No. No. That’s not true. That’s impossible! NOOOOOOO!
Ahem.
I’m going to be at BENT-CON 2013 in Burbank, CA this weekend. I’ll be signing books and selling Artifice and The Young Protectors goodies. If you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by and say hello!
Also, as y’all know, we have one of the coolest, smartest and most supportive commenting communities in webcomics. In my opinion, that’s the direct result of the fact that you are such exceptionally thoughtful and mature readers! But I do also have a very specific comment moderation policy that is founded on everyone in the comment section addressing each other with “a tone of respect.” Recently, our comment section has exploded in size from around 200 comments a week to over 2000, so I’ve decided to write up the specifics of my comment policy on one page so that all expectations are clear. It’s stuff you’re all doing already naturally, but there are some tips there to avoid unnecessary conflict and misunderstandings that can be useful for us all to think about, especially when emotions run high. (Such as during a dramatic scene in the depths of Hell. 😉 ) You can read my Comment Policy here.
Like I said, there’s nothing really surprising in it, but I do want to bring your attention to one thing I’ve noticed some confusion around. It’s no secret that I’m comfortable hearing criticism in the comments (and, of course, I do like praise too! :D) I myself do my best to respond to direct questions/concerns when it won’t spoil future plot events. But while that’s my choice, no one else in the comments should feel obligated to respond to another commenter if, for whatever reason, they don’t want to. And, in particular, if someone decides to take the high road and step out of a debate before it gets out of hand, that should be respected.
When a particular comment thread stops being fun, the best solution almost always is just to step back and stop responding. To move on without further comment. But, if someone continues to push the issue with you directly after you’ve had enough, I’ve come up with what I’m calling the Standard Bow-Out Language to respectfully make clear that you’re really ready to move on. And when someone uses that language, the other person is expected to respect those wishes and, if they don’t, then I or one of my moderators will step in.
Have there been huge problems with people not respecting someone else’s desire to move on? No. And in fact, things have been especially cool over recent pages. But because there has occasionally been some confusion and misunderstanding in the past, I wanted to create a very polite, respectful and standard way to make this desire clear. Sure, it might seem a bit artificial, but it’s very important to me that everyone here is having fun, feels their voice is heard and has value, and also knows that they can comment on this site without feeling like they constantly have to justify their views to strangers if that’s not pleasant for them.
Some back and forth is, of course, a natural part of a comment section. I write what I write because I want to provoke thoughtful discussion. And we have a very diverse group and I think we all have a lot to learn from each other. But I believe that is most likely to happen when people feel comfortable and safe expressing their opinions. That kind of environment is what the SBOL and my Comment Policy are meant to create.
It’s also my pleasure to announce that, in light of the recent huge increase in the number of comments, I’ve asked two of you to help with moderation duties for the comments section — readers Admiral Jane and SofiaT! Now, I still read every comment and will still be a strong presence in the comment section, but as we’ve begun to approach and exceed 2000 comments a week, my ability to respond quickly to people’s comments has been reduced. So, I’ve asked Admiral Jane and SofiaT if they would be willing to help out in case folks had questions or concerns that needed an immediate answer. They’ll also be keeping an eye out for any direct questions for me that I might have missed and will make sure those questions or concerns are brought to my attention. And they’ll be keeping an eye out to make sure everyone understands the Comment Policy here.
Now, they’ll still be participating in the comments as fans and they don’t have access to the scripts or inside plot info, so they won’t be able to answer any Word of God questions, but if you need immediate assistance with anything else or just want to clear up some confusion, you know they’ll have your back. 🙂
I hope you’ll join me in offering them a very warm welcome in their new roles here!
Oh, and
***THIS IS A BONUS PAGE!***
Our seventeenth bonus page in a row! (I think we might be coming up on a record for The Young Protectors — I should check that!)
Special thanks go out to long-time supporters Sam K. (who makes their second generous donation to The Young Protectors!), Miranda H. & Annika D. (both making their third generous donations to The Young Protectors!), Kim N. & William A. (both making their fourth generous donations to The Young Protectors!), and Linda E. & Christina F. (both making their fifth generous donation to The Young Protectors!), and a warm welcome and grateful bow go out to new supporters Marianne L., Sara F., Mark S., Alexandra K., & Ilona F. for their generous donations over the last few days!
And superhero-strength hugs go out to long-time superfriend Christopher D. for their amazingly generous $50 donation, their twentieth amazingly generous donation to this comic! Thank you so much, Christopher! You are my hero!
Thank you all so much for your generous support!
So! I know some of you were hoping for a little Demon/Kyle sexy times, but at least y’all got a kiss! That’s something, right? 😀 And now it seems Kyle has finally met his long, lost Dad! What does this mean for our young hero? What will it mean for our silver-haired fox? And does Hallmark even make a card for this sort of thing?
Tune in this Saturday to find out! Hope to see you there! 😀
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