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Sanitize Comments
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Sanitize Comments
Low-quality user comments are filtered rather than removed, with offensive phrases or words made less readable. === What Problem This Solves === You want to maintain and encourage a high quality community discussion and clearly demonstrate what is and isn't acceptable. === When to Use This Pattern === Use this pattern when the majority of your users offer high-quality discussion, but are occasionally interrupted or distracted by comment 'trolls' or unsavoury comments. This pattern is particularly relevant when your organisation needs to appear transparent and not remove disagreeable comments outright. === What's The Solution? === Controversial and profane words can be automatically sanitized using a word detection algorithm in your content management platform; more subtle vitriol will require manual moderation. A common method of sanitization replaces vowels with asterisk characters, e.g. f*ck. Perhaps due to ubiquity, this is becoming less of a deterrent for repeat offenders. A more sophisticated technique, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disemvoweling Disemvowelling], completely removes vowels from offensive phrases, leaving them almost readable but nonsensical: <blockquote>Ths pst ws jst cry fr ttntn frm th mdrtr. f y wnt ttntn 'm sr Cry wld lt y fnd nd pst cl thngs. ([http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/27/boing-boings-moderat.html#comment-151728 source])</blockquote> <br> === Why Use This Pattern === Santization demonstrates what is and isn't acceptable: rather than removing low quality comments outright, they are sanitized and re-used to reinforce standards. On disemvowelling, [http://www.edge.org/q2008/q08_7.html#jardin Xeni Jardin says]: <blockquote>The dialogue stays, but the misanthrope looks ridiculous, and the emotional sting is neutralized. Plucking one early weed from a bed of germinating seeds changes everything. Small actions by focused participants change the tone of the whole. It is possible to maintain big healthy gardens online. </blockquote> <br> === Examples Gallery === [[Image:Boing-boing-disemvowel.png|thumb|left|Disemvowelling in action on the Boing Boing website.]]<br> [[Category:Comments]] [[Category:Social]]
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