How to Steer Comments In The Right Direction

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.