Your periodic reminder about comments and commenting

Hey folks,

here’s your periodic reminder about commenting on the articles we post here on Arseblog News. The first thing to say is that we welcome all of your opinions but … and here’s a big but …

BUT

… please think about how you express that opinion. We understand – having done this for over two decades now – that there is massive variance among fans about all kinds of topics. You might love one player but not care for another. You might be 100% behind the manager, or think he’s got questions to answer. You might think we should sign this player, and definitely not that one.

It’s how you present that opinion that is so important. We need to understand that people can disagree with our opinions without it feeling like a personal insult. We need to be able to disagree with things ourselves, but do so in a way which leaves the topic open for discussion.

To that end, and to put it in vaguely football terms: play the ball, not the man. Discuss, debate, and argue the point – but keep to the point. Don’t reduce it to personal attacks, name-calling, insults etc. That gets nobody anywhere, and it gives us more work to do in terms of moderation because those things are not allowed here.

You will have seen this week, and in recent times, big social media companies have basically given up on the idea that they have any responsibility for the things people publish on those platforms. It already has led to – and will lead to further – normalisation of attacks on people for who they are, where they come from, their sexuality, religion, and much more.

We’re not the same size as Facebook or Twitter, but at Arseblog we believe very strongly we have a responsibility to the people who use our site. They should not be subjected to, or even exposed to, blatant racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, discrimination, or personal insults in any way. We don’t shirk that responsibility in the pursuit of profit like the billionaire heads of these social media platforms.

That is why we have strict moderation policies (you can read our comment policy here), and tools. It’s also why some of you, who never engage in any of that behaviour, get caught in the moderation queue. We understand how frustrating that can be, but we believe the trade-off – which allows us to ensure Arseblog News remains a safe and hopefully fun place to talk about Arsenal – is worth it.

We say this because it is something we have to address now and again to remind people in general, but also because we’re not blind to the fact there’s an undercurrent of tension this season. When expectations are high, and you fall short, that obviously frustrates people and in the heat of the moment people can get angry and post things that they probably shouldn’t.

So again, please think not just about what you want to say, but how you say it. We’re all Arsenal fans here (except the opposition fans who try to comment but never pass the moderation queue hahaha), and we all want the best for the team and the club itself. We might not agree on how that’s going to happen, or if it’s going to happen, but in a world when so much out there is toxic and unpleasant, we’d ask everyone who comments or wants to comment to do their best to spark the kind of discussion that leaves those elements on the outside.

With love, Andrew and all the Arseblog team ❤️ – Jan 10th 2025