Okay, people. Here’s the deal. Comments are back — with one major change. All comments on FrontBurner (for the time being) will be moderated before they are published. An actual human editor with real eyeballs will review your prose before others can read it. Please be patient. We’ll review your submission in as timely a manner as possible. But if it takes a bit before your comment appears on the site, just know that we still have a magazine to put out. These things take time. What will get published and what won’t? We’ll have formal, detailed guidelines for you before long. For now, read our general policy after the jump.
A Few Words About Comments:
We are truly happy you’ve joined us. Over the years, our site and all its blogs have attracted an intelligent — and, we assume, good-looking — group of people who post comments that sometimes make us feel not worthy to be here. These people are funnier and better-informed than we are. They expertly employ quotes from arcane movies. They understand convertible arbitrage. These people keep us honest and entertained. They enrich this online outpost.
Then there are the jerks. We’ve attracted some of those, too. They are not witty. They are not well-informed. We assume they are unattractive. They post mean and/or vulgar comments. They make noise.
Please, don’t be a jerk.
Which comments will we publish? The ones that further the discussion here. It’s as simple as that. We don’t withhold comments just because they disagree with our point of view. Those are fine and, in fact, encouraged. We’re up for a lively debate or even just a snarky shot across the bow. Bring it. But bring it with style. Don’t be mean. Don’t be a boor.
If we do refuse to publish one of your comments, please understand that we are not taking away your right to free speech. When we shut down your blog, then you can gripe about free speech. We own this site, and we will do what we can to make sure everything posted here meets our standards. That’s what editors do.
Now let’s do this.
50 comments
Interesting. Just wondering (and speculating as to the cause of the retreat), did the site traffic significantly diminish sans comments?
Thank you! I’ve missed you all. Especially Wes Mantooth. Where are ya, Wes?
FIRST!
The tradition of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you’re gonna hear about it.
@cbs: Let’s call it an advance. Yes, traffic did drop when we turned off comments. That’s one reason we’re going with the new system.
But the other reason — and it’s related to the first — is that the blog without comments wasn’t as good as it used to be. We missed the interaction.
I not only removed Frontburner as my homepage, but also removed it from my Favorites when comments were turned off. I still frequent the lovely Nancy Nichols on an hourly basis, but I’ve found that I’m much more productive at work without your Frontburning distractions.
I fear my Q4 projections are likely to plummet if this move gets you back into my good graces…
Also, I know tons of witty jerks. They’re called friends.
Woo hoo! Daniel, insult me, please…I’ve missed it.
the tagline says it all “A daily conversation about Dallas”. The conversation came to a screeching halt a few months ago.
I don’t feel particularly witty today, but I feel tremendous peer pressure to say something…anything.
Can I get back to you guys after I’ve visited a flask?
All right, Cincinnati, it is time for this town to get down! You’ve got Johnny… Doctor Johnny Fever, and I am burnin’ up in here! We all in critical condition, babies, but you can tell me where it hurts, ’cause I got the healing prescription here from the big ‘KRP musical medicine cabinet. Now I am talking about your 50,000 watt intensive care unit, babies! So just sit right down, relax, open your ears real wide and say, “Give it to me straight, Doctor, I can take it!” “I almost forgot, fellow babies….Booger!”
Hey Tim, the jerk store called and their all out of you! Kidding!
Oh comments…how I’ve missed you so. Tell me you’ll never leave me again.
Somebody go find jrp. I’ve got five months of hot sports opinions to unleash on his Philly-loving ass!
“I love you, Jane. Uh, I mean Frontburner.”
huh? i’m not a bum…i’m a jerk…i once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman…now i only have two things: my friends and my thermos
Thanks for turning comments back on. I had turned to FaceBook to waste great amounts of my time and energy, but several people there kept posting links to your sinister posts. Now I may never get anything accomplished. But at least I’ll be entertained. And, by golly, that’s really all the President was trying to say anyway, wasn’t it? God bless the school children, each and every one.
That’s bull … OOPS! But seriously, folks. Was traffic off that much? Whatever. I like having my say. I’ll just have to be more germane than profane. WTF?
LOL @ BC, who claims he “still frequent the lovely Nancy Nichols on an hourly basis”…it’s a wonder Uncle Nancy can get any work done; and how does her SO feel about this revelation? And just how many of/like you are there, um, frequenting?
@ Zac Crain, who didn’t turn on comments for his post “breaking down” our President’s speech to schoolkids: now that you mention it, the resemblance between you and your son Ghostface Killah…is…uncanbee.
“Breaking down”. I get it, homey.
Before the comments were turned off, Frontburner was pretty much the only blog I read daily not in Google Reader. Once there were no more comments, there was no reason to visit the actual site.
P.S. I don’t know if my kid is going to come home from school today or abscond and join the Hitler Youth.
“Twas Almost Like Christmas!
(Think “Twas the Night Before Christmas”)
***
‘Twas the news of the internet
When Frontburner announced,
That comments are back on,
“Previous policy is renounced!”
The commenter’s fingers were
Awaiting with glee
To put for their very best
And wittiest repartee.
The readers were strapped in
Awaiting great posts,
Three thousand-eighty-five words
So far is the most.
And Tim in his wisdom,
Eric watchin’ his back,
Laid down the law
Of comments attack.
When out in the blogosphere
There arose such a clatter.
“We missed you” they said
(as if it really matters.)
Away to hit “post”
We all rushed to print.
The insults we missed during
That “no comment” stint.
Forty minutes of comments
And already we see
Returning familiars,
“How you dudes be?”
BC take a care, there’s
A man there who’s quick,
He’ll ban us in a moment,
his name is St. Wick.
Now Trey! Now Amanda!
Hey Bethany and SB!
On JRP! On Trey!
Where can Rawlin’s be?
From the top of the list
Down to the last
Write away, write away
Write away fast!
He speaks not a word,
But I know that he’s watching.
Civilized discourse his
Hopes we’re dispatching.
And laying a finger
Aside of his nose,
And giving a nod,
From his tower he rose.
But he was heard to say
As he drove out of site.
“Keep it clean, keep it smart
Or it’ll again be Goodnight.”
Have you guys considered a comment system like they use at The Consumerist (www.consumerist.com)? You have to register to comment, and when you do, you start in a probation type situation where your comments have to be moderated by a real-life gen-yoo-wine human being before they show up on the site for realz. Once you’ve displayed you’re there to further the discussion and not relay how bad service at hotels happens because the president is a nazi, they approve you to comment on your own.
It’s a great system and the discussion there is top notch.
I want an apology from Wick. And a hug.
Amy S. is brilliant. BRILLIANT. Loved that.
Amanda, that’s exactly the kind of comment I would expect from a Republican with a shrivelled soul. Off to kill some babies, are you?
following Sweet Clean P1’s lead: ask commentors to pay to register, or, at least, make them pay for a year’s subscription to the hard copy magazine before allowing access to the comments…what’s a year of D cost? $50?
that would act as its own filter for unruly comments, and while it wouldn’t generate boat loads of cash, it is more revenue and what company doesn’t need more revenue?
and on july 31, Wick said he’d hire me if i had a way to monetize the Web: “I am as perplexed as Decherd is about what to do about the paying problem. Maybe Jason has a solution. In which case, he is hired.”
Now that comments are back, can you work on getting the site to load in less than two minutes?
Meh.
You know how I know I’m old? Tom’s Johnny Fever comment is my favorite.
Does this mean that you *now, finally* promise to take the ‘beta’ off your big, red, honkin’ D logo, too? Because this was all just a dream, like Pam and Bobby’s death?
Welcome back, Mr Kotter, welcome back.
April 21, 2009. Never forget.
Huzzah! Oh happy day. Now we just sit back and wait for the Sandra Crenshaw to roll in…
BTW, @DGirl, thanks!
Daniel, I knew you wouldn’t leave me.
You had me at “Okay.”
Was just informed that comments are back on over here… well then! I am re-adding FrontBurner to my Reader. It’s not a “daily conversation” without comments, you know.
And Amy S: Tremendous.
Wow, my favorite time waster is back! I won’t get anything done, anymore…
@Sweet Clean P1 – I agree. I know Jalopnik and the other related blogs called it an audition process, but I think that is a great solution. Until you’ve proven yourself to be a responsible contributor, you get moderated.
Thank God comments are back!
Now, you do realize that carrier-pidgeons make for terrible web-servers, right?
And just like that, there goes my shot at employee of the month this month.
This’ll make Jacke E. Jett happier than sitting front row at a corn dog eating contest!!
“what’s a year of D cost? $50″
not hardly, and I am a paid subscriber. should paid subscriber’s get a leg upon other commenters? who knows I’m just glad that comments are back, and I do like Sweet Clean P1’s idea requiring commenters to register
Since you will preview all comments before posting, could you go ahead and proofread mine for typos? Edit and revise where you see fit. Thanks.
EXCELLENT! I have been practicing trolling on the Freeper boards for months now, refining my skills. This is a most welcome reintroduction. I just dont know which persona I will use here – the naive liberal or the angry old white man who says funny racist things. OH JOY THE FUN!
Remember the #1 rule to keeping civil discourse on the anonymous internet:
DCD – Don’t Comment Drunk.
You know who I’m talking ’bout…..
Somewhere, Gordon Keith is crying.
Twitter is out. FB comments, in.
Praise Be. You guys have come to your senses and turned the conversation back on.
Smart to comments back on. You were becoming the dying, boring blog without ‘em.
Wow, I have a reason to read FrontBurner once again, as the comments — serious or otherwise — were the best part.
I guess Times Select wasn’t such a good idea after all.
woohooooooooo
Amy, I bow to your wit and brilliance!