As most readers are no doubt aware, the famed Rule of St. Blog has long served to guide and enlighten users of the web. Certain relevant chapters, therefore, have been adapted here for the proper management of the Blog Goliard site, and for other useful and informative purposes. Foremost among them is Chapter LIII, “Of the Reception of Comments” (more commonly known as the “Four Keeps”), which is therefore listed here first; it is followed by various other chapters, given in numerical order, which have been excerpted for the reader’s edification:
Chapter LIII, “Of the Reception of Comments”
At the direction of the Abbott, or of a website’s Brother proprietor, a blog may be opened to comments. But before comments are received, guests of the blog should be admonished to:
Keep it interesting. Ideally, comments should be relevant, concise, factual, original, witty, and have something material to add to the discussion. Guests of a blog should keep these ideals in mind, and make an honest effort to fulfill at least some of them with each comment.
Keep it civil. The conversation on a Christian blog may at times be spirited and frank, and touch upon controversial subject matter. Yet it should never be allowed to become insulting, rude, or unduly personal. Individual posts which offend may be removed, if the Brother proprietor judges that the disease can be so easily excised; but any thread of discussion which looks to be consumed in flames should be pulled up root and branch.
Keep it clean. Or, failing that, at least…
Keep it in Latin. A blog, like any tool of public communication, should be used carefully so as not to pollute the public discourse. (This goes double when the Brother proprietor has highly intelligent and curious children, who might decide to start reading his blog someday.) Guests should continually endeavor, even as they speak plainly, to keep the conversation suitable for a general audience when possible; to keep it within the boundaries known as “PG-13” when absolutely not possible; and, when all else fails, to at the very least use Latin, in order to shield the tenderest of readers (as well as the search engines), and salve the Brother proprietor’s conscience.
The remainder of this page is still under construction; as such, it is not fully polished, or even consistently interesting, and is subject to change.
Chapter VI, “Of Silences”
Silence of the tongue is a virtue, worthy of admiration and frequent practice. Silence of the blog is a vice, to be strenuously avoided.
Chapter XXII, “How the Blog Goliard is to Sleep”
As little as possible, in emulation of the Venerable K-Lo of NROvia.
Chapter XLVII, “Of Giving the Signal for the Time of New Posts”
Readers who are interested in receiving updates to Blog Goliard as soon as they are posted should subscribe to the syndication feed for posts (there is also a syndication feed for comments). For those who prefer to receive updates via e-mail, there is an e-mail subscription form on the main page.
Be advised, however, that because the Blog Goliard is a compulsive editor of his posts, the version you receive via feed or e-mail may not be exactly the same as that which currently appears on the site.
Chapter LIV, “Whether the Blog Goliard Should Receive Letters or Anything Else”
The Blog Goliard should indeed receive letters from readers, and frequently too! E-mail may be sent to the address shown on the main page.
The Blog Goliard shall endeavor to reply to all letters which meet minimum requirements of courteousness and coherence. (He shall reserve the right to terminate with extreme prejudice any letters which do not.)
As for the “anything else”, suitable arrangements will be made if and when the readership has grown to a point where it might be fairly called upon to help defray the expenses of operating the site.
Chapter LV, “Of the Clothing and the Footgear of the Blog Goliard”
The Blog Goliard shall uphold the best blogging traditions by regularly posting while wearing pajamas. As for footgear, furry slippers are not always the best for the Blog Goliard’s feet, but they may still be brought out on special occasions to complete the tableau.
Chapter LVIII, “Of the Manner of Admitting Commenters”
At the beginning, guests should be asked only to provide a valid e-mail address to comment on a blog. However, the Blog Goliard reserves the right to employ a slightly-more-involved registration process for commenters if he should deem it necessary in future.
Chapter LXXIII: “Of This, that Not the Whole Observance of Righteousness is Laid Down in this Rule”
Which is just a fancy way of saying that common sense is always presumed to be in effect, and may be used to supplement or supercede any of the above, without prior notice, as the Brother proprietor may deem appropriate.