Hello,

We are reaching a temperature in the world where patience is running thin, for many numbers of reasons. As A Little Beacon Blog covers COVID news, the articles that present facts may generate emotions - from all people. Hearing from each other and learning from each other is very important. As important as it is reading multiple media outlets and scientific studies to educate yourself to make informed decisions. We are taking this time to revisit the Comment Policy at A Little Beacon Blog, and add to it.

Comments that are wildly inappropriate will be deleted from social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook), and may not be published here at the blog. All comments here at the blog require our approval first before showing up. Just like how Letters to the Editor require approval from a newspaper before being published in print.

Comment Policy For COVID Times

Critical Comments: While an audience may follow and support a publication or shop at a store, a person from the audience may disagree with that publication or store on some matters. Speaking about this is healthy and at times, helpful. It can encourage a useful debate that can impact change. While it is hard to take criticism, it sometimes needs to be said. Do be mindful of how you are saying it in public. Consider if it is best said directly to the company or person you are trying to influence.
Name Calling etc. “libtard”: During these times, the term “libtard” has been used a lot. This term is insulting to people who are developmentally different, and are able to think in more beautiful ways than many people can think. If the term “libtard” is used, the comment will be deleted without question. No matter if a good point was made in it.
Throwing Spite, “Hate”: If comments include sentences like “you are showing your hateful face,” they will be deleted. There are better, more effective ways you can say this.
Misinformation: If you are stating a theory, and if you are stating it as fact, it might be deleted. Providing a URL link is useful so that people can follow what you are talking about. If this is your own idea that has never been published, then please indicate that. One never knows where the next great idea comes from.
Comments With Misinformation That Are Kept: There are times where a comment that is smearing something or someone, or casting doubt on something or someone, is kept and not deleted. This may be for a variety of reasons:
- The person is aggressive, and deleting them will only make it worse and cause them to post more.
- The person is semi-right, even if others don’t want to believe that.
- Especially during COVID, there are different theories and studies being cited. There may be a study that is driving the thought process of a group of people. If another person has an answer that disagrees with that study, or reveals that the authors of the study, for instance, found problems with their own study, it is useful for other readers to know about that. Out in real life and on other platforms with comments, as these things are being discussed, it is useful to know what others found regarding disproving a theory, or proving a theory.
Comments Used In Quotes: If you say something in Comments, either as your business account, or as your personal account, your comment may be used in an article. This may surprise you if you leave a sarcastic comment, where, for instance, when people are complaining about traffic, and you want to make a point about how people get upset about police enforcement and instead you think that the police should hand out lollipops and hold balloons, we may quote you on that as an actual good idea. While you may have said it with sarcasm, we may use it, and attribute it to your business and name. Any comment left on an ALBB space, which are public and not private groups, is eligible for being used in an article elsewhere with attribution to your name and business.
Life: We are at a point now in the pandemic, where we need people to live a healthy life. That is the end goal. We want to live happy lives, and we can do so while armed with information so that we can make safe choices that maintain and allow for our happiness. Please remember that in your tone. Even if you are upset at a group of people who have made a choice that can negatively impact your life. If that is the case, a different tact needs to be taken in order to change their minds.
Repeating Yourself: If you repeat yourself to one person, or several people, too many times, as in, you made your point now move along, your subsequent comments may be deleted.
Wishing Ill-Will: If you wish someone ill-will, like by saying that a group of people should not go to the hospital, your comment very well may be deleted. There are times when nurses and other medical professionals respond to comments like that with useful, supportive statements, saying how they value all lives. That would be an example of why a comment like that is left. If you repeat yourself after saying it once, your comment may be deleted.
No Notice Of Deletion: If your comment is deleted, you will not be notified by ALBB. If you notice that your comment disappeared, and you want to ask us about it, you can, and we will tell you that it was deleted.
We Can All Be “Got”: Every single one of us, myself included, can have the best of us gotten. We can snap, lose our temper, and let out our harshest, sharpest tongue. Sometimes it’s needed. Sometimes we can take a moment to walk away, step outside, touch a tree to feel nature, and re-calibrate perspective.
Turning Comments Off: Comments will only be turned off for a post when it goes on for so long; no more good points are being made; only slingshots of mud, ill-will or unease. It takes time to moderate comments. If we lack this time, because we are researching other articles or being with our family, then the comments will be shut off.

Honestly, very few comments are deleted on ALBB. People generally are considerate to each other in this space. Thank you so much for creating and honoring that type of space. This publication does not benefit from comments. We don’t seek them out. We don’t play comment contest games, none of that. We do know the value of comments in algorithms, and honestly believe that it’s a shame that algorithms work that way. We just want to get you information.

Thank you for reading.