From an editor of Scientific American, regarding comments on his Scientific American blog:
The same goes for climate change. It is a fact that global warming is true. And it is also a well established fact that humans played a big role in it. And the notion that if we broke it we should fix it is what responsible humans do. Thus, an article about a new study about climate or weather or energy or infrastructure is not a proper forum for debating the well-established facts. There is no debate there. Thus, such comments need to be deleted.
Now let’s go back to the very beginning of this post and the forthcoming article about the effect the tone of comments affects readers. If we leave the creationist or denialist troll comments up, what does it do to the rest of the readers? It polarizes them, it makes them more certain about things than what their actual knowledge warrants, while at the same time repelling experts from wading into the mud-pool to correct, over and over again, the untrue statements and anti-facts posted by denialist trolls.
How do you decide what is a trolling comment?
The first definition of trolling is ‘posting comments in order to derail the discussion’, to take it away from the topic of the original article and onto a topic the commenter wants to discuss – his/her own pet peeve.
If you want your comment threads to remain clean and civil, and to stick to the topic in the article, you HAVE to delete off-topic comments.
So, if I write about a wonderful dinner I had last night, and somewhere in there mention that one of the ingredients was a GMO product, but hey, it was tasty, then a comment blasting GMOs is trolling. Any comment that contains the word “Monsanto” instantly flies into the spam folder.
If I write about a wonderful weekend mountain trek, and note I saw some flowers blooming earlier than they used to bloom years ago, then a comment denying climate change is trolling. I am a biologist, so I don’t write specifically about climate science as I do not feel I am expert enough for that. So, I am gradually teaching my spam filter to automatically send to spam any and every comment that contains the words “warmist”, “alarmist”, “Al Gore” or a link to Watts. A comment that contains any of those is, by definition, not posted in good faith. By definition, it does not provide additional information relevant to the post. By definition, it is off-topic. By definition, it contains erroneous information. By definition, it is ideologically motivated, thus not scientific. By definition, it is polarizing to the silent audience. It will go to spam as fast I can make it happen.
For a science site, every comment that insert non-scientific, anti-scientific, nonsensical, ideologically or religiously motivated anti-facts, is by definition not just trolling, but spam. Like online Viagra sales. Literally! There is more and more evidence that a small subset of trolling posts (e.g., those aggressively promoting climate denialism) may be paid for by astroturf organizations funded by some vested interest groups. By peppering every article and post that can remotely have anything to do with their topic of choice, they provide an illusion that their pet movement is bigger than it really is, or that support for their position is more widespread than it really is (which then, if it works, results in the actual rise in the support for their anti-science positions). This then encourages the others (after they got persuaded quickly, without having their own sufficient knowledge, as the nanotechnology paper showed) to keep posting additional comments for free. The first troll comments are supposed to be seeds for more trolling. Which is why it is essential to cut them at the root. You do not want to provide a free platform for a paid political operation.
I am certainly not using cowardly, mealy-mouthed He-Said-She-Said mode of writing my own posts, so I will also not allow for a He-Said-She-Said pseudo-debate to develop in my comment threads. You don’t like it? Deal with it. Go and complain in the comments on Watts’ posts, or on your Facebook wall.
And the idea that deleting inappropriate comments reinforces the formation of “echo-chambers” is a complete myth. Plenty of different opinions are out there, many more of them much more easily available than before the Web. The commenting threads are not a place to showcase the whole spectrum of opinions, no matter how outrageous some of them are, but to educate your readers, and to, in turn, get educated by your readers who always know something you don’t.
My own moderation rules
You are reading this on my own, personal blog. I know, the distinction is fuzzy. The blog is hosted on Scientific American, and I am an editor at Scientific American, thus this blog is in some way a public face of the organization. But writing this blog (or even hosting it on this site) is specifically not included in my contract and in my job description. This remains my own, personal blog. I host it here because it makes sense to me – it is easy (I am here all the time anyway), it feels natural, and it provides me a greater visibility than if I self-hosted it elsewhere.
Now, I am aware I represent the organization in public. Thus, I am very careful that everything that goes up on this blog is following the range of topics and the discourse standards of SciAm. If I think something I have to say does not really fit here, I post it on my Twitter or Facebook or Google Plus or Tumblr. And even there I am aware that I am still seen as a public face of SciAm so I am careful what kind of language I use, how I behave, etc. Deleting trolls, and not providing a platform for anti-science ideas, is good behavior for a scientist, a science writer, and an editor at Scientific American. It demonstrates I care for the truth.
Galileo was the best troll ever.
Well-played, John! 😉
Such is the reaction to dogma in the church of science. There’s the notion of the scientist as “stealth advocate” for climate science. Bora Z is fully transparent — in no way stealthy.
This quote from Feynman is appropriate: “Science alone of all the subjects contains within itself the lesson of the danger of belief in the infallibility of the greatest teachers in the preceeding generation . . .As a matter of fact, I can also define science another way: Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts.”
Reading this guy, we could science is the best explanation of the selective evidence I wish to examine.
Same stuff you saw on the Weather Channel twenty years ago, when whatshername declared she was a believer, along with Al Roker and the Science Guy Nye, and Katie Couric.
Everybody should take an extended tour of the Coyote Blog, which provides extensive reading of serious scientists on global warming and other hot questions.
When I last checked, nobody has been a brave enough cricket to get on this blog and argue why we should give up our property and liberty for their cause.
Coyote’s (warren meyer) book on GW was one of the first I read after reading Dyson’s essays. Subversive, heretical stuff. It should be banned. Eventually lead me to classical liberalism. I was much happier (ie naive) as a progressive. I guess if I want to be deprogrammed back to that state, this is the wrong blog to read.
639594 278853This is genuinely fascinating, Ill look at your other posts! 454037
178184 28106After study a handful with the content in your internet internet site now, and that i genuinely such as your method of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark internet website list and are checking back soon. Pls look into my website as effectively and tell me what you believe. 555732
576449 61151You produced some decent points there. I looked online for your problem and located most people will go together with with the website. 395297
474601 896460Up to now, you call for to term of hire an absolute truck or van and will also be removal equipments to valuable items plus have a look at the new destination. From the long run, which finish up with are few points except anxiety moreover stress and anxiety. removals stockport 922626
I do trust all the ideas you’ve introduced for your post. They’re very convincing and can definitely work.Nonetheless, the posts are too quick for starters.Could you please prolong them a bit from subsequent time?Thanks for the post.
Mexican Easy Pharm: pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa – Mexican Easy Pharm
Really appreciate you sharing this article.Much thanks again. Really Great.
A round of applause for your blog article.Really thank you! Will read on…
Thanks for the article.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.
I really enjoy the blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
I think this is a real great article post.Much thanks again. Really Cool.
I think this is a real great blog.Really looking forward to read more. Cool.
Great article post.Thanks Again. Really Cool.
569573 206720really excellent post, i definitely enjoy this site, maintain on it 67925
Fantastic article.Really thank you! Really Great.
Muchos Gracias for your blog article.Much thanks again. Really Great.
I truly appreciate this article.Really thank you!
907510 898496Its difficult to get knowledgeable folks within this topic, however, you appear to be guess what happens you are dealing with! Thanks 795451
Major thanks for the article.Really thank you! Much obliged.
892569 400270Hi my loved 1! I wish to say that this post is incredible, wonderful written and come with almost all crucial infos. I would like to see much more posts like this . 188493
I am so grateful for your article.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
I am so grateful for your blog article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
I value the post.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic article post.Really thank you! Much obliged.
Thank you for the good writeup. It in truth was once aamusement account it. Look complex to more delivered agreeable from you!By the way, how can we be in contact?
Fantastic article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Thanks so much for the post.Much thanks again. Great.
I am so grateful for your blog post.Thanks Again. Really Great.
I really liked your post.Really thank you! Cool.
Thanks-a-mundo for the blog.Thanks Again. Will read on…
alo 789: alo789 – alo 789 dang nh?p
Hey, thanks for the article post.Really thank you! Cool.
I really liked your article.Thanks Again. Fantastic.
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a commentis added I get several e-mails with the same comment.Is there any way you can remove me from that service?Thanks!
Hey, thanks for the article.Thanks Again. Really Cool.
These are aâ…½tually fantastic iâ…¾eas in cá§ncerning bloggÑ–ng.
438006 439721Spot on with this write-up, I actually assume this internet site needs considerably much more consideration. Ill probably be once far more to read far much more, thanks for that information. 667307
I value the blog post.Really thank you! Really Great.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic article post.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
Enjoyed every bit of your article.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.
This is one awesome blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Cool.
Fantastic article.Much thanks again. Want more.
Very informative blog article. Awesome.
Thanks so much for the blog post. Will read on…
hydroclorquin tendances du coronavirus – france hydroxychlor tab
Your mode of explaining the whole thing in this piece of writing is really nice, all can without difficulty know it, Thanks a lot.
Awesome post.Really looking forward to read more.
727015 659676If you are nonetheless on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which 1 sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then youll know which is appropriate for you. 877209
I appreciate you sharing this post.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.
I am so grateful for your post. Keep writing.
Профессиональный сервисный центр по ремонту бытовой техники с выездом на дом. Мы предлагаем:ремонт крупногабаритной техники в москве Наши мастера оперативно устранят неисправности вашего устройства в сервисе или с выездом на дом
This is one awesome blog article.Thanks Again. Awesome.
I really liked your post.Thanks Again. Really Cool.
Im obliged for the post.Thanks Again. Cool.
I truly appreciate this blog article.Thanks Again. Want more.
medterra cbd oil alpine cbd oil cbc oil cbd store
excellent issues altogether, you simply gained a new reader. What could you recommend about your publish that you just made some days ago? Any positive?
Good blog you have here.. It’s difficult to find excellent writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!