By Scott Tibbs, January 11, 2016
A few random things:
♣ - If you are dropping someone off at his destination, do not stop in the middle of the street. It is rude to hold up and block traffic so you can drop off your passenger, especially if there is a parking lot nearby where you can pull in and let him out. In addition to being rude, it is dangerous because nobody is expecting you to do that. This is not hard to figure out, people. If you can take the time to give someone a lift, you can take the time to drop him off at a safe location.
♣ - Speaking of traffic etiquette, if you pass someone on the interstate. at least go the speed that person was traveling. It is very irritating to see someone pass me and then proceed to drive slower than I was driving before he went around me. Stop doing that. If you want to go faster than me, then go faster than me.
♣ - After midnight on New Year's Eve is not the time to set off fireworks. After midnight is never the time to set off fireworks, unless you are in a rural area where you will not disturb your neighbors.
♣ - If the Herald-Times wants people to follow the comment guidelines, commenters have to know what the rules are. More clear guidelines would make it easier to know what is and is not allowed and would reduce the "judgment calls" that make it seem like the moderators are unfair.
One way to do this is to eliminate the generic ban on "offensive" content. There are very, very few posts on HTO that cannot be deemed "offensive" by someone and subject to deletion. Instead, specify what kind of offensive content will not be allowed. Obviously, it is impossible to foresee every single scenario, and nobody expects that. But the rules certainly could be a lot more clear.