Usage Policy

  • Everything I write (or draw, or shoot, or record) is © Colleen Wainwright.
  • Everything else (i.e., comments, illustrations, recordings, photography) is © them.
  • All of my writing, photos, drawings, etc. are released under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. Basically, that means you can share something if you:
    • attribute it to me ("Colleen Wainwright," plus a link back to this blog)
    • do not change anything: not the title, not links, not even a comma (I'm serious about my punctuation)
    • do not use it for even remotely potentially commercial purposes (when in doubt, check first)
  • If you do use my work, please do not serve it up as a "guest post" or in any way that implies it was written for your site.
  • Basically, like my friend Merlin says, don't be a douche with my stuff.

Privacy Policy

  • I will never sell your email address to A-N-Y-O-N-E. Ever. (And if you sell mine, you are dead to me. Just so we're clear.)
  • I will never share your email address with anyone. Not even you. So if you lose your email address, don't come to me: I won't give it to you.
  • Emailing me means you're okay with emailing you back personally.
  • Subscribing to emailed updates of communicatrix means you get emailed updates of this site, PERIOD. Frequency varies, but even when I'm on a tear, it's rarely more than two per week.
  • Subscribing to my monthly newsletter means you get the newsletter and very, very occasional other offers and updates. As of May 2012, we're talking three in over five years. And the newsletter is awesome. No, really, check it out.
  • If you leave a comment, you will need to input email address along with your name, but only to prove you are not a pharmaceutical spamming robot.

 

Comments Policy

  • When commenting, speak your mind, just be nice about it. Good test: if you wouldn't say it out loud to another human being, you probably shouldn't say it here. Or anywhere on the Internet. Or off, even. BE NICE.
  • Abusive comments will be deleted. For our purposes, "abuse" includes, but is not limited to, leaving defamatory remarks about: me; my content; my dead mother; anyone else, their content, or their mother (living or dead). Disagreement is fine, as is swearing. But gratuitous swearing just makes you look like a dummy. And we both know you're no fucking dummy.
  • You must leave an email address, a real one. If you put in Mr. Fakey-Fakester email addy (e.g. lala@lalala.com or god@dog.com), I reserve the right to 86 your anonymosity.
  • Your REAL email address is safe with me. I will never use it for anything but to get in touch with you, and most times, not even that. But if you leave a super-awesome comment, I may email you to say thanks, or to continue the discussion. I LOVE EMAIL. It is like letters over the internet. And I really, really like letters.
  • Please do NOT pimp your services in your comments. Trust that if you are excellent and patient, good things will come to you. Links to your services in the body of your comment will be deleted.
  • Please do NOT link to your own content in your comment, either. Because 99% of the time, it makes you look like Goofus, not Gallant. If you have relevant content of your own to link to, do it in the URL field provided, and mention that you've done this in the body of the comment. Carefully. Links left in the body of comments are subject to removal by me, the remover.
  • Please do NOT add a big old signature to your comment. Mostly, because it makes you look like this is your first time on the internet, but also because it takes up extra room and is redundant. Just make sure to add your name (or nickname, or superhero pseudonym) and the URL of the page you want to link to in the appropriate fields, and the Internet will take care of the rest. I reserve the right to edit out dross as I see fit.

Commercial & Advertising Policy

  • I do not accept advertising. Not that ads are inherently bad, just that I don't see them handled well online for the most part. If you'd like to support the site, as
  • I do post affiliate links. This means that when you purchase certain things through my links, I get a small amount of revenue. I will always disclose when something is an affiliate link, like when I link to Amazon. (That was an affiliate link, just there—see how I did that?)
  • I do not do paid recommendations or endorsements. That means that those affiliate-linked things are items I'd recommend anyway. I'm not for sale. (Although you can hire me to speak to your organization or consult with you about your marketing and content strategy if you like.)
  • I VERY occasionally review advance or other copies of books provided by the publisher. I do not review all books I receive, but only books I can give what I'd consider a "4" or "5"-star rating.

Book Review Policy

  • I do accept books for review. My current areas of interest are self-improvement (especially goal-setting, productivity, personal finance, enhancing creativity and strengthening relationships), memoir, personal essays, literary fiction, communication/writing, and literary graphic novels. This list should give you a good idea of what types of books I like well enough to review.
  • I do not guarantee a review. My policy is to review only those books that I find especially useful, enjoyable or inspiring, and that I feel my audience will as well.
  • I will not "blurb" without reading a book in its entirety. Even if I know you. Even if I'm related to you.
  • I accept galleys, advance reader copies, and regular, old (new) books. I will accept Kindle versions of literary fiction and memoir.

Twitter Policy

  • Yes, I have one. It dates back to when I used Twitter—and a lot—and it briefly had its own cult following. Archive here on its own page for historical purposes/amusement.

Updated 11/14/16.