We value your thoughts and opinions and want to create a space where you can hear.
So, the Tampa Bay Times will regain its ability to comment on subscribers in most articles on Tampabay.com later this week.
We closed these forums six years ago. Since then, our country’s mood and tenor have only become more fractured. However, we are optimistic that we can provide and maintain a better forum today. Here’s why:
There is a strict set of guidelines aimed at keeping conversations civic, respectful and constructive. Violations are not permitted.We introduce all comments submitted to the screen in advance, in advance, in any language that abuses our community guidelines. Screening techniques have been dramatically improved, more refined and more reliable. The team of moderators working for The Times keeps watching the conversation in comments, ensuring that the dialogue doesn’t fall off the rails. Times journalists also help ease discussions from time to time. There was no active moderation of this level in past comment forums.A simple process has been introduced for commenters to report bad actors and comments that violate our guidelines. The moderator, open 24/7, is in a position to respond immediately. Open comments about some stories, not all stories. This allows you to focus your moderation efforts better without spreading yourself too thinly. Only subscribers are allowed to comment. Non-subscribers can see some recent comments. However, you must subscribe to become active. This ensures that this eliminates bad fly bite rolls. And it maintains the conversations included in the readers given to ensure that respectful conversations win the day.
Before we begin, we have created a set of community guidelines to ensure that the conversations we comment on are constructive and meaningful. This guideline provides tips on how to effectively work with comments for those who choose to participate. It starts with the “golden rules.” Treat people the way you want them to be treated. Here you will get access to complete guidelines, tips and simple FAQs.
We hope our comment forum will be a place where you can share, discuss and discuss thoughtful ideas and opinions about the stories you post on Tampabay.com.
