Moar policy: emails

June 17, 2013 • 1:31 pm

Since there has been some discussion on the Internet about revealing private email communications from readers, I want to state my policy upfront. Consider this an addition to my previous promise that I would not “out” (that is, identify) anybody who makes a comment on this site, save for those who physically threaten myself or others.

Since other writers and I also receive private emails, I want to make clear that I will never publish the contents of private emails, or identify their authors, without without explicit permission.  You can be sure, when emailing me—and my work email is readily available—that your communications are confidential.

There is one minor and (I think) harmless exception. If you email me animal or plant pictures, hoping they’ll be posted, I sometimes put up the authors’ comments as a caption.  I almost always try to contact authors first, but sometimes I don’t hear back, and then I go ahead and post.

Even in those cases, though, I will not identify the person who sent me the picture without permission. If you do send me photos or something you think I might want to post, then, please include some information that could be published, as well as how you’d like to be identified. This is not a guarantee that I’ll post what I’m sent—I get far more material than I can use—but a guarantee that you won’t be “outed.”

And, as always, I urge readers to send me photos or other things they think might interest our community.  But please don’t be disappointed if I don’t use it.

kthxbye.

9 thoughts on “Moar policy: emails”

  1. First, I wholeheartedly agree with this policy.

    Second, you have my explicit and public permission to use anything I ever send to you however you like.

    Cheers,

    b&

  2. And, as always, I urge readers to send me photos or other things they think might interest our community. But please don’t be disappointed if I don’t use it.

    There’s an obvious corollary to this that should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway:

    If you have something you think might interest Jerry or his readers, send it to him by email and let him decide whether to post it or not. Do not try to preempt Jerry’s editorial decision by posting your tidbit as an off-topic comment in an unrelated thread.

  3. I’ve always wondered why you don’t have an email specifically for this blog. I understand that you may not want to be inundated with emails, but I have to imagine getting everything in your work email hinders your job, doesn’t it?

    I’ve just found it curious, is all.

  4. I wanted to send JC something but could not find an edress. And on 7/28/13 I’m to do a presentation on JC (in LA) on his influence on the atheist community. It would be nice if I had his edress in order to get some questions answered. Maybe he can get an intern to brose an edress that he could set up for contact.

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