Can we do something with our comment only "users"

Question

I've noticed a few usual suspects that seem to only use the site as a place to start arguments in comment threads.

I'm not really sure how to address the issue. I called one of them out directly for it, but that doesn't seem like a great way to handle the issue, because it adds more unrelated noisy comments.

I'd like to get people to stop using the site this way because it's... Well... Noisy and often rude, and it has an annoying way of derailing what could be calmer more focused Q&A into forum style fights.

Part of me wants to just say:

If this is the only reason you're here, then don't be here.

How can/should we deal with these users?

Answer 1

There are two major possibilities for the user's behavior:

1. They don't understand that Stack Exchange isn't a forum, and they don't totally understand how comments should be properly used.
2. They know how to use comments but don't care.

It's always nicer to assume that the first reason is to blame - especially if the user doesn't have much experience on Stack Exchange as a whole. I like to assume good intent when possible. It's the more optimistic solution.

If you want to work on this assumption, you can direct the user to chat and try to educate them a bit about comments. Maybe you can give them some links (e.g. 1, 2) for further reading. This is one of those things chat can be great for: a third place to teach other users about the site and how it works. It's one of the advantages of having a third place.

The user should be able to use chat (needs 20 rep) if they have the ability to comment everywhere (needs 50 rep). If they don't have 20 rep on any Stack Exchange site, then you might not have the chat option. At that point, it's possible that you could condense the information into a comment. But chat really provides you with more flexibility here.

All that said, there's a chance that the behavior is really caused by the second reason, and that's when you hit trouble. The user might have a past you don't know about, or might have a long-standing pattern of this specific behavior. Maybe they don't, maybe they do. You don't really have a good way to tell.

If you think this is the case - or if the first approach fails - you might want to notify a mod via a flag (or a ping in chat, but flags are more private). Just say something along the lines of

Hey, [User X] has been really argumentative/is abusing comments. Can you maybe talk to them?

Some things to avoid:

• Don't actively go out looking for users that have been problematic. Deal with issues as they come up, and don't take it upon yourself to deal with all the cases (not saying that you'd be inclined to do so).
• If you don't think engaging directly is working, don't be afraid to step back and let someone else do it. Likewise, if you see someone trying to help a user and having problems, don't be afraid to step in, if need be.
• Definitely don't get into arguments in comments over this (actually, avoid comments if at all possible). It risks defeating your point about not arguing in comments.

TL;DR: Take this on a case-by-case basis for now.

Answer 2

If a comment isn't appropriate, flag it.

I don't think there should be any need for us regular users to consider the reputation of the user when flagging the comments. If someone only feels like they can contribute by suggesting improvements or sharing concerns about answers, I don't see that as an issue in itself. They should be allowed to give that contribution.

If someone is constantly using comments to provoke arguments/debates about a topic, those comments should be flagged. Ideally a moderator will be able to deal with the situation better; but it would have to be on a case by case basis. There is no inherent reason that a user who doesn't answer is any more likely to do this than a user who does. It doesn't invalidate their opinions; which should be judged solely on their merit.

Users who use comments to start arguments should be reported to moderators, regardless if they do more than post comments.

Users who exclusively use comments haven't done anything wrong just by doing that; or else the SE network would already require more rep than the association bonus before you can comment.

Answer 3

I will define a comments-only user as someone who has been on the site for at least 2 months and never posted a question or answer on main or meta, but posted many comments in the meantime. They may have posted 1 or 2 answers that got deleted. Obviously their reputation score will be quite low or hover around the association bonus score of 100. That is not necessarily bad in my opinion if they are posting useful comments. I think OP is taking issue with only those comments-only users who are frequently picking non-constructive arguments in the comments section:

these users generally know the system from other sites and don't have these issues there because they're more technical sites that don't offer a platform for their opinions about politics or social issues.

Reading that section of your comment under an earlier answer here @apaul, I just got the "mind-flash" that any experienced SE member who has been participating for an extended period on IPS exclusively in comments section without posting any questions or answers here, probably has nothing constructive to contribute to Interpersonal Skills in the form of questions or answers -- especially since Q and A can be downvoted, unlike comments.

However, and as you know very well, it is quite legal by Stack Exchange rules to participate on an SE site exclusively in the comments section. So we can't do anything particular about them except encourage them to post questions and answers and not only post comments, as a reminder that their current behavior is not as useful as writing actual posts here.

In addition, any off-topic comments or unsavory arguments should be flagged as usual for moderator attention.

Answer 4

apaul you've finally done it, finally gotten me to admit that there might, possibly, somehow, somewhere be a reason to delete a comment...

Specifically, these derailing, argumentative comments violate site policy. So they may be deleted. This would tend to make that sort of tomfoolery a lot less fun.

Of course, this would be on a comment or comment-chain basis, not by user.