There have recently been a number of comments that included links to various other places, ranging from news stories to books to blog posts, and which I have gone in and deleted. The commenters reactions have ranged from apologies to anger. Since I would prefer not having to edit comments, and not having to deal with angry comments, it seemed like a good time to write about links in comments.
As a general rule, don’t do it.
Does that cover it? What, you want to know why? Do I really have to explain myself? Fine, my house, my rules. Not good enough? Sheesh.
So here’s the reason. I reserve the right to decide who and what gets link love from Simple Justice. There are people and places and blogs that I prefer not to include as a link here. I give plenty of link love on my own to those of my choosing. It’s not like I’m Jonathan Turley or anything, never giving so much as a hat tip to the source of my posts. I do plenty.
But I similarly maintain the prerogative to decide that others, not of my choosing, don’t get a link here through the back door. Dear readers, you are welcome to comment, but not to throw in a link to whoever you think is brilliant, wonderful, worthy, important. That’s my choice, and mine alone. I pay the bills here, so I get to decide.
A bit arbitrary and capricious, you say? Yeah, so? I would go so far as saying whimsical, if that will quiet y’all down. But the point remains that it’s my choice, not yours. I will often allow or include a link to other blawgers I like and appreciate, while denying it to those I don’t. Just my choice in how I use my blawg. Do I use this power haphazardly? Sure. I have the keys and have no qualms about using them in any way I see fit. If the mood strikes me to include something, I do. If not, I don’t. It can be that simple, and that arbitrary. I admit it.
I will never allow someone who is not on my blog roll to include a link in a comment to his or her own blog. That’s just offensive, no matter who you are or how good your blog might be. It’s tacky and self-aggrandizing. If anybody’s going to be self-aggrandizing around here, it’s me. And then I’ve Bennett to remind me when I am.
A secondary reason for my no-link position is the comment equivalent of the broken windows theory. Linking encourages more linking, which not only overburdens me in editing, changing, deleting the links, but encourages all manner of spammers trying to sneak a link into a comment. I hate that, and won’t countenance it. And if your link has to die to keep spammers away, so be it.
To bottom line it, I’m not trying to be pointlessly heavy handed about deleting links, nor to make a commenter look foolish or wrong. Comments are not appropriate places to include links in posts. On occasion, someone will ask me and I will give them the go-ahead to link away. I’m not a total jerk about it. But show me the courtesy of not inserting links into comments and I won’t be put in the position of deleting them.
And contrary to popular opinion, I don’t delete links because they involve a post that is critical of what I’ve written. Just find a way to ridicule me without using links. You can do it, as have thousands before you
I hope this clears everything up.
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Scott,
What you are looking for and not looking for with respect to the contents of the comments themselves? I have not yet figured out your comments philosophy. Thanks.
Chris
I’ve written about comments from time to time in the past, but I realize that this doesn’t help someone who’s new to SJ to understand what’s going to set me off. My problem is that I should have categorized my posts from the outset, but I didn’t and now there are just too many to go back and correct my mistake.
Anyway, as to comments, here are some basic ideas. Comments should relate to the specific post, not the general idea or some tangent. Comments are comments, not questions. Some people like to make their point by asking rhetorical questions. I don’t care.
For non-lawyers, bear in mind that this is a lawyer blog. I write with a certain expectation of knowledge on the part of the reader. I don’t owe anyone a further explanation. I may do so from time to time, especially if I like you and you ask nicely, but that doesn’t mean I have to.
Comments are not a soap box for people who want to espouse their personal philosophy on life, love or law. Start your own blog for that. This is mine. Commenters should be civil to other comments. That doesn’t mean I have to be civil. I can be any damn way I want because I pay the freight. I also allow people I know and respect to break the rules at will. This goes back to my arbitrariness, and favoritism. I will allow people I like to do things that others cannot. It’s terribly unfair, but tough noogies.
If you annoy me, I will ban you. What annoys me changes, but in general, it’s mostly a matter of antagonistic attitude. “But you’re antagonistic,” you say? True, but this is my blawg. Be antagonistic on your own blog, not here. I will not tolerate anyone who tries to promote themselves in my comments. That’s the second surest way to get the boot. I will not tolerate anyone who tries to sell in my comments, That’s the first surest way.
I don’t like marketers. Everyone’s entitled to a prejudice, and that’s mine.
I’m sure there are other quirks and peccadilloes, but that’s all that comes to mind at the moment. I hope that helps.
I assumed you were singling me out because you are so threatened by me.
Isn’t that obvious?
I find this very reasonable –
I found this post very informative and enjoyable. I will bookmark it for later use.
http://apublicdefender.com
And as if to prove the point, Gideon, one of my earlier and most important blogging influences, has arrived to mess with me. But he’s forgotten that I have the keys to where his link leads.
You know, if Google happens to catch that, it might actually increase my page rank.
Ah, Gideon beat me to it!!!!
I admit to having been tempted to employ links in the past, yet held off knowing your distaste for them. But I’m wondering if there might be some sort of protocol you would be comfortable with instead. It feels weird not to include some sort of citation, when appropriate. Even downright unlawyerly… Would you be amenable to plain text-only (non-hyperlinked) URLs? Or something else? Ideas always seem so naked without some sort of external support…
You’ll get over it.