Dealing With Inappropriate Comments on Your Blog

By Joann J Carlisle

It's an unfortunate fact of life that people will say inappropriate things if they can hide behind a curtain of anonymity. Nowhere is this more evident than on the Internet, and particularly on websites that allow for open commenting. Here are a few ways to deal with inappropriate comments on your blog.

Have a policy. Before you can deal with inappropriate comments, it is necessary to define exactly what constitutes inappropriate commenting. Set up some clear guidelines and post them in an easily accessible location on your website. Common guidelines include no spam, no pornography, no profanity and no personal attacks, but ultimately you are the judge of what is considered inappropriate on your website. Of course, it's also important to update that policy as needed.

Stick to the policy. Once you have established a clear set of guidelines, it's important to adhere to it under all circumstances. Do not delete or otherwise censor appropriate comments that happen to disagree with you; likewise, do not let inappropriate language slide in comments that happen to agree with your ideas. If you follow your own rules fairly and impartially, your readers will notice.

Do not respond to inappropriate comments. A common saying on the Internet is "Don't feed the trolls." Most of the time, people who comment with inappropriate language or inflammatory remarks do so deliberately; they want attention. Giving attention to those comments just encourages them to post more.

Respond to appropriate comments. As important as it is to discourage inappropriate behavior, it is even more important to encourage appropriate behavior. Make a point of responding to readers who write clean, fair, well-reasoned comments, even if they disagree with your ideas. If you don't reward good comments, your readers will come to view the comments field as a place where anything goes. If you treat your readers with respect and fairness, they will respond.

Require commenters to sign in. This is fairly standard procedure on most blogs, but it bears mentioning nevertheless. Requiring readers to use an AIM, Facebook, Livejournal or other ID to leave a comment removes much of the anonymity that enables inappropriate commenting. It also provides a means to block inappropriate commenters.

Record the comments. Despite all these means, someone will inevitably leave one or more inappropriate comments on your blog. When this happens, it's very important to keep records of this inappropriate content. Recording comments will help you stop repeat offenders.

Delete the comments. Of course, letting inappropriate comments remain on your posts reflects negatively on your blog and your readers. Once it's been recorded, get it off the page. If your readers ask, point to your established policy and explain exactly why the comment was inappropriate.

Joann Carlisle is a writer who enjoys writing on a number of different verticals. For more on blog commenting, AZ Blog Tips offers readers information on whether or not to moderate blog comments.