To Delete or not to Delete? Advice, please!

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   stuff4kidsposted 11 years ago

   So I published a Hub for kids and parents about the importance of History and trying to show how interesting the subject can be. Then some guy makes a comment on there about the Bible being the best source of historical knowledge from Genesis to Revelations. So, despite feeling it's not really a pertinent comment on the Hub (which says nothing about the Bible or religion of any kind) I think everyone has a right to their beliefs and freedom to share that, so I just reply honestly and rationally and thank that person for the comment. He then gets back on the Hub and makes some wildly unfactual statements about me and adds some further weird stuff. I reply to that and then ask him to no longer post to the Hub as it isn't relevant or appropriate to the Hub but invite him to start a forum thread if he wants a debate. He then writes another comment which is a Biblically sourced threat of damnation aimed at me. So I delete that.
   
   But now, is it reasonable to go back and delete all the comments? It is just messing up the Hub and if kids do read it it's going to just not be right. But I don't want to be a mean censor. Can't make up my mind. If it was intelligently critical of my Hub's content, fair play let it stay - but it is just not relevant.
   
   Isn't it just a sort of religious spam?
   
   Anyone had similar experiences? Advice?  I'm inclined to delete it just because of the subject of the Hub and its intended audience. But I'm wavering...

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   1. 0

      Christy Kirwanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi stuff4kids,
      
      I don't have any advice on what to do with these specific comments, but I thought it might help with your decision if I let you know that Google still recognizes keywords in your comment section. So, if you want bible-related keywords associated with the Hub (or not) is also something to consider when choosing to keep or delete.
      
      I'll also add that many Hubbers choose to delete unrelated comments (which it sounds like his are, somewhat) so that Google has an easier time recognizing what the Hub is about.

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         stuff4kidsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Christy,
         
         I had no idea that Google read and weighted comments. Thank you so much for letting me know that. I've deleted his comments and hidden my replies (as it seems that I can't actually delete them). The Hub has zero, zilch, nada to do with the Bible!
         
         It's good of you to check in on this as you must be heck busy, so I appreciate that.

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   2. 60

      The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Simply edit into your Hub something similar to "studying history from your favorite source". Reword it into your own words and then add to it to suit your Hub until you feel comfortable with it.
      As for deleting his comments, for all you know they may have been spam. Was he an HP member?
      I have seen quite a few forums and questions on here about religion.

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      Say Yes To Lifeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I can almost guess who it was.  I've received condemnation from a certain hubber myself.  I haven't actually read your hub, but I'd be tempted to leave it, because he's the one who looks like a fool.
      The Bible is a history book based on the most war-torn region of the planet.  Though it preaches "peace on Earth, good will to man," its religion was spread largely through bullying practices.  This attacker is merely doing more of the same, thus displaying his own hypocritical barbarianism.  He can't actually reach you, so let him flaunt his ignorance - especially since that wasn't your topic in the first place.

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         stuff4kidsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, it's all cleaned up now!

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         The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Say Yes to Life,
         I, too, have a guess. I just read a forum/answer and someone's comment was hidden because his comment altered a simple question about swearing it into the Bible.

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      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      D-E-L-E-T-E. Delete comments that you find to be totally irrelevant and/or disrespectful regarding your hub .  I delete comments that are irrelevant, inconclusive, personal attacks, and/or otherwise tasteless and disrespectful.

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   Phyllis Doyleposted 11 years ago

   I would delete all his comments. He is obviously just being inconsiderate, verbally abusive to you, and damaging the value/purpose of your hub.

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      stuff4kidsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Phyllis,
      
      I think that's what I'll do. I don't like to because I believe in free speech. But I'm not sure this is really that sort of issue in the context.
      
      Thanks for the chance to clarify my thoughts.

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3. 84

   Phyllis Doyleposted 11 years ago

   You are most welcome. I strongly believe there is a difference between free speech and abusive attacks. He has a right to free speech, as we all do when it is in a proper context/place, however, he has no right to come at you the way he did, which was out of context and undeserved. Have a great day.

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4. 98

   Theophanesposted 11 years ago

   Freedom of speech is one thing but would you accept someone yelling profanities at you on the street for no reason? Of course not. The only difference here is the fact this guy has the anonymity of the internet, which gives most trolls more balls than they need.
   
   If someone goes completely off topic on a religious or political tangent it's best to get rid of it. Don't let it muddy or complicate your Hub. You obviously didn't write your Hub to hit on anyone's nerves or manipulate anyone through blind emotion but he is with his commenting and that's not fair or right. You're doing yourself no favors by allowing yourself to be open for slander. On that particular Hub you might find it useful to set it up so comments have to be approved before they are visible. This usually makes trolls disappear because they know they're not getting anyone's attention. Good luck!

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      stuff4kidsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Theophanes.
      
      I've deleted the inappropriate comments and, as you suggested, I've now set all my comments so that I have to approve them first.
      
      Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

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      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Totally agree, I have ONE who constantly tries to comment on one of my hubs on the family.  I simply delete the hateful comments.

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   Nature dogsposted 11 years ago

   I think you should delete it cause, I mean, I don't think that kids wan't to see or hear that. But it is also not so Nice of that Guy to tell you that! I do no what your problem is, it's that I think that if you delete one then they Will all go away.

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      stuff4kidsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      thanks for your advice.

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   Damoah boampongposted 11 years ago

   my name is damoah boampong

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      The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      damoah
      Did you want the forum, "Calling all writers - Please introduce yourself." by Mary McShane?

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         healthmunstaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Lol!

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7. 94

   blueheronposted 11 years ago

   There are lots of reasons to deny or block comments. Merely being "off topic" is sufficient. People who can't stay on topic--let alone post crazy or abusive stuff, or hijack the thread, or troll, or spam--are attempting to subvert the free speech of those who want to have some kind of intelligent discourse. It's like a kid disrupting a classroom--subverting others' right to learn. Throw them out.

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   IntimatEvolutionposted 11 years ago

   I wholeheartedly agree with gm here.  Delete.

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   Heatherbakerposted 11 years ago

   If it isn't relevant to the hub and someone just starting a fight, delete it.

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10. 64

    Lisa HWposted 11 years ago

    I've had that kind of thing here or there, and I don't want to be a censor either; but the way I see it, the person is free to say and write whatever he wants on this site or anywhere else on the Internet - but not on my, personal, HubPages account.
    
    Before I stopped comments on old Hubs (because I didn't have the time to keep "being called back to"  old Hubs in order to reply, and I'm not comfortable not replying) I'd allow pretty much every comment - negative, junior-high silliness, whatever - to stay.  Even though I don't want any of my online pages to have a religious tone/flavor to them I'd also leave "light" religious type of stuff.  If I want the tone of a Hub to be one thing, though, and someone adds a big "preaching session" as a comment - no.  That's not what I want on my pages.
    
    Well, another thing I did was "blacklist" a couple of people from the "other Hubs" thing on my profile for the same reason.  They had accounts that either suggest they're all about religion or else a name that could be seen as offensive to some people of some religious faiths, or just to someone who finds the name kind of cringe-worthy.   My purposes for my own pages/profile/account here don't happen to include religion or a few other "flavors" of comments/material.  I mean....   One doesn't sell bread at a shoe store, and the shoe store owner certainly has a right to refuse to use let the local bakery have shelf space.
    
    So my thing is that while I certainly don't want other people's right to say what they want "censored" where everyone else has the right to say what he wants, those people can take their "bread" somewhere other than my "shoe store"; and if they don't want me bringing shoes into their bakery they have every right not to let me into their bakery if I keep bringing in a cart load of shoes and trying to sell them.   
    
    To me, it's like HubPages is a mall that leases space to retail shops.  The mall owners and local government can have its set of rules, and retailers have to go by the them.  Then, though, there are some things that are left up to the shop owner; and not selling bread, or giving it away free, in a shoe store is up to the shoe-store owner.
    
    Let the baker get his own shop.  Let him stand out in the mall and give away his bread.  I don't care, and I"m stopping him and not even trying to stop him.  He just can't bring his bread into my shoe store.   I'll vote, or fight for, his right to sell or give away his bread in a free country, but I have a right not to have my shoe store turned into "some weird half-bakery thing".     Magazines are not required to have x number of articles about one subject or another.  They can choose what they publish based on what kind of magazine it is.  I don't compare my HP account with a magazine (especially these days since I've got things in upheaval on here) ,  but that's the reasoning I use with regard to whether refusing some types of comments is censoring or not.   I'm not saying I'm right - just saying I, personally, don't think people should be worried about censoring when this kind of situation arises on here or somewhere similar.

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    FlourishAnywayposted 11 years ago

    I'd delete his comments.  They were rude, ill-informed, off-topic and he had some kind of agenda.  I've let him have his say somewhere else.  It's the same thing as saying, "Excuse me," in person and then walking off from a rude loud mouth.  He'll probably vote your serious work funny but at least that's the worst he could do.

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    Marie Flintposted 11 years ago

    Personally, Stuff, I'd allow the first comment because, indeed, the Bible is history. Your comment to it to qualify his position that it's the only source is your prerogative. I wouldn't accept the inappropriate comments after that. But, I'm thinking, yes, one for the sake of open mindedness and freedom of speech. I hope this helps.

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