Comment Policies

An actual parking sign in Los Angeles, scroll down for the full version (Photo: Sara Welch/KTLA)

The purpose of our subscriber comments forum is to allow community members to discuss issues and share ideas. Edhat will edit or delete comments that it deems to be inappropriate, nonconstructive, or just plain mean. Subscribers who do not agree with this policy should not post comments on our board. By commenting on edhat, you are agreeing to follow these policies and those below. If a user consistently violates these policies, their account may be restricted, comments may need prior approval before posting, and it may result in a permanent ban from edhat.

Edhat will not reimburse subscription refunds for members who do not follow our policies. All comments posted on edhat from community members are not a reflection of edhat’s staff, owners, or business as a whole. Any issues or disputes with your account or comments should be directed to us at ed@edhat.com

COMMENT VOTING (UPDATED AUG 2019)

Every comment will have an up-arrow (up-vote), a down-arrow (down-vote), and a flag. Only paid edhat subscribers are allowed to use these features. (Click here to upgrade your account)

 

The up-vote of a comment means you agree, like the comment, think it’s funny, and overall have a positive attitude about it.

The down-vote of a comment means you disagree or dislike the content. A comment with a high number of down-votes will be sent to the edhat nanny for review. If the comment violates our policies, it will be deleted.

The flag icon will send an alert to the edhat staff and the edhat nanny to review a comment ASAP as it severely violates our policies.

Deleted comments can be viewed in each article’s Penalty Box. However, if a comment is extraordinarily atrocious, the edhat nanny will remove it from edhat altogether. Edhat reserves the right to delete or remove any comment.

SPEAKING OF… WHERE’S THE NANNY?

She’s still there, reading over what people are saying and voting on. Ultimately, the Nanny has the final say on anything, but with the new self-moderation tools described above, paid edhat subscribers are able to self-police comments as soon as possible. If an edhat user has a high percentage of comments deleted or removed, their account will automatically become restricted where the Nanny must approve their comments before they are posted live. If you have a restricted account and would like a review to become unrestricted, contact us at ed@edhat.com.

DELETION RULES

1. No quoting of other commenters- keep it original.

2. No direct insults of other commenters.

2 a. No criticizing of writing style, punctuation, spelling, or grammar of commenters or contributors.

2 b. No speculation about an anonymous commenter’s identity.

2 c. No harassing other commenters.

2 d. [Update: Harassment and bullying of other commenters and/or edhat staff members may result in account moderation and/or permanent banishment from edhat.com]

3. No derogatory comments, particularly ones against any specific groups. [Update: Any user who violates this policy will immediately have their comments moderated before posting live]

3 a. No sexist, homophobic, racist, xenophobic, classist, or any other prejudiced comments.

3 b. No advocacy of harm or death of any specific group or persons, even the bad ones.

4. No discussion of National politics – this board is for local issues only.

4 a. No comments specifically promoting a business or service. If you’d like to promote your business, email us at ed@edhat.com for advertising rates.

4 b. No discussion of conspiracy theories, politicizing, or purposely posting misinformation. Frequent violations can result in account restrictions or banishment.

5. Any comments discussing Edhat editorial policy or business practices will be deleted. Email us directly at ed@edhat.com with your concern instead of detracting from the conversation.

6. No speaking badly about those injured or deceased, especially if they have just passed or were seriously injured and may have friends/family in the community.

6 a. No speculating on the circumstances of their death (or serious injury), especially if it’s mean or judgmental.

7. No use of “bad words” or abbreviations/fill-ins of bad words.

8. No ungrounded speculation and snippy comments on referrals, what’s up, and question and answer type posts.

9. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK

10. Excessive ranting will be deleted. If you need to vent, go here.

11. Off-topic comments will be deleted. Please keep the conversation focused on the issued discussed in the article.

11 a. Arguments between two commenters, or a small number, that are off topic and detract from the main conversation will all be deleted. Additionally, any comment responding to deleted comments may also be deleted.

11 b. Comments discussing downvotes and asking “why was this downvoted” and “who downvoted my comment?” will be deleted. It’s offtopic and that person probably disagrees with you, just like in the real world.

12. Comments that say “who cares?,” “why was this posted?,” “do it yourself,” “google it,” or “nosey neighbor” will be deleted.

Edhat reserves the right to delete any comment it deems as snippy, overly negative, off-base, and/or detracts from thoughtful discussions.

Additionally, if any user posts one or more comments that violate policies #2 and #3, their account may be immediately restricted or banned from edhat without notification.

Please do not use the comments board to complain or inquire about deleted comments. If you have any questions about our policies, email us at ed@edhat.com. If all else fails, listen to Thumper.

edhat, LLC is not liable for any and all comments made by community members on this platform.