I recently did an interview with Express (A Publication of The Washington Post) and the interviewer, Stefanie Gans, asked me: “What’s your policy on comments? Do you keep all of them? Even the offensive ones?” I answered:
“I think of comments like guests at a dinner party: If someone said this at a dinner party would I kick them out? Those are the comments I delete. Also ones that insult the physical appearance of friends and family. Sometimes people leave comments on my blog and I feel it’s as if they not only said something rude at a dinner party but they climbed on the table and took a dump.”
Sorry for how graphic that got (and, ironically, I’d never say THAT at a dinner party) but that pretty much articulates my comment policy. I delete the truly nasty ones and the insulting ones; otherwise, comments are fair game.
For the record, if you’ve left a comment and it hasn’t appeared that’s not because I’m actively screening it. Movable Type, the program I use to run the site, automatically junks lots of my comments for inexplicable reasons. So at the end of the day, when I come home, I go into my junk folder and unjunk them. So if your comment doesn’t appear, wait 24 hours and check again: if it’s still not there, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to check it out. Thanks.
Adam
I am so glad you are now the 1st celebrity chef/host we see on the list of hosts on the Food Network! Thanks for all your work at educating us on cooking and living. It is good to see someone who is so open about his life and loves.
The Anthony Bourdain interview is priceless…
Can’t wait for your travel show across the world.
Thanks!
c
I’ve never commented here before, but I wanted you to know that for all the horrible comments you might get from people who enjoy the anonymity of the internet and how it allows people to be real sh*ts, there are dozens of us who absolutely adore your blog. I love everything you post here, and have become more adventurous in my own dining because of you. (I tried bone marrow! It was tasty!) So thanks, and keep up the awesome blogging!
Kudos on articulating your comments policy. It’s your site, and you have the right to set the standards for it.
I agree with Alisa, some people seem to say things in comments that (I hope) they would never say anywhere else. I like the dinner party analogy (the dump bit was possibly unnecessary, but I see what you mean), it’s like your mother always said: ‘if you can’t say anything nice’…etc.
I think that you have adopted a very reasonable attitude towards “comments.”
Unlike, VERY unlike, some other food blogs which will “ex-communicate” a commenter if they, or one of their agents with a PERSONAL agendum, takes it upon himself or herself (usually a herself) to make a unilateral decision to eliminate any poster which gets her panties into a wad.
What REALLY needs to be addressed is the “commenter” who uses aliases and a proxy server to emulate legitimate posters . . . posters who do NOT have a personal, emotional problem (due to personal problems).
As an example, MOST reputable blogs know who “MrsDocChuck” is. Yet, they allow her to disrupt BLOGS because she has a personal vendetta against a person (and his wife) of whom she is insanely jealous.
Go figure.
keep trying kid with the interviews on FN. it may take some time but you will eventually get there. you have heart so i give you credit. i think you write well as i enjoyed your book. one on one is not easy. i do like that you love food and its preparation. but some chefs are just jerks despite their culinary talents. they are cooks and not necessary nice folks to share a drink with. continue to ask hard questions. your viewers want to know what the chefs are cooking in their restaurants and what are the new food trends. it should be about the food/recipes and not about attitudes. so stay with the focus. teaching us foodies about what to make next, the lastest hot ingredients and what cuisine is on the horizon. i’m a foodie in blacksburg,va from NY and want to stay in the know. some of us need to cook as we do not have access to fine dining. i am way beyond campus food!!!thank you. dottie