A reader writes:
Hi, I would like to know; what does it mean when you don’t answer a question? I am not very familiar with blogs and maybe I don’t know how to find the answer and maybe it is just not something that you want to comment on but I just want to know how it works. I had asked [a question you haven’t answered yet]. Thank you so much for your time.
No prob!
It can mean one of several things when I haven’t answered a question:\
- Actually, I have answered it but it hasn’t appeared on the blog yet (I write my answers in advance of when they show up on the blog),
- Actually, I have answered it but it has appeared but has falled down or off the top page (in which case use the Search feature),
- I haven’t answered it yet because the question requires me to do research that I haven’t had a chance to do yet (this was the case with your question),
- I’m thinking about the question so that I can give a better answer,
- I haven’t answered it because I forgot (i.e., it got lost among all the queries in my inbox),
- I have been intending to answer it, but then other things took priority,
- I haven’t answered it because I don’t feel able to answer it,
- I haven’t answered it because I don’t have time, or
- I haven’t answered it for some other reason (e.g., it isn’t appropriate for a mostly-family-oriented blog).
So there isn’t any one reason why I may not answer. It’s a hodge-podge of things.
In your case, the reason is #3, and the fact you wrote a nice, polite query about the matter and I have answered in this public way means that it probably will get answered soon.
I should note that I can’t answer every query folks send me (e.g., for reasons #4-9), and I can’t promise to send a note saying that I will or won’t answer. The volume of e-mail I get is too big for that, though I do try to notify folks when I am answering so they’ll know when to expect the answer to go up.
Even with queries I am able to answer, it may be a few days to a week (or more).
That being said, folks are welcome, after a while, to send a polite one sentence query asking about their former query (e.g., "I asked about _______________ and was wondering if you’ll be able to address it on the blog?") and I’ll try to let you know. (On the other hand, if I get "#*(S^!((**! Where’s the answer to my question about _____________, you $*#@&*@#!" then that’s a one-way ticked to no-answerville.)
Also, don’t forget the Catholic Answers Ask an Apologist forum:
http://forums.catholic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4
if you need the answer to a question.