TechnoBuffalo Commenting Policy Update

Dear TechnoBuffalo Herd,

We continue to have record numbers each month and we know it's only because our readers help get us there.

A main component of TechnoBuffalo is allowing readers to engage in open dialogue across our website, YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter. We've allowed interaction to occur freely and very rarely have we had to regulate commenters. We wanted to outline TechnoBuffalo's commenting policy in order to improve dialogue and facilitate an open arena for discussion while discouraging commenters who leave mean-spirited, hate-filled, non-productive comments that have no place in our community.

We've heard from the Herd in regards to escalating negative language and behavior. The TechnoBuffalo staff feels that we have an obligation to facilitate a safe, open environment for conversation. Recently we've had to step in to moderate more frequently, and even ban some users.  Additionally we've implemented a few features through our partners at Disqus to help make sure commenting remains vibrant while making it pleasant and non-biased. We at TechnoBuffalo do not keep or store any log in information, that is all maintained with our partners at Disqus. You have every right to comment about the articles posted, express any concerns about TechnoBuffalo, let us know if you've feel we've made mistakes and discuss the pros and cons of the topic at hand; these items are entirely in the realm of proper commenting. It is when readers feel threatened and/or bullied that we as moderators must take action to ensure dialogue is civil.

Moving forward, all users who wish to comment on TechnoBuffalo must provide a valid account (Disqus, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo or OpenID) authenticated through Disqus. If you wish to express your opinions, you will need to stand by your comments and do so without hiding behind anonymity. We hope the result is that commenters are able to discuss, criticize or praise the topics as they pertain to the post. We are leveraging the lessons from others in our industry, and are actively pursuing these actions keep civil dialogue on TechnoBuffalo. We feel TechnoBuffalo should be a place where technology-informed fans can learn and discuss freely amongst the community and we have a duty to uphold that vision.

TechnoBuffalo will not condone:

• Offensive or derogatory comments (e.g., sexual, racist, excessively obscene, personal attacks).
• Spamming of any kind, that's what advertising is for.
• Commenters who abuse comment flagging.

In addition to our writers and editors more closely monitoring comments, we ask the members of the Herd to report users who violate our commenting policy; Disqus provides a flag to inform TechnoBuffalo staff of potential violations.