Daylight Atheism > Open Thread and Revised Comment Policy

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Open Thread and Revised Comment Policy

I've updated Daylight Atheism's comment policy. I felt the old one was too vague, and I wanted to be clear in enumerating the types of comments I consider abusive. If you're a regular visitor, you probably have no need to read this, but it's there just in case.

I'd also like to announce that Daylight Atheism passed its one millionth hit yesterday. I don't think it will take as long to get to the next million. :)

This is an open thread. Comments and discussion are welcome.

16 Comments

Is that unique hits or total?

Comment by: Alex Weaver | September 27, 2007, 5:22 am

Thanks for the site, and congrats on your 1M hits. I read through the comment policy, and it seems very fair and well articulated. One issue you might want to address explicitly in v3.0: "free speech."

Have you had trouble with people claiming a right to free speech on *your* website? I used to run my own site, and when I would delete offensive posts, I would sometimes get chewed out for "violating" some jerk's supposed "right" to have me pay to host their obnoxious comments. I support free speech, but it isn't any person's responsibility to host someone else's offensive speech--they have a right to host it themselves, of course.

Anyway, keep up the good work, and thanks for doing so.

Comment by: TJ | September 27, 2007, 7:49 am

Yeah, congrats on the hits. I love this site!

Comment by: Ric | September 27, 2007, 9:26 am

Congratulations on the 1 million hits! That says a lot about the quality and content of this site. I have to say that after many hours of sifting through various atheist blogs, websites and the like, I am most impressed with this site due to it's lack (most of the time) of childish quarrels and your outstanding organization of information. I look forward to reading more of your intellectually pleasing columns for a long time to come.

Comment by: cmills | September 27, 2007, 1:01 pm

Congratulations on the big million! If I've done my sums right (which is by no means certain), that's a staggering volume of traffic that passes through here everyday. Glad as ever to be among them :)

Comment by: tobe38 | September 27, 2007, 1:20 pm

Congrats on the milestone. You and PZ Meyers are the 2 best atheist sites around, and I look forward to the next million hits!

Doug

Comment by: Doug | September 27, 2007, 5:14 pm

Congrats! I don't know what exactly constitutes a "hit", but a million of 'em can't be a bad thing. Looking forward to seeing you get another million.

Skimmed your comment policy. Seems reasonable to me. Profanity was mentioned, too!Good thing I don't cuss online as much as I do in real life - which is A LOT.

Comment by: Polly | September 27, 2007, 5:45 pm

1 million hits! Wonderful, although I'm probably responsible for 20,000 or so! :^)

Since I'm here again, I'd like to thank you, Adam, for such a great website. Your writing is, *ahem*, inspirational---you've helped me to put into words what I couldn't really explain to others (including my slowly converting wife) without sounding like a doofus. I'm not the best writer, as you can tell, and in real life you don't have the luxury of re-reading your thoughts before hitting "send," so I tend to come across as arrogant in person, which I definitely am not. You've helped me start to overcome that arrogant perception------my wife thanks you as well.

I read the comment policy and I think it's great, too. More than fair.

Thank you again, and looking forward to more.

Comment by: KShep | September 27, 2007, 6:22 pm

I'm glad I found this site.

Congrats on the milestone.

Comment by: OMGF | September 27, 2007, 6:54 pm

Nice 404 page, Ebonmuse. I laughed. However, if you're going to link to the old comments page on the new one you might want to make sure it still exists ;)

Congratulations on 1 million hits. I, too, am curious to know if that is total hits or hits from individual people. Either way, I rejoice in any and every success of this site.

Comment by: Lynet | September 27, 2007, 7:25 pm

heh, I butchered his name...

PZ Myers

Comment by: Doug | September 27, 2007, 8:20 pm

The 1 million figure is total hits, not unique. All in all, this site's had a little over 200,000 unique visitors so far - still pretty good, I figure.

For TJ:

Have you had trouble with people claiming a right to free speech on *your* website? I used to run my own site, and when I would delete offensive posts, I would sometimes get chewed out for "violating" some jerk's supposed "right" to have me pay to host their obnoxious comments.

I've never faced that problem, no. If it did come up, the instigator could expect a thorough explanation of the difference between having the freedom to air your views in public and the false presumption that other private individuals are obligated to provide a platform for said speech. :)

And thanks to everyone for your kind comments! I really do believe that, regardless of how good or how bad my writing is, it's the thriving community on this site that promotes good discussion and turns occasional visitors into regular readers. I'm grateful to everyone who's taken the time to participate so far. In the months to come, I plan to continue doing my best to supply interesting topics to chew over, and it's my hope that many more people in search of a perspective that the mainstream media doesn't adequately represent will find this site and like what they see. But regardless of how many hits I get, I plan to keep writing in any case. Onward!

Comment by: Ebonmuse | September 27, 2007, 11:21 pm

Just want to add my congratulations to the others. I'm new here, but I'm already a daily visitor.

Comment by: Brock | September 28, 2007, 7:01 am

Wow! 1 million hits is certainly worth celebrating. Congratulations. You certainly deserve it. This has been one of my favorite blogs for the last couple years and will remain so.

Comment by: vjack | September 28, 2007, 2:10 pm

You consider the excessive use of vulgar or profane language to be the mark of an unserious mind, I however find pleasure in portmanteau profanity a view incidentally that is shared by eloquent and intelligent people such as Stephen Fry (I shall now fine myself ten groats for argument through appeal to authority). Who is to say you are not silencing people who mealy choose a more fruity method of enunciation you great melon farming pump smuggling hamster nibbler.

Comment by: A bergus | October 2, 2007, 9:58 am

A bergus, I think you just proved that actual profanity isn't always required :)

Comment by: Lynet | October 2, 2007, 9:59 pm