Comment Policy

First, let me start off by saying: Thank you! Just by exploring my blog’s comment policy, you’re doing what so many readers never take the time or effort to do! That makes you pretty damn awesome.

So, what’s my comment policy? I believe in cultivating community and encouraging diversity through responsible blog management, which means that it’s my responsibility to make sure my blog’s comment threads are a safe and welcoming place for you, the reader. I want you to be able to enjoy your time here on Holy Wild without worrying about being attacked by trolls or mobbed by spammers.

You can help! Thoughtful, engaged readers who leave awesome comments make my job so much easier! But instead of giving you a list of “thou shalt nots” and then policing the comment threads for violations, I’d rather give you an idea of the kind of community engagement that I absolutely adore, in the hopes that you’ll be inspired to leave comments that foster a thriving community experience for yourself and other readers.

• Communication is all about community. Comments from first-time or occasional readers are always welcome! But in my fantasy of the ideal blog experience, comments on posts help to nurture a sense of community among readers and fans. Whenever you leave a comment here, please keep in mind that you are not a lone voice crying out in the wilderness — you’re stepping into a curated public space along with other members of the community who have voices, ideas and experiences of their own.
• Generosity and honor go hand-in-hand. ‘Honor’ is an important value, especially among many Pagan communities today. But let’s not forget that impugned honor — or the appearance of it — could often be a cause for pointless and silly blood-feuds among our ancestors. So while I ask that you do your best to act honorably and respectfully towards other commenters, I also want to encourage you to show generosity of spirit as well, especially towards those who disagree with you. Context, tone and body language can be easily misinterpreted in online conversations; generosity and a willingness to allow perceived offenses to slip by unremarked can go a long way in helping everyone act more honorably towards each other.
• The best kind of contribution is a kind of cultivation. Remember when your parents told you, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”? Well, you’re welcome to raise objections or provoke difficult conversations, but keep in mind that the main purpose of a comment thread is to cultivate connection and community — not to give you your own personal soapbox for spouting off grievances or complaints. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then find a way to make your comments or criticisms relevant, practical and helpful to others. After all, you can’t grow vegetables just by yelling about the weeds. Get your hands dirty and be prepared to contribute meaningful and substantive ideas to the conversation. And don’t forget that others are trying their best to do the same.
• Absolutely no spam. Okay, so this one is a thou-shalt-not. I’d like to think of my own little spot of the internet as my way of giving back to the community and creating a safe and welcoming space for conversation, but it is also a place where I can share updates on my own projects for interested readers and fans of my work. This means that, while you will find occasional links to publications and book promotions here (both my own, and the work of writers I love and support), I have a zero-tolerance policy for spam or crass, unsolicited self-advertising. I feel awkward enough with the small amount of independent marketing that any writer has to do in today’s industry, but it’s important to me that any promotions or links here on Holy Wild represent good faith recommendations that you can trust. This includes any links posted in the comment threads. So: no spam. Pretty simple.

That’s it! I hope these guidelines help make your experience on the blog an enjoyable and enriching one. As the owner and curator of this website, I reserve the right to remove any comments that I feel violate the spirit and intent of this comment policy. If one of your comments has been removed and you feel that it was for unclear or unfair reasons, please contact me so we can talk about it.

Thanks for reading!