Reader comments are open,
but please, keep the water clean

When I was a kid, my best friend's family installed a swimming pool in their backyard. Before we went off the diving board the first time, her father gathered us around for a rule briefing. He wrapped up by telling us he'd added a chemical to the water – odorless, colorless, completely safe to swim in – that had the effect of turning urine bright purple. Unless we wanted the embarrassment of having everyone know who did it, we were advised to use the bathroom in the house.

It was years before it finally occurred to me there was no such chemical. But he'd made his point. In a small pool, you really don't want anyone peeing in it. How do you enforce good behavior? Make it public.

We launched GrossePointeToday.com with the intention of allowing reader comments on stories. We want this site to be a product of the community, not something delivered to it. As of today, all stories are officially open for immediate feedback: Registered site users are welcome to post comments, and encouraged to do so. They will appear under whatever user name you chose. They won't appear instantly after you submit them. We -- I, along with my partners Ben Burns and Sheila Tomkowiak — will moderate them, closely at first and probably less so, as time passes. Needless to say, we will not approve comments that libel anyone, use abusive language, name-call or otherwise spoil the atmosphere of vigorous discussion.

We don't want people to shrink from expressing strong opinions. Rather, we want to keep the standards high. 

A few months ago, I found a comments policy statement I really like, on the Ann Arbor Chronicle, an online news site I like just as much. Elegant and simple, it reads:

Our challenge to commenters is: Be Generous. Be generous with your information and good humor. Be generous with your time and effort. Be generous with your respect.

Our challenge to ourselves at The Chronicle is: Be Open. We’ll be open to differing viewpoints. We’ll be open to the possibility we’re wrong. We’ll be open to suggestions.

So now, at summer's end, we have opened the pool. No special chemicals added to the water. Feel free to dive in. 

Nancy Nall Derringer is an editor at GrossePointeToday.com, and blogs most days at nancynall.com. E-mail her.

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