This isn’t a social network, so I don’t think I need an elaborate TOS. Anyway, I try to avoid legalese where I can, but there are a couple of things to address.

Privacy Policy

There are only two reasons I collect your contact information. The first is so we can do business together, and the second is because you want to get new blog posts by e-mail instead of RSS.

Now, I have to admit that no one has ever offered me money for my contact lists. But my friends and colleagues, and their trust in me, are not for sale.

So if you sign up for the newsletter, the newsletter is what you’ll get.

And if you contact me about a possible project, then you’ll hear back from me about that project. And you might hear from me occasionally thereafter if I’m going to be giving a public presentation. I’m not one of those people who has a new “special offer” for you every three days. I can promise you won’t be bombarded.

Just because I won’t misuse your personal information doesn’t mean no one else will. Exercise your own judgment about what you post in public comments on the blog, because I can’t speak for anyone else who might read them.

Comment Policy

I welcome comments on what I write, and even comments on the comments. That’s one advantage a blog has over an e-mail newsletter. There are a few ground rules, however.

  • Comments are moderated to prevent spam. If you’ve never had a blog, you have no idea how many spambots are out there posting bogus and generally offensive comments. If you don’t see your comment right away, don’t panic. I’ll get to it as soon as I can. Remember that I do sleep, generally between 9 PM and 6 AM Pacific time, and I’ve been known to go on vacation or be offline because I’m working with a client.

  • Please provide your real name and e-mail, unless you think you would get fired for leaving the comment. And if it’s something you don’t want your boss to see, you probably shouldn’t be putting it online.

  • Be polite. You’re welcome to disagree with my opinions, correct my errors, and so forth, but do so in a civilized manner. Personal attacks and obscenities are not permitted. (I shouldn’t have to say that, but there are people out there who get their jollies trying to provoke a fight. They’re referred to as “trolls.”)

  • If you’re a vendor, you can plug your product in a comment, but make sure it’s relevant to the discussion at hand, and disclose your relationship with the company. If you can’t meet those criteria, just pitch me instead. You’ll probably get better coverage than you would from the comment anyway.

Thanks!
Sallie