Comments are Dead? How to Engage Your Blog Readers

If there’s one thing we can be certain of on the web, it is this: people like to have their opinions and thoughts heard. That seems like a worthy and potentially benign goal, and it’s what the internet is all about, right? A free and open exchange of ideas. For folks that either want to write about a topic they are passionate about, or to promote and enhance their brand, blogging is an excellent way to get their voice in the mix. However, when your blog starts gaining in its readership, you will have a new beast to slay—internet comments.

Hello again folks, this is Eric Adams, Senior Full-Stack Engineer for ClearView Social. As you may have noticed, I am passionate about blogging, and giving folks the tools to get their blogs up-and-running. My goal in this post is to help provide you with some ideas and tools to engage your users, while keeping your blog as spam- and troll-free as possible!


What happened to comments?

While evidence has shown that the number of blogs on the web continues to increase, a number of major news sites and blogs have opted to drop comments altogether. For instance, Vice dropped comments from its main site and related channels starting in 2015. NPR also opted to drop commenting on its articles in 2016. Popular Science was one of the pioneers of this trend, shutting down its comments back in 2013. So what gives? Let’s take a sampling of some current comments (believe me, I could find worse ones) to see just where the landscape of internet commenting has gone.

Exhibit A: “Tyronn Lue Steps Away from Cavaliers Due to Health, Larry Drew Assumes HC Role” from The Bleacher Report


 

Exhibit B: “After watching this, your brain will not be the same” on YouTube, presented by Lara Boyd for TEDxVancouver


 

Obviously, we have a problem on our hands, as these are not only unproductive but in some cases quite damaging to the conversation. If you have a blog that is just trying to break through and have an impact, the internet waste bin might be a deterrent that keeps your site from growing to have that impact you’re looking for. It might be easy for these internet Goliaths to turn off such a feature, but how can emerging blogs even compete when we cannot engage?

Let’s take a look at some common “bad actors” in the comments game, and how we can avoid them. In our case we’re going to look at options for WordPress, but many blogging platforms have plugins to meet your needs.

Case 1: The Spammer

If you have a comment that looks like the following:

A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you should publish more about this topic, it may not be a taboo matter but generally people do not discuss these topics. To the next! Kind regards!!

This is almost certainly not a real person—your blog is the victim of spam.

Install Anti-Spam Software for Your Blog

Spam is the easiest type of bad commenting to eliminate, thanks to many advanced tools available for blogs. If you are running a WordPress blog, you should set up an account with Akismet and install the Akismet Anti-Spam Plugin. Akismet is free for personal use, and has paid options for businesses.

 

Case 2: The Troll

Typically a real person with an axe (or many axes) to grind, The Troll will easily bring toxicity to a blog and its community. Platforms such as WordPress give you a comment system by default, but oftentimes those comment systems are insecure, and allow for the kind of anonymity that invites trolls to post with impunity. There are a couple of tips to help mitigate trolling and reduce the frequency of trolls posting on your blog.

De-anonymize Your Comments

Forcing people to use an actual identity when posting will drastically reduce the chances of troll posters on your blog. One of my favorite choices for implementing blog commenting is Disqus, and the Disqus team has created a plugin for WordPress. Using the Disqus platform, you can require your users sign-in using a verified identity provider such as Facebook or Google. Once they know their real names & faces are associated to their comments, there will be an element of self-moderation.

Show “Best Comments” First

Disqus also has an option to prioritize “Best Comments” which will give deeper, more thoughtful discussion priority over one-shot trolling comments. Most large sites with commenting in-tact sort comments this way, I highly recommend you do the same.

Moderate Your Comments

This can be a full-time job in itself! But if you have a commenting situation that is getting out-of-hand, turning on moderation may be the only way to keep trolls out of the garden. If they know they cannot get instant gratification from their posts, they likely will find another location to vent their frustrations.

 

Case 3: The Argument

Sometimes two well-meaning folks with strong—and opposing—opinions will engage in a conversation in your comments that gets out of hand. This is a tough one to deal with, but there are a few options that may help reduce friction.

Use Community Moderators

If you trust others that write with you, or provide commentary alongside others, you will create a strong community with a sense of trickle-down moderation. Folks that feel empowered to create a better site will work hard to do so, especially if it is about something of importance to them.

Create a Facebook Group

Create a Facebook Group for your blog. This is easy, and can be done in a matter of minutes. When you write a post, link to your group for deeper discussions. This gives people multiple channels to reach you. The bonus of creating a Facebook Group is that if a member is causing trouble, you can remove them. Typically Facebook Groups are tightly knit, and will self-moderate much better than even de-anonymized comment systems.

 

In Conclusion

Commenting may be dead for certain sites, but the internet as a community is alive and well. If you are starting a blog, or adding one to an existing site, you will sacrifice good opportunities to connect with your readers if you avoid comments completely.

There’s no denying that comments add tremendous value to sites. With them, you engage users and allow them to play an active role in your site. Unfortunately, they have been getting a bad rap in recent years, but as we have seen, there are ways to take comments back and make them relevant once again.

There are a number of ways that you can secure your own slice of the community, and start adding value in your areas of interest & expertise!

Until the next time,

Happy Sharing (and Blogging!)

 

Eric is a Senior Full-Stack Engineer for ClearView Social. He has worked in the web development world for more than 15 years. He’s done time as an author and speaker, and is the organizer of the JavaScript Meetup Group, BuffaloJS. He can be found on Twitter, usually talking about code, at @adams_ea.