Talking Back: What You Need to Know About Commenting on Patch

We at Brick Patch are thrilled with how many of you have become not just daily readers, but also active commenters during our short history.

Discussion and feedback are a big part of what makes Patch tick, and we thought it was a good time for a quick refresher in how to get involved on the site.

Becoming a user. Before you can weigh in on stories, you need to sign up as a user. It’s easy and free – just click the “sign up” link near the top right-hand corner of the main page, and fill out your name, email and password. Patch frowns on anonymity, and we ask that you be truthful with your personal information. Be sure you read through the terms of use and the privacy policy – unlike a lot of websites’ small-print legal babble, the info there is free of jargon and easy to read. And it’s important.

Speaking up. There are lots of ways to join the conversation on Patch. Most stories have a comment section. The “shout box” toward the top right-hand side of the main page lets you tell folks what you’re thinking any time. The Q&A page allows readers to start conversations or crowd-source queries.

Talking to us. One of the things we love most about Patch is that it makes it easy for us to talk. If you have a question, a comment or a correction for the reporter responsible for a story, you can click the “Email the author” link next to the byline. Hearing your thoughts on an article – if you liked it, if you think we got something wrong, if you have an idea for another lead we should track down – helps us do our job better.

How to be a good commenter. Discussion and debate are great, and we love to see people sharing opinions. However, we have some rules, and we’re serious about them. If you see violations of these rules, flag the comment. We’ll delete it and e-mail the commenter explaining the situation. Repeat offenders are blocked from using the site.

• Don’t be nasty. While it’s OK to express disagreement, personal attacks and defamatory language are not allowed. That means no name-calling, no unproven or unfounded accusations of wrongdoing and absolutely no hate speech or swearing.
• Don’t escalate. Unfortunately, anonymous rudeness is almost inevitable on the Internet. If you see something that makes your blood boil, don’t take the bait. Do your part to make the discourse here useful and positive.

A note about privacy. As per our privacy policy, we don’t give out users' personal information to anyone.

If you've got questions or concerns, don't hesitate to e-mail daniel.nee@patch.com.