The Art of Getting Along

Moderated blogs like ours are increasingly coming under scrutiny when it comes to publishing information that is misleading, untrue or just plain mean spirited.  This normally comes into play when someone makes a libelous comment about another, but not always.  

One of the ways to keep people honest is to require people to identify themselves when they submit their comments.  However, many people have compelling reasons for not using their real names.  Fear of reprisal is one of them.  So we allow aliases on the blog and frankly, because of the caliber of our readers, we seldom have reason for concern.

That being said, there are not enough hours in the day for us to research every unsupported comment to determine its veracity so if any part of it seems off, unsupported, or an obvious attempt at grandstanding, we won’t publish it.  If you don’t want this to happen to you, we suggest you keep your comments short and support them with links to legitimate sources which we’ll try to check before publishing. 

I goes without saying if you are an anonymous poster, you cannot be your own source.  Saying something with authority does not make you an authority.  Unsupported declarative sentences which provide a fact, offer an explanation, or convey information, carry no weight unless you use your own name and cite your credentials.  If we find your credentials are not what you present, we won’t publish you under your name or any of your presumed aliases now or in the future. 

We reserve the right to control who comments on our blog.  We do not consult our readers when we make these decisions nor will we accept their input, as they are not privy to all that may have transpired and we are not free to discuss other commentators.   

No one has a right to be heard.  You’re invited guests who can be uninvited at will.  In an effort to protect the greater good, displaced anger, untruths, name-calling or just being provocative (needling, nit-picking, etc.) are all legitimate reasons for dismissal.  Our loyalty is to the group and though we may like a given individual, if they become a distraction, they either will have to change their delivery or leave the blog.   

We do not welcome long, drawn-out dissertations undermining the work we may have done.  This is not your platform.  This is our platform.  If you want to take center stage, we are happy to consider articles for publication but comments are supposed to be just that: comments.  Anecdotal stories are fine, as are reflections, but no targeting the legitimacy of our right to express our opinions or undermining a truth we may have presented, unless you can backup your position with facts.  If you simply don’t like what you see, maybe a word we’ve used, or how we’ve phrased something, this may not be the place for you.  Go in peace. 

That being said, everyone makes mistakes, including us. So if you believe we have made an error in judgment or fact, please contact us offline so we can have a discussion about it.  If you can demonstrate your case, we will happily reinstate you or publish your comment.  

We hate having rules, let alone enforcing them.  We continue to be huge free speech advocates but free speech comes with the expectation that people will not misuse the privilege.

We discuss ideas, not people nor do we launch attacks or go behind the scenes to campaign for this person or that person, as we find all of this a bit like high school.  More importantly, it is a buzzkill to conversation because people have a fear of speaking up and being shot down.  We don’t want that on our blog.  I don’t care what you think you bring to the table, it’s of no value to us if it has an inhibiting impact on our other readers.   

As I often say, “Let’s try to love one another.” 

[Editor Note:  Closed to comments.]