The Problem with Anonymous Forums

[Bridget Conant]

This article in today's paper has interesting parallels to Lakewood, and shows exactly why the Lakewood Observer Deck is so important to free speech and information sharing.

The city of Beachwood pays a "professional" to monitor online posts and rebut them. They also issue press releases favorable to the city. It's the same damage control Lakewood sought when it hired Hennes Paynter to handle the damage done by the hospital issue.

There are other local operatives also trying to "control the message" who were evident during this debacle.

This is why the use of real names is so important. And likely why most of the "leaders" in this city "refuse" to participate on this forum. They prefer "that other forum" where you can hide behind a fake identity and post all sorts of crap. They can also use multiple names and make it look like so many posters "agree" with them.

Even more frightening is how the media is controlled by local politicos. How they even admit this, I do not know:

Lesic said she has worked with reporters and editors to improve coverage of Beachwood and even convinced them that some stories were not worth pursuing.

Not worth pursuing?

This is scary stuff.

http://www.cleveland.com/beachwood/inde ... short_home

[Jim O'Bryan]

This article in today's paper has interesting parallels to Lakewood, and shows exactly why the Lakewood Observer Deck is so important to free speech and information sharing.

The city of Beachwood pays a "professional" to monitor online posts and rebut them. They also issue press releases favorable to the city. It's the same damage control Lakewood sought when it hired Hennes Paynter to handle the damage done by the hospital issue.

There are other local operatives also trying to "control the message" who were evident during this debacle.

This is why the use of real names is so important. And likely why most of the "leaders" in this city "refuse" to participate on this forum. They prefer "that other forum" where you can hide behind a fake identity and post all sorts of crap. They can also use multiple names and make it look like so many posters "agree" with them.

Even more frightening is how the media is controlled by local politicos. How they even admit this, I do not know:

Bridget

We have seen this forever. And we have seen that all other social media is terrible and nasty. Especially when there can hide behind fake names.

I would say, Hennes Paynter is not the issue, the City was pretty open about hiring crisis management. It was all the other snakes in the grass that did real damage.

How about Colin popping around the various social media sites saying as "City of Lakewood" Kaufmann Park Basketball courts were being closed temporarily for maintenance. (LIE)

However City Hall was just rewarded for lying and covering up, I do not see it stopping. Give a dog a biscuit for peeing on a rug, and it is ingrained forever.

.

[Lori Allen _]

Jim,

Agreed.

[Patrick Wadden]

Comments on Cleveland.com are the worst. Stopped going to that website about a year ago.