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Gordie Rogers is back! Gordie went through a bit of downturn a few months ago, one result of which was my article on “Bleeding from the Eyeballs.” I won’t hijack Gordie here, you can look it up if you’re interested. In any case, Gordie’s now on fire over at Lifestyle Design for You, where he’s assembled a team of crack writers who are tearing it up. Here, Gordie takes on people who want comments, but discourage commenting in just about every way possible, including requiring moderation.
How Moderating Comments On Your Blog Destroys Conversation
-by Gordie Rogers
I’m getting pretty tired of taking the time to write a response to a post and seeing that I have to wait several hours for my comment to show up.
To me, unmoderated comments are like a telephone conversation while moderated comments are like people leaving messages for each other on answering machines.
Why do blogs which only get 5-30 comments per post bother moderating? Your problem is lack of comments, not spam. If you’re unhappy at the low level of comments on your blog, then the first question I’ll ask you is whether or not you’re pre-approving all comments before they can show up? If so, stop it right now. Spam should not be your major concern; lack of conversation in your comments should be your main concern.
Don’t forget the Earth spins.
One problem with pre-approving all comments is that you’re punishing those readers who are in different time zones. I’m here in China which is thirteen hours ahead of EST. If I write a comment on an American’s blog in the morning my time, I may have to wait up to twelve hours until it shows up. It means my input to the conversation has to just sit there for several hours losing its potency. By the time it’s approved, you’re probably getting ready to post another post and I’m already getting ready to snuggle with my Teddy Bear.
Remember, comments aren’t just communication between the blogger and reader, but also between the readers themselves.
Are you having a problem with spam?
Akismet kills 99.9% of spam in my experience. If you have a Wordpress blog, then you’re already set. If you are somehow still having a serious spam problem, then you can consider adding a human friendly captcha, however, only do this as a last resort.
The big boys don’t do it
Even probloggers like Darren Rowse from ProBlogger.com, Brian Clark from Copyblogger.com and David Risley from DavidRisley.com don’t moderate their comments, so why are you? It’s not hard to weed out the occasional spam comment that makes it through.
A final plea
My plea to you, for your sake and your readers’ sakes, is to stop pre-approving comments. We commenters can look after ourselves and even have a conversation on your blog while you’re asleep half way round the world.
Gordie Rogers is the founder and editor in chief of Lifestyle Design For You. Gordie came to Tianjin to teach English in February 2003 after teaching for a year in Korea. He plans to retire from teaching in June 2010 and move back to New Zealand to start his own business.
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{ 60 comments }
Gordie, this was a perfect article. Saves me from writing it, because I feel pretty much the same. I do moderate comments on a couple of very small blogs I have, but then again, I don’t care comments on those.
For people that want comments, don’t require pre-approval moderation!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..MasterMind Power III: The 5 Ws Of a Successful Mastermind Group
Hi Dave,
It’s my pleasure to be able to write for your blog. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Hi guys,
I agree, pre-approving comments is a bind and last night I saw first-hand, the benefit of not doing so. I had made a deliberate decision to focus 100% on finishing writing a post I was in the middle of. When I finished writing, I went back to the site to find that two readers had been having a lovely chat. Had I been in the business of pre-approving, this exchange would have been impossible since none of it would have been visible yet.
I agree too that Akismet is a great tool. I personally like to check the spam folder on a daily basis, just in case. The site is still so young, I’m not keen to punish unfortunate innocents
Great advice Gordie. Re-tweeting now in the hope that folks will take your advice,
Eleanor
Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..When Charity Doesn’t Cost a Penny
Hi Eleanor,
Yes, that’s the main thing is that we should be able to trust our readers enough and encourage them to have discussions while we can’t be there.
I also check the spam folder first thing in the morning to check no genuine comments were caught. I normally find maybe two genuine comments per month get caught in there.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
It is frustrating when you see the dreaded “Your comment is awaiting approval” – especially when you’ve typed a cracker! Although I think most blogs only do that once? Am I right on that?
But please, don’t go down the Captcha route! I bloody hate those things with a vengeance. I don’t know if it’s me, but they quite often “fail” me even when I *know* I’ve got it right. And then the next one is even harder to decipher. Anyone else have that problem?
Mike CJ´s last blog ..A guest post. On guest posting.
Hey Mike,
I agree that Captchas suck in general. I don’t use one, but did at one stage. Some just got it wrong even when you were right.
Antti, below tells us there is a WP plugin that holds the first comment from someone new to your blog, but once you’ve approved it once, then all their other comments will go straight up. You can see if there is a module for Drupal users in case someone asks you about it in future.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Yeah, they suck. I’ve only ever used one that was any good at all, which is SI Captcha. You can actually read the letters!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..MasterMind Power III: The 5 Ws Of a Successful Mastermind Group
I hate the captcha too but I do have a small one on my email comments, not post comments. it makes you do a simple math problem like 15-1. The word ones are just this side of ridiculous. I just want the comments on my blog and dont moderate them either. Thanks for the post, I always learn much from you guys.
Justin
Justin Matthews´s last blog ..Books: Audio vs. Print, Showdown in the Library!
Hi Justin,
I also think if you’re going to use a Captcha, using one of those simple math equation ones is best. I should actually add a Captcha to my contact form page too. Ever yweek I get one or two spam emails.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Yeah Captchas suck! Unless they’re on a contact form – IMHO that’s handy.
I do however use a little plugin on my blog called Invisible Captcha. That basically stops any automated bots because they often don’t load the form – look it up, it’s worth installing.
The only other thing I use is Akismet.
Actually between Invisible Captcha and Akismet (I think the Inivisible Captcha one does most of the work because I have sites running just that and still get all the spam) I don’t have a problem with spam at all anymore. I’m stopping around 30-50 spam comments per day using this technique.
Now to remove my thumb and turn off all moderation – nothing to be scared of now!
Josh´s last blog ..Setting Up My Web Design Mini Business [Case Study]
You have a point there Gordie, I’m all about discussions on the blog comments, and if everyone has to wait for hours, let alone days to get their comments out, it won’t be much of a discussion, would it?
Personally I don’t pre-filter any comments, I just delete / mark them as spam afterwards (the kind of moderation which is good for your blog).
If one wants to hold comments for moderation, at least WordPress has the option that regular blog commenters comments are approved right away, but new commenters need to have one approved comment before the comments are auto-published. I think this is OK and works nicely. And I think this is actually the method many big blogs use.
Antti Kokkonen´s last blog ..Writing SEO Friendly Blog Posts
Antti, that’s what I do too, just check the comments later.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..MasterMind Power IV: Some MasterMind Examples
Thanks, Antti for letting us know about that feature on Wordpress. Is it a plugin? I wasn’t aware of it.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
It’s right there in the “normal” WordPress Settings — Discussion, where you choose if you have moderation on or not:
* Before a comment appears:
[ ] An administrator must always approve the comment
[ ] Comment author must have a previously approved comment
Having just the latter on, will make regular commenters comments appear right away, while new commenters need that first-time approval.
Antti Kokkonen´s last blog ..Blog Like an Expert in 31 Days
I agree 100% that barriers should be minimal to comment on a site. I moderate the first comment someone leaves and after I approve that one the rest should go through.
I like this route mainly because I click through to the website to be sure it is not a bad neighborhood before allowing the link to be posted. If it gets posted and Google happens to index my site, it could do more harm to me than it is worth.
Keith´s last blog ..Article Promotion
How much can it affect you? Will the effect be if comment links are Do follow and No follow?
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Like Kristi, I moderate the first two comments someone leaves. You’d be very surprised how many times I am clicking the “spam” link in the in-moderation queue.
Ari Herzog´s last blog ..Top 70 Commentators in January 2010
I used to moderate, but got tired of doing it and seeing the conversation die…like you said.
Things have changed quite a bit since I took the lock off the door.
Nathan Hangen´s last blog ..Podcast – Episode 1 – Overcoming Fear
Hey Nathan,
Yes, even the pre-approving the first timers may in fact scare away potential longterm readers and customers.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Since moving from Blogger to WP about 2 months ago I have started getting TONS of spam. Up to 10 comments a day, and I never had any before. So i do moderate, because of that, though I like your arguments here. Not sure how to better filter the spam?
Lindsey´s last blog ..Grace: success and sadness
I’m using the Cookies for Comments plugin as well. Seems to pick up the few that Akismet misses.
You will always have a few that get through though. Some people have too much time on their hands.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Got Blogging Blues? Dr Johnson Cures What Ails You (& Week in Review)
Agree completely. One of the most frustrating aspects of moderation is when I’d post a really sweet comment on a blog, I’m more than happy to then go to tweet it out to get *more* people involved with the conversation.
But if it’s moderated, no one will get to see it if I tweet it out immediately – when means I’m more than likely not going to do it. Do you really expect me to come back hours later to “check in” and then share it?
Jordan Cooper´s last blog ..The Apple iPad: There’s A Sap For That!
Jordan, that’s a great point I hadn’t thought about before…the value of having your comment up when readers follow a link you’ve posted. thanks.
excellent points Gordie. I recently took moderation off my comments and have not suffered for it. Akismet does right by me. for killing spam. I should check it more often though.
Jordan, I’m now in the habit of copying those type of comments to somewhere else, for two reasons:
1. as you say, sometimes they disappear.
2. I often find I’ve written half a blog post. Might as well save it and finish the post later.
Hey guys,
Yeah, Akismet is brilliant, but make sure you check it daily to see if any genuine comments were caught. I’m also less likely to tweet a post that hinders conversation through pre-approval.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
You make a good point. I have only had to delete one comment from my blog in the past 3 months because it was spam.
If I allow anyone to comment without approval then would spammers automatically get to comment again and again. Or is there a way to block further comments from them without using captcha. Which I would never consider doing. It’s more annoying than waiting to be approved to comment in my opinion..
You still have to moderate. I use Cookies for Comments and NoSpamMX to keep the spam down to a dull roar.
I’m starting to get a lot of attention. I’ve added actually IP addresses to deny on .htaccess file as well.
Thanks for the reply to my question and for the good discussion.
I’ve just changed my settings so I expect a huge influx of comments any moment now,ha, ha..
Oh yeah, you’re gonna get crushed!
(Give it some time, but some BST into it, it pays off.)
That’s good to know that we can filter out certain IP addresses. I was wondering about that while writing this article too. Very useful if you have stalkers.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
I came to this realization a couple weeks ago when I realized that the first comment by an author required approval. Bad bad bad.
I just went through my other active blogs to make sure that I didn’t have any pre-approval settings on comments.
Deacon´s last blog ..Free Art Friday, Eggs, and Marketing
Good job, Deacon. Your blog will appear more friendly that way.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
I have only ever removed one comment from my blog and that was when someone was using one of my posts about a service to say “Treat post, click to my affiliate link.” That was some time ago and nowadays I’d probably think “screw it, let it stand” but at that time I objected to someone surfing on my effort for their own benefit and very little constructive input.
I agree about Captchas – nuke the bastards!
Kevin Tea´s last blog ..From Zero To Full Income In A Year – A Blogger’s Tale
Kevin, never fear, your turn is coming!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Saturday Morning Surfing: Passion is NOT Enough – Your Landlord Doesn’t Give a Rat’s Patootie
This is a great read. I tend to allow all comments on my sites, but delete any that may be considered spamming or over-the-line in offensive material.
Kevin McGuire´s last blog ..‘Catcher in the Rye’ author, J.D. Salinger dies
Yeah, you can delete spam comments later on. If I see a spam comment on a blog, I don’t judge the blog or blogger as a whole, I just ignore it and write my own comment. Hopefully, the blogger will go back through the comments and remove the spam later.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Gordie, great article, however when you’re a victim of online harassment you tend to moderate. That’s my reason and also because akismet doesn’t keep out everything. I’m going to continue to moderate comments and hope you’ll continue to leave me a message. I promise I will get back to you.
Rose´s last blog ..Human Kindness and Giving
Hi Rose,
I think your blog’s conversations could really grow if your didn’t pre-approve comments. Ask Dave Doolin here about how to filter and block certain I.P addresses from leaving comments. You may be able to defeat them that way.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
I have blocked their IP. I blocked it both from my blog and from the server. Thanks though Gordie. This is one of those thins I have my mind set on. Hope you’ll stick around despite my moderation.
Rose´s last blog ..Human Kindness and Giving
I think one of the reason these other guys do not moderate, is that there is just so much to do.when you’re getting 150-200 comments per post. It becomes a nightmare.
But I think moderation is good, in moderation. Weed out the spam. Weed out those who post obscene, or hate speech etc.
Robert Bravery´s last blog ..Do unto others
Hey Robert,
In fact I should have used the word “pre-approve” rather than “moderation”. Moderation can be done before and after the comment is posted.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Awesome, awesome, awesome guest post. I already checked out your blog too, I will be hitting the subscribe button.
Why bother having comments open if your not going to be willing to do the work that goes hand in hand with having comments open and discussion on your blog? Jumping through hoops to fill in comment forms, never knowing if the comment will show or not no longer fits into my daily lifestyle.
Two weeks ago a blogger that I use to exchange a lot of comments with (who has recently started to fall off because their “too busy”) decided to tell me that they didn’t have time to look through spam for a comment that I had left.
Personally I thought it was pretty damn funny, especially since this same person would die for a comment 6 months ago. No sweat, just don’t expect me to leave a comment. I don’t want anyone to think that I don’t visit and comment, especially if you vomment on my blog, but if I return and comment and it gets caught and I drop you a tweet real quick just as an “FYI” and you don’t care, I don’t either.
Great post.
Extreme John´s last blog ..What is One Thing You HATE about this Place?
John, I’ll *always* fish you out of my spam queue.
Even if I don’t comment on your UFC articles.
Hi John,
Ironically the comment you just left on my blog was caught in the spam filter. Lol! Just goes to show regular checking is important.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
I have a ludicrous amount of spam. Maybe my blog name attracts it?
Because of this, and because I’m away from my blog while I’m at work and can’t moderate-after-the-fact quickly enough, I defined a very long list of keywords that triggered a comment to be held for approval.
Trouble is, most of these words are also my subject matter.
Read this and activated Akismet just a few minutes ago. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for this, Gordie. For some reason, I didn’t make the connection between holding comments for approval and stifling conversation. I’m glad you wrote about it.
Let us know how it turns out if you get a few minutes to write it up.
Hi Kelly,
You weren’t using Akismet? In that case I think a lot of spam would have got through. As Dave said, after a month of trying it, write about if it made a major difference. Thanks.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Gordie, Dave,
My issue here recently has been Askimet spamming everything. I do get a ton of spam comments for some reason but it’s becoming an issue weeding through Askimet to rescue the real comments!
I’d be happy to remove moderation on comments if I could get Askimet to play nice. Any suggestions?
Akismet + NoSpamNX + Cookies for Comments plugins keeps my spam down down to a dull roar.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..MasterMind Power III: The 5 Ws Of a Successful Mastermind Group
Hi Erica,
I’m not sure why Akismet sometimes filters genuine comments. I haven’t had a major problem with it to date. You’d think if you fish the same commenter’s comments out of the spam filter more than once, then it would let their future ones go through.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
I get comment on approval when I havn’t gotten a comment from someone before. I don’t know what is controlling this but it usually isn’t a big delay because I check frequently. I do have commenters that Akismet insists are spam and it doesn’t care that I slap its hand. I do appreciate what is does eliminate from reading those.
Ralph´s last blog ..The Top Ten Reasons for NOT Posting Daily
I’ve found my commenting policy evolves as both legitimate and spam traffic evolves.
Hi Ralph,
Up until now unfortunately there is nothing better than Akismet. We just have to make do I suppose. I still think it does mostly good.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
You have some point here so i turn of my pre comment features and will see how it is going.
Dana @ Blogging Update´s last blog ..Easy Way to Put Social Media Button in Blog
Dana,
Are you using Akismet? If so, you should be okay and may find over time your comments go up.
Gordie´s last blog ..Short-Term Gains Are Shorter Term Than You Think.
Yes, of course i using akismet. Before, i just think it is safer to have pre moderated comment setting but do not know the consequences.
Dana @ Blogging Update´s last blog ..Easy Way to Put Social Media Button in Blog
Well this is really food for thought. I have the pre-approval on, and I get TONS of spam for many of my blogs. That said, since I installed another spam plugin (on top of Akismet, which lets quite a lot of spam through for me), I’ve not really got any spam to worry about… I think I’m going to go and turn of my moderation now, thanks!
Ruth – Web Career Girl´s last blog ..Forgotten Systems for Making Money Online: My Plan of Action for February
Go for it, girl! Venturing into the unknown can be fun.
Great points Gordie. You’ve made me rethink my strategy.
Enjoy your day!
Ryan´s last blog ..My Interview With Nik Halik
Cheers, Ryan. It’s good to know I can have a positive influence in the blogosphere.
Gordie´s last blog ..You’re A Bad Parent If …
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