Talking Back: What You Need to Know About Commenting on Patch

Discussion and feedback are a big part of what makes Patch tick, and we thought it was a good time for a quick refresher in how to get involved on the site.

How to be a good commenter. Discussion and debate are great, and we love to see people sharing opinions. However, we have some rules, and we’re serious about them. If you see violations of these rules, flag the comment. It will be deleted and the commenter will be emailed explaining the situation. Repeat offenders are blocked from using the site.

• Don’t be nasty. While it’s OK to express disagreement, personal attacks and defamatory language are not allowed. That means no name-calling, no unproven or unfounded accusations of wrongdoing and absolutely no hate speech or swearing.
• Don’t escalate. Unfortunately, anonymous rudeness is almost inevitable on the Internet. If you see something that makes your blood boil, don’t take the bait. Do your part to make the discourse here useful and positive.
• Stay on topic. We’ve had some comment threads go off the rails. If you’re commenting on a story about a particular issue, don’t steer the conversation toward something else.

Becoming a user. Before you can weigh in on stories, you need to sign up as a user. It’s easy and free – just click the “sign up” link near the top right-hand corner of the main page, and fill out your name, email and password.

Patch frowns on anonymity, and we ask that you be truthful with your personal information. Be sure you read through the terms of use and the privacy policy ­– unlike a lot of websites’ small-print legal babble, the info there is free of jargon and easy to read. And it’s important.

Speaking up. There are lots of ways to join the conversation on Patch. Most stories have a comment section. You can apply to become a blogger and share your thoughts about an issue or organization. 

Talking to us. If you have a question, a comment or a correction for the reporter responsible for a story, you can click the “Email the author” link next to the byline. Hearing your thoughts on an article – if you liked it, if you think we got something wrong, if you have an idea for another lead we should track down – helps us do our job better.

A note about privacy. Some rumors have surfaced about the tracking of users’ IP addresses and the sharing of that information with others. Not true. As per our privacy policy, we don’t give out users' personal info. There could be a circumstance where Patch has a legal obligation to do so, but that’s handled by folks higher up the chain.

If you've got any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to e-mail me: gregory.kyriakakis@patch.com.