Not long after I started blogging I decided to do what many other pastor/bloggers have done. I turned on the comment moderation feature of my blog. Basically that means every comment that comes in has to be approved before it gets posted to my blog. The reason I did this is because e-communications tends to be a place where people shoot off their mouths in ways they never would in civil conversation. So, in light of a couple of recent comments, here are some guidelines for getting your comments posted on my blog:
• It’s my blog, not yours – I decide what topics I write about. If you want to take off on some tangent or blog about your pet peeve, go start your own blog.
• Keep it positive – About a year ago I posted something that I shouldn’t have posted. I was ticked off about something and I blogged about it and all I did was create some nasty feelings in other folks. So I decided to keep it positive from there on. Same goes for posts. If you want to be nasty, grumpy or pick fights I don’t have time for that. There are plenty of negative blogs out there. Go hang out with them.
• If you're just trying to promote your book or website don't bother - There's a word for that. It's called advertising. If you want to pay me, I'll consider letting you run an ad.
• If you just want to carry on a running argument about your "pet" issue - I'm not interested. I don't have time to try to convince someone who won't be convinced. And more than likely, you won't change my mind either.
• Never submit an anonymous comment – I don’t read them and I don’t post them. I don’t take anonymous emails or letters either. Anonymous communication is like a drive-by shooting. You get to take your potshots without engaging in any meaningful communication. The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, said it this way: “Never write what you dare not sign. An anonymous letter-writer is a sort of assassin, who wears a mask and stabs in the dark. Such a man is a fiend with a pen.” I can’t say it any better.
Because all comments have to be approved it sometimes takes me a while to get to them. I have other things to do, believe it or not! So I’ll get them approved and posted ASAP. So, thanks to all you who read my blog and send me comments from time to time. Let’s keep it healthy and let’s keep it Christ-like!
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