1 September 2007

Below is an email from Mr. Nap Casilang, a PUNCH Online regular, sent to me last August 17 which I want to share for I think it is worthy of consideration by all posters.

”Kuya Ermin and everyone else at The PUNCH:
A little less than a year ago, I joined what I thought to be a very intellectual exchange in the FORUM. I was supporting some ideas and made my remarks against certain other nominations. In either case, most the discourse I put forth (you may actually review my postings from your archives) are relevant to the subject of the discussion.

Is there anything you can do to trim the very personal sniping that is happening in there? For example, Mr. Pontaoe’s recent posting, some people call it “showboating” is tantamount to calling a bonafide Olympian who wore our colors, as nothing but an “also ran.” Granted that this is true, just the very mere fact that an athlete makes it to the Olympics is a testament to the abilities of said athlete.

This is just one example. Look at the postings. There are many entries in the FORUM which have nothing to do with (I believe) what your publication intended it to be! Yes, free speech is a hallmark of true freedom. Showboating, name calling, personal sniping, character assassination, “I am better than you” postings… TOO juvenile for your paper’s purpose.

Just my observation or perhaps I am just being too onion skinned.

Salamat na baleg!”

Dear Forum Posters –

 

May we kindly request you to post your messages on our website’s Message Board to facilitate the posting. This way your messages are directed to a specific folder for the editor’s immediate attention.

Kindly desist from sending your messages intended for the forum to our email addresses (punch@mozcom.com or punch.sunday@gmail.comn) unless these are specific concerns or messages exclusive for the editor or publisher.

Meanwhile, I’d like to apologize to our forum posters whose messages were coursed through our email (which were inadvertently overlooked owing to the hundreds of emails we receive including spam) and, therefore, were not posted immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding! 

Our attention has been called about spammers lifting names and addresses from our forum for their purposes, and use the same data to reach everyone.  

In this regard, while we will continue to require forum posters to submit their verifiable email addresses, the addresses will no longer be posted as we endeavor to delete all addresses posted in the past as fast as we can.

Thank you for bearing with us.  

PUNCH Administrator

Our host system administrator just recently installed a new spam filter. Apparently, it will take a little time for this filter to recognize spam, hence, all messages sent will get this alert:

“Sorry, but your comment has been flagged by the spam filter running on this blog: this might be an error, in which case all apologies. Your comment will be presented to the blog admin who will be able to restore it immediately. You may want to contact the blog admin via e-mail to notify him.”

When you see this, it simply means the filter system has processed your post and has reached the blog administrator for posting.

Sorry for this inconvenience but it’s another effort at improving the system, particularly fighting off spam mailers who have found our blog an easy prey.

Editor

The PUNCH ONLINE is now being read in more than 60 countries, and therefore, it has become imperative for us to introduce a permanent section, namely OVERSEAS. This will focus on the good news about our overseas kabaleyans!

We encourage, therefore, our readers to email to us news items and pictures about social and community activities of their overseas relatives, friends and colleagues from Pangasinan that not only gained recognition and honor from their associations, communities and employers but helped promote fellowship and cooperation among Pangasinenses.

This is after all the newspaper online for Pangasinenses.

We only require that contributors identify themselves fully with an active email address to enable us to revert to contributors should there be a need to clarify an item stated in the contributed news item or picture.

When sending pictures, kindly send us thumbnails (not larger than 500 k) and in jpeg format. Also, please be reminded that all contributions shall be subject to editing, and we reserve the right not to post any contribution which in our judgment does not conform with the prescribed format for this section.

           Salamat!

Dear Mr. Pontaoe -

We wish to acknowledge with sincere gratitude receipt of your FIFTY DOLLAR check representing your membership fee as a SILVER MEMBER in our PUNCH KABALEYAN CLUB!

Your enlistment will go a long way in our effort to bring the ONLINE version of the Sunday PUNCH regularly to our overseas kabaleyans. Incidentally, you are entitled to name two beneficiaries in the province to receive free complimentary subscriptions for one year, or for as long as you retain your membership in the club.

Welcome to the club Mr. Pontaoe!

Very sincerely yours,

Ermin

Re: Issue on Full Disclosures, web administrative errors, and Kabaleyan Membership

 

For the past days, we have been reading postings and arguments about the need or no need for full disclosure of readers who post comments.

I ask our readers-contributors who regularly post their comments to put an end to this contentious issue. The original PUNCH policy not to require any reader to post his/her real name but to simply to require verifiable email address, stays.

Henceforth, we will no longer post comments on this issue. I invite readers to continue to debate or argue ideas and respect the motives or reasons of others who wish to remain anonymous, and still express admiration for those who dare to be fully identified.

I only regret that upon a closer review of the records, our webmaster has determined that one poster has abused the privilege and posted comments purporting to have been sent by other readers, particularly misrepresenting himself as Mr. Delfin and Mr. Pontaoe. This is most foul. We have identified one source and we will blacklist the poster here and now.

Then, because of the flurry of exchanges on the issue, our web administrator inadvertently committed errors, particularly interchanging data of email postings (posting name of Mr. Eduardo Pontaoe with Mr. Edwin Farias’ email address), and failing to immediately validate the sources of the emails. For this, our webmaster and I sincerely apologize but I assure our readers that there was no intent to deceive or make a play on the issue. To protect the integrity of the forum is, has and will always be our primary concern.  In this regard, we are making the necessary corrections.

Our webmaster is now going through the process of validating the other addresses, sources of the emails and matching with them with the posts made.

Meanwhile, I have taken the liberty of clearing the Forum of postings on the “disclosure” issue to help clear the air once and for all and remove the animosity that was clearly beginning to build up. I hope that this will allow all well-meaning posters to revert to their friendly kabaleyan mode.

Finally, on behalf of the online staff, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude who responded quickly to the call of Ms. Ric to register as members of the PUNCH Kabaleyan Club. Among those who quickly registered in addition to Ms. Ric, were Mr. Jose Ceralde and Mr. Eduardo Pontaoe. We will post their names soon as we acknowledge receipt of their checks. Our heartfelt thanks. 

 

I fully appreciate the concerns expressed by posters Mr. Delfin and Mr. Pontaoe. However, while full disclosure is to be encouraged among Forum-posters, this cannot be made a mandatory requirement for the Forum section because this is not an e-group.

What is far more important to the Forum is the idea or the argument submitted by the poster for others to react to or to learn from.

A verifiable email address should suffice for it guarantees that a poster can be reached by any reader for a possible reaction or a private exchange, and or enable PUNCH administrator to communicate with the poster for possible updates.

In fact, we can also post messages from persons who request anonymity but touch on important issues, for security reasons. But then again we need the email address for verification.

In brief, the Forum is a market for ideas, issues and thoughts from all possible sources.

We wish to remind our Kabaleyan-readers who submit comments or reactions of
our standing policy:

No message or comment will be posted unless the writer/reader identifies
himself/herself and submits a verifiable email address.

Hence, we are not printing comments from “Ho Isme” and “Kalutan”.

We wish to remind readers of our standing policy that only comments and reactions (intended for our FORUM) sent by writers with verifiable email addresses will be posted. We do not require email addresses of writers if message is for the GUESTBOOK.

Again, two messages from a “JDV” with email at “joanne@aol.com” had to be barred because the address is not accessible.