That people can post without using their real names is a step in the right direction. Many conservatives don't want to be vilified, beseiged, and belittled in this space, and want to keep their Facebook account for family and friends; they've stopped engaging in the ADN platform, which has fallen to the lowest common denominator possible. 

Perhaps this will provide a safer comment space for women, too -- this had been an unaddressed problem for some time for this media outlet. Perhaps -- and now I'm stretching for hope -- the newswriters will provide more balanced reports and contain their biases, knowing they will be called on them here. They have been writing for an echo chamber of support for their liberal positions for too long.

So here's to change: May it be good for civil discourse, and may the trolls never defeat the mysterious civility algorhithm.