We have reinstated the login requirement for commenting on NorthEndWaterfront.com. If you have not registered previously on the site, you will need to establish a username and password. Your username may be your real name or a nickname, but either way, you will have to verify your email address. There is also a link to recover your password if you have forgotten it.
Dozens of recent comment threads have recently spiraled into harsh attacks on both sides of an issue, mostly under the veil of anonymity. This type of hate speech directly contrasts with our vision to bring the community together by sharing differing views. We have also found that some of our articles are being posted on political forums where non-locals, perhaps even paid lobbyists, are submitting repeated comments to reinforce a position. Moderating comments is a soul-sucking experience and, by far, the worst part of running this site. We have a comments policy that we try to enforce but it often ends up being a judgment call, especially on a community site.
Many news sites have turned off comments entirely or gone to Facebook and Twitter. Before taking such drastic action, we would like to give it one more try before giving up completely. As longtime NorthEndWaterfront.com readers will recall, we have experimented with several comment systems over the years. We have no way to verify real names, but we now know it has been too easy for ‘drive-by commenters’ to take advantage of our system.
As a way to require some type of email verification, we are going back to requiring commenters to register and subsequently login to post comments. You will only have to register once to verify your email address and setup your password. Once you login, your browser should stay logged in, making it easier to comment from that point. If you need help establishing a longheld nickname, please contact us.
We understand this change will discourage some of our regular commenters and apologize for the added login step. But, we also hope it might bring folks who have been hesitant to weigh in due to the recent animosity in the comment section.
Importantly, the login requirement only applies to making a comment. You do not need to login to simply read the site.
Please see our comments policy for more information. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below or contact us directly at info@northendwaterfront.com.
