Structure How You Deal With Comments to Find the Right Response
Having previously written about how I embrace comments and why as well as how commenters should be commenting is it time to tackle what your role as blogger is when responding to comments and not least what you do if they despite all your good intentions don’t comment as they ideally should. Making clear, at least to yourself, how you will deal with comments is something you do well by doing before you get overwhelmed with them. Since I haven’t arrived at that point yet I thought I would use the opportunity and structure how I want to approach the matter.
Before reacting to new comments should you take the time to read them thoroughly. I usually check them once a day unless I happen to sit at the computer when they come in. Even if I could react right away do I not give in to the desire to do so. Not yet. Regardless of the comment is it never a good idea to react in an instant. Read each of them carefully and then turn your attention to something else. Your brain will continue to think about the comments in the background and either tells you when it is ready or it will at least be more ready when you decide it is time to start responding. Before you respond do you have to consider how to react though as not all comments require a response.
Broadly speaking can you react in one of three ways when getting a comment. I am leaving spam comments aside as that is another discussion and something I will rather leave to capable technology than deal with myself. When you see a genuine comment can you ignore it, respond to it or delete it. The tricky part is figuring out which comments require which reaction. My suggestion is to consider them neutral, positive or negative and handle them accordingly:
Neutral comments are those that neither add nor subtract. They are neither positive nor negative in this sense. They may very well contain positive elements, but none that moves anything or anyone. Typical examples would be comments like “me too”, “Great Article”, “idiot” or the like. What are you supposed to say to that? Then better say nothing and leave them be if they come from someone that you are comfortable linking back to or if they contain no link to a website.
Positive comments add something to the article or to the preceding comments. They can be taking the idea further, offer new angles, help complete an argument or add missing pieces. If they criticize is it constructively so that everyone stays in the conversation and can see where the flaw is or problem lies and how it could be improved upon or solved. Everything that brings us further teaches us something and even more so if we participate in the conversation by commenting ourselves.
Negative comments are negative as they only subtract. Basically are they just the opposite of the positive. They offer nothing new, but simply interrupt. Like the guy who always seemed to be around when you tried to learn something. The one who always had to put himself in the center even if he would have been better off shutting up and paying attention. Should he show up at your site are you bound to find out. Now is your chance to finally show him the door by simply deleting his comment.
Unfortunately is not every comment this easy to label. They are not all purely neutral, positive or negative, but can contain more elements. This is something you need to consider when dealing with them. After having dealt with the purely negative and the purely neutral comments (by deleting them and ignoring them respectively) is it thus time for another break. Great or small depending on your taste you should take the time to reflect before you reply.
Having sorted out the clearly neutral and negative do we have the three variations of positive comments left to deal with. Those that are positive through and through, those that are positive with neutral elements and those that are both positive and negative:
The purely positive are the easiest to deal with. You still have to come up with a good response, but that is really all you have to consider. Checking the 10 Tips That Will Make Anyone a Better Commenter will serve you well as that wasn’t just written for “other people” you know. Often are commenters bloggers and vice versa and you really should take the same care when commenting regardless of playing home or away. If everyone adheres to the same guidelines is the chance that much bigger that we all enjoy and profit from it.
Slightly different, but essentially the same are the positive comments with neutral elements. By this do I not mean that they say nothing and then say something, but that they don’t manage to get their point clearly across. You may end up having to guess what they mean or deal with arguments that seems to be contradicting themselves. This requires a little more finesse and diplomacy than the purely positive comment, but if you follow the guidelines just mentioned should you be fine.
Positive comments with negative aspects are typically comments that make a good point, but do so in an unacceptable manner. Although basically unacceptable these comments may deserve a second chance. Your options are to keep them in moderation and wait for a new response or to reply with the utmost consideration. If they try again let that decide how you react. If you choose to respond then pay special attention to staying on topic in order to keep everything personal out of it.
By structuring your reactions to comments on your blog do you stand a better chance of making the most of them. You should even be able to foster more positive comments that way as you clearly show that you don’t tolerate purely negative comments, don’t have the desire to reply to just anything and know how to deal with everything else. With time people will be able to see how commenting on your blog works and ease in. Even if they don’t you at least have the structure in place to deal with it.
While you should strive to attracting as many positive comments on your articles as possible should you not be lamed by the prospect of having to deal with negative comments. Some bloggers are very hesitant to delete comments, but provided you follow the steps above and really put in the time to reflect on how to label each comment is there really nothing to be hesitant about. Remember that just because we post something that everyone in the whole world can read doesn’t that automatically give everyone else the right to do the same. Not on my blog at least.
If everyone keeps his or her eyes on the ball and focus on what was written should everything be fine. Should someone not respect that is it really not that hard to deal with. Once the comment is submitted the commenter may still own the words, but he or she has nonetheless lost control as we have the provision to edit, delete or hide it as we see fit. However, since commenting in a way that everyone not only can live with, but indeed will benefit from really isn’t that hard is that certainly the route that I hope everyone commenting here choose to take.
To learn more about responding to comments and especially about how to deal with negative comments check out Lorelles articles: Mean Spirited Comments and Blogging and Comments on Comments as well as Blogging? You’re A Moron by Jason Kaneshiro and Bes Zain’s The Art Of Reacting To Criticizing Comments.
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