Change to SCOTUSblog Comment Feature
SCOTUSblog commenters will notice that, beginning today, they will be required to register in order to post comments on the blog. We very much appreciate the many interesting and thought-provoking comments that we have received over the past few years and hope that they will continue; we implemented the registration feature because the comments have recently been flooded (literally to the tune of several hundred per day) with invitations to play online poker, refinance our mortgage, and buy various medications online. They’re attractive offers and all, but we simply couldn’t keep up with the onslaught. More importantly, we suspect that in the tedium of deleting all of the spam, we may have accidently deleted legitimate comments (and, if so, we apologize). Thanks for your patience during this transition, and please keep those comments coming!
But, Amy, if we’re registered then how are you going to BUY ENLARGEMENT PILLS expand beyond the existing hordes of faithful readers who love to SHOCK THEM WITH YOUR MANHOOD contribute thoughtful, legalistic commentary that enriches and STOP PAYING YOUR TAXES!!! enlightens us all? QUIT YOUR JOB!
Also, I understand that comment accounts can be easily disabled or banned, subject reinstatement following a polite email to the administrator. Nice thinking.
Keep up the good work, and do what I do - make an example of commenters. That is, if people make particularly helpful or interesting points in a comments thread, don’t hide it from view; point it out in a subsequent related post, so there’s a reason to go read the comments.
AH responds: Thanks — I think that’s a good idea, and we’ll definitely try to do so.
Comment by Eh Nonymous — August 23, 2005 @ 12:48 pm
I just found a blog that raised some seriously scary questions about potential connections between John Roberts and the bizzare fundamentalist group Opus Dei.
Someone with some research resources may want look into this. While it may be unlikely and even if true almost impossible to prove, the even the idea Roberts is associated with Opus Dei is terrifying! The earlier posts on this blog discuss the implications this would have for a SCT Justice. His image is so squeaky clean, it makes me wonder….
http://supremecourtandopusdei.blogspot.com/
Comment by dancing dog — August 23, 2005 @ 2:37 pm
There’s also some trackback spam occurring… see http://www.scotusblog.com/movabletype/archives/2005/08/new_tolerance_f.html#trackbacks
It looks like Movable Type doesn’t support moderating trackback comments, so I’m not sure how to deal with trackback spam. I had the same problem on my company’s blog and we ended up just disabling trackback completely.
AH responds: Thanks for pointing this out — I’ll pass this on to folks in our office who are more technologically capable than I am.
Comment by moofbong — August 23, 2005 @ 3:19 pm