I’ve gotta be frank with you guys…

I’ve gotta be frank with you guys…

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I’m all for transparency on the blog, which is why I’m making this post. For years I’ve had the policy of not moderating comments. Moderation is a slippery slope, and not one I wanted to get involved with, because it involves a bit too much bias.

That being said, I guess it was never really fair of me to say that blog comments weren’t being moderated. I get about 5,000 spam comments per day which are automatically caught by WordPress and go straight into the spam folder, most of which involve Viagra, Cialis, Nigerian banks, and heirs to thrones.

So as many of you know (and pointed out over and over), there was a certain commenter on the blog that left hateful comments multiple times a day. I actually felt bad for the guy and thought they were so ridiculous that it didn’t bother me at all. But they were offensive to many, and at the end of the day detracted from the content of the blog because people chose to respond to him.

So I’ve decided to ban said person from posting, simply because his comments are “spam,” as far as I’m concerned. They have nothing to do with the blog posts but instead just focus on his hatred (or perhaps insecurities/self-denial), and I don’t think that’s in anyone’s best interest.

Anyway, my policy really hasn’t changed. I don’t moderate comments unless they’re spam. That’s the same thing I’ve been doing since this blog started. And as far as I’m concerned they’re spam if they have nothing to do with miles, points, travel, or the topics of the posts.

I’ll of course continue to accept hate mail targeted at me, disagreements, and the occasional love letter. 😉

Conversations (81)
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  1. hkairlinenews Guest

    @ Michael T - Crap then, I'm in the wrong place. (I will be in less than a month though...)

  2. Brian Guest

    So I agree with filtering the hate, but you have continued to filter the constructive questions/comments as to why you don't fly UA anymore. Rumors persist amongst bloggers that you've been banned from UA. Come clean?!

  3. Dax Guest

    I like the hands-off approach and I enjoy spirited debate and dissent as much as anyone, but Frank's comments usually had nothing to do with anything being discussed prior to his posts. His childish comments were nothing more than random personal attacks. Needless to say, he won't be missed.

  4. James Guest

    Nothing could be furter from the truth.

  5. msp2anywhere Guest

    Let's be frank: surely you were contemplating this for a while? ;)

  6. DRI Guest

    I guess what will be his nickname next time when he tries to post a comment here...maybe "unlucky"?

  7. steve64 Guest

    I'm not too sure why you think you "gotta be frank" :)
    But am glad you've taken this action. Personally, I had no problem ignoring those irrelevant posts from someone with obvious issues. However, the constant responses were (IMHO)a bit frightening ... feeding the guy with the attention he was looking for (but now I'm doing it :o )

    Logging a post to get my IP on the "good" list before it's needed !!

  8. Holly New Member

    As the proud mom of a gay son, I'm glad you did this Lucky.

  9. wfb Guest

    Thanks for bouncing the miscreant.

  10. Chris New Member

    @Rick - My point was not to debate the merit (or necessity) of disclosure, but rather that Lucky always discloses whether or not he is getting any benefits from "third-party offers". Since Tim was unjustly accusing him, I was trying to redirect his feedback to a more appropriate blogger. Although, one can't help but wonder if that comment would have been moderated had it been on your blog.

    @Thegasguru - I wasn't trying to...

    @Rick - My point was not to debate the merit (or necessity) of disclosure, but rather that Lucky always discloses whether or not he is getting any benefits from "third-party offers". Since Tim was unjustly accusing him, I was trying to redirect his feedback to a more appropriate blogger. Although, one can't help but wonder if that comment would have been moderated had it been on your blog.

    @Thegasguru - I wasn't trying to pick on Rick when I made that comment. To be honest, I don't care whether bloggers disclose the perks or not. I was just standing up for Lucky.

  11. Ryan Guest

    You have every right (and reason) to ban his comments. I wish that you would moderate other offensive comments as well. It surprised me when you did not say anything to a reader who commented that he was disgusted by any homosexual behavior after you wrote about a run in you had with a hotel guest. I don't think homophobic comments should be tolerated at all. Your writing reads as if you are much older...

    You have every right (and reason) to ban his comments. I wish that you would moderate other offensive comments as well. It surprised me when you did not say anything to a reader who commented that he was disgusted by any homosexual behavior after you wrote about a run in you had with a hotel guest. I don't think homophobic comments should be tolerated at all. Your writing reads as if you are much older than you really are. However, considering your age, I would hope that you would have a slightly more progressive policy towards intolerant comments. You have to consider your entire audience, not just the straight ones. This is your blog and ultimately you are the one who has the right to moderate.

  12. Robert Hanson Diamond

    Somehow, it seems that many of the commentators today missed your point. You are still not moderating comments. Frank didn't comment, he spammed....and did so in a frankly distasteful way....

  13. NYCWahoo Guest

    I really enjoy reading your blog(even though you, Gary and Brian post same stuff all the tune)

    As they say, "don't let the haters get to you."

  14. k2o Guest

    I was hoping your great lead in line was going to say just this...Good for you Lucky! Love your stuff as always.

  15. Ted F Guest

    @Michael T and enforce it like how Facebook enforces it?

  16. Michael T Guest

    I was going to recommend all posters be at least age 13. That would have worked as well.

  17. jcb Guest

    Ben, nice work. his comments were pointless and juvenile and didn't add to anything. keep up the great site.

  18. FrequentMiler New Member

    Good move. It will be interesting to see if he pops up on other blogs. If so, time to play wack a mole!

  19. Rrr Guest

    Let yo haters be yo motivators! Lol.

  20. Jeremy Guest

    Keep up the great work, Ben. Heck, moderate all the haters as soon as they show. No room for them here.

  21. FBKSan Guest

    Heh,thought from the title you were going to reveal that... Gasp! ... You were frank all along. In some sort of admittedly very strange practical joke. Anyway, thanks for the transparency!

  22. Lauren Guest

    totally agree with your decision! and keep up the awesome work :)

  23. MilesQuest New Member

    I'm looking forward to the day when I have comments to moderate, LOL

  24. Tyler Guest

    Completely fair, and I appreciate you not moderating. I have much more respect for you with that aspect than some of the other boardingarea bloggers who moderate. It takes away a feeling of community.

  25. MM Guest

    Good move, lucky
    RIP Frank... Not!

  26. Tisha Guest

    good for you Lucky! =) That guy was horrible!

  27. jcmitchell21 Guest

    I just got the title of your post ... funny.

  28. emily Guest

    and this is why we love you to pieces :)

  29. hobo13 Guest

    Ah man, I should have thought through that prank a little better.

  30. John Guest

    Ben- Awesome!! Frank was shitting all over your excellent blog. Thanks for banning him!

  31. oc25 Guest

    Lucky, ou can always go the route of this Texans couple: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/jury-awards-13-million-texas-defamation-suit-anonymous/story?id=16194071

  32. JetAway Guest

    Thanks! And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

  33. Cdiddy Member

    Agree with everyone above, good move. Though, I must say, he was so pathetic I almost felt bad for hime. It must not be easy going through life as a grown man with the mental capacity (and vocabulary) of 12 year-old.

  34. Ted F Guest

    Hahaha, tell the truth Lucky, moderating comments take LOTS of time, that's why you don't want to do it? :) Don't worry, I wouldn't either if I were you for that reason.

  35. Susan Guest

    Glad you finally banned the troll!

  36. thegasguru Guest

    Its a shame it had to come to this, but I for one one am so relieved. That guys comments really were distracting to me, and often ruined the flow of some otherwise very nice discourse in the comments.

    @AndyBluebar Have you been reading this blog long? Has anyoneever accused Lucky of not having a sense of humor??? :)

    @Chris I had the good fortune to have lunch with The Frugal Travel Guy while I...

    Its a shame it had to come to this, but I for one one am so relieved. That guys comments really were distracting to me, and often ruined the flow of some otherwise very nice discourse in the comments.

    @AndyBluebar Have you been reading this blog long? Has anyoneever accused Lucky of not having a sense of humor??? :)

    @Chris I had the good fortune to have lunch with The Frugal Travel Guy while I was in Hilton Head last month. I assure you beyond any doubt, you will never meet a more genuine, enthusiastic, and generous man. I happen to be a physician, and The Frugal Travel Guy is even trying to work out a plan to use points and miles to provide travel arrangements for doctors doing free medical care mission work in third world countries. He a great guy, and just has a love for the travel game we all play.

  37. smitty06 Guest

    Good decision. It was getting really old to see hate speech on such a positive forum. I also consider the demands for specifics on referral fees to be ridiculous. Enough already!

  38. Katie S Guest

    About time! :) The comments were distracting, to say the least. Your approach is appropriate and appreciated by this reader.

  39. Paul Guest

    Thanks, Lucky. I had stopped reading the comments as I thought the discussion was becoming a distraction. A lot of useful information can be found in the comments and discussion after your posts. It will be nice to be able to read them again without taking the time to "weed out" the inane ones. Kudos!

  40. Dan Guest

    Coins, good for you. Claps hands on the banning.

  41. SAN Greg Guest

    Right decision. Person was an internet bully who got his 15 seconds of shame.

  42. Andrew B OMAAT

    It's your blog, so you should be able to ban people who make offensive comments. I also vote for more clever puns in titles of posts.

  43. Rick Ingersoll Guest

    Chris don't you think it's getting ridiculous with all the commotion about affiliate links? Why not take the straightforward approach and assume if it is in "blue" and related to credit cards, somebody is getting paid. Sure simplifies life that way.

    And Ben, you did the right thing. You and other bloggers spend hours working on their blogs. Putting up with that crap is not in the business model anywhere or anytime.

  44. Steve Guest

    Thank you for removing the distraction. Your blog is one of my favorites and there was no reason to read some of the terrible things that one person chose to post in response to all of the great things you tell us on a regular basis.

  45. Wes Guest

    Ditto; life's too short to have to deal with "haters"!

  46. Chris New Member

    @Tim - a bit OT, but I think Lucky has always disclosed when he benefits from CC links (or other offers). I think maybe you're confusing him with a more frugal blogger? ;-)

  47. Scott in Dallas Guest

    Keep up the great work, Ben! Posting anonymously on the internetz is probably the highlight of his sad life!

  48. Andy New Member

    Good move. And don't let the haters get to you.

  49. Tim Guest

    Since you are so concerned with spam, I hope that you will clearly disclose any benefits you receive from posting third-party offers (e.g., credit cards).

  50. Victor Guest

    Bravo Lucky! Thank you for stepping up and doing the right thing.

  51. joelfreak Guest

    Good move...let him go spew his crap on another medium.

  52. Andy Bleuebar Guest

    "I’ve gotta be frank with you guys…"

    And people say you don't have a sense of humor...

  53. Peter Dominowski Guest

    Well done...you did the right thing!

  54. lucky OMAAT

    Thanks, guys!

    @ oneeyejack -- IP is banned, worry not. And comments by those posting for the first time under an IP have to be manually approved, so I'm sure I can "catch" him if that's the case.

  55. Nancy Guest

    Frankly.....all I can say is well done!

    P.S. Follow Oneeyejack's advice about banning the IP address.

  56. Richard Chen Guest

    We're all thankful for your work as I, a fellow major blog administrator, can sympathize with the demoralizing and laborious process of vetting comments.

  57. oneeyejack Guest

    hopefully you can ban his IP so he can't post under another name/email.

  58. thrashsoundly New Member

    Nice post title ;)

  59. Matt Guest

    +1. Reading back, I'm surprised you didn't do it earlier - shows a real strength that you didn't block him for hurting you but instead for being distracting. Kudos!

  60. Mariana Guest

    Good for you lucky. For me those comments were distracting (as well as offensive) so it's good to know that I can now read the comments section more peacefully and learn from them.

  61. Lantean Diamond

    Good for you Lucky that you banned that *******. Your private life has nothing to do with this blog, I don't understand why he was posting about it 10 times a day here.
    Too bad you can't find out his identity and report him.

  62. lelee Guest

    Agreed. Thats the right attitude.

  63. JettyBoy Guest

    Good move. I wonder if he is a disgruntled 1K that was a victim of TOD upgrades and is looking for avenues to vent.

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The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

hkairlinenews Guest

@ Michael T - Crap then, I'm in the wrong place. (I will be in less than a month though...)

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Brian Guest

So I agree with filtering the hate, but you have continued to filter the constructive questions/comments as to why you don't fly UA anymore. Rumors persist amongst bloggers that you've been banned from UA. Come clean?!

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The blog ate your comments! - One Mile at a Time Guest

[...] y’all know I don’t really moderate comments (aside from extreme circumstances), and the way WordPress usually seems to operate is that if you’ve left a comment on the blog [...]

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