We get the occasional email asking why someone's comment was deleted. Here are some answers.

Deleted comments are most often the result of someone committing one of the henious crimes on the list of "dont's" below, but there can be other fouls result in a comment being edited or deleted. (We usualy try to leave a comment notifying readers that a comment has been edited for violating our terms.

Here are some do's and don'ts that we use to help manage the comments on the site.

A list of dont's ...
Don't make multiple posts of the same item on different threads.
Don’t post the title of a discussion and then just point people to your blog or site. Most people consider this a underhanded way to drive traffic to your blog (or self-promotion).
Don't post links to your business or solicit business directly.
Don't use ALL-CAPS.
Don't make off-topic posts or multiple off-topic/solicitation posts.
Don't promote your company, product, or yourself. If your discussions and comment share genuine insights – you will be noticed anyway and people will look at your profile, and therefore look at your blog or website.
Don't post your company’s press release.
Don't post spam in your response to a discussion.

A list of do's...

Do post relevant and engaging topics.
Do ask questions and give thoughtful answers.
Do stay on topic. If you have thoughts that are not on the topic, please start a discussion thread. We will edit or delete comments that we think distract from the main discussion.
Do contact us if you think your blog article is absolutely brilliant and should be shared - give a little teaser.
Do complete your Member Profile so that others can find you (If you dont' want to remain anonymous.).

These rules are designed to be simple, easily understood to protect the many good intentions that are essential to a productive community. We ARE a community, and we all have to tend it, editors and readers alike.

If you don't tend it, you are OUT. It's that simple. Comments and commenters that do not follow these rules will be deleted and blocked from the site. We won't tell you when you're over the line, but you'll know it because other comments will undoubtedly have told you, and they'll probably have told us too.

Social media is about creating and sharing content that result in conversations. Spam kills conversation and eventually it will kill a community. This will not be allowed to happen to the community here. The responsible group members, the ones that you really want to interact with, will see through self promotion and will grade you as less than worthy, a charlatan or worse. Self promotion is the quickest way to destroy a/your personal brand. No person of substance values a self promoter. What you do for the group and what new insights you bring to the group will speak louder than any shameless self promotion and these true gifts to the group are the only way to build your equity value.