It is Wednesday again and … oh, you know the introduction by heart by now. I was actually quite sure that I would rant about Gamescom this week, but the annoying news was actually rather limited this time. Instead, I complain about something else: About you! Well, not all of you and maybe not you specifically, but about one or the other …
The general atmosphere on the site
In the past few days, the atmosphere in the comments section of the site has changed quite a bit. Over the last year and a half, we have steadily grown, and so has the number of people commenting on our articles and news. As usual, with “more people” the number of idiots drawn to the site also increases. As has been emphasized so often, we basically have only one rule for our comments: “Treat each other and the authors with respect.” With a few exceptions, people have managed to stick to that. I believe that Schuhmann, the chief, and I share the same opinion in this regard: The site should not deteriorate and lose value through hate comments and insults. The community is important to us. We all know what happens when you let the trolls run free. There are countless other examples on the net for that.
“You just can’t take criticism!”
That is simply not true. We take feedback to heart and want to know what you want to read about and what might be missing in specific articles. I am grateful for everyone who thinks genuinely about my articles and wants to give me suggestions on how they can be improved. But the tone makes the music! Some people confuse hate comments with “constructive criticism,” as they say themselves. Especially when we have to read comments comparing us to dictators, for me a line has been crossed. My “specialists” often ramble about “constructive criticism” but evidently have not even begun to understand how it is supposed to be framed. As a friend of mine says: “Pro tip: ‘That was crap’ is not constructive!”
“XYZ is so boring!”
Especially in the last few days, I have been particularly frustrated by people who, for example, click on a WoW news article, only to write in the comments: “You only write about WoW stuff, so boring.” I don’t understand it. I really think about it for a long time, but: Why do you click on the news then? Is someone forcing you? Is there a hidden achievement for clicking on all news? Or is it about trying to profile yourself a bit by stating how stupid you find WoW (or any other game)?
House rules and free opinion
The fact is: We are both authors and moderators of the comments. I have been fairly lenient so far, but like most of you, I have no desire for the general discussion climate to be destroyed by trolls and haters, because I enjoy writing with many of you. From now on, I will be deleting and moderating comments more often if I get the impression that it’s just about spreading bad moods. Whoever then hides behind the accusation “So mean! You suppress opinions!” and “Uh, that was all just sarcastic and/or cynical! As a stylistic device, but you don’t understand that!” can come visit me in the evening. I don’t want to take anyone’s opinion away. But we have house rules here and are not obliged to provide you a space for your hate comments. If you don’t like it: Goodbye. The internet is big; you will find your place.
In conclusion, I want to emphasize two things again. The text refers only to a small part of the readers. I get along very well with most of you, and I enjoy the dialogues that arise. We are not banning “other opinions” here; after all, we look forward to lively discussions – as long as they maintain a respectful tone. But we do not want to prepare a breeding ground for trolls and haters here. I hope most of you see it similarly.
