I don’t have an official comment policy or terms of service for this site. It’s something I’ve thought about many times, but haven’t quite decided exactly how to word things. This is now higher on my priority list, based on some of the things people have had to say in the past few days. I can say that I am planning on the following principals to be part of it:

• I will not delete comments just because I dislike or disagree with them.
• I will edit out any cursing
• I will most likely blacklist someone who curses on my site
• I reserve the right to delete something if the original commenter and I have come to agree that is the right thing to do
• I will delete any spam that accidentally gets through
• I will usually answer commenters, either on the site or via e-mail
• Any first time comment to the site is moderated automatically to weed out spambots. Once you’ve had a comment approved, your thoughts will post as soon as you hit the submit button.

The part I’ve hesitated over is whether or not to suggest that commenters phrase things nicely enough that my children could read what is said. On the one hand, civility is a great thing and it’s something I personally strive for. On the other hand, it’s not my job to police other adults’ bad behavior….they can deal with their Maker in person on that someday. So, I’m thinking and praying about it. I’ll get back to you when I have a final answer.

For now, though, this is my comment policy. Just so you know.