One Mile at a Time Commenting Rules & Guidelines

This is overdue, but it’s time to update the commenting guidelines here at OMAAT. It has been over five years since I’ve updated the rules, and a lot has changed during that time. Let me explain what my goal is with the OMAAT comments section, the basic rules that I ask people to follow, how I go about moderating the comments section, and more.

If you’re looking for the TL;DR version, I’ll give it to you upfront — just use common sense, be kind to others, and discuss the topic at hand, rather than hurling insults at others.

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My goal with the OMAAT comments section

I’m always impressed by the great insights of OMAAT readers, and lots of people tell me that a large part of what they like about the site is reading the comments section. That’s something that I love, and am incredibly grateful for. I truly believe that collectively, OMAAT readers know just about everything about the industry, and I learn a lot from the comments of others.

However, I think we can all agree that maintaining a respectful dialogue on the internet is harder than ever before, given how polarizing so many topics are.

I’d like OMAAT to be a place where people can engage in constructive and friendly dialogues. However, I also recognize that I need to be more conscientious of the environment I’m creating.

So many sites have either gone in the direction of completely eliminating comments, or otherwise having no moderation whatsoever. I think it’s important to strike a balance here, creating an environment in which people feel comfortable sharing their takes on situations, without fear of being attacked.

Let me also say that I’m not a free speech absolutist. I of course believe that people should be able to share their sincerely held beliefs (including criticizing me and others, respectfully). However, if you’re exclusively here to be negative and criticize others, then I don’t think that contributes positively to the site.

OMAAT comments section rules & guidelines

Fundamentally, what I ask is that people commenting here try to be polite and kind, while also adding value. I know there are a lot of people online who abuse anonymity. I encourage people to comment in a way where they’d be proud if their name were associated with what they write. Everyone should feel comfortable commenting here, without being harassed or bullied.

With that in mind, here are some of the OMAAT commenting rules and guidelines I’ve established, that I ask people to adhere to:

• Please don’t be harassing, threatening, antagonistic, hurtful, or overly-personal, whether it’s about a fellow commenter, or even a public figure
• Please refrain from using profanity or other obscene language
• Please avoid intolerant, racist, homophobic, sexist, or generally derogatory language toward any individual or group
• Please don’t copy or imitate the usernames of others, regardless of how annoying you may find them to be
• Please don’t spam the site or comment in a way that’s solely self promotional; you’re absolutely welcome to leave a link to a relevant topic from an outside site (including your own), but make sure it’s relevant to the post
• Please don’t beat a dead horse, and keep repeating yourself across many posts; by all means make your point, but we don’t need commenters copy and pasting the same point on every post about a particular topic

Let me say that I truly welcome constructive criticism, so you’re more than welcome to leave that on this site. All I ask is that it’s done in a respectful and constructive way. If you’re someone who has commented here 20 times, and every single comment has been negative and rude, then I think this probably isn’t the right site for you. 😉

If you’re going to disagree with others, please do so in a constructive way. Do you have a strong disagreement with another commenter? Please stick to addressing the points they make, rather than making it personal.

I also need to acknowledge that politics is incredibly polarizing nowadays. Ultimately travel and politics are connected, since political decisions do impact travel. So it wouldn’t be reasonable to ask people to completely not comment about politics.

You’re welcome to leave a relevant comment that involves politics, but please stick to the topic, rather than the people. There’s a difference between criticizing a specific policy or even politician, and criticizing anyone who belongs to a particular political party, or supports a certain politician.

OMAAT comments section moderation practices

What are the moderation practices like at OMAAT? There are a few ways that comments may get flagged, not immediately publish, or be taken down — there’s an element of automation, there’s a reporting system, and then there’s me using my discretion. Let me explain those in a bit more detail.

From a technical perspective, there are a few situations where your comment might not post right away (so please be patient, as most end up getting approved):

• If you’re commenting for the first time (this includes from a new email or IP address)
• If your comment includes links of any sort (this is to protect from spam)
• If your comment contains words on the blog’s filter list (this includes an assortment of profanity and other spam-triggered words)

Next, if you see a comment that you think crosses the line, just click the “Report” button underneath it. You’ll be asked why you’re reporting the comment, and then I can take a look. Please don’t engage negatively with someone being a jerk, perhaps other than reminding them that they’re violating the rules on commenting.

Lastly, I of course also monitor comments, and may take action based on that. Look, I’m grateful to everyone who reads, and it brings me no joy to ban people or moderate comments. When comments cross the line and break the rules, you might see me responding to those comments and asking people to please change their behavior going forward. After all, I want people to enjoy engaging, and I know that some people can evolve.

Across the board, please be patient when it comes to comment moderation. I’m not online 24/7 to moderate comments, so it can take some time to get to them. For that matter, while I’ll put more effort into enforcing these rules going forward, this isn’t how I’d like to spend a significant amount of time, ideally (though I will if I have to).

OMAAT comments section elite status

While not specifically related to rules on commenting, I do want to briefly address the Gold and Diamond status that some users have next to their usernames when commenting. Anyone who registers for an account is eligible for this, and it’s based on how many points you accrue. How do you earn points?

• You earn points with each comment
• You earn points for each person who marks a comment you made as helpful
• You earn points for each comment of someone else that you mark as helpful

I’m sure people can appreciate the intent behind this — the more you comment, the more other people find your comments helpful, and the more you find other peoples’ comments helpful, the overall friendlier the community it is. At least that’s the goal. I’m working on some actual benefits to elite status beyond just bragging rights, but for now, hopefully that’s at least a simple explanation, for those who are curious.

Bottom line

I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who chooses to read and comment here at OMAAT, as comments are an integral part of this community. I’m lucky that blogging is my full-time job, and I wake up every day excited for “work.”

Given how dialogue on the internet has evolved over the years, I think it’s important to introduce some updated guidelines, in hopes of creating as pleasant of an environment as possible. Basically just be nice and constructive, and everything will be good.

If you notice someone behaving poorly in the comments section, please don’t stoop to their level, but either report it, or remind them of the rules. I really don’t want to be micro-managing comments, but I also promise I’ll do what I have to in order to ensure this is a friendly place for all.

Thanks so much for reading, and I’m always open to feedback!