The Writer's Community Part 3: Setting the Table for Comments

In the first two segments of this series, I focused on how to comment on other writer's work. But as a writer, you're also interested in replying to comments you receive. I've listed a few steps to encourage comments, deal with negative comment streams and deciding whether to publicly or privately respond. When I post a new article, I find myself eagerly checking my mailbox: did anyone read my article? Did they leave a comment? Like most of you, I write for AC because I enjoy it and the number of times people have viewed my article tells me so little about their reactions while viewing it. I'm thrilled when I get a comment since I know how my writing was received. So as a writer, how do you manage the comment stream on a particular article?

1) EMAIL COMMENTERS. This is always nice since frequently people don't check what they comment on -- unfortunately, there's no way to bookmark AC pages to look back at (unless you use a different program). But don't feel you have to email people unless they've made a really insightful comment or just made your day. This is the most frequently recommended step, but quite frankly many of us are just too busy to respond to everyone.

2) REPLYING WITH ANOTHER COMMENT. This is the best way to continue a discussion, but if you're simply saying, "thanks for the comment," an email is far better. In general, think first about whether your reply is personal or public -- if the latter, then make sure you yourself are following the steps outlined for leaving comments.

3) DISAGREEING. You've written the content, so if you're sure you're right, be firm but polite. If someone disagrees with your facts, chances are your article didn't make clear what your sources were so be glad someone asked. (Conventional wisdom says that for every person who asks, 7 didn't.) Take the opportunity to add those sources in a reply comment. This shows you're an engaged producer and are willing to be reasonable.

4) DISAGREEING AGAIN! If the disagreement is over interpretation, remember that ultimately people aren't going to agree. If you wrote on a controversial topic, you're probably hoping that a debate develops so you can hear different perspectives. If it's really getting to you, though, step back and stop checking it. Instead, start checking how much money you're making on the article because people who like to argue keep coming back to the discussion! If the controversy becomes impersonal and really gets your goat, be careful what you write in the future: perhaps you should look to discuss such issues in person so look around your town -- are there groups you could join where people sit around and discuss things you find important? Sitting face to face with people who disagree can often be more civil than the internet.

5) EMAIL NEGATIVE COMMENTERS. Feel free to email someone who left a comment that you felt was inappropriate. It is far better to do this privately than let a public war happen on your comment board. Be polite and brief -- tell the person why their comment was out of line, let them know how it affected you and conclude by giving them the benefit of a doubt. Most people will feel appropriately ashamed.

6) DELETING COMMENTS. What if you just don't like what someone has said? Depending on what it is, it's polite to email them and let them know you've deleted it. If you simply disagree with the commenter, leave it there because it will make your audience more interested in your article if they can interact with other readers -- and often debates can be a lot of fun. But if the disagreement is stressful, delete all the comments related to it (not just the ones you disagree with) and add a comment that explains your actions. Apologize, but also encourage others to be more civil in their discourse.

The internet can be a liberating place. Shy people become verbose and everyone's opinion is presented. But just as in real life, there are plenty of online bullies. And people who just forget that their words are hitting a person, not a computer. So, comment the way you would like to be commented on and remind people who don't that there is another person who was affected by their unkind words.