With regard to comments received at the blog: my number one concern is maintaining anonymity for anyone who contacts me in any manner, unless they specifically say it's okay to provide identifying information.
There are two ways to contact me.
One: my e-mail address is located at the sidebar at the right. You may have to search for it, but it's there. I do not collect e-mail addresses. If I paraphrase something from an e-mail, I will make sure there is no identifying data and will try to edit the comment to minimize others from figuring out who might have sent the e-mail. If the note is clearly not to be posted or if the reader specifically asks that it not be posted, I won't post it, nor will I paraphrase it, or even mention it obliquely.
I generally reply to all e-mail notes that suggest the writer was looking for a reply.
[A digression: several years ago someone wrote a note and mentioned he/she was from a specific town in North Dakota -- I forget which town -- but the town was small enough I assumed that folks in that town might have been able to figure out who wrote the note: for that reason, I removed the name of the town.]
Two: the second way to contact me is via the comment section at the end of each post. All comments are moderated. That means that all comments show up in my e-mail as an anonymous note with a "call sign" determined by the writer. If the comments come in as "anonymous" there will be no "call sign." It will simply show up as anonymous.
If, in the comment, the writer says the comment is not to be posted, I don't post it. I hit "delete" and it is lost forever. I can never recover it.
So, as an example, this evening I received a note from someone with a "call sign." I don't recall the "call sign." The person sending the comment asked that I not post the comment. I read the comment and deleted it. It is gone forever.
It was a nice comment about the blog in general. Nothing specific.
If the reader had mentioned something of interest that was not to be published, I might look for information in the pubic domain -- like in the mainstream media -- where it was also discussed. So, for example, if a person mentions that a certain well should be checked out, I will go over to the NDIC website and see what I can find, but it has to be public information. I generally acknowledge that a reader led me to the information, so as to give the reader, even though anonymous, credit for the information.
This doesn't begin to cover all the "ifs, ands, and buts," but I think folks get the general idea.
If, by the way, I ever inadvertently post something that was not supposed to be posted, and am alerted to it, I will remove it immediately.
One of the main things that keeps me going with the blog is feedback from readers. If I went two months without hearing from anyone, I might wonder whether posting the blog publicly made any sense. The good news is I get at least five notes in various forms regarding the blog every day. It is not unusual to get more than ten comments one way or the other.
Bottom line: for complete anonymity, send your comment as an "anonymous" comment and note up front not to publish the comments. I will read the comment and delete it.
If you send me an e-mail note, and request anonymity, the same thing. I will read the note but I won't publish it. Again, I don't collect e-mail addresses, and except for a handful of five or six folks who write me frequently, I have no recollection of any specific e-mail that I received even 24 hours earlier. My memory is that short. LOL.
Example: a while back I mentioned that the Washington football team, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, had no chance of making the playoffs. I received a note from a reader who appeared not to appreciate that comment which was based on television sports talk. I would have had no idea; I don't follow the NFL that closely. Yesterday I was reminded, I assume by the original reader, that the Washington Football Team made the playoffs. LOL. I do not remember if the comment came in as an anonymous comment or had a call sign, but it was clear that the note should be posted, and it was. If it wasn't to be posted, if the reader contacted me, I would have immediately taken it down.
Hopefully this makes sense.
The reason for this lengthy note: a reader asked me late this evening if he/she sent me something and did not want it published, would I be sure not to publish it. So, the long note.
Note: in a long note like this there will be content and typographical errors.
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A Huge Thank You
By the way, a huge thank you to readers for not sending notes on all my minor typographical errors. If I received notes for every typographical error, I would be overwhelmed. But I really, really, really appreciate notes if I've made an error that is serious enough to affect the information or the purpose of the post.
The most common error, is quickly typing "now" for "not" or vice versa.
Think about that: "It is now snowing in the Bakken." vs "It is not snowing in the Bakken." You can imagine how serious this typographical error could be. "Someone is now dead" vs "someone is not dead." LOL. Big difference.
