New Policy
Posted November 4th, 2004 @ 09:37am by Erik J. Barzeski
If I respond to your comment (they're all emailed to me with the "from" address you use in your comments), and it bounces back to me, your comment will be deleted. So, use a real email address.
In exchange, I'll make you a promise: this blog will never display your email address if you provide a URL (and if you don't do something silly like post your email address in the body of your comment). I will never harvest, sell, donate, or give away a list of email addresses, and they'll never be available to anyone but me… if you provide a URL. If you don't have a blog or site of your own, just put http://apple.com/ or something.
If I resond and your email bounces, your comment goes away. I don't respond to that many comments via email, but given the promise above, you've got no reason not to leave a valid email address.
Donate Life
Posted 04 Nov 2004 at 10:22am #
I think I'm the one you're referring to. 😉 I'm sorry, I didn't realize the email was so important--I figured you'd just respond on the page. I left the email bogus so it wouldn't get posted on the page (spam reasons, obviously) and didn't use a URL instead because I thought it was shady to use a non-blog URL, but I guess not. Thanks for clarifying. Sorry for any frustration I caused.
Posted 04 Nov 2004 at 10:34am #
I don't remember if I attempted to email you or not. I know that today alone I emailed four people and got four bounces.
Posted 04 Nov 2004 at 11:25am #
I use a challenge/response email address in my posts. If you try/tried to email me with it (even though you should have my personal email), all you have to do is simply reply to the "bounce."
Posted 04 Nov 2004 at 11:33am #
Josh, fwiw, I wouldn't call that a bounce.
Posted 04 Nov 2004 at 9:33pm #
Would it not be better to never show email addresses at all? Why require a URL? Anyone who comes to this blog for the 1st time isn't going to know anything about your "policy" and if they leave a real address without a URL you will be contributing to the spam they receive. I see it happening like this. If you have some other reasoning I'd be happy to hear it.
Posted 04 Nov 2004 at 9:39pm #
They wouldn't know, Kevin, except it's right there above the darn text box into which you type your comments. Right there, every post.
Posted 05 Nov 2004 at 1:08am #
Why require an URL?
Posted 05 Nov 2004 at 1:27am #
Bud, you can post a comment without a URL, but that exposes the email address. I like allowing someone's name to link to their blog, and I have no interest in modifying the standard template to cater to the four choices (URL no email, email no URL, neither, both). I'm simply using the basic <MTCommentAuthorLink spam_protect="1">. That's it. The URL is thus required to be used in place of the email address.
Posted 05 Nov 2004 at 10:58am #
I saw that text there and I don't think that it makes much difference. It's boiler plate that really doesn't stand out. In fact, I didn't notice it until just before posting but decided to post anyway. Maybe if it came before the HTML stuff but still, I just don't think we should be contributing to spam at all if possible.
Posted 26 Jan 2005 at 10:11pm #
Qouting Kevin:
"Anyone who comes to this blog for the 1st time isn't going to know anything about your policy"
This is the first time I've been here and I saw the "Have some guts" line.
Posted 11 May 2006 at 3:45am #
I think this is a rather harsh policy. What if someone mis-types their e-mail address? Would a single-key error be a good reason to delete their comment? I don't think so.
In my opinion the comment-posting forms on most blogs are poorly designed. I don't like it when there's no Preview button or when the E-mail Address field defaults to remembering its contents for future visitors. I hate it when you have to sign up to the service just to comment.
So I don't like much, but I do like that Speak Yo Mind button!
As for the "use a real name" bit... Why? There are loads of people out there called Mark (such as myself) but how many are called Pop!?
Posted 29 Sep 2006 at 1:23am #
Actually, I just noticed the "Have some guts and use a real name and email or risk deletion."
I always use my real name, and in fact, I signed in with TypeKey.
BTW, what does "Subscribe to Comments" option do? Being informed of new comments by other people?
Posted 29 Sep 2006 at 9:53am #
Anthony, yes, that's what Subscribe to Comments does. I'll probably change it to include a link to a story explaining it soon.