Commenting policy

Posting and commenting policy - June 2017

This version¹ of the site policy was posted in June 2017 and applies going forward from then. I’ll provide an updated link whenever I update the policy.

I’m open to suggestions for additions and removals; please post them in comments. However, this set of policies stands until I change them - thanks for abiding by them!

Mission Statement

The goal of this posting and commenting policy is to allow this corner of the web to be a participatory, collaborative, and friendly space.

I expect that much of the value I will find in writing posts/answering questions/etc will arise from the responses and feedback I receive, and any ensuing conversations. This depends on people being willing to engage in discussions openly, honestly, and in good faith. The policy below is an initial best effort towards encouraging an atmosphere supportive of this behavior.

Copyright and License

I own the copyright to all of my writing. Guest writers retain their own copyright. Quote all of us freely! Link & attribute always!

All writings posted on this site are posted under CC0 unless listed otherwise at the top or bottom of the post. Read more about CC0[].

Rights to Reuse

By posting your comments you are granting me the right, in perpetuity, to use, quote, alter, and/or display those questions and comments however I see fit both for commercial and non-commercial distribution. If this concerns you, use a pseudonym and remove identifying details before you send, or simply post a link to your own blog. Alterations will rarely be made and will always be obvious.

I do not share your personal email address or identity, with one exception: People who threaten or harass me or other posters will have their names, emails, and IP addresses shared with their internet service providers and, if necessary, law enforcement.

Comments Policy

I will moderate. Not every point of view deserves to be heard. Unmoderated spaces tend towards garbage.

Anonymous posting is allowed. Using a consistent identity is encouraged.

Your comments will not show up immediately; they’ll require my explicit approval via a pull-merge on the git supporting this site. Alert me via e-mail at jjmc@prettyquestions.com if one of your comments doesn’t appear after some human-scale period of time, but realize people sleep at different times throughout the globe.

Of course, sometimes comments won’t show up because I delete them. This is a dictatorship, and I can delete any comment at any time for any reason. There may not be a warning or explanation of why your comment was deleted.

A non-comprehensive list of some common reasons comments are deleted:

• You’re derailing a thread.
• The discussion has become uncivil and has devolved into personal insults, threats, advocating violence, or turned into a pile-on.
• Sarcasm, curse words, gentle mocking, criticism and vehement disagreement are generally allowed, as long as the overall spirit is constructive and in good faith.
• You’re otherwise being useless, uninformative, or destructive.

Having your comment deleted or being asked to stop commenting in a particular thread or to move on from a topic of discussion is IN NO WAY an invitation for lengthy emails detailing your thoughts.

You can always reach me via email or on Twitter at @jjmc.

-jjmc