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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The RT Cave is a blog

I am the RT Cave Dictator.  Yes, you heard (read) that right.  The RT Cave is a blog, and I am the Dictator of it.  I have complete and total control over everything you see on this blog.  The RT Cave is the only thing in my life I have complete control over -- AND I LOVE IT.

What you see here is my hobby.  While some of you go golfing, or play baseball, or sell stuff on eBay, or yard sale it, or collect baseball cards, or collect antiques, or pick your nose for fun, your humble RT is a writer.  The RT Cave is a representation of facts, ideas and opinions blended with some dry humor.

Yet it's all mine.  Unlike the rest of my life where I have to surrender to the whims of my boss, wife and kids, here I have complete autonomy. This blog is a breath of fresh air.  It's relaxing.  It's fun.  If it where anything else it wouldn't be a hobby, it would be a job.

So please note your humble writer is also publisher and editor, and therefore mistakes will be overlooked from time to time.  A source may be left out, a their mistaken for a there, or an opinion splattered in a post that most of my readers disagree with.  Bronchodilitator may at times replace bronchodilator.

And this brings me to comments.  Most bloggers yearn for comments as they make a blog flow.  I have had many intelligent discussions ensue from them.  And many of you guys have, at times, let me know you disagree with me.  That makes for an even more enlightening discussion in the arena of ideas.  It makes us all smarter.

I have a policy on my blog that I publish every comment except for two types: 
  • Spam
  • Derogatory
So what is spam?  These are comments from evil people who want you to click on their link to sell their product or force you to catch a virus.  I don't want that on my blog.  It's for this reason alone that you have to type in letters every time you enter a comment.  It's also for this reason I have to pre-approve comments. 

I think about 40 percent of comments are spam.  Sometimes spammers are tricky and it's hard to tell spam from a legit comment.  So if you've ever had a comment not published, that's probably the reason.  This also creates a lot of extra work for me, because sometimes I don't have time to filter through all the spam.  So I leave it for later.  So a few rotten apples sometimes spoil the batch.

I'm shocked at how few derogatory comments I get.  I figured it would be as high as 40 percent, but I'd say it's less than one percent.  These are comments that use personal attacks, condescending tones, or otherwise have little consideration for the author of a post or another comment. 

I find that publishing derogatory comments would serve little purpose, regardless of any other useful information they might contain. 

This blog is meant to create an accurate picture of the profession of respiratory therapy.  If you don't want to hear the truth you might not be happy with this blog.  If you believe treating all lung ailments as asthma is a good idea, then you won't like my bog.   

Yet this IS my blog. I am the dictator.  Yet unlike real dictators, I allow you all a voice.  Use it wisely and share with us your wisdom, even if we might disagree with it.  You have a God given right to be right, yet you -- and me -- also have a God given right to be wrong too.

So leave comments.  Let me know if you disagree.  Let me know if I'm getting carried away.  Let me know if I made a mistake.  Let me know if I'm getting lazy in my approach.  Yet don't be condescending and don't use derogatory words like douchbag, idiot, moron, stupid, #$@#, SDFD (&((, and the like.  Be nice.

3 comments:

Pissed Off Patient said...

Yikes. Hope it wasn't me!

M

Josiah Garber said...

I think this blog is great! Keep up the good work. I'm amazed at how much content you put out.

Rick Frea said...

Pissed off patient: The person in question was anonymous of course. I had this happen a couple years ago and a post like this put an end to it. I know other bloggers have had to take similar courses of action. By the angry tone I could tell it was not one of my regular readers.

Garber: Well timed compliment.