When is it kosher to delete a nasty blog comment?: The Social Path

If there's one thing that seems to terrify even the toughest, most iron-willed executives in corporate America, it's the idea of opening themselves to online criticism.

Personally, I think this is because social media is an ultimate equalizer, one that is finally erasing the gulf between corporations and customers. And let's face it, most executives have surrounded themselves with people who are paid to be loyal, so unfiltered criticism is far from being a standard aspect of daily life.

As part of my brief series of posts about blog comments, I wanted to pick the brain of Mack Collier, a social media consultant who specializes in corporate blogging. I turned to Mack because I think he balances the open-dialogue dreams of the social Web with the practicality of the business world.

Check out my quick Q&A with Mack after the jump.

Comment Q&A with Mack Collier, blogger and social media consultant

Q. Is it inevitable that as a site's popularity grows, so will the obnoxiousness of its commenters?

A. I think the blog's topic greatly determines the tone of the comments, as well as the frequency. And as you get more traffic, you'll probably have more obnoxious comments, that just comes with the territory.

Thankfully, I've never had this problem on my blog, but I stay pretty engaged in the comments, so I think that plays a big role in the tone of the comments, as well.

Q. Are businesses still terrified of open commenting on their sites and blogs?

A. Well I think/hope the 'terrified' stage ended a couple of years ago, and we have advanced to merely "concerned." I think companies are slowly getting past their fears about customers commenting, but they are still pretty much clueless about why they should respond to comments, and the advantages of interacting with their commenting customers.

Q. Will we ever reach a point where all comments are open, with no moderation?

A. I just can't see us ever getting past moderating comments, and I'm not sure we need that anyway. I have some moderating on my blog, like you can't leave anonymous comments, and I have to approve any comment left to a post over 14 days old (these are often spam).

But if companies can quickly approve/check comments, the problems should be minimal. And I think we are moving toward a point where companies realize the importance of doing this.

Q. When a company is creating a blog comment policy — especially in terms of which comments it will allow or delete — where should you draw the line between criticism (allowed) and insult (deleted)?

A. A company should never feel bad about deleting a comment that has profanity, or any personal attacks against them or anyone else. But the company should be very careful about deleting comments that are
simply critical about them.

If there's criticism, then it should be addressed. If you delete a critical comment, that's usually the quickest way to ensure that you will get MORE critical comments. If you delete my critical comment on your company blog, all I have to do is go write a post about the comment AND your actions on my blog.

If the company believes a comment violates their comment policy, they should delete the comment and contact the commenter to explain why the comment was deleted, and invite them to re-submit it, within their comment guidelines.

But the bottom line is that the company should make every effort to make sure the comment gets approved. Deleting comments should be a last resort, although a sometimes necessary one.

Q. You often talk about how commenting on other sites is a key way to build your own blog, but in my experience, people get a bit carried away with this by making comments just to have a link to their blog. What's your advice on how to do this the right way?

A. I think many people don't realize that when they leave a comment, they are automatically getting a link back to their blog if they add the URL while filling out the comment form. But at the other end of
the spectrum is the commenter that says "Great post!", then leaves about 5 lines of bio about them, their blog and site URLs, etc. Then the comment becomes little more than a commercial for the commenter.

Remember that the end result is that you want your comment to be seen as having value to the blog's readers. If readers see your comment as being valuable, that greatly increases the chances of them wanting to click your name and check out your site. On the flipside, if your comment is short and you add 5 lines telling who you are and your site/blog URL, then it comes across as spam, and that gets ignored.

As with almost everything in social media, writing a good blog comment is about creating value, and using that value as a way to indirectly promote yourself. Direct promotion is a turn-off.

You can read a lot more of Mack's thoughts on social media at his blog, The Viral Garden, or on his Twitter feed. Tomorrow, we get a look at the legalities of blog comments with attorney Michael McSunas.

Today's photo credits: Frogé and Beth Harte on Flickr.

The only comments that I have ever deleted were picked up by my Askimet filter. Other then that it is open season on me and my blog. So come and take pot shots ;).

Posted by: Stuart Foster | May 11, 2009 at 07:31 PM

I really like the point about criticism vs insults in comments. I agree that it's wise and important to address somebody who's left a criticizing comment openly. And by that I mean, respond and address the issue (of course in a nice way). Acknowledge the person's opinion and then share your own point of view.

That is far better than outright deleting the individuals comment. And often leaves all with a better end result.

Posted by: Ricardo Bueno | May 12, 2009 at 12:33 AM

Your point about regularly engaging with commenters is crucial. Companies that want to have a conversation can't just start it and then go silent when people reply. By engaging with both positive and critical posts, the comments section becomes a dialogue. Otherwise, it risks becoming a sounding board.

Posted by: Mike Schmidt | May 13, 2009 at 01:13 PM

Thanks for the comments, guys. I also think that blogging (really social media in general) requires that you adopt thick(er) skin. I remember the first time I saw that someone had taken a 'horrible' picture of me and put it on Flickr. Now I accept that most of the pics taken of me are terrible, and just understand that it's going to happen ;)

If you aren't getting critical comments from time to time, then you probably aren't reaching very many people. You just can't take it personally, but many people do. But always remember that while someone leaves a critical/negative/nasty comment, everyone ELSE is going to watch how you handle that comment. Do so well, and your reputation improves, handle it poorly, and your reputation suffers.

David thanks again for asking for my thoughts, I really appreciate it!

Posted by: mack collier | May 14, 2009 at 01:22 PM