Navigating Bad Blog Comments

Anyone who has been blogging for a while will undoubtedly receive a sharply critical comment once in awhile. The comment may be pointed directly at the blogger, at the blog post, or even at other readers. Yet, it does not really matter who the comment was intended for; in any case, bloggers will find themselves in the uncomfortable situation of having to decide what to do with the comment. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways to handle the occasional nasty comment that may arise on your blog so that your blog will remain a relaxed and friendly environment, yet still open to dissenting viewpoints.

The Internet can be fast and unforgiving. Many people feel less inhibited online and therefore may not think twice about leaving unsavory comments on a blog. The best thing to do when you receive one of these critical comments is to examine the nature of the comment. If the comment is respectful and simply addresses an opinion that clashes with yours, it would probably be in your best interest to leave it up for the sake of free discussion on your blog. After all, that comment could start a fascinating debate on your blog, which in turn will allow your readers (and you!) to learn something new and even persuade others to share your opinion. However, be sure to avoid personal attacks and focus solely on the subject at hand. Chances are, if you are respectful to the commenter, then he or she will be respectful towards you even if you share different views. You could also leave a response inviting the commenter to contact you through e-mail to further discuss the criticism in order to show that you care about what your readers have to say.

However, if upon examination the comment is offensive or offers no real value, such as those that seem to have been written solely to provoke others, remove that comment from your blog. You can do this by going into your blogging tool, such as Blogger or WordPress, or logging into your commenting system account, such as Disqus, to permanently delete the comment. A short note on your blog explaining that offensive comments will not be tolerated should inform others of what types of comments are acceptable and will also remind your readers that you are paying attention to the activities in the comments section of your blog. You should not engage offensive comments further because chances are they do not care what you have to say and only enjoy leaving nasty comments. Save yourself the trouble by simply removing the offending remarks and moving on.

In the end, it is up to you to decide how to deal with negative comments on your blog. Keep in mind that your blog is your property, and as such, you have the ultimate say in what types of comments will be allowed. You should allow those who respectfully share different opinions to comment on your blog. However, just as you would not allow a guest who constantly makes offensive remarks to stay in your home, you should not allow those who constantly make offensive remarks to stay on your blog.