An interesting discussion took place at the California Association of REALTORS (C.A.R.) Convention 2 days ago in San Jose when I was on a panel about blogging - the question arose about moderating comments, and whether you should or not.
- Do you moderate comments?
- Do you feel you should?
- Or do you not allow comments at all, and if so why?
Obviously much of the value around blogging in the Web 2.0 world is transparency, and encouraging dialog, discussion and interaction. Commenting can be a vital part of blogging by adding to the conversation, sharing a different perspective, teaching others, and so on.
And shouldn't consumers be encrouaged to weigh in with their opinions? Or to ask questions?
Of course comments can have a negative impact as well, with spam, slander, and other No Nos that cause hard feelings, embarrassment, and unwanted controversy or flare into on-line arguments and fighting.
Generally blog platforms (e.g., Blogger, Wordpress) allow for the author to moderate comments...to see what they are before approving or disproving them. I make use of this, as do many others I know, but some folks don't and allow all comments, or perhaps go in and delete after the fact if needed.
I also know of some bloggers who do not allow comments at all. This is a different position to take but they feel strongly about it. I don't agree, but I can understand their rationale.
Here on AR we don't have this moderating capability, at least not in the same sense.
- There IS a setting (click on My Home and then on Settings on the left side of your home page) where you can disallow non-member comments if you wish.
- You can request to be notified when a new blog comment is made.
- You can disable comments if you wish.
You can, of course "moderate" comments once they have been made and make the decision to delete, or not, as well as to respond in a way you deem fitting,
It seems to me you have to strike a balance. To not permit comments, in general, takes away from the value of blogging by not allowing people to participate. In some posts that certainly may be appropriate but I don't favor it as a general rule.
At the same time one does have the right, in my belief system, to strike comments that really are inappropriate - not because of a dissenting opinion but when negativity, slander, racial and/or gender slurs, foul language, and other similar comments significantly detract from the conversation and cause harm or hurt.
And certainly spam needs to go where it belongs....delete!
But perhaps you have a differing opinion.
What ARE your thoughts on comments?
Should they be moderated? Or not allowed at all?
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