Article comments

Posted on Monday 3 October 2022 by Gareth Prior

Earlier this year when we opened up the comments so that you no longer had to register to leave a comment we said that we would keep this under constant review. Unfortunately, over the past few weeks it has become apparent that the current format is not sustainable (of note is that I have had the most feedback of anything related to the mechanics of the site on this issue – all of it in favour of how it used to be) and leads to disagreements which have started to get nasty and personal between the individuals involved. While I do have to approve every single comment made and there will be some out there who say “well don’t approve any comments like that” I do not have the time to have to constantly filter comments, edit them or just reject them. As a result with immediate effect we will only be accepting comments where a name/username is left – anything which is anonymous will no longer be approved. For now we will keep the not having to register setting and see how this works – if it continues to be problematic then we will review again. I make no apology for trying to be positive in the majority of articles that are published on this site (and I know its not always possible and I don’t always achieve it) – there is an awful lot of negativity in the world and so if we can look at the positives of something which for most people who read this site is a hobby then we will continue to do so.

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8 Responses to Article comments

  1. Martin Bryan says:
    Monday 3 October 2022 at 13:32

    Well Said Gareth, Completely support that decision. Negative attitudes can and regulalrly do destroy what is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby as a break from the everyday grind.

  2. Geoff, IoM says:
    Monday 3 October 2022 at 16:10

    What a shame, Gareth. Your site is uniformly excellent, and I visit it pretty much daily. I can only guess how much time you spend writing articles, captioning photos, updating fleet lists, etc., and I fully understand that you don’t wish to spend even more time filtering a slew of often ill-informed comment.

    Let’s hope the purging of ‘Anonymous’ does the trick and avoids a return to registration – although, when all’s said and done, that isn’t too onerous.

  3. Paul Thacker says:
    Monday 3 October 2022 at 16:58

    Well said Gareth. I’m sure we all love your website and I for one visit it daily. Keep up the good work mate.

  4. Steve Hyde says:
    Monday 3 October 2022 at 17:44

    A good decision in my opinion. Your efforts are greatly appreciated by many and bring pleasure to a lot of folks. There’s no need for any unpleasantness, after all it’s only a hobby.

  5. Tony Sullivan. says:
    Tuesday 4 October 2022 at 15:10

    Gareth. I too completely support your decision. As do others I really appreciate your efforts and usually visit the site at least once a day. Without the website their is a lot of information which I would otherwise not find.
    Keep up the good work.
    Tony.

  6. Geoff Currie says:
    Wednesday 5 October 2022 at 18:56

    Brilliant website Gareth. Whatever you decide is OK!!!

  7. Malcolm Richards. says:
    Friday 7 October 2022 at 11:15

    I really support what you do, Gareth. You have taken the right action.

  8. Ian says:
    Saturday 8 October 2022 at 15:56

    This is the ‘go to’ site for information on UK tram and Light Rail. There is nothing else remotely comparable. Gareth, you are applauded for the amount of work that goes into this. There will, of course, be negative comments and disagremments between readers from time to time. It is incumbent upon as all to respect each other and recognise that people are entitled to different opinions and thus to exercise care in how we respond to comments with which we disagree. Without your website Gareth I would struggle to get up to date information about UK tram and Light Rail. Please take whatever action you need to in order to ensure the integrity, veracity and sanctity of the website. Whilst for our part we will think carefully about the content and tone of our posts.

    Keep up the goodwork

    Ian

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