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Comment Policy

We at Scottish Rugby Blog Towers love a good debate and want to encourage as many of our readers as possible to get involved with the discussions in the comments section on the website. Having gone for the first few years with very little in the way of comments, we are delighted people are getting involved but it should be an inclusive and friendly community.

Want to post a link?

If you post a comment with a link in it, it will automatically be held for moderation for reason #7 below and may not appear for a few hours. Links to other articles or videos about rugby will usually be approved and appear when one of the moderators has a chance.

Avoid Long Comments

To avoid putting off new users with lengthy screeds of text, comment length is limited. If you post a comment that is excessively long, it will automatically be held for moderation – please keep it brief if you can. If you are posting a fantasy/possible team or squad list, please keep it on a single line/paragraph rather than a long list or it may be removed. Much longer comments can be submitted as article suggestions, just get in touch.

Want a picture or reserve your username?

If you’re keen on having an image beside your comments we’d recommend setting up an account on the site (which would also allow you to contribute articles should you want to) using an email address that has an account with gravatar.com. Your username would also be reserved once there is an account with that email/name combination.

The Rules

There are a few simple rules which we expect all everyone to abide by. These apply across the site.

  1. We welcome debate and dissent, but personal attacks, persistent trolling and mindless abuse will not be tolerated. We’re happy to see the sort of debate you’d hear in the stands, on the sidelines and in the clubhouse but won’t allow the debate to become personal as it ruins the experience for everyone else. If someone else’s argument is flawed please point out why rather than calling them an idiot or a troll.
  2. We reserve the right to curtail a conversation that descends into a flame war. There’s nothing wrong with a good robust debate but if we feel a discussion descending into an argument for argument’s sake we will take action. This applies to comments about the behaviour of other people in the comments section. If you are unhappy with someone’s behaviour contact us directly by e-mail. You can also use the word “admin” in a comment which will place it straight into the moderation queue for our attention.
  3. Keep it relevant. Stay on topic. If we think a comment is off topic we reserve the right to remove it. If there’s not an article on the issue you want to comment on you could contact us about writing an article instead. We realise this may not always be possible if news breaks and we are not around to post it, so this should be seen as a guideline. For example, comments on a breaking bit of Scotland squad news will usually be ok on a recent Scotland team post, however we may move your comment if a separate more suitable article is posted later on. Another example is team news for internationals will almost always get its own post; posting the team list seconds after it is announced will be removed so that the discussion can take place on the relevant post once it appears. If in doubt, the latest Scottish Rugby Podcast post is a good place for general discussion.
  4. Avoid repetition or posting the same comment on multiple posts. We may remove comments if we feel someone is making the same point repeatedly without justification or for attention. Please use the “reply” button as much as possible to keep the posts threaded rather than making a new comment about an issue being discussed elsewhere.
  5. No sexism, homophobia, racism or other types of hate speech or anything that might be interpreted as such, as well as repeated offensive language. One mild swear may get through (or be edited in any random way the moderators deem suitable if they have time), multiple instances will see the comment binned automatically. Please think about the language you use before you press send. Ignorance is no excuse. Furthermore this is a forum to discuss rugby; comments of a political nature should be posted elsewhere (SRU or club politics is fine).
  6. We will remove any material that might put us at risk legally. We do this for fun. None of us has the cash to defend court action because someone posts an unsubstantiated allegation. Please do not discuss player’s or other users’ private lives or post your own or other user’s personal details, whether freely available elsewhere or not. Do not impersonate other posters or post under multiple different names.
  7. No spam or anything obviously commercial. If you’d like advertise or have us review your product please contact us directly by e-mail or check out the Stash Corner page. Please also no selling match tickets.
  8. Be aware you might be misunderstood. Sarcasm and humour don’t always come across in written form. What might sound funny in your head could be misinterpreted when someone else reads it.
  9. We reserve the right to apply Godwin’s Law.
  10. No spelling or grammar pedants. This isn’t school, and the editor is bad enough for all of us.
  11. Don’t slag off Girth.
  12. In short: don’t be a dick.

And finally…

Users are invited to comment at the invitation of the post author and the Scottish Rugby Blog but we wholeheartedly reserve the right to remove any comments, at any time, for whatever reason deemed necessary. Wherever possible an explanation will be given to help keep our comments section clean, constructive and welcoming to all.

Scottish Rugby News and Opinion

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