My problem with some of these blogs are when people claim to be someone (as is the case in your example). Is it verified? Are they really who they say they are? I mean no disrespect for accident victim or her family, that really isnt what your blog is about. I have seen way too many post of people claiming to "know the family" or the article was about "a friend" how do we know this? Post that contain unverified facts should be deleted. Again my heart goes out to the accident victims family, but this is not about them.

I would like to thank Scott Angus for his article "Touching Posts Show Value of Comments". If pleas for a stoplight at the intersection of Milwaukee and Wuthering HIlls are posted in the paper and letters are sent to city hall, maybe action will be taken. My sister deserves that much. Thank you!!!

i do believe the comments have positive feedback to the gazette and whoever else reads them. Yes At times there are nasty comments,insults, and so forth some peope don't how how to talk without being rude no matter what they are sayin.

While I fully appreciate the Bladorn comment's intentions, it is clear that the tree in question is behind the stop sign and far enough away that there is probably no legal reason to cut it back. The owner may wish to consider doing so, regardless, in the interest of increasing sightlines.
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The Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook says:
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"[At a stop sign] you must come to a full stop. You must wait until crossing vehicles and pedestrians have cleared your path. You can go only when it is safe to do so. If you cannot see traffic from your first stop, slowly move ahead and stop again before entering the intersection. Check for cross traffic and pedestrians before you go." So, yes, you may "pull past the stop sign" if you do so prudently to get a better view.

Most of these blog comments I always just take with a grain of salt. Why get worked up over what someone you don't even know wrote? They probably made the post just to get you worked up, and you fell right into their trap. Most of the time these blogs are more of entertainment then anything, and often people take the stuff the wrong way.

MikeF - You're missing the point. Most reasonable folks (and I use the term loosly) understand that these comments are "opinions" and could all be construed as hersay, however, connected to the same page as the "truthful" article seems to be a conflict of interest - don't you agree? For example, I have read several anonymous posts at the end of some tragic Gazette articles that the parties involved were "big drug users" and some posts even named their minor children - YIPES! Hope no one ever posts something like that about you or your kids. Guess the Gazette staff missed these posts or decided they were ok to brodcast - However you look at it, damage done. While most posts are well intentioned, this isn't a conversation in your living room and the Gazette needs to dilligently do their job to make sure they are not the vehicle for slander and defamation. Get my point yet?

Scott,
The posts are very touching, and powerful in nature, however, the essence of John Bladorn's post was completely lost in the shuffle. The city government has still done nothing to rectify the problem of an extremely dangerous intersection. The story became outdated, so it was dropped until now when it is used to tug at everyone heartstrings. I hope for the sake of someone elses mother/daugher/wife that more can be made of this issue, before we have another type of accident like this.

So Scott, now that you have broached the subject again, and this particular story was just recently in the Gazette again with the ticketing of the man involved in the accident, is the Gazette willing to bring it to the forefront for serious discussion? Perhaps something will happen down at City Hall this time, rather than letting them sweep it under the rug. I know it isn't a glitzy subject, but it's one that needs to be re-visited, and soon.

Crickett-
The readers' comments are clearly labelled as such. No reasonable person would construe them to be part of the news story and thus not part of the "trusted source of information".

Bad & good are all a matter of taste. Taste often depends upon the topic and the poster's stance, as well as the reader's stance.

Awesome posts! But, as we all know everything has it's price. Unfortunately, two wonderful posts do not justify even 1 malicious post. Believing otherwise is simply a cop-out. Un-censored, publicly posted "comments" undermine the very essence of a newspaper. Why bother editing the Letters to the Editor? We all learned in elementary school that a newspaper is supposed to be a trusted source of information who's job is to report the true and correct news to the best of it's ablity. Would you want your 5th-grader reading some of the comments that slip by in the Gazettextra? Probably not. Because a lot of people get a perverse enjoyment from reading sensational gossip and anonymous blather, papers justify their opinion posts. Hey, give 'em what they want, even if it isn't in their best interest. Sounds like some other institutions I know, but that's for another time..... Hopefully you won't find yourself or someone you love the subject of a negative "comment" that no one at the Gazette had the time to censor, or worse yet felt was ok because everyone is entitled to their opinion. If the comments can't be properly monitored by the newspaper, then they should be moved to a "Comments" page away from the REAL news of the day. Some parents don't allow their kids to read the Gazettextra BECAUSE of the comments you allow. Seems like this undermines the whole purpose, which is to see the GOOD posts. One bad apple does spoil the whole bunch in some cases. Sweet.

There will always be those who take the easy way out through cynicism, sarcasm, and even hatred. Sometimes it takes some digging, but there are plenty of posts on the site that give real value to other's lives.

I absolutely agree that there are some good posts here, and those posted by family members are very beneficial. Those of us who don't know the people involved in tragic stories get to know just a little bit more about suffering neighbors in our community. While sometimes I question why some of the posting done on this site is allowed to remain, I understand that everyone has an opinion and the right to express their opinions. I am also glad that there are some comments that are removed by staff-they must be pretty bad-and just from what I HAVE read, I am glad that the Gazette is doing some monitoring.

You said "we have to take the bad with the good when it comes to comments", but what I see is the Gazette removing comments, so I don't understand the statement.

Two excellent examples! Unfortunately I missed them both when they appeared. With that in mind, I wish there was a way to rate comments on this site. Not in a negative way, but to give a "thumbs up" to the well-reasoned, thoughtful and/or powerful comments that appear from time to time.

Scott,
thank you for sharing these powerful posts. Quite often, I skim the posts. Sadly, there is just alot of arguing. There are truly wonderful people in our city and community. Unfortunately, we do have to deal with alot of the bad...along with the good, as you stated. My heart aches for both of these families. I couldn't imagine missing one of my children the way Enio's mother does. And I also couldn't imagine the loss of a loved one in the way Mr. Bladorn and his family have had to accept it. God Bless them all!