The Rules of the Front Porch 

By Stephen Baldwin, Publisher of RealWV

Growing up in West Virginia, important conversations with family, friends, and neighbors often happened on the front porch. Folks would sit down and solve the problems of the world, or just the ones in their neck of the woods. 

Nobody ever explained the rules of the front porch to me, but they seemed pretty clear. You were expected to be honest. At the same time, you were expected to be respectful. Assume the best in people, but be prepared for the worst. After all, these were your people, and you wanted to maintain a solid relationship through thick and thin. 

I’m talking about speaking the truth in love. That simple principle has stuck with me over the years. In the digital age especially, I think it’s important to have standards for how to converse with people. Not only your neighbors, but those who you may live in proximity to but only interact with over social media. 

Which brings me to the reason for this note today. The comments on our RealWV social media posts pertaining to political stories lately are absolutely wild. Arguing, demeaning, insulting, obscene, rude, and just plain…wild. 

It seems to us that we have three choices. One, do nothing. Focus on writing stories that go beyond headlines to the heart of issues, and let folks comment however they want. Two, turn off all comments on our social media posts, as some politicians and media outlets have done. Three, communicate and enforce some basic guidelines for conversation. 

We chose option three. Because we believe in free speech. Because we believe conversation helps us all grow. Because no single person has a hold on all the truth. We need to allow an open and honest conversation about West Virginia news and culture. 

At the same time, there’s no place for treating folks badly. So we offer the following “Rules of the Front Porch” to guide conversations on stories posted to social media. 

Please do: 

• Share your ideas, opinions, and questions. 
• Exercise your right to free speech alongside your neighbor. 
• Have a conversation about the topic of the post. 
• Be concise. 
• Flag any inappropriate comments by others. 

Please do not: 

• Threaten or demean someone else.
• Attack anyone personally. 
• Post obscene memes.
• Discuss topics not covered in the post. 
• Repeatedly argue with someone. 
• Use an anonymous account.
  

Comments which clearly violate these guidelines will be deleted, and those who repeatedly refuse to treat their online neighbors with respect will no longer be welcome on the front porch, so to speak. They will be blocked. 

Thank you for reading. Thank you for engaging. Thank you for helping us keep RealWV a forum where we can have honest and respectful conversation with one another.

*These guidelines will be pinned to the top of our social media page for the time being, as we begin using them.