around a dinner table. Be friendly, be welcoming, don’t be offensive. Discuss issues, but don’t attack the other person. You can discuss the issues all day long as long as it is in a civilized way. When you signed on to TTAC, you agreed to some basic rules.
One of these rules says: “No flaming the website, its authors or fellow commentators.”
Like many rules, this rule is not always enforced with the same fervor. But when it is, it is.
This discussion overstepped the line right from the start. And it got worse. I will not regurgitate the discussion. Also, I do not want it to be regurgitated.
I issued a warning on May 3rd, 2012 at 1:41 pm, and I expected the warning to be heeded. There were a few commenters who ignored the warning. These commenters have been removed and cannot come back. Note that the bannings were issued strictly for ignoring the warning after it was issued.
In order to avoid a reoccurrence of this unfortunate episode, I recommend a civilized discussion style. If you can’t say it without attacking the other person, don’t say it at all. If a warning is issued, it already has gone way too far, and the warning must be heeded without exceptions.
A discussion of this long-standing policy is not desired.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
More by Bertel Schmitt
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And that's why I like cars.
As a fellow journalist and editor, I agree with Bertel that standards must be upheld and a warning should suffice. It does need to be said, though, that a writer of any nationality who begins a car review with "I hate (insert name of country writer's native land invaded and occupied within the last century)" is being provocative in the extreme (as opposed to Jack Baruth, who makes provocation an act of wonder and delight). Especially when the bulk of the readership of the publication had fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who risked and in many cases lost their lives to end that occupation.