Comments Policy

Please click on the “About Me” link for general information about this blog and the author.

I do value input, comments, and questions from you the reader.  As any most blog writers, I invite that interaction as it helps me build an entertaining site.  But allow me to clarify some of the policies with regard to comments on this blog, setting some ground rules to avoid misunderstandings.

First, all comments to this blog are held for moderation.  The only exceptions are for editors of the blog (just two of us for now).  I don’t even grant an exception to my own relatives, so don’t feel slighted.  On average I only publish, about half the comments posted in a given week.  Of course most are spam comments.  Even if not published, I will respond to inquiries and requests.  This keeps the “lobby” clean, so to speak.  And since this blog is indexed by several organizations (including the Library of Congress), I’ve got to keep the lobby presentable.

Second, I don’t approve comments unless the content is within scope, relevant to the post, and in the spirit of friendly conversation.  Yes, that is subjective.  But I’ve generally been open minded so long as the comment is somewhat related to the study of the Civil War.  But if a comment appears to me as an opening for out of scope follow-ups, I’ll send the contributor an email with a list of suggested venues for their enjoyment.  If the comment is particularly abrasive or combative, I will not publish it.  Some will say that is subjective, but it is my blog after all.

Third, with one policy exception, I will NOT edit the comments of a contributor.  I’ve got a lot of powers on this side of the keyboard.  I don’t wish to abuse them or be perceived as doing so.  The exception that I will make in that regard is with personal contact information.  I will edit out phone numbers, email addresses, or other similar information where appropriate.  I do this to protect the contributor, and at the same time ensure this blog is not miss-utilized by scammers, schemers, and spammers.

Fourth, I will not edit my own comments once those are let out, but if I notice a typographical error or minor issue with the comment, I reserve the right to clean that up where clarity is at risk.  Where the change is major, I will post a reply comment so all can see the evolution of the dialog.  Where needed I’ll use strike throughs in the original post so new readers are not mislead.  Only within an administrative post or page (like my “About Me” page) do I alter the text from the original publication.   And yes this page is an administrative post.

I’ve held to these policies in the past, just not stated them openly, mostly to ensure I stay on topic and scope on this blog.  As you can see from the archives, I don’t discuss a lot of the “popular” issues here on this blog.  That’s because this blog is not for the pedestrian crowd looking for some chat on Lincoln, the causes of the war, or black Confederates.  I contribute to and actively support others who run outstanding blogs that cover those topics.  I don’t wish to compete with them.   I encourage readers to those sites by way of the blogroll to the right.

So please understand if my comment policy seems rather constrained.  I exercise that policy here in order to keep on topic and on scope.