Why do I accept or delete comments?
October 2nd, 2009 by John Dilbeck
Even though I have had little to say on this blog for the last month or so, I’ve been here reading the comments that have been submitted, and I’m sad to say that the great majority of them have been deleted. Some have been submitted to Askimet as spam.
I don’t like doing that.
I deliberately set up this blog to follow comment links and I think that’s fair if you’re going to take the time to contribute to our discussions.
However, the word “contribute” is the key word in that sentence.
A one sentence response telling me I’m doing a good job just isn’t contributing to the conversation, and I delete those. I’ve deleted several dozen of these non-helpful comments over the last month.
Trying to spam this blog with off-topic comments, especially when they link to sites I’d never link to, is a good way to get sent to the spam page where your comments will be deleted and reported to Askimet.
If you want me to approve your comment and welcome you, then there are several things you should do.
Tell me who you are.
Either use your name as the link back to your blog or sign the comment with your name. Preferably first and last name.
A marginal comment with a name in the link and the comment will generally be approved.
However, if you use keywords or the name of your site in your link, that’s one strike against you.
If you don’t use your name in the link and don’t sign your comment, that’s a second strike against you.
If your comment is marginal and you have two strikes against you, I’ll delete it. This isn’t baseball, so I don’t have to wait for three strikes.
On the other hand, even if you have two strikes against you and your comment is relevant, useful, and adds to the conversation, I will usually approve it.
I like talking to real people, not keywords and not site names.
I’m going to be even more strict about this in the future.
As much as I enjoy discussing these topics, I hate not knowing to whom I am talking.
There are other reasons I would delete a comment, but I don’t feel a need to go into all of them here.
Once I get back on track to where I feel like I can add information related to affiliate marketing, I’ll resume posting here.
I’ll be looking forward to your comments and discussions, as long as you are a real person who treats me like a real person, too.
Act on your dream!
JD
This entry was posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at 7:51 am and is filed under Blogging, Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:32 am
Answering comments would encourage followers to follow you.
ColonelJeff´s last blog ..The Real Affiliate Assassin System Review
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 am
It is good to hear your thought process with regards to comments. Something that surprised me is your deletion of comments that are simply telling you “good job”. I get these often and never delete them. Your explanation of why makes sense though, as you are looking for a contribution to the post.
Brandon Hartman´s last blog ..Why don’t you customize your 404 error page?
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Sounds like someone has a burr in their saddle! Oh, wait! That’s me! I so totally agree with what you have said here. I’m probably less forgiving than you. I’ve become particularly sensitive to people that have something to offer rather than people promoting themselves.
Thanks for your post.
Pat´s last blog ..patinkc: Why does my bird run from me but pulls at the hair on my dogs feet?
October 5th, 2009 at 5:31 am
I delete comments if they’re 100% self-serving…. (unless the commentor is part of my community. Then I’ll generally let that slide).
I also delete comments if they’re mean-spirited too.
My view is my blog is like my home - I’ll allow in only well-mannered guests. They can certainly disagree with me, but have to be polite about it.
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..Today’s Humor of the Day – Karate Bloopers Part 1
October 5th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Good morning, ColonelJeff.
Welcome to our discussions and thanks for your comment.
I agree. Answering comments is what makes a discussion. I may not answer all comments, but I think I answer most of them.
Sometimes there is a delay of a few days, as in this case, because I decided to take the weekend off, for a change.
Act on your dream!
JD
October 5th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Good morning, Brandon.
Welcome to our discussion. I appreciate your comment.
“Something that surprised me is your deletion of comments that are simply telling you ‘good job’. I get these often and never delete them. Your explanation of why makes sense though, as you are looking for a contribution to the post.”
Brandon, in many cases the “you’re doing a good job” type comments are simply a way to get a link back to the commenter’s site, especially on a blog that does not use the no-follow attribute.
If I get one of those from someone with whom I regularly communicate, I’ll take it as a pat on the back and approve it.
If it’s from someone who has never commented, or if I get the same exact comment that adds nothing to the discussion on multiple blog posts, then I assume it is spam and delete it.
As you mentioned, my main goal for having comments here is to spark a discussion about a topic. In many, if not most, cases, the comments offer more valuable information than the original post.
Thanks for contributing.
Act on your dream!
JD
October 5th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Good morning, Pat.
It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.
“A burr under my saddle” is a good way to describe how I was feeling when I went through all the comments and deleted so many of them.
I, too, have become very sensitive to people who have something to offer and who take the time to make a contribution. These are people I value and some of them become real friends, even though we’ve never met. People such as you.
I don’t mind self-promotion. I do a lot of that myself.
What I do mind, however, is someone who thinks they have a right to self-promote on my site instead of their own.
If they take the time to add something of value to people who read my site, then I don’t mind some self-promotion. That’s probably why most of us are here in the first place.
However, if all they do is self-promotion, I have no problem at all in deleting what they have to say. They’re free to do it somewhere else, but not here.
Thanks, Pat.
Act on your dream!
JD
October 5th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Good morning, Barbara.
I see you’re up bright and early, as usual. Thanks for your comment.
I agree with you on both kinds of comments that I’ll delete: 100% self-serving and mean-spirited.
“My view is my blog is like my home - I’ll allow in only well-mannered guests. They can certainly disagree with me, but have to be polite about it.”
I look at it the same way. I think of my blog as a way to invite people into my home and discuss issues and topics of interest.
Just as I expect a certain level of decorum and good manners from anyone in my home, I expect the same from people who comment on my blog.
Fortunately, I’ve had few mean-spirited comments, but I have deleted comments that used foul language that I believe should never be used in public discourse.
As you said, people are free to disagree with me, but they have to have manners and they have to be constructive in their criticisms and disagreements. If it doesn’t add to the conversation, it only detracts. I have no trouble at all in deleting comments that detract from the subject at hand.
Thanks for being a contributor, Barbara.
Act on your dream!
JD
October 6th, 2009 at 5:43 am
[...] Why do I accept or delete comments? | 21st Century Affiliate Marketing [...]
October 8th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
First, I’m not so sure that ColonelJeff’s comment wasn’t spam. Certainly seemed like he knew nothing about your blog with his response; I’ve rarely seen you not respond to a comment.
Second, I’m not sure why, but most of those one line comments that say “nice job” on my blog seem to end up in Askimet before I do anything at all. Not all of them, but the overwhelming majority of them do. You’re absolutely right, those folks aren’t even trying, and they’re probably not visiting again, so that’s pretty much the definition of a throwaway comment. Kill ‘em.
Mitch´s last blog ..An Interview With Jim Turner
October 10th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Good evening, Mitch.
You may be right about ColonelJeff’s comment. I try to give first time commenters the benefit of the doubt. I’ve rarely missed responding to a comment, because I value discussions so much.
However, if I reply to a comment and never hear back, I’ll be less likely to approve any further comments, unless they really add to the discussion.
A lot of those “nice job” comments are caught by Askimet on my blogs, too, but there are several every week that I have to catch. If it’s the first time I’ve seen that particular person comment, I just delete it. If it happens more than a couple of times, then I report them as spam.
I just don’t see the need for spending time and effort on commenting and moderating comments if it doesn’t add value to a blog, and, by that, I mean discussions that bring out different aspects of the issue, new ideas, and so forth.
On one of my blogs that just announces local coupons and special offers, I have all comments turned off, but that is an exception.
Act on your dream!
JD