Wednesday, January 26, 2005

The Rules

Only a matter of months after adding a guest-blogger...

Some people get by with "Do unto others..." Congress elaborates a bit, producing book-length manuals of arcane rules (and, in the House, a special Rules Committee to assign each reported bill its own special Rule, just for fun). I hope to split the difference and arrive at a reasonably-well-satisfied medium:

1. The Senate Judiciary Committee Rule: Write pseudonymously. This stems from a light-hearted fantasy about, forty years from now, being on the fast track for confirmation until some obscure Senator says "Now, about this screed you published on your weblog in 2004..." Better safe than sorry is our motto. Which is not to say that determined people couldn't figure out who we are. We just have to make them work for it. So, few to no personal asides, Old Home Week, &tc.

2. The Get Over It Already Rule: Minimal self-referentialism. Talking about stuff is fun. Talking about talking about stuff is less fun. Reading someone blog about blogging about blogging gets downright boring.

3. The Gospel Stuff Rule: Be nice, not apostate. Etc. The Nauvoo charter is a nice summary of many expectations for reasonable behavior for LDS here and, well, everywhere.

4. The Participation Rule: Anyone can comment, though we make no promises about preserving them forever, and get downright nasty about flaming and/or serious profanity and/or stupidity and/or spam. Guest-blogging is by invitation only. Though I'm not saying that sending an email asking for an invitation wouldn't work...

5. The Off-Topic Content Rule: On a blog? You're joking, right? The only hard-and-fast rule here is that It Must Be Interesting (see Instapundit's motto, which, alas, does not meet our rigorous content guidelines). By the way, I get to define Interesting.

6. The Technical Support Rule: It Must Be Free. I wouldn't say no to ad revenue, either. Helpful suggestions about free upgrades to functionality are accepted, of course, bearing in mind that I have little desire to muck around in code for more than about 90 seconds at a stretch (one reason the blogroll remains problematic...).

7. The Political Hedge: I reserve the right to revise and extend my remarks in the record. [**Pause**] Without objection, so ordered. (Further rules may follow, as I think of/remember them).

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