Commenting on Northwest Citizen

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Tue, May 04, 2010, 12:25 am  //  John Servais

Have you been tempted to comment on Northwest Citizen - but haven't for whatever reasons? We have just made a few changes to how registration and such works. We want Whatcom County residents to feel comfortable registering and commenting here, so here are some FAQs and Answers.

Q: Why does NwCitizen require real names of commenters?
A: Two reasons. First, we live in a democracy where we should all feel free to speak out, and that means speaking in public - in the open. We should all be tolerant of others views and not seek ways to retaliate for views we disagree with. At NwCitizen we practice this. A second reason is that having actual names attached to comments is the most effective way to stop the trash talk found on most websites. We want genuine comments - not just a lot of comments.

Q: Are passwords secret or known to NwCitizen editors?
A: We do not know any passwords. They are encrypted in the program and we cannot read them. We have no way of knowing your password. We use a program that safeguards our users privacy.

Q: If I forget my password, how can I get a new one?
A: You click the Login link and then click the link "Forgot your password?" You will be asked for your email address. Type it in and click the "Submit" button. The program will send you an email that requires you to click on a code and return to a special page in NwCitizen. The program will then send you a new password. (All this is to prevent someone else from getting your new password.)

Q: The password that the program sent me is too hard to remember. Can I change it?
A: Yes. When logged in to comment, you can click on the "My Account" link and change your password to one that you can remember. All this password business can be done without any participation by any of us editors. The program takes care of it all. And your passwords remain known only to you.

Q: How long can comments be:
A: As many words as you want - within reason. You can exceed the 200 word limit of some other websites. No need to make three comment posts just to have enough words to support your view. You can feel free to write a comment of 100 to 900 words. We encourage short comments that express a feeling and long comments that develop a new point of view.

Q: What if I have other questions?
A: Feel free to write me, John Servais, at john@nwcitizen.com with any questions. Also, I may add more Q&As to this post. And you can always find this post by clicking on the "About" link on the left side of the Front Page.

And, by the way, you can comment on this article - or ask questions below and I'll try to answer them.

Commenting on Northwest Citizen

Tue, May 04, 2010, 12:25 am  //  John Servais

Some Q&As about password security, using actual names and length of comments.

0 comments

Northwest Citizen has a Front Page

Fri, Jan 29, 2010, 1:42 am  //  John Servais

NwCitizen adds new design elements to its home page. The publisher explains what and why.

1 comments; last on Jan 30, 2010

A note to readers of NwCitizen

Mon, May 18, 2009, 10:30 am  //  John Servais

Just a short bit about NwCitizen this morning. A few thoughts. Nothing heavy. But some things I'd like the regular readers to know. The idea…

3 comments; last on May 18, 2009

NwCitizen down - info

Tue, Mar 10, 2009, 12:04 pm  //  Site Management

To Readers, Commenters and Writers,NwCitizen was down from Friday evening, March 6 till late Monday night. Our web hosting service had serious router problems that…

0 comments

Commenting Policy

Sun, Nov 09, 2008, 11:48 pm  //  Site Management

Last week I removed commenting ability for a person. This is the first time since this site opened for commenting 11 months ago that someone…

3 comments; last on Nov 10, 2008

the New Northwest Citizen Experience

Tue, Jan 15, 2008, 10:54 pm  //  John Servais

Welcome. At 8:45 pm this evening, this website went live with its transformed design. You are looking at it. Yes, this is the Northwest Citizen…

4 comments; last on Jan 16, 2008

Copyright Notice

Tue, Jan 15, 2008, 1:35 pm  //  John Servais

CopyrightAll material at this internet web site, NorthWest Citizen, is Copyright ©1995-2010 John Servais except writers retain copyright of their own articles.

0 comments

New website and Green Bay Packers

Mon, Jan 14, 2008, 12:18 pm  //  John Servais

Just a couple days more and we should be able to turn on the new NwCitizen website. Programming continues and what free time I have…

0 comments

New Server is Online

Tue, Jan 08, 2008, 5:52 am  //  John Servais

OK, we are running on the new server. And the design and programming are going well. I have cautious hope the transformed site will be…

0 comments

My name is Tip Johnson.

Fri, Nov 03, 2006, 3:02 pm  //  Tip Johnson

Gentle readers,My name is Tip Johnson. The usual editor of this publication has asked me to fill in for a bit while he is busy…

0 comments

Website restructuring

Thu, Nov 02, 2006, 3:06 pm  //  John Servais

After today, a friend will take over writing to this space for a few weeks. I'll let him introduce himself to you. I've some personal…

0 comments

This “blog” now approaching its 10th anniversary

Sun, May 15, 2005, 3:56 pm  //  Site Management

Well, when my sainted aunt writes asking if I'm feeling OK because nothing has been posted here, then it is time to pay attention to…

0 comments

Posted mid January at bottom of home page

Wed, Jan 14, 2004, 8:12 pm  //  John Servais

About 240 citizens check NwCitizen each day and regular readers check about once a week. Over 4,000 unique - different - citizens check this site…

0 comments

 

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