angela_c: blog 
angela's blog
head of news site contacts commenter's employer
Published November 19, 2009Views: 2655
Good morning GOLO!
I couldn't wait to share this one with you to get your thoughts after reading about it late last night.
A man who is essentially in the same role as me, but at The St. Louis Dispatch was unhappy with a comment being posted on a story. He removed it once. It was posted a second time. From what he described it was pretty vulgar.
He looked at the IP address and saw that it was coming from a computer at a local school.
He called the school and spoke with someone in the IT department.
Here is what happened after that as he described it in his own words:
"A few minutes later, the same guy posted the same single-word comment again. I deleted it, but noticed in the WordPress e-mail that his comment had come from an IP address at a local school. So I called the school. They were happy to have me forward the e-mail, though I wasn’t sure what they’d be able to do with the meager information it included.
About six hours later, I heard from the school’s headmaster. The school’s IT director took a shine to the challenge. Long story short: Using the time-frame of the comments, our website location and the IP addresses in the WordPress e-mail, he tracked it back to a specific computer. The headmaster confronted the employee, who resigned on the spot.
I posted a comment on this story because I just had to. Here is what I wrote:
"Hi Kurt: I'm curious. Did you really not know what they could do with the information included in the email? Maybe you didn't want what happened to happen, but you had to have some idea of what the IT department could do, right? I deal with this kind of thing all the time as the ME of UGC at a news organization but I have a team of moderators who approve and disapprove comments in real-time. i know you were frustrated but why not just ban the guy? Believe me, I'm no advocate for trolls by a long shot but did you consider contacting him directly or just denying him posting privileges?"
I hope he responds. Now, I've been called some bad names, and IP addresses can provide a lot of information. But I wouldn't go after a person's job. (At least that's how I feel at the moment--though I do wish people would be more mindful about what can be found out about them...)
I'll leave it to you to discuss. I have to go to an Open Enrollment Meeting and will check back in when I'm done.
Have a thrilling Thursday!
Angela
Filed under: News & Issues
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GOLO member since January 6, 2009
January 20, 2010 9:04 a.m.
*con amor on the floor on her knees, holding her folded hands in a prayer like position out towards Angela*
GOLO member since April 15, 2009
January 7, 2010 4:10 p.m.
GOLO member since April 14, 2009
December 12, 2009 12:24 a.m.
GOLO member since July 19, 2007
November 26, 2009 8:02 a.m.
November 22, 2009 12:31 p.m.
The Supremes have ruled so. And if the actions of the person are of offense - tough. I would be suing the school for unlawful persecution and the person who has a public blog for such.
You do not have a right to healthcare. And you do not have a right to not be offended.
GOLO member since December 12, 2007
November 21, 2009 8:14 p.m.
GOLO member since July 16, 2008
November 21, 2009 4:37 p.m.
GOLO member since September 1, 2007
November 19, 2009 7:37 p.m.
I personally haven't see anything of that sort in quite a while.
November 19, 2009 3:57 p.m.
I think we should start them a porn group (just kidding) got to do something to make my afternoon pass
GOLO member since May 19, 2009
November 19, 2009 3:41 p.m.
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