With the increase of comment spam on the Internet, this comment policy is in place to get a good idea of what kind of comments are allowed. The types of comments the blogs receive are in question or provide further information on the topic.

Sometimes, comments aren’t always what they seem to be. In case of possible moderation of a comment, here are several ideas why the comment may not make it to the public, even if it’s posted immediately:

General Rules

• Off-topic: Off-topic means the comment doesn’t relate to the discussion. If you must be off topic–while on topic, go ahead; don’t forget to let others know when you go off-topic.
• Threats/Insults: Comments that threaten the post author or another commentator are absolutely not allowed. Please think first before deciding to hurt others; it’s pathetic and a waste of time.
• Offensive towards gender, race and age: This is the same as the Threats/Insults rule, but it’s much more serious. Just think about it.
• Advertising/Spam: (Advertisements) – Comments with URLs (in the comment body) linking back to another site are likely to be either edited or removed (unless it’s relevant to the topic).

  (Spam) – Spamming just for the sake of getting a free page rank, or just to annoy others (like traditional e-mail spam) is not allowed! Suspicious URLs (placeholder pages, testimonial sites, mature websites, etc) left in the Website field upon moderation will either be removed; leaving the comment intact, or the comment removed altogether.

Comments are also welcome on older posts, but remember that the information might be out of date. Spam comments are handled by the Akismet spam filter and is checked constantly for legitimate comments.

“My comment has vanished though I followed the rules!”

Even if you did follow the rules, there are other reasons why your comment didn’t show up:

• Your comment is awaiting moderation: Your comment may be held for moderation if: 1) You post more than three (3) links, or 2) for new commentators. When your comment is held, it’s still there; as with Akismet, your comments will reviewed ASAP.
• Your comment was mistaken as Spam: If you post a comment on another blog that happens to use Akismet, then someone might have marked your comment as Spam (either by accident—or on purpose).

  However, it could not be just the blog owners, but the Akismet’s own Spam detecting algorithm, which is often criticized for doing too good of a job; this is why the Akismet queue will be checked periodically for legitimate comments.

• Server Errors: The webhost will sometimes suddenly take the server offline to preform system maintenance. The website may also experience downtime if there there are high levels of traffic. It is recommended that you Copy-and-Paste your comment in the event of such a problem.
• “The MySQL server has gone away.”: Apparently, the MySQL server found your comment offensive and walked off. Shame on you! (This is also related to the Server Errors section. Again, Copy-and-Paste when in doubt.)

Remember, blog administrators have the right to evaluate, edit, delete, and deny comments left by any individual(s) at any time.