We here at SamMobile are committed to chasing Samsung and its mobile endeavors as we dive deeper into the future, and it is tech that motivates us to do our jobs every day. But we, like you, are human; we too, have feelings, emotions, hopes, dreams, and yes, disappointments. And it is from that place of humanness, a place where all stand, that I write these words.
We appreciate our readership and want our readership to feel comfortable with commenting because we don’t write just to read ourselves. We love the feedback, and when we’re not chasing Samsung news (Samsung gives us some small slithers of time to slow down), we love to read and respond to commenters. And yet, at the same time, it can be said that, while we do our best to respect commenters (though not perfectly), we are often victims of the absence of respect ourselves.
Rest assured, it is far easier to have the news delivered each day than to be the messenger and have the responsibility of delivering it. Every news piece, every review, every how-to, and every opinion piece/column, are the result of hard work and deep commitment to the pursuit of Samsung and mobile tech.
And when insults such as “worthless article,” “idiot,” “loser,” and other insults in the name of profanity and obscenity are tossed around, it sends the message that the writers responsible for the content are not respected. It also sends the message that the 5-hour column, 3-hour how-to, or 10-12-hour gadget review are not respected, either, which gives a sense that our work has been for nought. It is easy to say “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” but the truth is that words hurt writers in the same way that they hurt commenters.
At the end of the day, every writer, as well as every commenter, comes from different backgrounds with different preferences and likes and dislikes. We all have different experiences, but those experiences offer a little “spice” in life (just as TouchWiz provides its own flavor for Android). All experience and insight should be appreciated and respected, regardless of whether or not one agrees or disagrees with it. If this is the case for commenters, how much more should respect be shown for the writers responsible for the site? After all, sites don’t write themselves.
No one wants to impede on any commenter’s right to share his or her view, but absolute freedom in our world does not exist. Commenters can’t disrespect writers with ad hominem attacks and personal character assassinations and assume there is no consequence for such action. We have shut down comments at the site before, and, despite our love to read them, may have no other choice but to do so again should we see need. But respect for another fellow human being, even if his or her like/dislike of Samsung is a turnoff, is the key to a peaceful co-existence of differing opinions.
We here at SamMobile provide a service, an effort of intense devotion, one that has been designed for the public good. But giving our all, only to receive character assassinations and degradation in return, are not in the interests of our readership or ourselves. And certainly, such vitriolic comments only fight against the public good. Android site Android Central has experienced the results of writer disrespect as of late, so we’re not alone in this fight.
We give our all, day, night, and every moment in-between, but what we ask from our readership is respect. As the top site on the Web for all things Samsung, we pledge to give our respect to you and ask for it in return. Google’s slogan has set the pace for respect (“Be Together, Not The Same”), and we want SamMobile to be the place where respect and discussion shake hands. In every post from here going forward, we ask that you would join with us to create a space where every view from every angle is cherished.
