Category Archives: Discourse.net

It's time to update the comments policy again. The old version, 1.2, said:

1. Participants in the comments are kindly requested to be civil, and at least vaguely on-topic.
2. I will delete (or disemvowel) comments that are duplicative, commercial, needlessly foul or mean or otherwise inappropriately offensive.
3. Instead of deleting a post, I may disemvowel the URL to commercial sites even if a post is arguably on-topic when I believe the poster is engaged in a pattern of linking to different commercial sites under false names.
4. I will use blocking software to block links to sites using words or strings commonly associated with commercially oriented blog posts or references
5. I will ban the IP number of any poster who serially violates this policy.
6. My decisions are final. I’m happy to discuss them by email.
7. I’ll amend this policy as I gain experience.
8. In the long run, it remains to be seen if comments is a workable commons or not. I will not have my work be used as billboard for your ads (at least, not without a cut, and this is a resolutely non-commercial activity). I’m prepared to turn off comments if vigilance proves too time-consuming.

Version 1.3 adds a new prohibition which is italicized below:

1. Participants in the comments are kindly requested to be civil, and at least vaguely on-topic.
2. I will delete (or disemvowel) comments that are duplicative, commercial, needlessly foul or mean or otherwise inappropriately offensive.
3. Instead of deleting a post, I may disemvowel the URL to commercial sites even if a post is arguably on-topic when I believe the poster is engaged in a pattern of linking to different commercial sites under false names, or even to a single site under multiple names or linked terms.
4. I will use blocking software to block links to sites using words or strings commonly associated with commercially oriented blog posts or references
5. I will ban the IP number of any poster who serially violates this policy.
6. My decisions are final. I’m happy to discuss them by email.
7. I’ll amend this policy as I gain experience.
8. In the long run, it remains to be seen if comments is a workable commons or not. I will not have my work be used as billboard for your ads (at least, not without a cut, and this is a resolutely non-commercial activity). I’m prepared to turn off comments if vigilance proves too time-consuming.

You know who you are and why I am doing it.

On April 22, 2005, I wrote

But Enough About Me

I was recently interviewed by someone doing an academic project on academic bloggers. He asked a number of questions I found hard to answer (“Why do you do this?”), and one I found nearly impossible to answer with confidence: “Who are your readers?”

So this is my invitation to you, the reader, to please enter a comment telling me something about who you are. If you don’t want to use your name out of modesty or fear of guilt by association, that’s fine — tell me where you live, and a little something something about your circumstances.

The responses were varied and fascinating. Biggest surprise: readers — or at least readers willing to de-lurk — tended to be far more likely to be my age than my students' age.

Anyway, this is my re-invitation to tell me a little about yourself, please.

Working on it…

…maybe ok now….

South Florida Daily Blog: SFDB February Post Of The Month: The Nominees lists something I wrote as one of the choices.

In all honesty, I wouldn't have said Eleventh Circuit Says Miami-Dade Schools May Pull ¡Vamos a Cuba! from the Library Shelves was actually one of the Discourse.net Greatest Hits, but hey, I'll take what's on offer.

If you liked the post, or if you have heard of the post, or if you're breathing, why not vote. Or, while you're there you could read the three other posts and vote for the one that's really the best….

Make your own at obamicon.me.

I get all sorts of strange email. Recently the volume of email asking what I'd charge to run an ad, or sell “sponsorship” has gone up from every-so-often to several per week.

Today's was a little odder than usual:

Hello Michael,

My name is Alex [surname] and I am the manager of the project for [erotic lingerie web site].
And I would like to buy the text link advertisement on your blog https://www.discourse.net for my website [erotic lingerie web site]. Can you send me the monthly rates for the blog-wide text link on your blog ?
I would appreciate your reply.

Sincerely,
Alex [Surname]

This doesn't seem like a form letter – it has my name. On the other hand, what is this “blog-wide text link” he speaks of? [Update: forgot to add, and why if it's not a form letter, does Alex think I'm about to run an ad for his stuff?] I always say “no thanks” to ad solicitations for the reasons set out in Blogs, Ads, and Insurance. Then again, maybe this deserves a custom reply…