Site Rules

I woke this morning to discover that someone had posted a long screed railing against something I rather liked right here on one of my recent updates.

I deleted the screed immediately. Not because I disagreed with it, but because of its venomous tone.

Its author is clearly a newcomer to the site and is unlikely to revisit. In case he returns, or that other axe-grinders start showing up, the rules about interacting here are pretty simple.

Mostly this site is devoted to things that I find of interest, so, in addition to posts to promote my own fiction you’ll find discussion of favorite writers, the technique of writing, wool gathering about my favorite TV shows and genres, and occasionally pieces of music that struck me as interesting, links to the absurd, amusing, or enlightening, and other nonsense. Feel free to comment, civilly, upon ANY of that.

I do not discuss or debate politics on this site.
I do not discuss or debate modern religious issues on this site.
I spend little to no time in discussion of sexual matters, except in defense of women’s rights and same-sex marriage if it comes up in a review of something I’ve read or watched.
I don’t plan to soapbox any of the above topics on this site.

 

You may correctly infer some things by what I enjoy (for instance, from my posts about Cosmos you’d be right to conclude I believe in evolution). You may incorrectly infer other things (I’ve had some readers assume that I, Howard, as am sexist as the sometimes thick-headed Asim, narrator of The Desert of Souls — a man of his time who does overcome his prejudices, albeit slowly). But don’t assume that because of this I must be like that, and don’t come here to seek out an argument with me.

(I see argument, incidentally, as different from disagreeing with me politely on some topic more germane to my site.)

I want NO vitriol on this site. Any opinions must be presented in a gentlemanly or lady-like fashion. When I was a little kid the Indianapolis cartoon show host Cowboy Bob always ended every show with the advice that: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

I never forgot what seems like a pretty good screed, and while sometimes it IS necessary to say things that aren’t very nice, on MY site, anyone who communicates in an uncivil way gets their post deleted. Repeated uncivil posts will get the poster banned.

Now go out there and have a great weekend.