This afternoon Jeff Gauger announced a beef-up of comment security, and in so many words, de-tentacle and isolate our Octopuppet. We are astounded that a newspaper has to go to these lengths to protect the integrity of readers, advertisers, and the paper itself. You'd think people of a certain age would know how to act in public.Several new procedures, including real-person net nannying, are stop-gap measures until the promised new registration system is in place, which may be a few months from now.
Here are some of the new procedures. Go over to Gauger's blog to read them all.
Starting today, any new registered user will automatically be set to require editor review before publication. Until now, all new users’ comments have published immediately.
We’ll move new users to “trusted” status when we’re persuaded they can be, well, trusted, and only then will their comments publish immediately. Users who register under obviously fake names (Bugs Bunny, Canton Commenter, I M Smart, etc.) and provide a free e-mail address (@yahoo.com, @gmail.com, @live.com) will have a higher bar to cross to persuade us they can be trusted.
We can't decide if Octopuppet and its entities are laughing or fuming. A day without posting must be like a day without arsenic for it. Has Editor Gauger reduced Octopup's days to watching reruns of Deal or No Deal or dusting its CDs? We can't imagine that its taking this assault lying down, though a good long rest, preferably in a padded cell, is warranted. More likely, it's reading Trolling 4 Dummies to figure how to subvert decency.
The I Hate Canton SWAT team will be on the lookout for escapees.
Thanks, Jeff!
7 comments:
Maybe Octopuppet is stocking up on letter paper, envelopes, stamps and rubber gloves. Or she could be spending her new-found off time securing fake credit cards and IP spoofing software, in preparation for the new I.D. requirements on cantonrep.
Or she might be buying up all the pre-paid cell phones she can get her hands on. Don't be surprised if you get some heavy breathing calls at 3 A.M. after the new comment system kicks in.
Maybe we'll finally get lucky and she'll go back to making life hell for those in her immediate presence instead of bothering the rest of us. Wouldn't that be nice?
I was happy to see some attempt is being made. So much so that I decided to log in as my own name again and hope for the best. The argument of using a real name is perhaps as lame as it gets. No one ever threatened me (perceived or otherwise) and I made many friends through one of my hometown newspapers. It kept me connected. We shall see if there are improvements.
I have to post under an anonymous name and use a Yahoo address. Of course none of my comments have been posted for a couple days. Think I will just stay at ohio.com.
kdougherty,
it's unfortunate that you and a few others will pay a small price as the Rep deals with those that abuse their posting privilege. At least the editor said that people that use aliases and anonymous type email accounts will still be able to post after the posted are being screened.
Just be patient while they work out this system.
I like the beefed up security but I think I will miss OFD.
From what I can see, the new policy has made a positive impact. I've been part of a long thread of recent and only had some unkind comments. That's a nice change.
I feel like octo is staying up late at night figuring out how to out smart J.G.
She's mellowed out before, only to come back with a renewed vengence.
It does seems so much nicer, calmer, saner. Please Lord, let this tranquility last.
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