Today I amended the blog rules a bit.
Things get lively in here sometimes. Too lively in some cases. Sometimes it’s a matter of taste, but other times it veers into the slander and irrelevant neighborhoods. Our default position on this is to let comments go, but we will delete some.
(Amended on Sept. 2, 2008) We reserve the right to delete any comment, period. However, we’ll generally follow some basic guidelines. We normally won’t stop you from making stupid arguments. You’re on your own there. We will, however, likely delete comments that:
1. Contain profanity.
2. Are potentially libelous.
3. Are there for the sole purpose of pimping another site with no regard for the conversation here. If your site is related to this topic, then we have no problem.
4. Are written primarily to call someone else stupid insult someone. (Changed on Sept. 2, 2008)
5. Include copyrighted material. It’s considered “fair use” to pull a few quotes from someone else’s writing, but it should be cited and we would prefer a link. If you copy an entire story or column and post it here, we won’t let it run.
We might delete comments that:
1. Call someone else a liar without any proof. Feel free to cite inconsistencies in someone’s argument, but assuming someone is lying can be treacherous. In the journalism world we are advised, “Show. Don’t tell.” So if you think someone is lying, show us how.
2. Add little or no value to the conversation.
3. Are wrong. In general we won’t, because proving a negative (i.e. “That’s wrong.”) is difficult. And sometimes we’re wrong about what’s wrong. Once in a while, however, we might ask you to provide evidence or delete the comment.
4. Are off topic
We don’t want to delete anything, so let’s do our best to stay on topic. If your purpose in posting is to lash out at someone who angered you, step back a moment and reconsider. Play nice, kids. Be honest, but as we’ve said in the past, assume your opponent is every bit as smart as you, in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
