Hello, and welcome to the official City on a Hill Press website. We’re glad you’re here. Please, come on in, pull up a chair, and let’s chat.
City on a Hill Press strives to build a strong community of interested and involved community members. One of the ways we do this is by encouraging people to post comments on our site.
We want to hear what you have to say. We may even join you in the conversation, too.
But wait just a moment.
Before springing into the waters of the community, let’s cover some ground rules. After all, we want to make sure our community is a place for constructive, respectful discussion.Please read the rules below before you post. And remember, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email editors@cityonahillpress.com
Do
Treat Others with Respect
It’s the Golden Rule 2.0: “Treat others how they’d like to be treated.” Our community is filled with a wide variety of opinions that should be respected. We don’t tolerate personal attacks toward other community members.
Share Your Opinions
Really, we want to know what’s on your mind. We encourage the healthy expression of opinion in our comment threads. Holding a strong opinion on a topic isn’t against the Commenter’s Code, so long as you don’t violate any of the other rules.
Keep Things On-Topic
Each comment thread is associated with a post. Comments within each thread should be related to the topics brought up within a given post. Side tracking does happen (we see this occasionally in replies to other comments) and we try to avoid being super strict about staying on the rails, but we really do appreciate it when threads remain on-topic.
Be Honest
Be up front about who you are. If you work for a company or group mentioned in a post, or you mention such a service in your comment, it’s best to explicitly note your relation to the company or group.
Help CHP Out
We’re not perfect, so sometimes comments in violation of our policies slip through. If you see a comment that violates the Commenter’s Code, please flag it for review so we know what’s going on.
Don’t
Be Mean or Obscene
Comment threads are visible by all site visitors. This means our site, and the comment threads, are visible to younger audiences and people at work. Because of this, we don’t allow sexually explicit or vulgar language or images, nor do we allow insults, slurs, hate speech, links to shock sites, or generally objectionable speech.
Spam
Relevant links, posted with the intent to forward the discussion or provide another viewpoint, are okay. Posting links in an attempt to bolster page views, drive sales, or in some other way exploit the community aren’t. We remove links and comments that are off-topic or are blatant attempts to exploit the community for personal or financial gain. Please note that posting the same comment repeatedly may also be considered spam.
Start a Flame War
We can’t even begin to stress how much we don’t want to see community members spewing incendiary insults back and forth. Remember, please respect other community members. Also, if you see a comment that’s in violation of the Commenter’s Code, please don’t respond back; simply flag the comment for review.
Break the Law
Don’t post any content that’s in violation of local, state, or federal law. Don’t post any content that’s not yours. Don’t harass or impersonate others, nor attempt to steal any personal information. Don’t post any libelous content. Don’t post any content if you’re under 13 years of age.
Bring Harm Unto Others
We’d like to keep things peaceful and civil. Don’t incite violence, advocate violence, or give advice that would bring harm to someone else. We’re serious about this. Even if you’re joking around, your comment could be interpreted in the wrong way, and that’s no good.
And What if I Break the Rules?
We make decisions on a case-by-case basis, keeping in mind the simple rule that commenting on our site is ultimately a privilege. Unless you do something way out of bounds, we’ll give you a warning when you break the rules, and/or remove the offending comment. If you do post something way out of bounds, or you choose to ignore warnings from the mods, you’ll likely end up losing all commenting privileges.
Should you get banned and feel that such a ban is unwarranted, please contact us at editors@cityonahillpress.com.
And the Last Rule…
Have fun! We really want to make sure that you’re having a great time posting on our site, so feel free to let loose a bit and chat it up with our fellow community members. As long as you’re following the spirit of the Commenter’s Code and treating others with respect, you’ll be fine. We’ll see you in the comment threads!
Disclaimer
We at City on a Hill Press do our best to ensure inappropriate comments are removed as quickly as possible. However, we’re not perfect, and sometimes a comment that breaks the above rules slips by and ends up publicly displayed for a short time. By browsing and/or commenting on our site, you acknowledge that comments are the opinion of the indicated author (even comments written by CHP staff) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of City on a Hill Press, UCSC Student Media, UC Santa Cruz, or the University of California. Comment tools are provided As-Is, without any warranties.
Additional Resources
For more guidance on commenting online, we recommend checking out Lifehacker’s article on commenting etiquette, located at http://lifehacker.com/software/top/special-lifehackers-guide-to-weblog-comments-126654.php.
The Commenter’s Code format is adapted from the Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines.