Comment Policy

Updated 9/6/2017

As you know, Web 2.0 is all about the conversation. But without a few simple ground rules, that conversation can turn into a shouting match that discourages others from entering into the fray.

So here is our comments policy. By posting on our blog, you agree to the following:

  1. You may post follow-up questions. If you have a question, chances are you are not alone. Others are likely thinking similarly. Therefore, we would rather receive your comments on our blog than via email. It is a better use of our time to address everyone at once rather than answer several similar emails.
  2. You may disagree with us. We welcome debate. However, we ask that if you disagree with us—or anyone else, for that matter—do so in a way that is respectful. In our opinion, there is way too much shouting in the public square to tolerate it here.
  3. We reserve the right to delete your comments. This is our blog. We don’t have an obligation to publish your comments. The First Amendment gives you the right to express your opinions on your blog, not ours.
  4. The goal of the comments section on this blog is simply and unambiguously to promote productive dialogue. But there is a major obstacle to that goal: the internet is a terrible place for dialogue. People are much more inclined to be poor at dialogue and impossible to reason with on the internet. Our solution is to ruthlessly and without warning ban anyone that is engaging in poor dialogue activity (as outlined below) for the good of all. The result of this is that some people we ban will not appreciate or agree with it. That is unavoidable. Some of these calls will be a simple matter of our discretion. If you want to debate people in a free-for-all environment where you can say anything you want, go to almost any other part of the internet. If you want to dialogue respectfully, charitably, and reasonably, we hope you’ll find this to be a helpful place to seek truth with us. Examples of bannable bad dialogue activity include (but is not limited to): being snarky, disrespectful, off-topic, libelous, flagrantly uncharitable, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum and civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e., an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog post.
  5. You retain ownership of your comments. We do not own them and we expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on our site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve us from any and all liability that may result from those postings.
  6. You grant us a license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. You grant us the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, a video, or presentation.

In short, our goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. We believe this simple comments policy will facilitate this.

As of 4/11/18, this blog’s moderators are Josh Brahm, Timothy Brahm, and Rachel Crawford.