My Comment Policy
One of the things I’ve been considering for a while is having an official comment policy.
It’s not because I feel I need one, per se – the community here is one of the best on the web.
I feel incredibly lucky to have you guys come here and share your views, because you always treat both me and your fellow commenters with respect when discussing something I’ve written.
That hasn’t changed.
So why a comment policy? Simple – it keeps everything upfront, so if anyone ever does “step out of line”, they’ll know why I either edited or deleted their comment.
Again, I’ve probably only had to do that 4-5 times in the 14,000+ comments made here since this blog started. That in itself goes to show what a great community you are.
I also want to make sure that you, the reader, feel safe and comfortable when sharing your views. As my comment policy states, I will not accept anyone attacking another commenter for having a point of view. You help make this blog what it is; the least I can do is help make it somewhere you want to hang out.
The blog policy can be found here, but I’ll also replicate it now:
When I write a blog post, it’s obviously my point of view. Once it’s in the open, though, it then becomes a shared point of view with you, the readers – and your point of view is what builds the discussions around a post. Sometimes you’ll agree with me; other times, not so much. And that’s what makes the comments after a post such a fervent breeding ground for ideas.
I don’t mind if you attack me for my views. Heck, I’m big and ugly enough to take your shots, and it shows me that you’re passionate about a topic – and I would never discourage passion.
Besides, I’m the person that’s invoked that reaction, so if it’s an attack, let’s have it open and unfiltered (although keeping it respectful would be nice).
What I won’t accept, however, is attacking other commenters. They’re like you – simply offering an additional view on the starting topic. By all means, attack me – the blog is my home and as the owner, I’m responsible for what goes on inside. But attacking another commenter – that’s poor form.
I’m a firm believer in an open comment policy; I don’t moderate before publication, because I feel that stints genuine interaction and conversation. Going by the conversations that have happened over the months, it would appear that most agree.
Let’s play nice and keep it that way. Like I say, attack me if you wish – as the instigator of discussion, I’m open to all views and words. But let’s treat the guests (and that includes you) nicely. Otherwise, you will be moderated and deleted where I feel it’s applicable.
And let’s keep the bigotry, hate, sexism, profanity and all that other fun stuff off here too. You want that, hit up TechCrunch, YouTube or similar.
What say you – fair?
I think that covers it pretty well.
Good to go?
Image: Bob.Fornal
33 Responses to “My Comment Policy”
Perhaps every blogger is a parent to their community, Ching?
It is important to create a comment policy to keep everything within the rules on your blog. There is no place for hatred and profanity on blogs about marketing and social media.
Not good to go. You say you don’t moderate and you only refuse to tolerate attacks. So, if someone wrote a comment full of links to sex sites, that would be OK? Or, if someone wrote a comment that has vulgarity throughout it, that would be OK?
What about people who comment not with the required names, but with company names or keywords? Would that be OK?
Ari Herzog recently posted…. How I Produced an Online Movie
This statement covers your questions, Ari:
And let’s keep the bigotry, hate, sexism, profanity and all that other fun stuff off here too. You want that, hit up TechCrunch, YouTube or similar.
Have you seen a bunch of links to sex sites in any of my comments all the time you’ve been coming to the blog? No, because they get spam filtered out. That’s not moderation; that’s filtering.
Company names are fine, as long as it’s not a blatant pitch or sell in the comment itself. You use the KeywordLuv option on your blog, so that’s along the same lines.
OK. So mention that in the comment policy.
The more that is spelled out, the less you have to explain down the road. See http://ariwriter.com/disclaimer
Ari Herzog recently posted…. How I Produced an Online MovieI don’t think it needs to be in there. My comment policy is to protect the commenters as opposed to dealing with spam; that will continue to be filtered.
I like this, Danny. I think boundary setting can be really valuabe in many scenarios. I don’t know that I’ve ever really considered it in relation to my blog – at least not in any formal way – but I think you’re modelling something really socially useful here. You’re just stating what is and isn’t okay for you. You then give your readers a choice to say whether they jive with that or not. Either way, you’re cool. It’s great Adult-Adult behaviour.
Works for me!
Christine Livingston recently posted…. Warning- Not All Career Rules Are TrueCheers Christine.
I deliberately kept it as informal and friendly as possible. The blog’s like that; why make any comment policy different?
Besides, as I mention, I’m very lucky to have a great community here that pretty much negates the need for any real comment policy to start with.
Danny –
Shelly Kramer popped me over here as the conversation’s come up between us a few times. I’ll back up your position 100%. Earlier this year, I had an instance on my blog where a particular commenter kept dropping HTML-rich links to his earth-shattering, self-published book in every comment and telling people to buy it. I edited his comments, warned him, he persisted and I began moderating his comments out. Then his business partner came on and attacked me for not showing both sides to the story. Heavens me…I held hers for an extended moderation purely out of spite.
But here’s the rub: it’s a blog owner’s blog. Spam is one thing, moderation is another. Heck – moderation even has upside because I even edit typos to make my readers’ experience a better one (as no one intends a typo). There are those commenters who swoop in to poke the hornet’s nest and, well, you can CHOOSE whether to have them in your community.
Great discourse is a gift to any blow owner. My one goal is to find conversations to start that expand beyond my dreams in the comments. There’s not downside to establishing rules for your own brand of Romper Room.
I go to the community pool, there’s a sign telling me to not pee in it. Thanks for hanging one at your pool.
Be well!
Erika Napoletano recently posted…. The Bitch Slap- It’s Me or the PhoneHaha, I love your Community Pool, Erika – perfect!
And yes, agree completely. I wouldn’t come into your house, leave crap all over the place and then get pissed off because you tidied it up; so what’s different here?
I love comments because, like you say, the conversations within them can expand something way beyond what we expect.
Looking after that section is a no-brainer.
What I like about your policy Danny is that is you and not some legal mumbo jumbo. You have the integrity to not just accept the points of view that back you up. Ari’s comment is a good example of that. It is policy, not some law. I applaud you for keeping it open while still stating what is not tolerated. I am also working on one for my Facebook page. Similar situation. We want to encourage participation and at the same time keep hight expectations of the community.
RIchard A Marti Jr recently posted…. What do you Struggle with Most in Social MediaI’ve started to see a lot more Facebook policies spring up. The main problem I see with Facebook is that a page with a ton of fans would have to hire a full-time moderator just for that. Maybe they need to up their filter/moderation tools?
And thanks, Rich – legal mumbo jumbo and me don’t mix
Danny,
Started working on a comment policy after the #sbt10 chat the other night. Interesting to read everyone’s thoughts.
To Ari’s and Erika’s points, I had already started outlining things that would be moderated or filtered: spam and egregious self-pimping links.
You point about attacking you, but not other community members is valid. However I will come down on the side of attacking the argument, debating the position.. but not the poster, be it myself or a guest comment. Keep it professional, don’t make it personal.
And as I sometimes let a swear word slip out myself, I’ll be a little lenient with the profanity.
FWIW.
Davina K. Brewer recently posted…. You’ve come a long way baby Or NotWell, yes, the odd swear word will obviously get through (I believe I lead the Swear Jar Challenge).
Agree on the professional approach – heated debate is one thing, all-out attack is something else altogether. And, as you say, won’t be tolerated.
Danny – This seems more than reasonable to me. It’s a sad commentary on internet etiquette that you have to say anything along these lines at all, but I certainly don’t blame you for doing so if you’ve had issues.
Jason Crouch recently posted…. How to be a Social Media Butterfly on FacebookThankfully I’ve been fairly lucky, both from a flaming angle and with the community that’s part of this blog, Jason.
Even when I have been flamed, I’ve seen their side and mostly let it die out. Just don’t go after my readers
Danny, I like your idea off having a comment policy. It suggests maybe I should do the same.
I agree with you that not moderating comments before posting is a good idea. This in many cases turns into censorship. I do not want censorship because I would like to have open and free discussion regardless of someone’s view point on my blog.
Rob Cairns recently posted…. Doctors And Customer ServiceI look at it from a time angle as well, Rob. Couple that with the flow an open comments policy allows, and I’m happy to continue as is.
Rules, laws, and policies exist because there are always a few people out there that need to be told what to do because they are usually careless, not stupid. So yes, sometimes you have to legislate decency and manners for those that lack it.
SenseiMattKlein recently posted…. Martial Arts Classes- 79 Reasons Why Kids Love ThemHmm, now you have me thinking, Matt – perhaps some folks’ views on manners might be the reason they come across as vindictive? To them, it’s normal behaviour while to others it’s not acceptable?
Yes, Danny, the differences between how people perceive behaviour is related to how they were brought up. Some lack manners because they were never taught any. I have children that come up to me every week after class, shake my hand, and thank me. You can bet their parents place a high value on manners.
SenseiMattKlein recently posted…. 20 Ways Martial Arts Schools Build Children’s ConfidenceCouldn’t agree more on that front, sir. I took karate while in the U.K., and it was always refreshing and inspiring to see young kids mix with teens and adults, and the respect everyone showed each other.
We can teach it in classes and workplaces, but to truly understand it we need to see and learn it from home.
Thanks, sir.
I appreciate the insights into your comment policy, Danny – and agree with the elements that make it up.
Unfortunately, having a comment policy is more of a necessity in today’s online world – just because there is always the proverbial bad apple that comes by and ruins the day for everyone.
I have always felt that comment moderation isn’t needed – it’s always either a healthy debate or a comment that violates the policy and deserves the trash can.
And no matter what, personal attacks on other members of the audience are never very civilized – or acceptable!
Kapil Apshankar recently posted…. The Hidden Dangers Of Not Having A Social Media Base CampI often wonder how TechCrunch and the likes get by…
And agree completely with your last point, Kapil – personal attacks are not acceptable at any time.
Danny, also agree with your comment policy. In our business, we are seeing businesses get destroyed because high ranking blogs are allowing random comments attacking businesses (unrelated to blog post). That then shows up in search engine under that businesses name, reputation destroyed, etc.
I wish more blog owners had standard policies.
Chris recently posted…. Facebook Defamation- Slander- And LibelGood point, Chris. Plus a blogger is responsible for the comments anyway, and they can get sued for any slanderous or libelous comments, so it makes sense from that angle too to make sure you’re not allowing any damaging stuff through. Cheers!
Unsure why I didn’t see this before, but I suggest adding two dates at the bottom of the document: an effective date and a last amended date. See the bottom of http://ariherzog.com/comment-policy/ to see what I refer. In this way, people will see how long it’s been in effect and when it was last updated, both proof it’s a living policy.
Good suggestions, Ari, cheers.
Yes, that’s fair, Danny.
I never thought about setting up a comment policy but I can see why it’s needed now. It’s easy to ‘delete’ inappropriate/spammy comments but once they’re getting overwhelming, I may need to question if I’m not making it clear how things shall work under my roof (sounds like a parent, eh? :p). Another one on my to-do list (and they never finish:) A much-needed push.
@wchingya
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