May 25, 2012 More Feeds

Policies

Comment policy

This is where we're supposed to tell you how to behave when you comment on our site. But we don't want to assume y'all don't know how to behave in civilized society. Because, come on, you don't need a "commenting policy" in life, right, so why do you need one here?

So, let's just start with this: Don't be a jerk, don't be boring, and don't be abusive to your fellow commenters or the author of the piece on which you're commenting. If you have an issue with a point being made, make it. But remarks on usage, grammar, and typos just makes you look like an overly-literal tool (if you care that much, email us). Be funny, be smart, have a conversation or make an observation.

Update 2/11/10 OK! We've been doing this for nearly a year, and so far, you guys have been GREAT. Most of you. But a few recent events have forced us to get a little more specific:

  • Say you make a comment, and it's poorly received. DO NOT create another persona to then "chime in" to agree with you. This is called sock puppeting, it's completely unacceptable (and more than a little sad) and will get you and your alternate personalities banned immediately.
  • Don't say racist, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted shit. YES, like saying that the traits of one person is indicative of an entire group of people. Think that's "too PC"? We think you might be more comfortable here, then. Bye!
  • Oh, yeah, you can swear. We're cool with that.
  • Added 11/18/2010: I can't even believe I have to say this, it's so basic: It's fine if you don't like a reporter or a columnist or a commenter. But making abusive comments (which, yes, is prohibited, see above), especially on a regular basis (like every time that person posts) isn't just creepy and weird, it's a violation of our terms of use, and will get you banned. Harassing Appeal contributors or Appeal commenters is not something we tolerate.
  • File this under "I can't believe I have to say this to thinking people": threats or encouragement of violence, implied or stated, won't be tolerated. Here's an example: "The cops should shoot him" or "I will shoot her if I see her."

Added 11/18/2010: Before you cry "censorship" about any of the above policies, please understand this: Censorship is practiced by government, religious or political authorities to prevent, alter, or delay publication (or dissemination) of the press. It is not censorship when a business does not voluntarily carry a product, or host an account, that violates its Terms or is used in a harassing, threatening or harmful manner. No one has a "right" to have a comment account on any website, news or otherwise -- especially when the account breaks the rules.

Conflict policy

The San Francisco Appeal strives to be a trusted source for news and information about the City. Yes, we sell ads on the site, and, yes, almost all of the contributors to the San Francisco Appeal have other sources of income (also known as "day jobs") that may or may not have overlap with what is covered on the site. Because of that, we want to make absolutely sure that readers understand that we pledge transparency and full disclosure so our readers can trust what they read on our site and are equipped to assess our credibility. What does that mean?

  • Contributors won't write about or seek to influence posts on matters in which they have a direct personal and/or economic stake.
  • Where we still see the potential for perceived conflict or bias based on the personal or economic interests of a contributor, we pledge to make additional disclosures.
  • We promise you, the reader, that the business we do or even hope to do with partners and advertisers has no bearing on our editorial decisions, either positively or negatively.
  • Finally, we'll rely on you to use our comment functions to keep us honest.

If you have any questions about this or any of our policies, please contact us.