Tony: Fixing KCC Comments For Good. Again.

The greatest achievement of the Internet has been the ability for malcontents from every walk of life to share their complaints with the world.

Realizing this fact of life has been a slow and steady process for some of the crew here at KCC.

But as of now things are running full steam ahead.

Of course, you d-bags could have solved your own problems if late-adoptor readers ran a decent browser or knew how to ENABLE JAVASCRIPT when an online menu is acting wonky. Sadly, expecting even a modicum of Internet skill from online crybabies is far too much to ask.

So, KCC’s Kick-Ass tech department at The Lazarus Group is making comments dummy-proof and more accessible for anony idiots.

This giant leap forward came after a philosophical debate regarding user feedback. Here’s a bit of background on that topic.

When KCC updated to a website format there was a choice to make: Use registration for all comments or keep the free-for-all. KCC inadvertatly chose the later to start with and VIRTUALLY NOBODY registered compared with the significant readership comments this site has attracted. Greg Hall’s sports goodness was down from 50 comments to merely a handful and only Craig Glazer’s loyal fans and even more loyal haters bothered to fill out any data.

This was too disheartening to accept so the change up was quick.

However, the system that required a name and log-in used JAVASCRIPT . . . Again, some of the "short bus" graduates who still were using Internet Explorer had a bit of problems. I give these people NO SYMPATHY because they obviously don’t care about their own security and are still stuck in the 1997 version of the Internet. Better browsers abound and I know there are some sophisticated people out there who surf the net in text only mode and run their computer from the command line Unix shell in order to keep any and all marketers away from their computer.

So despite the fact that I could care less what you d-bags have to say, the decision to keep the option for comments anonymous and require a more flexible registration is now up to the users.

Given that The Star nearly requires a Social Security number in order to leave a comment, I think it’s a step forward.

Hearne says this one the subject . . .

"KCC does on occasion and will delete the odd, wildly distasteful comment when it is called upon to or comes to our attention. But anyone who reads us knows it’s pretty much open season – unlike our pals at 18th and Grand – for anonymous D-bags to character assassinate us. Ironically, while they limit user feedback at the Star, they love to hide behind the cloak of anonymity and take shots at KCC and TKC in our comments sections. Classy."

In my not-so-humble opinion, that is the PERFECT response and understand this digital medium completely. The reality of the importance of comments and easy access (sexy) reveals that Internet users spend countless hours dedicated to building monuments to themselves and ego-driven commenters care more about their own opinions than any information, facts or discourse.

Understanding this is the key to online success.

http://www.mb-kc.com/
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21 Responses to Tony: Fixing KCC Comments For Good. Again.

  1. chuck says:

    I can’t believe I just read this whole thing…
    I got caught in Tony’s Death Star of Stupidity Tractor Beam and read everything he wrote. Sheesh…

    I hear he has a book coming out too. The Incredible Lightness of Beans.

    I am gonna skip that one.

  2. The Independent Rage says:

    Comments
    I hope that included within the new comments function is (as it used to be until recently) the ability to provide a URL link if someone clicks on your name. This is, after all, the Blogosphere, where “you scratch my back, I scratch yours,” rules the day. I until recently was a very frequent commenter on this site, chiefly on Greg Hall’s posts. But then this site recently eliminated the URL links. I haven’t commented since, until this one. Add URL links back. The Pitch has it. Myriad blogs and news sites across the Net have it. OK, enough of that. As to you, Tony, having read a number of your postings over the past year here as well as on “Tony’s Cowtown” or whatever your main blog’s called — I can very honestly say that I could care even less about what you have to say about much of anything, pal. Your viewpoints tend to be as canned and predictable as stench in a Mississippi $hithouse.

  3. think says:

    On many stories on The Star’s website, the comments section just turn into racist hatefests. So they’re turned off.

    It’s actually a good policy.

    They really get some weirdos….herbert_spencer.

    http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/19/2596001/the-stars-editorial-straining.html

  4. damn says:

    Howard Johnson is right. Just look at this story:

    http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/21/2600857/not-so-good-samaritans-stuck-in.html

    Now take a look at that story and let me sum up the gist of every comment that WOULD HAVE been left there: “Niggers and thugs, rollin’ around robbing people.” Useful? no. Insightful? no. Does it add anything at all (other than people are racist pigs, which we knew already?)? no.

    We get it. You hate the Star. They took your $100K job away. we get it.

  5. Cody Jarrett says:

    Careless
    “So despite the fact that I could care less what you d-bags have to say…”

    I could NOT care less how much less you could care. Apparently, you could not care less about using the English language properly.

  6. chuck says:

    damn- I read the story you refered to in the Star.
    http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/21/2600857/not-so-good-samaritans-stuck-in.html

    To be fair, I think the racist commenters would have also included words like, idiots, dumbfucks, assholes, morons, scumbags, pices of shit and my favorite, pukes.

  7. anonymous says:

    browser stats
    Wikipedia reports December 2010 United States browser usage as:
    IE: 61%
    Firefox: 20%
    Chrome: 9%
    Safari: 9%

    So keep on hatin’ on 61% of your customers, thanks.

  8. DVD says:

    It’s funny, Tony
    You try to post something informative for once (as opposed just stirring up anger), but you did so in such a rude, angry, derogatory fashion that you’ve simply stirred up more anger. I know you won’t take this as a compliment, but political views aside, you may be destined for Fox News.

  9. Kerouac says:

    RAVENS 30 – kcindy 7
    Tas las prossonas neisson lieuras mo

  10. Altevogt says:

    Damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff
    Here’s a link for you girls.

    http://bottomlinecom.com/kcnews/starvskobachfunk.html

    Apparently Landsberg must be a disgruntled ex-Star employee too that you’re tired of reading.

    Folllowed damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff’s link and the comments section was closed. Apparently, damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff must have spewed some of his/her/its foul mouthed racist drivel on that article also.

    Have fun now. See how many pretend people you can think up to agree with you that this blog is so boring that you can’t wait to get here in the morning.

    Tony, if you guys required registration and actual names, I’m betting we’d know that all of these jerks are just Derek Donovan’s imaginary friends he creates to help him do his job of defending The Star.

  11. John Altevogt says:

    damn=chuck=think=Star employee(s waiting for the next layoff
    Here’s a link for you girls.

    http://bottomlinecom.com/kcnews/starvskobachfunk.html

    Apparently Landsberg must be a disgruntled ex-Star employee too that you’re tired of reading.

    Folllowed damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff’s link and the comments section was closed. Apparently, damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff must have spewed some of his/her/its foul mouthed racist drivel on that article also.

    Have fun now. See how many pretend people you can think up to agree with you that this blog is so boring that you can’t wait to get here in the morning.

    Tony, if you guys required registration and actual names, I’m betting we’d know that all of these jerks are just Derek Donovan’s imaginary friends he creates to help him do his job of defending The Star.

  12. chuck says:

    I have no idea what anyone is talking about now, but
    come on, “The Incredible Lightness Of Beans” and no laughs? Sheesh, tough crowd.

  13. Anonymous says:

    damn=chuck=think=Star employee(s waiting for the next layoff
    Here’s a link for you girls.

    http://bottomlinecom.com/kcnews/starvskobachfunk.html

    Apparently Landsberg must be a disgruntled ex-Star employee too that you’re tired of reading.

    Folllowed damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff’s link and the comments section was closed. Apparently, damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff must have spewed some of his/her/its foul mouthed racist drivel on that article also.

    Have fun now. See how many pretend people you can think up to agree with you that this blog is so boring that you can’t wait to get here in the morning.

    Tony, if you guys required registration and actual names, I’m betting we’d know that all of these jerks are just Derek Donovan’s imaginary friends he creates to help him do his job of defending The Star.

  14. Anonymous says:

    damn=chuck=think=Star employee(s waiting for the next layoff
    Here’s a link for you girls.

    http://bottomlinecom.com/kcnews/starvskobachfunk.html

    Apparently Landsberg must be a disgruntled ex-Star employee too that you’re tired of reading.

    Folllowed damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff’s link and the comments section was closed. Apparently, damn=chuck=think=Star employees waiting for the next layoff must have spewed some of his/her/its foul mouthed racist drivel on that article also.

    Have fun now. See how many pretend people you can think up to agree with you that this blog is so boring that you can’t wait to get here in the morning.

    Tony, if you guys required registration and actual names, I’m betting we’d know that all of these jerks are just Derek Donovan’s imaginary friends he creates to help him do his job of defending The Star.

  15. chuck says:

    John-I am not damn and think-I guess Herne could get on here
    and look up my e mail address.

    I am a computer moron, my wife said you think I have a bunch of identities.

    I am a worker bee, I crawl thru attics and do electrical stuff-I don’t work at the Star.

    Thanks

  16. TonyIsADirtbag says:

    And the other thing Tony the Dirtbag doesn’t understand…
    … is that most readers/commenters on here only do so during their lunch hours at work – and most bigger companies, I’m sure, still use computers with Windows (probably XP) and Internet Explorer (version 7, if they’re lucky).

  17. Robert says:

    Just because 61% is still using IE doesn’t mean they are intelligent. Everybody thought the earth was flat too.

    Now what I don’t understand is what purpose will my url link do for you? Tell you that i live in Lenexa? Congrats. How does that have any bearing on your ability to leave a comment? I’m confused.

  18. kcredsox says:

    We Want More
    Now that apparently the comments are “so called” fixed. Start your programming team on a Android and iPhone app. Then we won’t have to worry about logging onto our dinosaur computers to read that Tony is a freaking moron and Glazer bangs 20 year old strippers.

  19. fk it all says:

    fk it all
    fk it all

  20. hey it does work says:

    Nice it works again
    Hey look it works again.

Comments are closed.