I had a reader email me recently asking my why their comment did not meet my requirements to be published on my site. It turns out the comment was snagged by Akismet by accident and should have been published. An email exchange with that reader (who unfortunately does not have a blog to which to link) led me to this post. What are policies that I believe all bloggers should adhere to when it comes to commenting? Here’s my list:

  • Get Comments Up Quickly: I don’t hold comments for approval so as long as your comment does not contain spammy material, you should be up instantly. If you do hold for approval, make sure you approve quickly. If your post has momentum, don’t hold the discussion up!
  • Reply to Comments: This is not always possible, but I try to reply to as many comments as I can. I think this shows you value reader contribution and take what they have to say seriously. Plus, you have the chance to contribute to a conversation on your own site.
  • Value Differing Opinions: Don’t throw out comments because they might offer a differing or slightly controversial viewpoint to your own. I embrace these and will often update the post to show the alternate opinion. After all, I am trying to give readers a well-rounded view of a topic and that sometimes might include information that I was not able to provide.
  • Let Readers Subscribe to Comments: I will often leave a comment on a very interesting post and be anxious to read the reply from the author or other readers only to become to busy and forget to go back and check it out. Why not let readers subscribe to a comment string and get the responses in their email box. This keeps people engaged and coming back to further the conversation. I use this Subscribe to Comments plugin on my site and have never had any issue with it.
  • Connect with Readers: Every once in awhile I like to strike up an email exchange on the side with a reader who comments often - thanking them for their comments and trying to learn a little more about them. I’ve made some excellent connections this way!

To me, comments are probably the most valuable asset of this blog. Without them the sense of community I’ve so enjoyed from this experience would be lost!

What could be added to the list above? Did I miss anything important?

none