One of the things I love about Problogger.net is the value of the comments my readers make here.
Image courtesy stock.xchng user lusi
Not all bloggers feel this way—you probably know of at least one or two big-name bloggers who don’t allow comments on their blogs. And it’s certainly true that comments come with a range of challenges:
- time: it takes time to wade through comments, sift the diamonds from the dross, and then compose thoughtful replies
- trolls: there’s no shortage of trouble-makers online, and it can be wearing to have to deal with trolls on a daily basis
- critics: some bloggers find criticism made in comments difficult to handle in such a public sphere
- stalkers: while this problem isn’t often discussed, inappropriate comments can be a problem—especially if they persist
- spammers: if you’re an experienced blogger, you probably rolled your eyes when you read that word!
Of course, these aren’t the only issues you need to consider in terms of comments on your blog. Which commenting system will you use? Will you set standards for accepting and rejecting comments? How can you use comments to enhance your blog—and your blogging?
The articles
We’ll be answering three of these questions today and tomorrow, in a series of posts that explore the issues of:
Before we get started, I’d love to hear your approach to blog comments (Do you have them on your blog? Do you comment on many others’ blogs?) in—you guessed it—the comments!
