When people think of reactions from blogs, they normally think of negative reviews or inspiring stories.
Comments aren’t usually high up on the list of monitoring and watching what’s being said online.
Yet they should be, as a recent post by David Henderson and the subsequent conversation in the comments section show.
I won’t go too much into the actual blog post or the comments, as they’re both recommended reads and will give you a far clearer view of who may be in the right or wrong. What the post does highlight is that a blog comment can go even further than a blog post at painting an individual or company in a less than flattering light.
The gist of the post and resulting conversation is that David Henderson suggests that WordPress is an excellent medium for hosting your own online newsroom. Countering this is Steve Momorella of TEKgroup International, a company that develops and maintains online newsrooms.
What could have been a good discussion about both the validity of having your own online newsroom and how good WordPress is at running such a tool instead develops into a messy claim/counter-claim regarding the post and follow-up comments.
David seems to take umbrage with a comment made by Steve about the usefulness of WordPress and calls it a lack of understanding on Steve’s part. Steve is unhappy about David’s “disrespect” and so points out an error on David’s website.
This then results in other commenters joining in and by the end of everything, there’s a veritable “he said, she said” feel to everything.
While it makes for hugely entertaining reading, it also shows how a simple blog comment can taint someone’s view. I read David Henderson regularly. I respect him immensely and find him to be a great source of information and knowledge (although his constant putting down of PR does jade, after a while).
I didn”t know Steve Momorella prior to his comments on David’s blog post, but I do know of him now. Because of that blog post and its comments, I felt both David and Steve came out a little less positive than they otherwise might have.
While Steve’s comments have merit, they did come across as slightly leaned toward promoting his company which could be classed as comment spam. Whether that was the intent or not is down to Steve’s interpretation.
For David’s side, I felt he was being a little defensive and it maybe encouraged Steve to counter more than he would have.
From an outsider’s point of view, it could be seen as Steve is a promotional spammer and David doesn’t like comments that disagree with him. I know this isn’t the case with David and I’m guessing it’s not the case for Steve.
But see how easy a conversation in blog comments can sway a point of view?
Are you always thinking slightly about what you say and how it’s said when you comment on a blog? Or do you feel that it’s not something to worry about too much and just say what you feel regardless? Can comment conversations get away from you?
The comments are yours (no ironic pun intended).
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Twitter: AngEngland
*laughing* Everyone is afraid to leave a comment!
Alright, I have a big mouth and will go first then.
Well said!
I think the things I dislike most when it comes to comments are the “anonymous” ones. If you have something to say, at least be willing to stand by what you say. Or don’t say it.
Of course, if everyone lived by my dad’s rule you wouldn’t have to have written this post. “If you can’t say something nice….” Oh, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that!
Angela <
Twitter: DannyBrown
Yes, they are a bind. Although usually the anonymous commenters are generally flamers, so maybe it’s not too much of a surprise?
Danny,
I think it really depends on the motivation of the commenter. Some people are just looking for traffic and so perhaps fire off the first thing that pops into their head. Sometimes a flame comment can drive more traffic than a non-value “Great post” comment. Others, companies or representatives of companies (like myself) are more likely to be a lot more conscious of what they say–they want to be part of the conversation but understand the infinite nature of the Internet’s memory–and so, are careful of what they send out into the ether.
Regardless, it can be difficult to glean meaning from blocks of texts and meaning is often derived more from the reader’s perspective rather than the writer’s intent.
When in doubt about how your comment might be perceived, leave a smiley face.
Sara @ iGoMogul
Twitter: DannyBrown
I agree, smiley faces always help.
The thing I find a lot about flame commenters is that many get bored if there are no responses. I had a post a while back where the comments were taken over by flamers and, with the exception of correcting a fact, I let them moan about me and have their moment.
At the end of the day, no-one can please everyone all of the time, and I know people will get pissed at me for some of the stuff I write. It’s why I like an open comments policy – it allows instant views and people their voice, even the dissenters.
And often, if you can turn a dissenter into a “lover” through reasoned conversation, it makes the comments all the more worthwhile.
Cheers for stopping by, Sara, appreciate it
Leaving a comment on a blog is one of the best ways to engage with both the blogger and his or her readers. Yet can they also offer a tainted view of someone?
via uberVU
Twitter: ariherzog
While implied, you failed to outright mention that Google changed its indexing processes a few months ago whereby if you run a Google Alert on a keyword, business, name, etc., comments will appear alongside blog posts themselves.
Case in point: I run ego Google Alert searches on variants of my name, website, etc. Nine times out of ten, moments after I post a comment (like this), I receive an alert.
The warning signs for reputation come into play if a negative business comment is written by an employee, vendor, client, etc.
Twitter: DannyBrown
Good point, Ari, and thanks for bringing it up.
There’s a future post in the works about blogs and their relevance to brand reputation (personal and business) and why Google isn’t the only name in town to be concerned about.
Twitter: ariherzog
Who knew I commented here before? Not me.
Ari Herzog´s most recent blog post …Showcase Sunday: Satisfying Videos to Watch
Twitter: timjahn
While I don’t enjoy people bickering back and forth (which happens from time to time), I do enjoy when comments take the post beyond the original topic and evolves the discussion into something new. For me, that’s the conversation flowing naturally.
There have been many a time where I’ve found greater insight in the comments of a post than in the post content itself. And I’m not saying the post wasn’t amazing. The conversation it generated was even more amazing.
Twitter: DannyBrown
Agree 100% with you, Tim – I’ve often found inspiration for a new topic from a comment made by a reader. As you say, a post in itself can be great, but a comment and subsequent conversation can lift it even higher.
I think it is important to always acknowledge that both sides have good and bad.
I think Steve may have made some good points as you bring out Danny.
I also think that. I think he error began when David went personal I think comments are great if they inspire and encourage to write more. I agree with Tim Jahn that they make a post more intresting.
But, as always Danny you hit the nail on the head with stating we need to be careful and think about the comments we leave.
Thankx again for another insightful post, for making us think
Congrats on the win
Twitter: DannyBrown
Hi Pat,
I agree – comments often lift a post to another level (and I know I’ve gained inspiration for follow-up posts from the comments left on some of my posts).
I guess the trick is tempering what you want to say in a way that makes a point without potentially leaving the wrong impression.