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August 04, 2005
What's your policy?
Does your blog have a comment policy? Should it? Probably. If the blog is related to a business, definitely.
If you've been around the web for any length of time, you've seen how message boards and forums can get out of hand.
Debating is good. Difference of opinion is good. Meanness? Not good.
Robert Scoble, the Microsoft uber-blogger, has taken a break from blogging after being berated in his comments.
Scoble and Shel Israel are writing a book about blogging. On the accompanying blog, Shel announced a new policy.
The key points:
· From this point forward, this is what I will do. If I feel you are being abusive, hogging the conversation or otherwise discouraging the open exchange of legitimate points of view. I will ask you to be more polite. If you ignore the request, I will ban you from further Comments.
· From this point forward, I am banning all anonymous comments. If you have something to say, and you want to be credible, you will need to identify yourself, and I encourage you also to identify where you are coming from, so that others may assess how strongly they wish to value your opinions.
On the Blog Business Summit blog, DL Byron wonders if all comments turn ugly, like some Slashdot threads, that blogs could have a "slow death by comments."
Sure, it could happen. Just look at the ever-increasing blog spam on comments and trackbacks. And that's the moderator's role – someone needs to weed out the spam and the meanness and leave the rest of the comments open to foster spirited communications.
P.S. You can still register for the Blog Business Summit, Aug. 17-19 in San Francisco.
Posted by at August 4, 2005 11:31 AM
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Comments
I enjoy blogs and the freedom and power of the good old written word.I do truely agree,though we should, and I do hope, will try to keep it civilized.Rhetoric is not dependant upon emotion,though some do believe so.As the old saying goes,I may not agree with what you say,but I will defend to the death,your right to say it.
Posted by: wayne cunningham at August 15, 2005 07:45 PM
I don't trust moderated blogs. How hard is it to delete SPAM comments, that you have to moderate each comment.
Blogs should be open, and I do have a comment policy, but also allow comments to be open. Have thick skin if you're going to be out blogging.
Posted by: Jeremy Pepper at August 19, 2005 06:04 PM
