Comments on: A Note to Our Readers

By: Haim Watzman

Haim Watzman — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:52:25 +0000

Tamar, we do our best to respond when we think we have something to add to the discussion, see for example the back-and-forth on my post http://southjerusalem.com/2008/12/hebrew-as-she-is-spoke/. But please remember that both Gershom and I are freelance writers with no independent income and families to support. Until such time as some genius figures out how to make a buck off a blog, when time presses we have no choice but to prefer paying gigs to talking on the blog. That said, please don’t hesitate to direct questions or comments at us specifically, and we’ll endeavor to respond.

By: tamar

tamar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:17:02 +0000

“If we don’t always respond ourselves, it’s because we’re busy working on the next post.”

My comment, borrowed from your next line:

“This is improper blog etiquette. ”

The most prolific top bloggers (Lisa’s On the Face, for instance) respond now and then to a comment and almost always answer direct questions. This has not been my experience with South Jerusalem, which I return to for the occasional important (to me) post, despite what strikes me as your improper blog etiquette.

By: Rowan Berkeley

Rowan Berkeley — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:05:23 +0000

Josh, you haven’t been blocked. It is that infernal Typepad system.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:24:25 +0000

I’d have to agree with this note as well as Rowan’s observations about Phil’s blog. Ironically, I have actually been blocked from posting comments there (which was a big surprise to myself since that place is rather unmoderated and I was one who was deemed “banworthy”). I do admit that a blog with an out-of-control comments section peeves me but it still should not devalue the blog itself.

Keep up the good work on SoJo.

By: Lars

Lars — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:30:46 +0000

Oh yeah, I forgot to add: the segment is available on Youtube.

By: Lars

Lars — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:30:12 +0000

Slightly off-topic, but I thought you’d be interested in this:

60 Minutes which, as you may know, is the top-rated TV news magazine in the US, ran a segment “Is Time Running Out for a Two-State Solution?” last Sunday. It’s actually almost a landmark in coverage of the conflict here in the US, in that it is very rare for anyone to bring up what a serious problem the settlements are. Nowhere in the segment did they mention that the settlements are also illegal under international law, but I’ll take what I can get…

By: yaron

yaron — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:56:46 +0000

provocateur par excellence

By: Rowan Berkeley

Rowan Berkeley — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:41:58 +0000

People do manage their blogs in varying ways, of course: I personally delete comments and ban commenters utterly without mercy, which is why Yaron is so mad at me. It’s rather amusing really: I’m 57 years old, and I have the impression that Yaron is even older – but you wouldn’t think it …

By: Steve Kelly

Steve Kelly — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:23:46 +0000

“This is improper blog etiquette”

I completely agree. Keep up the good work!

By: Rowan Berkeley

Rowan Berkeley — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:40:37 +0000

agreed. I have moaned and groaned repeatedly about people posting whole articles they find interesting (though often irrelevant to the thread), on Mondo Weiss. It’s infuriat9ing.