Comment Policy

Thanks for being a member of the BuzzerBlog community. We pride ourselves in being a place where game show members of all walks of life can share their input in a constructive, friendly, intelligent manner. Our goal is to have interesting conversations. In that end, we encourage all points of view.

To paraphrase Boing Boing, which has a stellar commenting policy: Speech is free, but BuzzerBlog is moderated. We’ve adapted some of their commenting policy to our own, in the hopes that we can have great, engaging conversation with fans and friends of the game show community.

We have a few rules in order to further the discourse and encourage enlightening conservation. These rules apply anywhere you can comment with BuzzerBlog: our blog and on our Facebook page. By commenting on our Facebook page or our blog, you agree to follow these rules. These rules are adapted from reddit’s rediquette page.

  1. We define “game show” as a broadcast non-league-sport series of competitions in which one or a group pitches bout against an opponent or a game metric for a prize or merit. If we’re reporting on it, we think it’s a game show. You may disagree with us in our comment section as long as it follows the rest of our comment policy.
  2. We do NOT allowed purely anonymous comments. We respect that people want to protect their privacy, but when an identity is linked to an opinion, the quality of comments overall rises.
  3. There are people behind your computer screen. Before you comment, ask yourself: “Would I get punched in the face if I said this in person?” If you would, don’t comment.
  4. Do not be offensive toward a person or a group of people because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, whether it be sex, race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age or physical appearance. Criticize actions, not bodies.
  5. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life.
  6. Use proper grammar and spelling. Intelligent discourse requires a standard system of communication. Be open for gentle corrections.
  7. Move the conversation along. Add new, unique or interesting points of view to the discussion.
  8. Posting constructive criticism or an explanation when you disagree with something, and do so carefully and tactfully.
  9. What you want and what should be done are two different things. Do not post ideas for revivals of game shows unless you are willing to step into a producer’s shoes and discuss why a show being brought back is a good idea.
  10. DO NOT POST SPOILERS. For broadcast game shows, post no spoilers for 24 hours. For online game shows, post no spoilers for one week or until the next show is posted, whichever comes first.
  11. Do not be intentionally rude at all. By choosing not to be rude, you increase the overall civility of the community and make it better for all of us.
  12. Do not conduct personal attacks on other commenters. Ad hominem and other distracting attacks do not add anything to the conversation.
  13. Do not insult others. Insults do not contribute to a rational discussion. Constructive criticism, however, is appropriate and encouraged.
  14. Do not troll. Trolling does not contribute to the conversation.
  15. Do not make comments that lack content. Phrases such as “this”, “lol”, and “I came here to say this” are not witty, original, or funny, and do not add anything to the discussion.
  16. Do not post random facts to prove you know something. Any comments you make, even with random pieces of trivia, must move the conversation forward.
  17. Your opinions are your own. Do not ascribe your opinions to fact, or imply that your opinions are fact. Unless you can cite a source on command, please make clear that your opinions are just that—your opinions.
  18. Unless otherwise proven, no game show is rigged. 47 U.S. Code § 509 prohibits influencing, prearranging or predetermining the outcome of a bona fide contest of intellectual knowledge or skill, with the penalty of $10,000 and/or a prison sentence of one year for anyone who violates the law. Assuming or implying that a game show is rigged without any definitive proof will get your comment deleted.
  19. Please don’t burden us with your obsessions. We all love game shows—some, vastly more than others. Do not litter the comments section with questions unrelated to the post at hand.
  20. Please listen to the mods—and get the hint. If you constantly ask the same question over and over again without response, there’s probably a reason we’re not answering. Contact us privately for a direct response. If you don’t hear from us after that, stop asking.

Any comment that violates any of these rules will either be disemvoweled or removed. Disemvoweling comments involves removing all the vowels from your comment. Your comment remains readable, but with added effort by the reader. We will always respond to why your comment is disemvoweled, according to these rules.

Our moderators have the right to disemvowel or remove any comments. They also have the right to ban any member. If you notice your comments are not going through, they may have been caught by our spam folder. Any comment caught in spam that violates any of these rules, including not moving the conversation forward, will be deleted. Every comment must be typed out and consciously submitted before it goes on the website, so there is no excuse for a commenter to not be accountable for his or her text. If you feel you have been banned in error, send us a message via the Tips page and we will review.