A number of different rules have been set, to help explain why your comments may not be getting published. But before I list them, let me explain why I had to put these rules in place, so I don’t end up seeming like a disciplinarian (thanks Dave! couldn’t figure out what word to use).
First and foremost, I have goals for The Den. Many of them are far-off, and no doubt unreachable in today’s vast blogging environment. Nevertheless, I strive further toward these goals with each post I write. One goal I have is to establish a community for intelligent discussion about science and technology. In order to foster such a community, I have to make sure that comments yield unique and exciting information about the topics presented.
Secondly, I consider you all to be friends, in a loose global community sense (though some of you are quite close, and I thank you for everything in life). If you had all of your friends over for a big party, would you be happy if some of them did things to embarrass you in front of your other friends? I sincerely doubt that you would.
Lastly, the three-pronged responsibility I have (writing new posts, moderating comments, and replying to those comments) creates difficult time contraints for me to work within. I can only do so much typing in one day. Inevitably, I have to pick and choose what comments get posted — and which do not.
So, without further ado, here are my comment rules:
- I HAVE THE BANHAMMER. Therefore, I reserve the right to block any user, without warning.
- Please be polite. Refrain from using profanity and hateful language.
- Do not post a comment unless it yields unique and interesting information relating to the topic. I love hearing unsolicited compliments from readers. But do not expect them to pass through comment moderation, as they do not yield meaningful discussion.
- NO SPAM, in the form of links or otherwise.
- I reserve the right to revise this list at any time as I see fit.
- I reserve the right to apply new rules retroactively.
And that is all. What, you were expecting more?
