Comments Welcome - Or Not

If you're reading the text on this page, you know what a blog is.  You're looking at one!  The term "blog", short for weblog, is thrown around in daily conversation and even the news. Some people even get their news from blogs.  (Celebrity gossip, for example - Perez Hilton anyone?)  You can check out some of the most popular blogs on Technorati.com.

Blogs aren't just for personal use.  Corporations can use them to communicate important messages to their publics.  Corporate blogs can be written by CEOs, PR staff, or regular employees.  Blogging can help differentiate CEOs as "industry leaders who are actively engaged with communities of influence outside the company's four walls" (Postman 59).

Sending and Receiving Messages

One of the main differences between a blog and a press release is that most blogs are set up to receive comments.  By leaving comments readers can react back to the source of the information.  Ideally, the organization would follow up with these individually or by writing future blog posts.  But are the reactions that you see on a blog entry an accurate representative sample of reader opinion?

Moderating Blog Comments

Postman says, "Comments must always be moderated.  This means they do not post immediately, but they must be approved by a communications staff member prior to publication" (69).  This is a valid argument for weeding out things like spam, libelous statements, and downright nonsense. 

But I'm not sure if comments should be removed just because they don't agree with statements made in the blog post.  A little controversy can help the organization learn how to improve and show the public that the company has a "human" side.  As long as someone follows up with the negative comments I think it's okay for them to go through.  It also proves that the organization isn't "fluffing" the site with positive stuff.

At the same time, I should disclose the fact that I work for an organization with a forum and blogging site where all of the content is moderated.  We do not allow users to harass one another, post spam or advertise outside a certain part of the site, or post content that deviates from certain guidelines.  Although a corporate-sponsored site it is not about the corporation itself - so a different set of rules can probably apply.



Resources:

Postman, Joel. SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2009. 55-76. Print.


Wallace, Kerry. "5 Tips For Getting Rid Of Negativity." iNeedMotivation. N.p., 24 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 May 2010. http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2009/03/5-tips-for-getting-rid-of-negativity/ (image)