The Branding Iron’s goal is to cultivate a meaningful discussion filled with substantive information, insights and relevant personal experiences. Here are some rules that will help make this possible.

Registration Required effective January 14, 2011

To post comments you must have an account at brandingirononline.info. Registration is free and open to everyone. To register, go to the Login page and click "Register" at the bottom of the page and follow the instructions.

No spam comments

Take time to write your comment, there is no editing once you hit submit. Objections to the editor’s headlines, writing style or the story’s existence should be emailed to the Content Editor: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Stay on Topic

Read the full story before commenting. It is highly recommended that you read all linked articles as well. Your comment should be a meaningful response to the topic you are posting under. Off topic comments will be deleted. Keep cursing to a minimum. Debate the idea not the person. Pointing out other commenters spelling or grammar errors is not productive to the discussion.

No sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, bigotry, slander, libel or hatred

Don’t put this in our comments and don’t post links to this material either, this includes links to hate, porn, spam, shock sites or anything similar.

What happens if I break these rules?

Effective January 14, 2011, there will be a three-strike rule for users who violate these rules. On the first and second offenses, the user will be sent a warning notification and the comment will be deleted. On the third offense, the user will be banned and the comment will be deleted.

Why are these rules necessary?

At the BI, we value your input and respect your First Amendment rights; however, we have a responsibility to maintain a certain degree of civility and professionalism. Please keep this in mind.