Anonymouse

Anonymouse in my case well said.............

 I totally agree we should all have the right to pray and be in whatever religion we choose. There are many paths to salvation. It is better to respect other peoples' religious and political views. There is already too much hate and suffering in the world.

Natalia (real name)

Ben you are not the only writer in this website

Everyone spends hours and days on their articles.  You shouldn't whine.  You can whine but it doesn't make it right.  Learn to live by this format.  Just like artists and writers in Iran learn to live by that format.  You are just outcasting yourself if you keep complaining and will loose your readers.  Whatever comments you get, you get.  These are not commentators on a TV station.  I believe comments on other websites get deleted when editor finds them offensive.  That should be the rule here and I think it is the rule.  I don't believe blogs give the key to those who publish the blogs.  You can edit your own blog but not other people's comments.  Unless a specific website gives you the key from the beginning and it is their rules.  I wouldn't want the writer to delete other people's comments, you can't be your own Judge.  The Editor should be the Judge.  I'd agree to give more weight or attention to your flagging, but not the power to delete.

Besides as I've suggested in the title of this blog, most people don't read the whole articles.  They just read the title, skim through the article and commet.  You as the writer can judge who has read the whole article and who hasn't and reply accordingly.

Sasha, the subject of Islam and debating it these days, is for children in grown up shells. It doesn't matter if it is the terrorists who abuse it or the neocons who use it to abuse others.  The terms like Islamo fascists are meaning less.  They don't mean anything. It's like being charitable to Fascism which we all know killed millions in WWII.  Millions. Some people like to fan the flames, but it's a useless debate and just serves to relieve one's own misgivings or tensions.  Islam is just a religion.  All religions have negative tendencies in their beginnings.  Religions have always been used and misused throughout history as well as today.  Praise the god if you like but don't debate religions. It's like my daddy is better than your daddy.  I don't mean you are saying it, I'm saying those who debate religions are saying it.

Ben: Remind me..............:o)

 Ben,

Please do remind me next time I start whining that I received no comments or one comment on one of my articles or blog what ocurred with "Journey towards Islam". Talk about a beating and a blood bath.  :o) I think I weathered it well. I finally decided to write about something very controversial and personal. I got tired of being passive and boy did I hit a nerve with the Iranian community. I think I had 60+ comments and they will still be going at it. Amazing.

It was some kind of roller coaster ride.

Natalia (real name)

Can I join in? ;)

I have written this many times already... and I guess it's no use. My articles are kinda always controversial stuff and I DO expect to receive negative feedback. I usually receive 40-50 comments or more, and usually received lots of e-mails with insults or other stuff (fewer though because it takes time to e-mail people). I didn't mind the e-mails at all, I laughed at the insults some times. But it's not the insults itself below my articles that bother me but the fact that I usually THINK, EDIT, WORK for hours to prepare an article, sometimes I re-write them several times, so it actually takes days to prepare an article. They do get puiblished, so JJ at least likes them. They do get read, so people care about them, positive or negative, but only 2-3%, at most, of readers do comment, and those who do comment comment often more than once. And they damage your hard work, reducing the quality of the page, either by foul langauge or by completely irrelevant stuff. It is not censorship to let the author decide whether he wants comment (all or some) or not because it is very simple, everybody is FREE to make articles or blogs of their own. That takes some work too, so those who oppose me can always have their own blogs or aticles. I think I have said this enough already, so I'll try not to repeat it :)
Something else, I am an anonymos person and use a pen-name. Imagine some-one with his/her real name/identity posting for this website, imagine some renowned professor or some well-known Iranian... I don't think they would be dumb enough to expose themselves to this. You all know very well that blogs let contributors decide upon comments, and other websites that have comments section also approve or reject comments before them appearing. This is not inventing the wheel here.

Anonymouse: It's about time

I see you finally met your match in Anonymous Woman. Oh, come on you knew I had to say something about it. :o)

Now, seriously. Writing my articles or blogs has finally given me an outlet to express myself. As my family does not exactly understand me. :o) By the way Anoymouse is correct in that the majority of my friends and family do not read iranian.com.  I actually have to copy and paste what I write and send it to one of my sisters to read. Notice I said one family member and she is the one that can evaluate things without passing judgment.

If my Iranian friends read it, I am not sure they will admit to it.  I had someone write an offensive comment on one of my articles and I just simply did not comment. Maybe I should go back and flag him a couple of times. Hmmmmmmmmmmm See if he disapears. :o) What can I say, I am wicked sometimes.

You know people can trash my articles or blogs all they want but I am not going anywhere. I finally found a place I can express my thoughts and improve my writing. To me iranian.com feels like home. It is like my Iranian community.

Natasha

It is the Editor's job

This format is not any different than all other websites these days.  Again CNN, MSNBC, USAToday and all other sites are using this format.  You think Americans who visit those sites are choir boys? 

Forget about Americans, you think Iranians who visit those sites, the same Iranians who are causing a strike in this website, don't like to decor those website with their lovely comments?  Sure they do.  They have the same "Flag as offensive" key.  What's the difference? the Editors in those websites delete derogatory and offensive comments. That's all, nawme tamam.

Bottom line, it's the editor's job to delete the offensive comments.  It's not censorship, it is playing by the rules.  The editor can set up rules saying comments with foul language will be deleted and follow through with it.  Regardless of how many comments are deleted.

At some point those who leave derogatory comments will quit and go elsewhere or write better comments.  The urge to leave a comment is more than the urge to leave an offensive comment and have it deleted.

If the editor is too busy and this is a one man show website, or if he has a staff but doesn't delete these comments on pricinpal or something, then that's totally another story.  The format itself is just a software and like everywhere else. 

Dismay

I guess writers feel dismayed because they see mostly worthless comments and profanity. It tends to degrade their work. I think it should be noted that most people don't comment. Usually good comments are not written because the potential commentor feels that it is obvious and no need for a positive comment. So this acts to make it seem that majority of readers disagree with or trash the writer - which is not true. It is not easy to face so much invalidation as we see on some writings. I understand it. For whatever it is worth, I have seen a lot of great articles on this site - I think more than any other site I have ever visited.

Cheers

We are not writing a book here

Being a poet is great and you can't be serious about insults killing your inspiration.  The best poems were written under the harshest and strictest conditions.  If these insults offend you so much, use it as an inspiration not a distraction.  You can put together your work and publish them in a book and delete the comments.  Are you reading the book by the "back" cover?

Maybe some people are worried their children or parents who are reading this website and don't want them exposed to everything.  If that is the case, just remind yourself and others that this site is not moderated by FCC. It is rated R, sometimes X.  But it is still us and a real reflection of us.  If it is not you, it is someone you knew and others whom you don't normally socialize with.  Maybe its the side of you whom you don't want to acknowledge or want to forget.  Whatever it is, you can't tell me you are incapable of ignoring.

I disagree

I totally disagree, we must have censorship,
we need some sort of censorship.
People have left rude comments on my poetry,
and it\\\'s unprecedented, I am a poet and it kills my inspiration.
I cannot tolerate that.

Damn! Dass what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Dear Anony Mouse, aka Nameless Small Rodent, good work. Fame equals insults hurled your way, just as much as it equals roses strewn in your path. Good points in your essay. But I hate Bill Clinton just as much as I hate his opportunistic wife and just as much as I loathe Guiliani and Bush. America needs a political revolution! But that's another subject entirely!

BTW,I am just joking about your user ID...please don't flag me for being abusive.