Dear Readers,
Because of an unforeseen technical malfunction, our system for reader feedback has been down for nine days. The glitch was caused by a system error and was not a security issue.
The good news is, we are bringing back a system for reader feedback that is identical to our original platform. The bad news is that old comments must be reloaded and that will take some time.
The malfunction caused us to rethink the way we host and present reader feedback.
New hosting options have made it possible to use the WordPress platform. That means readers will no longer need to submit a username and password. Readers need only provide their actual first and last name and an email address.
We have also changed the name of our system. We have found over the years that comments, as they are popularly known, too often have devolved into less-than-civil discourse.
For that reason, we have renamed our platform “Reader Footnotes,” which we hope you will use to help move our stories forward with information for future coverage.
Please note that while the name has changed, our policies have not. Reader Footnotes must respond to the story. We have a limit of 1,000 characters. Arguments between readers will NOT be accepted. For more information, please see our guidelines.
Reader feedback has been a feature of the VTDigger website for nine years because we believe your insights are an important resource for Vermonters.
We look forward to your participation in Reader Footnotes.
With gratitude,
Anne Galloway
Editor of VTDigger
