I love to read comments from my readers! You guys brighten my day, encourage me, help me solve problems, and entertain me. Blogging without comments simply wouldn’t be the same.
And most of you have behaved yourselves admirably in the comments section over the years, even though I haven’t had a commenting policy. You rock, people!
However, every now and then, something, uh, not-so-admirable happens in the comments. So, I kinda feel like I need to set forth some expectations and guidelines for commenting, even if it’s just so I have a leg to stand on when I need to delete a comment.
Ok.
1. Be kind.
As the old saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Even if you feel like your point is so important that you’d be willing to die defending it, be kind. People will be more likely to listen to you that way.
2. Think hard about it before you say something negative or critical.
I want to keep the atmosphere around here positive, encouraging, and, well, cheerful (see my tagline).
This doesn’t mean you can never disagree with me or with another reader (Please do! Just be polite.)
It does mean that you should do a little self-examination before you say something negative or critical.
Are you trying to help someone? Or are you just venting your anger?
Are you humbly pointing out a blindspot out of love for the other person, or are you proudly identifying someone else’s flaw?
Are you thinking about the issue at hand, or are you just feeling negative because life is making you stressed/angry/tired/blue?
Purposeless negativity and complaining for complaining’s sake isn’t going to fly around here…if I deem your comment to be that type, I’m going to have to delete it for the sake of my mental health and for the preservation of my blog’s atmosphere.
3. Remember that the audience here is diverse.
I love this about my readers…there are people here of all ages, races, religious beliefs, and walks of life. But you need to keep this in mind when you comment. Be more careful with your words than you’d be in a room full of friends that are just like you.
4. Remember that bloggers and readers are real people. With feelings and all.
Sometimes, the internet makes us more rude than we’d be in real life. We hide behind our screens, launching insults at users we don’t quite recognize as real people.
So, remind yourself that each internet user is a person, and treat them as such. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying something to a person in real life, don’t say it on the internet.
5. Don’t be rude or inappropriate.
If you show a pattern of this sort, you’ll be put on a setting that automatically routes all future comments to the black hole known as the spam bin, where they won’t be seen by me or anyone else.
Oh, and since this is a blog read by people of all ages, do keep your language G-rated. A pattern of sailor-mouth will put you in the spam bin next to the “beautiful Russian women want to meet you” comments.
Ok! I think that’s it. Comment away, dear readers. 🙂