!!!UPDATE!!!
Just a quick update! I saw a few users mention that they would have liked some type of warning before the comments were disabled, even if it was temporary. I've re-enabled the comments for this reason. I would like this post to foster feedback and suggestions to combat the problem. In case you missed it in the original post below, the comments are my favorite part of the site.
Possible solutions I've seen suggested so far:
-
Some type of waiting period before a user is allowed to post comments
Maybe add profile requirements as well, like requiring an avatar?
-
Additional community members that can serve as moderators
Note that this ability is already built into the site. If you would like to be added, reach out to me in the comments or via email
ORIGINAL POST
You've probably found your way to this post due to comments being shutdown on the site. For some it may be a surprise that the feature has been disabled. Others may be wondering why they weren't removed sooner. In any case I thought the CBM community might want to know
WHY this has happened. If you're one of these that do, please continue reading.
For those familiar with the site, and the other sites that cover similar topics, news, etc., you may have noticed that CBM is one of the last sites around that actually let you comment on a story directly through the site. CBM's community is one of the unique aspects that have kept the site thriving since we opened the virtual doors back in 2003. Users being able to voice the pleasure, or displeasure as the case may be, is one of the great things about hosting a site like this. There has been passionate debate, awesome discussions, and some REALLY great GIFs shared with the community over the years. It's honestly my favorite thing about CBM. Interacting with all of you is always a ton of fun.
Unfortunately with the anonymity of the web also comes some unpleasant things. Trolls. Flame wars. Personal attacks against other users. The list can be endless, and equally just as depressing. We've tried a lot of different things including adding additional moderators, reintroducing the "Hall of Shame" (where all reported comments get queued up for moderator review), adding the ability to "block" (i.e. not see comments from other users), but it seems to be a losing battle. For whatever reason, some users refuse to act their age, much less be respectful of other users and their opinions. Threads continue to be derailed with unrelated at best, purely idiotic at worst, comments.
For this reason, the comments for all articles on the site, with the exception of this post, have been disabled. Will they return? That's really up to you guys.
Feel free to share any suggestions or feedback below. Maybe I should reinstitute the auto account disabling for users who receive too many reports? That definitely made the job easier for moderators, but just like the Hall of Shame, it was abused and innocent users had their accounts disabled...