How to comment

1.  How to make your first comment

This site is public, but only residents of Pine Lake can comment.  To ensure this, everyone’s first comment must be approved by a moderator, and right now, that’s just Elisabeth Shields (aka plcharterreview).  So let’s try this:

• Click on the “comment” link and follow the instructions.  I will be alerted that a comment needs my approval.
• If you are pretty sure I will recognize your email address, that’s all you have to do.
• If you think I might not recognize your email address, send me a separate email with your name and address.  I will never publish this anywhere, just use it to limit approved commenters to Pine Lake residents.  You only have to do this the first time you want to comment. It’s set up so that the system will recognize you as authorized after your first post is approved.  Email me at elisabethshields@ymail.com, an account I use just for charter review.

If you feel that you would only comment if you could do so anonymously, please email me privately (elisabethshields@ymail.com).  I would like to gauge how much participation we would lose by not having such a feature.  I will keep everyone’s identity private, but if there are enough people who feel this way, I will post on the topic.

2.  Other moderation

This forum will try to provide the kind of environment that encourages the broadest number of people to offer their opinions.  So here’s what I propose.  I have talked to other members of the facilitation team and members of the community, but final responsibility for the proposal is mine.

In this setting, as in a public meeting, rules will support order and decorum and restrain disruptive speech.  Comments containing disruptive statement, defined as “statements containing personal attacks, profanity, commercial advertising or content that is entirely off-topic” will be removed; the posters will be notified and they will require approval before further posts can appear.  (The inspiration for this policy is Peak Democracy, an organization that runs forums for a number of cities, including Decatur.  Peak Democracy is cited as a model here by permission from their CEO.)  You may not post material from private communications, such as email, from other people without their permission; it’s a violation of their privacy.  It’s up to them whether they want to comment here.

You may certainly disagree with material that appears here, including opinions of other commenters.  Please do not call people names, disparage the way they write unless you are trying to clarify a point, or generally make people feel that they will be punished if you don’t like what they have to say.

This website is one of several settings in which you can discuss the charter review process.  The main way to get involved is to come to the meetings.  You can call the Mayor and City Council members, email or write to them privately, and participate in any of the three Yahoo Groups on Pine Lake:  pinelakegeorgia, PineLakeGA, and pinelakechat.

Examples:

OK:  With all due respect to [person X],  I don’t understand her qualifications for this job and I think it would have been more democratic to have appointed a committee rather than handing this over to one person.

Lew, I can’t follow the logic in your statement.  I think you contradict your first sentence when you say [ . . . ].  I disagree completely with your statement that we don’t need any removal process.  Imagine what would happen if . . .

I think this process has gotten off on completely the wrong track.  Instead of doing [X], we could . . .

Not OK:   Well, Debbie, only an idiot who dropped out of school after fifth grade could fail to follow my logic.  Anyone who uses “too” when it should have been “to” . . .  (personal attack, not on topic)

Discussion of the wetlands project, economic development, etc., unless supporting points in the charter review.