Contacting Rob....
You've made it this far, which means you really want to get in touch with me. But before you do, let me just remind you that I get a lot of email. And most of it wastes time... mine for having to read it and reply to it, and yours waiting for a reply that you'll never get. So before you email me, consult this handy chart for some examples of good and bad emails that i get on a regular basis:
Good
I love what you do! Slashdot is a great news site, and CmdrTaco.net is a fun homepage. Also AnimeFu rocks my world. Note I always appreciate ego stroking, but my head is already incredibly swollen so you probably don't need to bother.
Rob, you clearly have a great understanding of the technology that drives the internet, as well as managing large scale social systems. I would love to pick your brain, and pay you a ludicrious sum of money for the privilege of doing so.
I have a question about a particular aspect of Slashdot's operation. I have included all relevant URLs and details so you won't need to write 3 follow-up emails just to get the necessary information required to answer my question.
Bad
I love the cartoon about the dentist. Will you scan in a higher resolution version, e-mail it to me and let me put it on my christmas cards to all my patients this year? And for free? (Can you believe that this really happened?)
Why did you reject my Slashdot Story Submission? It clearly was the greatest thing written since Mark Twain died, and you are the spawn of Cthulhu for failing to see it. You posted the following 23 stories which suck, and mine was clearly better. I hate you.
Your page is super 31337! Please teach me how to have a webpage as cool as you. My first question is how do I make pictures appear on my page? I have my 7th grade yearbook right here with a super bitchin picture of me with Tony and Gunther and want to have it on my homepage. Help me d00d! You roxx0r!
Mini FAQ
Please read this before you email me. I mean it. I know you won't, but please do anyway:
- The various bits of software I've written on CmdrTaco.net are mostly ancient and deprecated. I'm not actively supporting any of them any more. You can ask questions about them, and I might be able to help, but in most cases this is code I wrote 6-7 years ago and I don't even use any more!
- I won't draw you something unless you can pay me :)
- I will not help you learn to write HTML or create web pages. I might be available for some consulting on your internet projects, but I'm not going to answer questions that are explained elsewhere better.
- Yes I'm a real person. No I'm not a creation of a corporation.
- If you want to use any of the images on my site, on yours, you are welcome to do so, assuming you (A) Ask (B) Are Non-Profit and (C) Link me back.
- Slashdot stories should be submitted to The Submissions Page and not my email. Story submissions that are emailed are deleted and ignored. I mean it.
- If you email me to ask about a rejected story submission, at best you will get a form letter back. Really! Read the Slashdot FAQ for more information.
- If you have any questions about Slashdot, you must provide all the details you can think of that would be relevant. IP. Browser. User Name. URLs to specific comments.
- Be polite. I don't want you to kissass, but just be polite. I can't tell you how many rude emails I get full of name calling and spite. I want to help everyone who contacts me... but I don't have enough time to handle a flamewar. All I ask is that you are civil.