I have written previously that comments add value to our articles. They do it in three ways: (1)adding additional information about the original article that helps the reader understand a little of the background; (2)by driving more traffic to the article, more traffic meaning more clicks; and, (3)by having other Xombies interact with the Xombie who wrote and submitted the article, thereby fostering a sense of community.

Most of the time, we Xombies leave comments that add value to each other's articles. Still, there are other times, particularly in the politics and religion sections, where a select few feel the need to leave a comment disagreeing with the original article, but, rather than leave a constructive criticism or say why they disagree with the premise of the article, they simply leave a "that is stoooooopid" in the article's comments section or attack the writer of the article ad hominem.

(For the record, ad hominem attacks don't just refer to calling the writer epithets, which are the most blatant, but using deliberately misleading generalities to make the uninformed reader believe the writer is something he or she is not. I have been guilty of the latter in the past, so I am not throwing stones here.)

Since we are a writing community, it is incumbent upon all of us to honor that there are as many valid viewpoints as there are members here and that common courtesy dictates that we only leave comments in the articles of other Xombies that add value to the article or succinctly and politely (as opposed to something found on the schoolyard) explain why there is a disagreement with the original article.

Our magnanimous benefactor, Nick, and moderator, Jeremy, have stated that they are okay with there being heated debates related to articles posted on Xomba. You won't get any argument from me that it's okay for Xombies to show passion for our writing and beliefs. I would remind the reader of Xomba rules that state that ad hominem attacks are proscribed and that there are certain rules of decorum.

We are all in this together, ostensibly to make money for our writing efforts, so there is no reason for any of us to expend time and creative energy fighting each other when we could just as easily be building each other up and making more money than we are now. It is our choice.