Rules of engagement at Velveteen Rabbi:

I ask my readers to be polite; to be open-minded; to stay on-topic (if you're commenting on a post, please reply to that post, not to something else I've said elsewhere) and to own your words (when you comment, please include your name, your blog URL, and your own valid email address -- which will not be displayed, but which allows me to reply to you if I'm so inclined. If you use a persistent pseudonym online, you're welcome to use that name when you comment.)

This isn't rocket science, y'all. I'm asking you to be kind, to consider the impact of your speech, and to treat me and others with respect.

If a comment doesn't fit these guidelines (particularly if it features profanity, ad hominem attacks, or hatespeech) I reserve the right to delete it. And if someone repeatedly breaks these rules of engagement, I reserve the right to ban that commenter.

I'm not interested in arguing or in defending my positions. That's not a good use of my time and energy (nor, I would argue, a good use of yours.) If I perceive that you're here primarily because you want to pick a fight with me, I reserve the right to not respond. I also reserve the right to delete comments, or to ban a commenter, if I perceive that the comments or the commenter are disruptive to the open and congenial atmosphere that my regular readers and I have fostered since 2003.

For more on my philosophy of online engagement, feel free to read my 2013 post To shame someone is to shed their blood.

Thank you, everyone, for your willingness to abide by these rules of discourse. And thanks for being a part of Velveteen Rabbi! I look forward to our many conversations in the years to come.