Readers have asked why Rifftides does not allow comments to be posted directly. I want the opportunity to review comments and, when it feels right, to respond to them in context and with editorial discretion. It has developed, as I thought it would, that Rifftides readers are not inclined to inititiate the kinds of shouting matches that infect too many web sites, so that has never been a worry. But there is another reason: spam. About half of the alleged comments that I receive are spam. If I allowed them to pop up unsupervised, you would be seeing random insults from web trawlers, pitches for ringtones and viagra and opportunities for a wide variety of personal services from members of all of the sexes. Not on this weblog, folks.
The Rifftides staff encourages you to send comments, whether or not they are about something you’ve seen here . They may end up in the comments section at the end of an item, as part of a posting in the main section or, rarely, on the cutting room floor. You may send a message to the e-mail address in the upper right-hand column or click on the “Comments” link at the end of an item. Please do.