theHword.com

Those of us at TheHWord.com have been very pleased with the interest, involvement and input from readers since we launched this site less than two months ago.  This grand experiment, the first of its kind in Nebraska as far as we know, is truly paying dividends in terms of highlighting the talents of local people of all ages and backgrounds, showcasing local retailers and activities, and creating a central point for the community to learn, converse and engage.

But we have a dilemma. Some readers who submit comments are using pseudonyms or, worse yet, bogus email addresses. And that goes against our usage policy, which notes:

“All submissions will be monitored and reviewed prior to posting to the site. If you submit comment, you must provide your actual first and last name and email address in the event we wish to verify your information or address your specific concerns. We reserve the right not to approve and/or post comments. We reserve the right to close online conversations at any time.”

Admittedly, we have allowed some comments to be posted that do not meet these criteria.  However, in the interest of getting TheHWord.com off the ground, we’ve relaxed these guidelines a bit.

There’s good reason for our usage policy.  One of the goals of TheHWord.com is to solicit comments on the retail and business environment in Hastings and the issues that are on the minds and lips of its people—and then find ways to address them in a positive and responsive manner. We understand this conversation is already taking place anyway—and TheHWord.com provides a public forum in which local retailers and residents can comment and respond to the concerns and comments of their customers and neighbors.  And if someone has a genuine concern, we’d like the opportunity to contact that person to learn more and, it is hoped, make it right.

On one hand, anonymity allows people to make comments without fear of recrimination—and many who might not comment otherwise are comfortable in doing so because no one knows who they are. There may be good reason for them to keep their identity unknown due to their work responsibilities, position in the community, etc.  There is no question that incendiary posts spark response.  And that makes people return to the site to watch the action.  Good for traffic.  Good for word-of-mouth.

On the other hand, TheHWord.com was created for the purposes of lively, thoughtful conversation.  Some think it’s a bit unfair for one party in the conversation to openly share their name along with their opinions, while others hide behind a veil. Typically, it’s those with a snide comment or snarky criticism who choose not to reveal themselves.  They would rather roll a hand grenade into the middle of the room—and then run.   But then, such are the protocols of the blogging world.

Newspapers do not allow anonymous contributions to their “Letters to the Editor” department.  And while we realize that the rules of the blogosphere are not the same as traditional journalism, our original goal was to maintain a sense of civility and integrity that is sorely lacking in today’s public discourse.  Polllyanna?  Maybe.  But a noble goal nonetheless…

Our track record in these first few weeks demonstrates that we’re perfectly willing to publish criticism and concern.  We will not shy away from publishing negative remarks, because we want opinions from all corners reflected on TheHWord.com.   That’s why the site exists.

But we will continue to reserve the right to not publish posts (from both named and anonymous sources) that are snide, smart-alecky and otherwise do nothing to constructively advance the conversation.  And we reserve the right to edit posts as needed prior to publication to meet these criteria.

Bottom line: Please continue sharing your thoughts—including your reaction to this particular article.  And we’d like you to be honest in your opinion—and ideally, honest about who you are.

Thanks for reading TheHWord.com.  And be sure to tell your friends about it!

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P.S. Some of you may reference The Masked Blogger as you respond to this.  TMB is a contrived device of TheHWord.com, created to start a conversation.  Akin to Mike Meyers’ “Coffee Talk with Linda Richman” character on Saturday Night Live, The Masked Blogger gives you all a topic and challenges you to “talk amongst yourselves.”   TMB is no one person…but the complex, Sybil-like persona of the Hastings zeitgeist. And as such, has no alternative but to remain anonymous.

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