How to Steer Comments in the Right Direction

Deal with flamers in a calm and rational manner.If you have decided to allow comments on your corporate blog, it is a good idea to start mapping out how you will handle certain situations now, before they actually happen. Sooner or later, something will come up with your readers and it is very helpful to have a planned response all ready to go. Let’s look at how you can steer any comments into the right direction.

First, let’s cover what would happen if you are dealing with an event in the media that is not particularly flattering to your company. It’s a good idea to craft an official response to any comments that may come up on this issue. You may also want to do the same in a blog post, addressing the issue and finding a way to spin it in a positive direction. There is always a way to turn something bad into something good, and your honest efforts will be appreciated by your readers. In fact, you may even find that they are behind you instead of against you.

It is also a good idea to work on responding to incendiary comments with a level head. This is a trap that can ruin many a corporate reputation. There are people out there that live to leave nasty comments on blogs and some will just keep going back. Instead of ignoring those comments, or engaging the person in a heated discussion, craft one simple response that addresses the main points and leave it at that.

At times, it can be difficult to deal with comments and often, many people wonder why they allowed them in the first place. However, it is never a good idea to suddenly remove the ability to leave a comment on your corporate blog, especially if you are going through a public issue. This gives a very bad impression of your company and makes it look as though you have something to hide.

It may not be the easiest thing in the world, but if you are allowing comments, you’re going to have to stick with it and weather the storms. You do have some options when it comes to handling those who consistently leave negative comments or those that bring absolutely nothing to the discussion but flamewars.

Most blogging applications have a feature that will allow you to block certain IP’s from being able to leave a comment. This can be a real lifesaver when you are trying to steer comments in a positive direction. Find out which person is responsible for the nasty comments, ban their IP and go about your business.

Alternatively, you can require registration on your site before someone can leave a comment. Most people who live to start flamewars and irritate others will not go to the trouble of setting up an account. If they do, you’ll have their email address and more information about them, which is very useful in this situation.

When handled professionally, comments can add a lot to your blog, but always remember to be positive and cool under pressure.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-08-19 05:14:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • executiveExecutive Blogging - Good Idea or Bad? It is obvious that the concept of executive blogging is becoming more popular, as businesses small and large are suddenly turning to blogging as a way to convey news and information to their customers and clients. Still, many companies are wondering if executive blogging is a worthwhile endeavor for them......
  • Pressed for time? Plan ahead.Getting Into the Corporate Blogging Habit As with any task, developing effective habits can mean the difference between success and failure. Many first time corporate bloggers don’t take the time to develop good blogging habits and as a result, they don’t do as well as they should. Here are some tips to help you get into......
  • Ads on your blog should enhance and not detract from reading.Ad Revenue From Corporate Blogs Many companies don’t consider the fact that they could actually make money from their blogs. The popularity of online advertising has made it easy to include ads from all over the world, and Google Ads in particular make it very easy to target your readers with advertisements that they will......
  • blogbusAre You Utilizing Your Corporate Blog To its Full Potential? If you are running a corporate blog and you feel that you do not have the customer base and the blog is not doing well, you may not be using the blog to its fullest potential. There are a few areas you need to examine to evaluate your blog to......
  • Flame wars are not good for publicity. Avoid them!3 Smart Blogging Techniques for Business Owners If you are getting ready to launch a corporate blog, there are a few techniques that you can use to make sure that it is a success. By utilizing these methods you can ensure that you will quickly build up a new readership and starting increasing your customer base. Corporate......
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites
  • Island in the streamwhat desperation looks like I am going to be laid off soon. I know that sounds terrible, but I'm prepared for it. We live within our means, I have an alternative income stream (and I'm working on more of them) and I am always looking to earn more than I spend. I work with......
  • blog traffic exchangeCustomer Service is a Key Element in Any Virtual Pbx Business Phone System Choice Having plenty of features available when deciding which business phone service, or virtual PBX plan, to go with is great and can be a defining element in deciding which plan to go with. However, there is one other very key element to consider when choosing any plan, or which......
  • Your New Online Business IdeaDefine Your Ideas And Plan for Online business An Introduction To Ideas And Your Creativity. You know without an Idea or a concept or a thought you can't start anything in this world, right ? The same principle applies here, defining your ideas is the foremost step to start your online business. In fact, every successful business starts......
  • 3298px341064461938.jpgFavorite Blog Wednesday - Opening Her Wallet The sixth personal finance site in my series “Favorite Blog Wednesday” is My Open Wallet, which is "about how much money I make, what I spend it on, how much I save, how I budget, my home-buying experiences, my financial goals and ambitions, my thoughts on class and what......
  • blog traffic exchangeDebtor's Revolt Turns Tables On Dirty Debt Collector! Debt collector gets called out for strong-arming debtor, whose lack of debt knowledge makes it easy for debt collectors to score quick, easy paydays. Debt collectors know you don't know your rights. Debt collectors know they can intimidate you into paying up...without questions or debt validation. What would you do......



Categories:

Buildify, comments, public relations, reputation



0 comments ↓

There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.

Leave a Comment

audience blog blog entries blogger bloggers blogging blogosphere blogs business owners carnival comments section company news consumers controversy customer base different ways e mail few minutes google inspiration job little bit many different ways marketing mistake money next level niche page views platforms popularity readership relationship relationships risk search engine search engine optimization search engine rankings search engines seo social bookmarking sites social networking target traffic word of mouth