People attacking each other instead of trying to understand each other. My facebook is so full of this stuff I can't even look at it anymore. Rather than being curious about why other people may not agree … their response is simply to call people they disagree with idiots, fools or make some other personal insult…. Here is one commenter’s remark about that: “What most bothers me about discussions like the threads above is the lack of respect for dissenting opinion. When online discussions deteriorate it becomes counterproductive. But that only works if the conversation is respectful. When neighbors discuss a difficult issue that we are collectively facing, it can strengthen our resolve to address it, help us ask better questions (as well as get some answers), and provide a measure of social comfort and reassurance that we are all in this together and that we will help each other. ![]() Some readers have deep expertise in city or other matters, and Johnson says that some comments lead to revisions, corrections or additions to stories.īut reader comments don’t just help by polishing the facts or advocating a point of view. You may hear from teachers about grading policies, from employees whose pay is being cut, from residents of neighborhoods undergoing a planning process, or from people who have lived in other parts of the country or world bringing relevant perspectives. The comments on these pages are often terrific, offering alternative perspectives, new information, or a humorous take on a difficult topic. What is going on, why does it matter, should you read them, and can you be smarter about how you read (or write) them to avoid the worst bits? Publisher Bill Johnson acknowledges that despite the moderation many readers are put off by comments, estimating that about 60% of online viewers love the comments while about 40% avoid them. And yet many people I know don’t read them because they can get pretty unpleasant. (That number doesn’t include comments that were removed entirely.) The paper is investing a significant amount of time and space in these conversations. For example, more than a quarter of the 52 comments on this recent article on face masks were moderated. The “Town Square” forum is featured prominently and the staff spends a good amount of time moderating the comments. (Hide)Ĭomments are a big part of this online paper. I love spending time outdoors, and feel deeply our responsibility to this incredible planet that we call home. ![]() After working in the tech industry for about 25 years, I retired a few years ago to better align my time with my priorities. I studied math and neurobiology on the east coast before moving out here in 1987 for grad school in computer science. My background is not in climate science, and I'm not even particularly green my hope is that helps to make this blog more relatable. It is important that we develop a shared understanding of the basic science and impacts of climate change, to make sense of our actions and policy options going forward. My hope is that readers of this blog will develop a better understanding of how our climate is evolving and how they want to respond, and will feel comfortable asking questions and exchanging comments on the topic. About this blog: Climate change, despite its outsized impact on the planet, is still an abstract concept to many of us.
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