Skip to main content

Blog Policy Statements

Most blogs don't have privacy policies. After all, why would they need one, especially when the blog or site is a public one.

I know I never thought I needed one, but what happened last week got me thinking.

Last week I received an email from a reader of my blog, requesting a comment, he made to an 8 month old post, be removed. He claimed the comment was being used maliciously against him.

He wouldn't to tell me what harm was being done, nor how his comment, which I thought was kind, considerate and moving, contributed to that harm, but since a link to it appeared under a Google search for his name, he wanted it removed.

At first I didn't want to remove the comment. It's not like a get a great many comments as it is, so when I happen to write a post that elicits more than one comment, it's like a getting a validation of my skills as a patient blogger. Removing it would just spoil that good feeling.

After some thought, I relented, sort of. I didn't remove the comment, but I removed his name from the comment, and all other references to his name. But that was not enough for him, he wanted the entire comment removed, even though there was no way to tie that comment to him, through my blog.

This encouraged me to do some research on search engines, and how they work. Don't worry, I'm not going to give a dissertation on this subject, howstuffworks does a good job of explaining that, but what I did learn, enabled me to come up with a solution that satisfied both our wishes.

By simply changing the web address (slug) for the post, I was able to render the Google link invalid, and in less than a week, the link disappeared.

(I also discovered that the Google searchbots peruse my site about every 5 days, which is a good thing to know.)

Still this got me thinking. Did I have an obligation to comply with that persons request? I didn't think so, but just to be sure, I posted a Blog Policy statement on this blog and on My Daily Journal, to prevent similar problems in the future.

If you're reading this, and have your own blog, you might want to consider posting your own Policy Statement.
Labels:

Comments

Becky said…
I can't believe someone would complain about something they said. My brother-in-law googled me and I came up regarding a book review on amazon. Two years ago! I don't even remember reading the book or writing the review.

One should never erase history unless one said defect in lieu of indication.
11:04 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...
1 comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more