Rules of Engagement

Generally accepted tenets of blogging as listed in Justinsomnia:

• post regularly
• title each post
• link to things on the web
• provide each post with its own url (permalink)
• allow full access to archived posts
• allow comments
• identify updated content with an appropriate label (such as “update” or “correction”)
• provide a feed (rss, atom, etc)

We all have our own way of doing things in the blogosphere and this is a sign of healthy creativity. A blog by its definition is a web log. WEB log. On the web and usually for public consumption (reading). Surely a blog’s success shouldn’t rest solely on the number of comments received or on the fawning minions and robotic automatons who are in reality people one knows IRL showing up basically to bolster ones sagging ego. Yes it is pleasant to discover kindred spirits in cyberland and serendipitously connect, but there are bound to be others who don’t see eye to eye on every entry. Its life—deal with it. True joy comes from meeting new and diverse people out there in the far corners of cyberspace who land on ones site via other links or happy accidents. Their championing your partisan views is greatly appreciated but not obligatory. Since when is commenting mandatory? Is it right to insist on comments and punish those who don’t by blocking them from further reading? Who has the kind of time to leave statements on every single one of their bloglinks anyway? Shouldn’t comments be given in the true spirit of free will, generosity, and with a magnanimous desire to make a valid contribution to the topic at hand? On the other hand, abuse and unwanted spam deserve zero tolerance. Verbal attacks are completely unacceptable, unnecessary, rude and demand deletion with utmost haste and minus retaliatory sparring. Just delete. No need to start a flame war which is a waste of time and effort. And since when has lurking become a dirty word? We welcome lurkers, not try to drive them away! Isn’t this how one decides if a particular site is to our taste? And haven't we all sometimes pulled up a blog and then got busy forgetting we had opened it while hours clicked away before we finally remembered it was patiently sitting minimized, awaiting our eventual return? What could be more complimentary than taking the time to get to know the person(s) behind the typed words by perusing their archives? Why would this be frowned upon causing forbidden access and what on God's green earth would possess a person to falsely accuse an innocent lurker of being a scheming stalker??? A stalker lies in wait to do bodily harm to an unsuspecting victim and his intent is highly despicable and downright criminal. Reading another’s blog in no conceivable way resembles this devious, illegal act.

In conclusion, here are a few suggestions I would like to add:

Don’t squash and vindictively delete gently-worded, opposing viewpoints that even slightly differ from your narrow-minded view.

Don’t be so paranoid that you only allow “friends” (aka family, mindless sycophants, or combination thereof) to visit your blog.

Don’t think everyone has to comment on your preshus blog.

Don’t get pissed that your blog is being read *gasp* by someone you haven’t personally approved.

Don’t leave hateful, venom-spewing, curse-riddled, name-calling private messages to someone you don’t know who has done nothing to deserve your psychotic diatribes.

Yes, this is directed specifically toward a certain blogger and no, they are not one of our exceptional links. :) *steps away from soapbox*