I do not need to promote your stuff (open letter)

Today, I recieved one of those emails that makes one firmly believe that some people do not understand the Bill of Rights. Basically, I had someone complain because earlier this year, I choose not to promote their stuff. They are now up to the scream that says that I am denying them their right to free speech.

Let's be clear. The only person who has the right of free speech on a blog is the blogger(s) themselves. Everyone else is free to set up their own blog, fanpage, or website, publish their own ebooks and printed material. You have the freedom of speech (provided that you are not advocating crime) to say wherever you want on your own platform.

And me refusing to advertise your stuff is not denying you free speech. Let's be clear--you and I are rivals (more or less). You would refuse to advertise my events on your platform because it is not in your best interests to do so. I am merely making the same decision. You have your own platform to get the word out--use it. Quit trying to subvert my platform for your own purposes.

Have a nice day.

(For the record, there are some things that I do have to advertise--my wife's pottery is one of them. But let's be clear about the difference--her success affects me...in a positive way. On that note, my wife has recently put up a brown [rust colored] mortar and pestle on her Etsy site.)

Brown mortar and pestle available on the Celtic Soul Etsy page.

Ok I have read your advertisment (blog advice)

Open letter to the person who attempted to post the same comment three times on three different entries:

Dear blogger,

I am glad that you like (?) my blog. But I have a policy of not allowing comments through that are thinnly veiled advertisements---especially ones that are little more than a series of keywords that you are hoping that the search engines pick up on. Furthermore, you really need to brush up on your English, for instance "I really lie your blog" is not the same as "I really like your blog." It is nothing personal; my opinion is based purely on your comment context; it is simply that I would like you to actually comment on the context of my blog, rather than simply post an advertisement for yours. In other words, it is for business reasons, including SEO reasons, that I am not going to let your comment through.

A better way to get me to link to your blog is to write real comments that add something to the discussion. You may not realize this, but search engines are programmed to ignore, or to devalue, sites that use the advertising tactics that you are using. What you really want to do is to be a valuable member of my community, therefore making me think of you as a friend, or at least an interesting expert in your field, and getting an organic in-post link to your blog; this type of link would actually carry far more weight with the search engines than the link contained in your canned blog comment.

Yours in the Great Work,

Morgan Drake Eckstein

Dear Lover of the First Amendment

Dear Lover of the First Amendment,

Thank you for your recent comments to my blog. They will not be approved and published by me. And screaming that I am violating your First Amendment rights is not going to change my mind.

It is obvious that either you have not studied what the First Amendment and related court rulings say, or you are hoping that I am ignorant of my rights as a member of the media, or possibly both.

Arguing that I am curtailing your freedom of speech by not publishing your comments is rather pointless. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of the press---it does not impose any responsibility on me to approve (and publish) any opinions that I disagree with.

Yes, as a journalist, I do have some responsibility under the law. For instance, there is some information and opinions that I am not allowed to print---most of them would be labeled under the terms "treason" or "harmfully to others." But the government cannot force me to publish information and opinions I disagree with. That includes your comments.

The First Amendment extends the freedom to the press, which one judge defined as "every sort of publication which affords a vehicle of information and opinion." The quickest way to get such freedom is to own such an outlet. May I suggest that you start a blog of your own---there you will be allowed to print all of your opinions---at least until you are taken to court for libel.

Moderating comments on my blog is not a violation of your free speech. I am not the government. I am a member of the New Media---there is a difference.

May you have a nice day,

Morgan Drake Eckstein