moderation in all things - including comments

Well, the winter of love is over: now is the summer of our discontent. It appears that even comment moderation and a pleasant demeanour combined are not enough to keep people's vitriol at bay. If there is vitriol it will out; I just hadn't thought this was the kind of site that would attract it. However, I suppose success - however modest - has a price, and the price in this instance is a boring housekeeping post.

The Baroque comments policy, outrageous as it may be actually to have to spell it out, is:

1.The purpose of this blog is to inform, amuse, and even delight, with opportunities for thought and reflection along the way. I have set it up pretty much the way I have set up my home. If you want to cause ructions, splash your ego around the place and make a fuss, you had best go and do it elsewhere. This site has not really been set up as a nexus of controversy.

2. Rational comments that contribute something to or, even more delightfully, add new dimensions to the discussion at hand will be published.

3. Amusing comments, as long as it is not that obnoxious kind of humour that makes other people feel bad, will be published.

4. Even boring comments will be published, as long as they are not obnoxious.

5. Obnoxious comments will not be published, except in rare instances where they are too funny not to publish and are not at the expense of anyone except maybe Ms Baroque or the commenter.

6. It is fine to disagree with what either another commenter or Ms Baroque might say, as long as the disagreement is couched in the terms of reasonable discourse.

7. Insults, ad hominem remarks and/or abusive language will not be published. It is taken as read that a commenter cannot with any authority pronounce on the character or habits of another commenter, unless they know that person in person. And even if they did, the need for such comments would be unlikely to arise in polite conversation.

8. Random, generalised remarks against the perceived lifestyle or way of life of the author or her friends will not be published.

9. This blog has no obligation to give everybody who reads it their say. Ms Baroque will decide on every occasion whether she feels like publishing any given comment, and that will be that.

10. If you don't like me, don't read me.