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How Blog Comment Policies Lend Credibility To Your Blog

by Donna Maria

The comments at my three blogs are always helpful, professional and polite, even when they disagree with my commentary. In fact, the only comments I reject are spam or comments that simply make no sense, usually because they are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. I am also a frequent commenter at other people’s blogs. Recently, for the first time, I submitted comments that were not accepted by two unrelated blog owners. While my comments were thought provoking and polite, they did ask the bloggers to clarify some of the positions taken in their posts.

Speech Bubbles

One of my comments was rejected because the blogger did not want to debate in public. The other never appeared at the blog, even though previous comments had been approved. I love blog comments, and I value the contributions of people who take the time to visit and share opinions, questions and comments at my blogs, even when they question or disagree with me. Here are my blog comment policies so you know in advance how I handle your comments.

  1. Registration is not required. I use the Disqus comment system, which makes it easy for you to create a profile containing your avatar, website link and other information. While I encourage you to use this commenting system, which increases your online visibility and boosts your brand, you are not required to do so and I will not reject your comments simply because you choose not to register.
  2. Reply comments and follow up questions are welcome. As you can see, Disqus allows you to reply to comments using a threaded feature. You don’t have to use this feature, but I encourage it because it makes information easier to find and helps others put your contributions into proper context. I will not reject your comments simply because you choose not to use the threaded comment feature.
  3. Disagreement is welcome, nastiness is not. I approve comments that disagree with me or with other commenters. I will reject comments that are rude, nasty and disrespectful, especially if they are directed at another commenter. I will not send you an explanation if I reject your comment on these grounds.
  4. Comments containing poor grammar and spelling errors. From time to time, I receive comments that are riddled with grammatical and spelling errors. Most of the time, I delete them because lack of professionalism reflects poorly on me, my blog and the other people who comment here. On rare occasion, if such a comment contains helpful substance, I will edit and then post it.
  5. Spam is not tolerated. I reject all comments that, in my discretion, are designed solely to draw attention to your business or boost your SEO. If you want to expand your brand, buy an ad, hire an SEO expert, engage a publicist or learn how to maintain your own blog.
  6. Your comments belong to you. Your comments are your original works of authorship and your are their sole owner. People commenting here often contribute very insightful commentary and I like to share their opinions, with credit to them of course. When you comment here, you are giving me permission to share your comments elsewhere, including on my radio show, at my other blogs, at my social networking site, on Twitter, FaceBook and in presentations, talks and media appearances.
  7. I will not help you break the law. I reject comments that, in my discretion, are libelous, scandalous, slanderous, malicious, or that negligently disregard another person’s legal rights or human rights. I will not send you an explanation if I do so. I will not send you an explanation if I reject your comment on these grounds.
  8. I have not decided on anonymous commenters. I have never had an anonymous commenter, but I have seen anonyimity adversely impact the experience at other blogs. I am leaving this issue open for the moment, and will reconsider it if necessary in the future. For now, anonymous comments are accepted.

Blog Comment Policies Lend Credibility To Your Blog

To maximize your success in business, you must embrace your role as the publisher of content that shares your ideas with as many people as possible. A blog is one of the best and most efficient publishing tools available. One of the reasons blogs are effective is because they facilitate open and honest communication between you, your customers, your competitors, your vendors, the media and other stakeholders.

If you accept comments at your blog, I urge you to maintain comment policies that lend credibility and professionalism to your blog, and which notify others of the practices you follow as you invite the public to participate.

If this topic interests you, you may wish to check out Michael Hyatt’s post on his blog comment policies.

Question: What do you think? Do you have a comment policies at your blog? Do you think you need one?

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Tagged as: Blogging, comments, discussion, Relationships, web 2.0

posted on December 13, 2009 ·

Facebook comments:

  • http://botanicabasics.com/ SLMeyer

    Thanks for your insights as to how you do it. I've had some spam and some nonsense comments that were out the box and made no sense to any of my subjects, past and present. They were so badly written that I couldn't believe they took the time to type it. I actually got the impression english was not thier 1st or 2nd language and they used a translator program, most of which are lacking as far as nuances and tense go in the english language. They were probably seeking to start the scamming next, but I just blocked the addys and keep a watchful eye open. Thankfully, that's easy as there's that quiet joy of “comment approval” before the posting is posted on the blog.

  • http://overfortyrincess.liedel.org Nancy Liedel

    This is a fantastic article with great information. I have a comment policy, but this is so much better.

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

    Glad you found it useful, Nancy.

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

    Yes, and comment policies really set the tone for professionalism at your blog. Spammers and scammers look for something easy. They don't like to work, so if your blog looks like a ghost town or easy prey, they will find you. I think their software has figured out how to avoid blogs that are well maintained and full of real people actually having meaningful conversations. Always gotta stay a step ahead!

  • http://www.NationalCookieNetwork.com/ Tiffany

    Hi Donna Maria,

    I've been reading about the importance of this on a few sites lately.

    I'm curious….

    Where do you post this? I mean, obviously for me it would be a blog page,
    but where on your main page does this link to your policy get displayed? Is
    it part of your main navigation? Is it a small link in your footer? Where
    is it common place for a link like this to show up?

    Thanks
    Tiffany

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

    Thanks for your question. Where you post your Editorial Policies depends on how your blog is designed. My overall recommendation is that they be easy for your readers to find. My comment policies are a part of my Editorial Policies, which are a sub-page of my About Page. See above. I have seen other people just make it a blog post and that's it. Still others put it as text on an About page. This is a good option if you don't like the option of creating sub-pages. I think adding it as a small link in a foot is a good option, but that might not be visible enough on its own. WordPress makes it easy to do it however it works best for you, another reason I love the WordPress blogging platform. Hope this helps!

  • http://www.NationalCookieNetwork.com/ Tiffany

    Hi Donna Maria,

    I've been reading about the importance of this on a few sites lately.

    I'm curious….

    Where do you post this? I mean, obviously for me it would be a blog page,
    but where on your main page does this link to your policy get displayed? Is
    it part of your main navigation? Is it a small link in your footer? Where
    is it common place for a link like this to show up?

    Thanks
    Tiffany

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

    Thanks for your question. Where you post your Editorial Policies depends on how your blog is designed. My overall recommendation is that they be easy for your readers to find. My comment policies are a part of my Editorial Policies, which are a sub-page of my About Page. See above. I have seen other people just make it a blog post and that's it. Still others put it as text on an About page. This is a good option if you don't like the option of creating sub-pages. I think adding it as a small link in a foot is a good option, but that might not be visible enough on its own. WordPress makes it easy to do it however it works best for you, another reason I love the WordPress blogging platform. Hope this helps!

  • annekeefe

    I always find your blogs engaging and full of valuable information. Thank you for a great insightful post.

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

    Thank you for your encouraging comment and for stopping by. I'm glad you found the post to be helpful.

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    nice info on blog commenting policies. I had never thought that it could be so tricky.

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  • http://www.wingsets.com Annrn @ Wingsets

    Great blog and wanted to add that while posting on other blogs, I've found the Disqus particularly functional, easy to use and effective. I can use it on more than just your blog and I don't have to continually look up my various passwords. Obviously, people are more likely to respond if we make it easy for them. Thanks!

  • Valerie R.

    Thanks! This was really helpful. I struggle with this sometimes so it really helps to have new ways of thinking about comments.

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      hi, i am agree with you. i mean this blogs help me to how to write the blog…

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

    I have really enjoyed Disqus as well. It is efficient, as you say — and we do have to be efficient when it comes to blogging!

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

    Glad it was helpful, Valerie. I have found that having policies helps us be more efficient, and also lets people know where we stand in advance. That helps them decide if our blog is a place where they want to be.

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