Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Comment Registration

Due to the increasing number of posts which I have to delete due to their abusive nature I have decided to introduce User Registration. This experiment will last about a week. It does not prevent anyone from commenting anonymously, but you will need to set up a Google account to do so - just as you do on many (if not most) other blogs. Hopefully it will discourage the astroturfers. We'll see what happens.

This is not intended to restrict anyone commenting at all, but there are only a limited amount of hours in the day and I cannot moderate 3-400 comments a day retrospectively. I'm just not prepared to allow comments from people who call themselves IAIN DALE'S DILDO. I'll allow any comment which disagrees with me politically, even if it is put strongly, but everyone should recognise there are limits.

39 comments:

Wrinkled Weasel said...

Genuinely sorry to read that it is becoming a pain. I think you should give it a try.

If people cannot make intelligent points without resorting to personal insults, a lot of swearing or merely unimaginative twaddle, they should go somewhere else.

This is a proper blog with proper for proper people!!!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

It's a good idea. Unfortunately there are some people out there who seem to think that posting anonymous abuse at someone they don't know is a constructive and worthwhile use of their time.

Edward said...

I think this is a good move. There is a time and a place for swearing and the use of crude names, but this is not it. Especially when some terms are just there to cause offence or to get a cheap school boy giggle.

smug said...

The effect of this, it seems, is that only people who have blogspot accounts will be linking directly to their own site (previously, you could post as 'other' and link your own non-blogger blog). I can see why you're driven to it, but it's a shame (for non blogspot bloggers like myself; I can still link my site through my blogger profile, but it's not really the same thing).

Shame on the trolls.

jailhouselawyer said...

Iain: And you would say that you are not an astroturfer going by wikipedia's definition? That is, pushing one's own agenda?

Iain Dale's Dildo said...

You can never keep a good dildo out!

Titter.

Sorry Iain.

Bel said...

Adam (4.08), that is my main reservation as well, the fact that people would have to click through to my blogger profile first before they can be taken to my wordpress site. That notwithstanding, I can see why Iain has introduced it. If nothing else, it should help free up time spent moderating.

Phil Whittington said...

I think credit is due to Iain Dale's dildo for some of the more penetrative anal-ysis on this blog.

Yes, there are limits and I would imagine that most people have a Google Account and getting one will be a small price to pay to keep this blog as a great centre-right resource.

Iain Dale's Dildo said...

Can't *all* of the credit Phil, but thanks.

*Takes a bow*

Sorry, this will be my last post.

Night all.

Trubes said...

Good move Ian some of the language on other blog sites is foul and offensive too ! whilst one may have a chuckle at some mild rudeness some stuff posted is downright juvenile , I think we all know who the main offenders are -so well done.

The Druid said...

I must confess I have given your blog a miss of late largely because the quality of discussions on here have gone a bit south. May be its because I am an old fart, but I did have problems following the thread of discussions on the comments which all to often went off post and into the realms of personal abuse. I think the rot set in when you declared open season and took off moderation. Paradoxically this is good news of a sort. Sooner or later the trolls were bound to arrive especially as you and your friends have a public profile. People are going to take pot shots, especially now that new Labour is at last heading for the rocks. I may, of course, be wrong. But there were some lively informative discussions on here last year. Let's hope that these return.

Benedict White said...

Umm.. Bit irritating thsi cyber vandalism isn't it Iain.

The shame is I have taken to not using my google account so that I can post with a link direct to my political blog rather than my profile.

Mind you I suppose you don't need to abuse. Fair enough. Shame there are pillocks around who want to spoil it for everyone else.

Chris Paul said...

The sort of problem I'm looking forward to Iain. But I sympathise. Not particularly looking forward to the blogger becoming the story tomorrow as some Lib Dems have been kicking up about a story I did six weeks ago.

Man in a Shed said...

In the commercial world some message boards have the ability to silently block a poster. ( So when they log in they see their comment, but no one else does.) I'll be surprised if this doesn't exist somewhere for blogging.

(You get you revenge twice then - once by blocking, and the second time by wasting lots of your blocked persons time without them realising it.)

Gordon Brown said...

As long as Verity will still be able to comment, I have no objection.....

no longer anonymous said...

Well, it's forced me to set up a blog I will never use but never mind!

Vienna Woods said...

It's long overdue Iain. Some people just can't keep their cool and get very abusive. In fact I'm astounded that some contributors just cannot accept the opinion of others and try to shout you down. OK, a discussion can turn into an argument, but there is no need for some of the really bad language - demonstrates a distinct lack of oratory skills!

Gordon Brown said...

PS It's definitely looking a lot neater. And I absolutely hate the anonymous commenters. You might start a "blogger baby boom" too...

Unknown said...

It's a shame that you have felt it necessary to censor this post. Unfortunately in todays world foul language is common place, but I do accept your point. Hopefully the Parentage of Blair and his successor's will still be permitted.

PJ said...

Setting up yet another account with yet another password that I'll forget when I want to post from an Internet cafe in Ecuador or Cambodia or wherever...

However, I can understand why you're doing this, God knows.

Ralph Hancock said...

The only practical problem I can see is for those who, like me, are signing in with existing Google accounts that use their first name, if it's a common name. There is already a 'Ralph' who comments on Iain and Guido. Have to wait and see if you get five people called John arguing confusedly with each other.

Gordon Brown said...

Ralph, if there's anyone else out there called tbfkatic, I'd be surprised. You can change your blogger "name" without altering your gmail account.

TBF

Yrgsoth said...

Looking at the number of comments on the posts following this one it would seem to have worked. Lets hope no one is dissuaded from intelligent contribution as a side effect.

Athos said...

Regretable, but understandable.

Its strange that it seems a chore for some to set up an account, but c'est la vie, as they say in France.

Guido 2.0 said...

Shame on the trolls.

Shame on Iain, for for actively encouragung trolls by hiding behind them.

You can never be too aware of sock-puppetry.

Iain Dale said...

Tim Ireland, stop link spamming you unbelieveable hypocrite.

Guido 2.0 said...

Spam you say?

Iain, you really are a silly boy sometimes. Do you follow Guido on *everything*?

PS - Please fix your comment permalinks.

dizzy said...

Awww bless, the link spamming attention whore aka Manic, aka Guido 2.0, aka Tim Ireland is still demanding answers even after being totally owned and led up the garden path by me yesterday.

I should thank him though, as I've not had as much pleasure at winding up an archivist Internet loner for oh, five years at least. And the best thing is that he - and his sockpuppets h0h0 - are still utterly convinced he's "won" some sort of battle when in fact, all that happened is someone made him look like a chump!

Guido 2.0 said...

If you keep saying it, Dizzy, someone might believe it.

Keep reaching for that rainbow.

Iain Dale said...

Tim Ireland, isn't that the law under which you operate?

Desperate Dan said...

I think Guido should do this as well cos they've all moved over there now.

Trumpeter Lanfried said...

OK Iain, had to happen. At least you don't delete views you disagree with. I am still sore at the Guardian which blocked my address and won't tell me why. I expect I wrote something politically incorrect.

dizzy said...

Oh look, Goebbels himself has graced the thread almost instantly. I bet he's sitting there in his underpants pressing ctrl-F5! I see your "battle against Trident" has joined the rest of the Tim Ireland failure projects.

Now I must run, the real world is calling me!

Guido 2.0 said...

*sigh*

1. For more about Dizzy, please click here.

2. Iain, it has been proved that you are a spammer. It has also been proved that you developed a very bad habit of hiding behind trolls. And this is all you have to say for yourself?

dizzy said...

OK I've had my shower now and just before I leave the house I want to bathe in my own brilliance one last time at how I so monumentally wound the uber-political conspiracy theorist up. See guys? I told you I knew what I was doing when I said I was going to ease my boredom by winding him up.

Do follow his links about me though. He's highlighted the inconsistencies I never claimed not to have! Of course his biggest mistake was thinking that this former green mohawked punk that proudly wore tartan bondage trousers would actually give a toss! And that makes the wind up all the more satisfying.

Guido 2.0 said...

Bloggers: Any time you see Dizzy comment or post on any given subject, you now know that you can deploy the 'partisan hypocrite' filter with confidence. You are also aware that any anonymous comment in support of Dizzy or his case should be regarded with suspicion.

dizzy said...

Breaking News: Tory party member outed as partisan!

who'd a thought it!

Guido 2.0 said...

And a hypocrite. Don't leave that bit out.

And it's not just politics, matey... you love Teh Iain and you love Teh Guido and you refuse to find fault with either of them. Despite the evidence.

(Must be rough for you this around, what with comment registration and everything. I mean, it's not as easy for you to pretend to be someone else while you slag others off and/or proclaim yourself to be right.)