What To Do When Blog Comments Get Out Of Hand

The Internet has taken public self-expression from being the sole privilege of authors, journalists and other artists. It has made it possible for anyone with a computer to go online and tell the world how she feels.

Over the past ten years, the blogosphere has exploded with ideas from people from all different walks of life. Whether you are a twelve-year-old girl in Utah ranting about the latest tween heartthrob, or a respected expert in your field announcing an important new scientific finding, blogs attract readers who agree with the views expressed on them as well as readers who disagree with the views being described.

Sometimes these blogs turn into communities, with thriving discussions in the comments. But other times, commenters can cross invisible lines and get out of hand. Instead of fostering conversation, these commenters can ruin the dialogues taking place. How should a blogger handle a situation when comments get out of hand? Here are a few tips to rein them in.

Bad Commenting Situation #1: Angry Commenters

Most bloggers know that getting angry comments is part of the game. If a blogger is expressing a distinct point of view, he has to expect that people will disagree, and that some of them will do so in an angry manner. Sometimes this can be good - angry comments can lead to a productive conversation.

But very often, angry comments can cross the line and become offensive and patently unproductive. It is often up to the blogger to fix this situation. Respond calmly, not defensively. See if you can engage the commenter in a conversation - many people are comfortable being angry towards a distant blogger but will change their tone when they realize there is a human being on the other end.

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Bad Commenting Situation #2: Too Many Comments

As much as you want your readers to comment on your blog posts, there is such a thing as too many comments. If you can't keep up with reading and moderating the comments, then you probably have too many.

So how do you handle it when your posts get too many comments? One option is to simply close comments. Sometimes the comments are coming from spam, so make sure you use anti-spam protection like Akismet.

Bad Commenting #3: Irrelevant Comments

Another way comments can be bad for a blog is when they are irrelevant to the blog post they are written under. This can be a serious impediment to a productive conversation. This is where the blogger's role as a moderator becomes important.

Feel free to delete comments that add absolutely no value to your blog. Make sure this is a publicly posted policy. This will take some time at first but once your readers realize you're enforcing the policy, they will being to police themselves.

Final Tip For Better Comments: Require Authentication

Requiring your readers to comment as themselves, instead of anonymously, will make them more conscious of their posts. You can require readers to register, create identities with avatars, or sign in with Facebook.

Accountability can go a long way in getting people to think before they type. There may be some initial resistance, but as your readers see other commenters signing in to post comments, they will feel more comfortable doing it themselves.

  Steven Taylor

About the Guest Author:

Steven Taylor has been writing about technology and business solutions for nearly a decade. You can also find him reviewing Time Warner Cable business internet services.