Comment Policy for "Live In Los Gatos"

I want to take a moment and discuss comments, including what I can & can't do with your comments (please do read this), what type of comments are not allowed, and what to expect when you post a comment.

(A) What I can and cannot do with your comments (please read, it's not intuitive!):

1. Comments are not automatically posted.  Due to problems with spam, all comments are moderated by me.  I apologise for the delay between when you make a comment and when it can show up.  This blog is part of the greater "Real Town" platform, so unlike self-hosted blogs (such as my Valley Of Hearts Delight blog), I don't have as much control as I sometimes would like.  Your comment should show up the same day you post it, and often it's within an hour or two. I do my best to approve all comments quickly.
2. Although the comment form requires your email address, I don't get to see it.  It goes to the techies at Real Town.  So if you write a private comment and ask me to email you back, that's a problem unless you also provide your email in the body of that comment.  I apologise for the inconvenience, but again, I don't have control over that.
3. Unlike with wordpress comments, I cannot edit comments here.  So if your comment is inappropriate in any way, I can't clean it up to make it OK.  I will simply not be able to run it.

(B) What type of comments are not allowed:

1. No spam. Don't try to sell your services or goods here, I will not support that.
2. No links in your comments.  Except on the rarest of occassions, if you put links in your text I will not run your comment.
3. Behave and be family-friendly. Again, except on the rarest of occassions, if your comment is harsh or "flaming" someone, it won't run.  This is not a 100% rule because at times, the truth is ugly and perhaps a harsh comment is warranted.  But if it can be said nicely, that's how your message should be delivered.  Ditto that on swearing and foul language.  Keep it "rated G", please.
4. Keep it brief.  Excessively long comments are inappropriate. If you have that much to say, put it on your own blog, please. Or email me and ask if I'll run a "guest post" by you instead.  I won't promise to run it but I'll have a look and may do it for you.
5. No lengthy signatures.  If you sign your post, please keep it to 2 lines and remember, no links or selling here.

(C) What to expect when you post a comment:

1. Hopefully you read the above sections, so you understand that your comments are not automatically posted but instead go to me for moderation.  Most of the time I can get your comment approved within an hour or two, but if you don't see it, PLEASE do not post it over and over and over.  (I had one gal post her comment about 8 times, all with different signatures and slightly different words.  The good thing for me was that I could pick the best of them to run....But I imagine she was quite frustrated.)
2. If you've written a private comment and you did not include your email address in the body of the comment, you probably will not get a response from me (see A2).  It's an enormous hassle for me to get the tech guys at Real Town to sleuth out your email address, so unless it's a dire emergency, I won't do it.
3. If your comment does not show up within a day, please email me.  As long as it's not flaming, spam, or uses foul language, I'll address it ASAP.

Please also see my post from May, 2010:
Thank you, Readers of "Live in Los Gatos": a Statement About the Blog on its 500th Post