5 Reasons Why I Moderate Comments on My Blog
I recently read that on average, only 1% of readers will leave a comment on a blog. That means it takes 100 people to read a post for just one person to actually leave a comment! Thankfully my percentages are higher than this but this reality is the primary reason that I’ve seen for new bloggers throwing in the towel in discouragement.
So it may seem surprising that I’d moderate comments and potentially discourage people from interacting. You may have noticed if you’ve ever left a comment on my blog that it doesn’t get posted immediately. I personally approve (or don’t) every comment on my site. Make no mistake, this is a pain for me and slows things down. But it is something I’ve come to believe in. I’ve been asked about this a number of times so I thought I’d explain my 5 reasons for doing so.
- Nasty comments. Discussion can quickly become damaging. Click here to read the post (and the 56 comments) that pushed me to moderate comments on my blog. This won’t happen anymore.
- Constructive comments. The flip side of this is that I can ensure that only beneficial comments get approved. My personal filter is that I’ll approve any comment that is respectful and on topic, even if they are disagreeing with me. Personal attacks or off-topic rants don’t make the cut. My recent post and discussion on Rob Bell was a good example of this.
- My response. This gives me a chance to respond first. My goal is to respond to each comment on my blog so I like being the first one to respond to your comment.
- Personal touch. Each person leaving a comment realizes that when they get the email telling them it’s approved that I’ve read their comment. This is key to discussion. Your comments matter and I take the time to read and hopefully respond to them.
- Delayed gratification. It invites readers back into the discussion and gives them a chance to see an update on what other people have commented. You may have forgot about your comment and then are reminded of the discussion when it is approved.
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