Is there such a thing as blog etiquette? I did a quick Google search on it and only found articles related to cursing. That really didn’t help me. But in case you were wondering, it is only okay to curse in a comment if the blog owner curses on a regular basis. And, now you know.
I’m trying to find answers to the following:
1 – What is the correct way to respond to comments on your blog? Should you reply via email or in the comments section? I did find something that said you should respond in the comments section if a) your answer would benefit the rest of your readers, b) it would foster more comments, or c) it is a question that many people are asking. Use email if it is a more private question between reader and viewer. But do you even have to respond? Do you?
Personally, I send an email to anyone who is a first-time commenter. I acknowledge their comment and thank them for stopping by. Nothing fancy, just friendly. Other than that, I comment if I think something needs cleared up or if I have time. Neither of which happens often. Does this offend people? I have no idea. What do you think? What do you do?
2 – I was completely snubbed by another blogger and I’m not sure whether or not to get upset by it. I commented on a blog post and the comment was ‘held for moderation’. But it is now a week later and my comment still hasn’t been published. Comments since mine have been published but not mine. I didn’t say anything offensive (just basically a “yeah, I know how you feel” kind of thing) so I don’t know if it was just because the blogger didn’t know me or just decided I wasn’t worth the effort. But I have to say, I’m a little miffed. And I won’t be commenting over there again. Has this ever happened to you?
3 – Another blogger wrote a very offensive post this week, where fun was made of a less-fortunate group of people. Basically said “they had it coming”. I was furious but didn’t comment. I just unsubscribed from this particular person’s RSS feed and vowed never to return. Should I have said something? I thought about it but this person seems to have a pretty black-and-white view of the world and I don’t think a random comment would have changed anything. I don’t know…what would you have done?
So help me, blog buds, are there ‘rules’ for this sort of thing?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Hmmm. Good points you make here. Let’s see…
1. I generally respond via e-mail if I think the comment needs a response. If a question is asked or maybe they noticed something I was hoping folks would notice, or if they were particularly supportive. I tend to respond more to my regular blog visitors. In the case of a first-time commenter, I’ll make a point to find their blog and leave them a comment. I rarely respond to someone via e-mail if I don’t know them at least a little bit. Since I rarely re-read a blog post and it’s comments, a response in the comments may fly right by me and never be seen.
2. I comment all the time and never receive an acknowledgment or response. Actually, I wouldn’t have noticed that I hadn’t been published because I wouldn’t have gone back to see. If I had noticed, however, I would definitely be annoyed.
3. I’d probably say something if I thought I could phrase it in a logical, intelligent manner. And then I’d totally ignore the response and never visit again.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at 8:56 pm
I usually respond to people who post comments on my blog; it seems to me that if they took the time to read and comment, the least I could do is acknowledge that, if only briefly.
I know of other bloggers who hold comments for moderation; I presume it’s because they have had trouble of one sort or another in the past. That’s the blogger’s prerogative and it doesn’t bother me, even when the person doing it is a long-time acquaintance. I know of other bloggers, though, who see it as a sort of censorship. The circumstance you describe, though, is indeed odd.
As for how to “respond” to a post that offends you, I would suppose that depends on the sort of relationship you have with that blog. You may recall Winston of Nobody Asked once posted about something similar–over time, the language and ideas of a blog he visited regularly became so vitrioloic that he just stopped visiting it. So, yeah: voting with your feet is a perfectly appropriate response, I think.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Alissa and John B. — Thanks for your thoughts. I do appreciate it when other bloggers take the time to acknowledge my comments, so I’m going to try to do a better job of acknowledging the ones I receive.
It makes me feel better that you think the moderated comment scenario is odd too. Maybe I can convince myself that it was a technical issue and the comment wasn’t received. (But I don’t think so.)
And I tried to think of an unemotional, logical response to the offensive post, Alissa — unfortunately, I’m still seeing red over that so I’m going to have to drop it!
Thursday, August 30, 2007 at 7:40 am
Look, I came back to see if you responded
I forgot to mention that I will do that if the post/topic interests me enough that I want to see what others say about it.
Thursday, August 30, 2007 at 7:42 am
Just a couple of quick addenda to the issue of acknowledging comments: 1) I make it my unofficial policy to acknowledge first-time comments from people and express my hope that they’ll come back again some time. That just seems to me like a respectful thing to do. 2) My great fear is to come off sounding perfunctory in my acknowledgment. There have been times when someone has left a comment along the lines of “Hey–great post!” and I think, Well, beyond replying by saying ‘Word!’ what do you say to that? Luckily, though, most who comment have something substantive to say that allows me an entree into replying with something substantive.
Thursday, August 30, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Regarding commenting, I find that responding in the comment section is easiest. Even for first time comments too. Personally, I just don’t have the time to email more than I already do. However, I will email a personal response if it’s appropriate. Otherwise, I’m not offended & I don’t think others are offended if there’s not a reply to a comment.
I’ve noticed that a lot of Bloggers are moderating comments due to anonymous trash talkers. Sometimes the technology gets a little funky. I’ve had moderated comments go unpublished while others after mine did. I later found out that there was a glitch in the system. I would think it’s weird to not publish a comment on purpose if it was a simple “I understand” kind of response. So weird that I’m thinking it might be a mistake & it’s not personal.
I read offensive posts all of the time. I never comment on them though because for one, blogging is a way of expression, even if I don’t agree on the point of view. Secondly, I’ve never read anything productive from comments that offer different perspectives to a post (even if done respectfully). It usually just stirs the pot. If I’m *really* offended (which hasn’t happened), I would do the same as you & unsubscribe & never return.
Thursday, August 30, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Kristin — Thanks for mentioning that the moderated comment was probably a system glitch. I want to believe that too. It just doesn’t really make sense otherwise. I mean, I’m totally ‘comment worthy’, right? lol.