Blog (Letter to the Editor)
I'm not a fan of the word blog. Until recently I was not even sure what it means, to me it's one of those "new" words. I prefer letter to the editor. In my previous letters (blogs, postings) I talked about lighter issues. When I read some of the words written on Patch and other places I wonder.
I would not write under an assumed name what a terrible person I think the new (recycled) Speaker of the NH House is – she fired someone who worked for both party leaders and from what I read was liked by all, and she did this with Christmas less than three weeks away. I ask the Patch to adopt policies used by others that only proper legal names be used. The Nashua Telegraph has one log in through their Facebook account.
john grady
9:26 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012
It seems that blogger Stebbins is discussing two issues here. While I certainly do not agree with his comment that the duly elected New Hampshire Speaker of the House is, a "terrible person," I do feel that he has a point when it comes to unsigned postings in The Patch. Folks should have the courage to use a real name when posting comments. It is far too easy to make rude off the wall comments and then hide behind a cute nickname. These people who are lacking courage need to come out of the darkness and step into the daylight and be recognized for what they are worth.
Judith Hogan
1:30 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
I, too, agree that all posters should use their legal name or no poster should use their legal name. I have discussed this with Carole R in previous emails and she has stated that she will look into my suggestion. To date I have not heard a word. In order for a poster to be taken seriously one must identify oneself. You cannot write a letter to the editor and get it published without a verification of the identity of the contributor. It makes sense. Use your real name. Have the courage of your convictions - knowing that you will be judged harshly if you do not agree with the majority on this site - but you will feel better about yourself that at least you stand for something and that you have exercised your right to free speech. It should be one way only - either all legal names or all "made up - cutesy" names. A level playing field - please! And, I would go a step further. If you are an elected official - say so! If you are the spouse or offspring of an elected official - say so! Be open - be honest!
Jan Schmidt
3:51 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
Using Facebook, the Telegraph has seen their comment section shrink by a huge number. This means when they try to market their online space to advertisers they look much less interesting, and likely lose $$$
Patch is a business, here to make money not free space for us to comment. And Carol isn't the one making business decisions, that would be the corporate office.
And yes, hiding behind a fake name is despicable if you do it to strike at others like a coward, but....
Having used my own name has left me open to some pretty ugly bullying so I also understand why posters who are fair and honest might not want to expose themselves.
Tough decision...
Judith Hogan
5:15 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
I, too, have always used my own name. A name I am quite proud of - actually. I, too, have suffered ugly comments from most frequent users and that is the price one pays for commenting on these types of sites. If Patch is not meant as free space for "us" to comment - who would read their ads? Perhaps Patch should run a test. Eliminate the comment section for a period of time and measure the # of hits during the "no comment" period vs. the # of hits when comments are welcomed. I am not accusing Carol of anything - when I discussed this topic with her several months ago she stated that she would talk to her superiors. Perhaps she did and they rejected the idea. I have no way of knowing. I am an advocate of open government and in this instance transparency is knowing who is commenting. Just one woman's opinion................
Carol Robidoux
10:21 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
Jan, you are right that it's not up to me what name someone uses as their User name when leaving feedback. I would love everyone to use their actual names, and for the most part, I feel like we're building a community here that applies peer pressure to those who are not yet feeling bold enough to own their thoughts and ideas. And Judith, all Patch editors wrestle with this one, as do newspaper editors, when dealing with online editions. In the old days, LTE sections required name, rank and serial number, and the process was much more formal. All that has changed. The challenge of the past decade or so is how to build an online community, which is an extension of social media, therefore, also an extension of news media. Things are just different, and we must keep working to perfect the process. It is not something that Patch shrugs off, Jan. There is more at stake than just advertising $$$. By the same token, without being able to show an advertiser that eyeballs will make it to their ads, there is no way to provide this kind of *free* news platform. And so it is a give and take, a matter of the community finding a comfort zone within an online news and commenting site. Changes are coming to Patch in the new year, some of which will enhance your ability to filter what you see when you log in to Patch. Stay tuned, and stay with me. Keep the comments and critiques coming, and don't think for a minute it doesn't matter, or has no impact, because it does.
Seamus Carty
8:05 am on Monday, December 10, 2012
Patch is owned by AOL, a multi-billion dollar public corporations. Some of their other brands are HuffingtonPost, Techcrunch and MapQuest, It is an advertising company...
Along with real names, spiffy photos should be required... ;)
Brooke McNiff
1:48 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
Every comment I make online is under an assumed name. But, I have a deep-seated, unfounded paranoia about Big Brother and being hassled by The Man.