BLOGGING: Allowing Comments

Whether or not to allow comments on your blog is one of the options you'll be faced with as you begin adding content to your blog.

Comment Options:

1. Readers can post comments directly to your blog.
2. You can screen comments before approving them to be posted to your blog. Most people I know choose this option.

Some comments, like the ones below from my "The Price of Gas Went Up 8¢ While I Was Pumping!" post are just for fun. Others may be full of great ideas and advice and are very informative.

The Positives:

1. It allows you to begin forming relationships with regular visitors to your site who leave comments.

2. It give you an idea of how many people are reading your blog.

3. It allows visitors to share information in their comments helping your blog to offer even more and better content to your other readers.

The Negatives:

1. Sometimes people will leave mean messages. Most experts would say to simply ignore or remove offensive posts. If you do want to pursue a discussion, this would best be done by private email. No sense airing negativity in the blog itself.

2. Your blog could be spammed with the same annoying content you receive in your email. Some will be outright SPAM that is completely off topic to what your blog or post is about. Other times someone may leave SPAM thinly veiled as a comment. It you moderate your comments you can pick and choose which to approve for publishing.

Personally I feel you have more to gain then lose by allowing comments.