To date, I have approved about 3,700 comments on the Ombuds Blog. For the first several years, no one really commented. But that eventually changed and now comments are frequent and there is even some dialog. I find it deeply rewarding to provide a forum for our profession.
Managing the comments takes some time as I personally approve each and every comment. This is primarily to weed out spambots, which post multiple times the number of legitimate comments. But I often have to evaluate authentic comments. Sometimes, I face a difficult choice when deciding how to handle an anonymous comment. A legitimate point can be embedded in a longer, inappropriate comment. Without knowing the author, I am unable to engage in a dialog and I have been uncomfortable editing someone else's viewpoint. So, I have had to chose between approving or rejecting the entire comment.
Some have urged me to reject all anonymous comments, especially those critical of IOA. The reasoning is that people should feel comfortable raising issues directly with IOA leadership or going to the IOA Ombuds if they are concerned about retaliation. But I feel it is important to provide an independent public space for dissent. Moreover, anonymous comments can promote free speech by separating the content of the comment from the identity and status of the commenter.
With all of these thoughts in mind, I have decided on the following guidelines for comments on the Ombuds Blog. My hope is that these will make my work more transparent and promote healthy commentary.
