Blog comments: the good, the bad, and the ugly

The good: promoting conversation

Leaving comments on blogs you read is a great way to engage in a discussion and promote conversation about a post or post topic. Before leaving comments on your own blog, however, a comment response policy should be established and adhered to. Your policy, or lack thereof can change and define the dynamics of your community. If you are not aware of your comment response habits, then you are not in control of the community you are creating and encouraging.

In the beginning of building any blog, the settings require the author to choose who is allowed to comment and how the comments will be moderated. There is either a public commentary, public commentary with author's approval before publishing, or no public commentary prohibited whatsoever. Generally, blogs in which public commentary is prohibited, are lecture-style blogs and are highly scrutinized and ridiculed. Some believe that a blog without comments is not really a blog, due to the fact that disabling comments disables the exchanging of ideas, therefore defeating the purpose of a blog to begin with.

Still, disabling public commentary is a good way to keep the wolves at bay. Sometimes, the public can be a little harsh. Which brings me to...

The bad: defending yourself, defending your writing

Bloggers are writers who are sometimes very public with their personal lives and opinions. With one question comes five responders, and it is not always positive feedback. As in real life, people defend their opinions and speak their minds, sometimes in a graphic and unwarranted nature, simply because a blog post provoked them. By commenting on your own blog in response to unruly or provocative public commentary, you might find yourself on the defense, defending yourself and defending your writing.

With the good comments that promote conversation and support your messages, comes the bad comments that criticize your work and question your authority or motivation. Defensiveness is anger's ugly cousin, and other commenters and readers will see right through your comment to your impetuosity.

Reverting back to an established comment response policy will help navigate these choppy waters and get you safely to land without compromising your beliefs, looking like a defensive fool and sacrificing readership.

The ugly: fueling the fire

There is nothing wrong with responding to provocative commentary on your blog, as long as it is done with calmness and collectivity. Responses built on initial emotion or defensiveness, will serve as transparent red flags of desperation to your blog visitors, commenters and readers.

When encountering an inflammatory or rebellious comment on your blog, often the initial reaction is to comment back. Explain why you wrote what you wrote. Unfortunately, appealing to an unmanageable commenter's need for reason is not always successful and can just add fuel to the fire – encouraging a simultaneous outburst of commentary discussion you may or may not have wanted or planned for.

You've just gone from a three-log campfire to raging forest inferno in a matter of comments.

Beyond the ugly: everyone is a critic

There is a difference between irreverent commentary and respectfully brazen contributions. Just because a commenter disagrees with what you wrote or the message you delivered, does not warrant a Medieval animal hunt or public harassment. As a blogger, encountering different opinions and exchanging different ideas is part of the package deal. Being prepared to receive constructive criticism is what separates real communicators from the wannabes. Choose how you want to handle all your comments before they happen:

Option one: ignore them. This works great for the bad and the ugly, anytime you're dealing with commenters who are not offering constructive criticism.

Option two: apologize. Sometimes without intention, your thoughts and words can just offend someone. If you're sorry, apologize.

Option three: respond. See the below options for creating engaging, respectful responses.

Option four: don't take it personally. You have a blog, your life is public. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, but don't take the criticism personally.

Building your comment response policy: many choices

Selected response: when you respond to some comments and not others. Sometimes a popularity game, when you choose to respond to select comments, you encourage exclusivity among readers, and some might feel left out. Even a random selection of comments can be destructive to the community's environment.

No response: when you do not comment on your own blog at all. Not responding to comments can send a message to your readers that you don't really care what they think and you're not interested in their thoughts. Lack of an author response will equal fewer commenters in the long run.

Ongoing response: when a blogger comments on every single individual comment as it is published. This tactic often results in off-topic conversation, which may take away from your original message, but you're also simultaneously keeping your commenters engaged and entertained. This way, no one is left out.

Personal response: when a blogger responds to select commentary using each commenter's username to indicate who the response is for or directed to. This is likely the most popular tactic to engage visitors to continue commenting because you’re starting many conversations at once.

Individual response: when a blogger responds to a comment via-personal email. This is a great way to keep the off-topic conversation off your blog comment area and not neglect your commenters at the same time.

Variety: when a blogger uses a combination of the aforementioned tactics. Monitor the feedback you get from each and customize your strategy to suit the needs of your blog and the needs of your readers. Try not to confuse people by adopting too many alternate tactics, but test drive a few and record your successes.

For more information: Subscribe to Baltimore Social Media Examiner for automated email updates, visit www.NumbersNotInvited.com or follow me on Twitter @bridgetforney. Email me at bridget.forney@gmail.com.

To my readers: I do not normally double post articles on my blogs, publishing the same information twice, however I thought that this particular article was relevant to each of my blog's demographics. You can see the original article posting here!