It's Time to Make Some Policy Changes

Someone recently posted a string of angry, profane comments on a handful of our latest blog postings. We have experienced a mixture of surprise, anger, sadness, and - believe it or not - even humor since discovering them over the weekend. We apologize to anyone who was offended by the comments. However, we chose not to delete them as they ultimately reflect most poorly on the person who posted them.

We briefly considered shutting down our blog. Instead, we have opted to make some changes that will significantly reduce, if not eliminate, the opportunity for such inappropriate behavior in the future. Feel free to have fun at our expense; just watch your language when you do.

Oh, and be careful what you say about Caribou Coffee baristas while you're at it. There's a certain line you just don't cross with us. (Note the sarcasm. I tend to employ it on occasion. At least one person failed to notice.)

The first change we are making, effective immediately, is to require that all comments be pre-approved before they appear on the site. 

We will receive an email whenever a new comment is registered on our blog. From there, we will need to approve it before anyone else sees it. No more "anonymous" attacks on our ... um ... choice of car purchases and coffee shops (?).


Next, we will soon limit access to our blog by requiring a user name and password for all visitors. 

Please contact us if you do not receive an email from us by the end of the weekend but still wish to view the site. We'd rather not introduce an extra step to the process of accessing our blog, but we think it's for the best. Clearly, not everyone who visits the site has our best interests in mind.

It's worth noting that we initially chose settings for our blog that greatly reduced the possibility of having unwanted visitors view our photos, read our stories, and provide unwanted comment. For example, our blog does not appear in Google searches unless you use very specific terms that suggest an existing familiarity with the site. Unfortunately, our "anonymous" commenter wasn't a stranger.

We know who is responsible for the recent string of comments, which brings tremendous disappointment. We continue to believe that this person is better than what they are showing. Given what has happened, though, we are making the necessary changes to prevent such activity in the future. As that person has ironically said before: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

We started this blog as a way to keep in better touch with family and friends who we would miss seeing on a regular basis following our move to North Carolina. It will continue in that vein. We appreciate the love and support of those who continue to want the best for us.