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Handling controversy on your blog

  1. maidiebike
    Member

    Would you handle controversial comments on your blog differently if your blog was promoting your /someone else' business/organization vs. your own personal blog?

    Over the past few days, there was considerable twitter and commentary on a video that was promoting Vancouver's cycling scene. I posted the video to the blog because our organization sponsored it to promote a conference.

    To make a long story short, sometimes I get the powerful feeling some bloggers just like to criticize continuously just to draw ongoing blog traffic.

    So in the end, though the person might be a critic..they just don't want to give up. So no point responding to person, right?

    The blog I need help with is www.velo-city2012blog.com.

  2. supportbot
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  3. maidiebike
    Member

    Sorry here's .com blog of mine: http://www.thirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.com

  4. timethief
    Member

    To make a long story short, sometimes I get the powerful feeling some bloggers just like to criticize continuously just to draw ongoing blog traffic.

    So in the end, though the person might be a critic..they just don't want to give up. So no point responding to person, right?

    Yes there are bloggers who troll. Yes some use trolling as a means of gaining traffic. I answer them politely once and if they continue then I choose not to post their ongoing comments (rants) or to reply to them.

  5. hopeortiz
    Member

    I agree with Timethief there is no sence is arguing with someone its like running on a tredmill you are running nut your not going anywhere same with arguing. I try to be polite but once they start getting mean or not listening I ignore them.

  6. timethief
    Member

    When I get comments from those who cannot or who will not remain with the confines of civilized discussion and/or who refuse to learn the rules of formal debate I don't post them.That's what the Trash bin is for. I am not desperate for comments. I do LOVE getting them but I will not fuel the blogs of trolls -- period. As far as getting mean goes I refuse to post any comments that violate my Commenting Policy. I post only on-topic comments that contain not inflammatory or defamatory statement.
    Commenting policy > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/commenting/
    Basic Netiquette for Beginner Bloggers > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2010/03/16/basic-netiquette-for-beginner-bloggers/

  7. timethief
    Member

    EDIT: I post only on-topic comments that do not contain inflammatory or defamatory statements.

    Sorry :( I'm having a bad vision day.

  8. raincoaster
    Member

    Since you're in Vancouver you should come to my panel at Northern Voice on exactly this subject.

    http://2011.northernvoice.ca/courting-controversy-dancing-devil

  9. macmanx
    Happiness Engineer

    Remember, your blog is your property, and you're under no obligation to display their comment or even allow them to comment in the first place.

    Granted, it's great to have a level-headed discussion on your blog from time to time, but I'm not ashamed to admit that some past commenters won themselves a spot on my blacklist.

  10. teamoyeniyi
    Member

    I will say I've been pleasantly surprised in my case. I did wonder what reactions I might get with my subject matter. After all, I know one of our main asylum seeker advocates here in Melbourne literally receives hate mail - lots of it. And I'd married one - what was I likely to cop? So I wrote anyway.

    I did get a few really horrible spam type comments initially, wrote a piece about it and they've never been back - or Akismet got any subsequent attempts.

    If I did get really abusive comments, they would simply not be published. If I got comments that I could see were trying to present an alternative viewpoint in a rational way, I would publish those and do my best to encourage them to rethink. :)

    Because mine is about a personal experience, I think I am a little protected from such attacks.

  11. raincoaster
    Member

    Someone submitted my blogs to a troll forum and asked them all to go after me. I bet those guys are still wondering why they're having difficulty commenting on WordPress blogs...

  12. teamoyeniyi
    Member

    Troll forums exist? I'm not even going to ask.............

  13. momfog
    Member

    Lo-sers. Who's life is so miserable that they want to spend their time attacking people and trying to make them miserable, too?

    I've never received a controversial comment, but there's not much opportunity for that kind of thing on my blog. Unless someone really, really hates cake. Pie people?

  14. raincoaster
    Member

    Pie people are vicious. And cupcake people? Never turn your back on one.

  15. maidiebike
    Member

    Max you are right (and others here), blog is one's own property. Just because one builds a little house that's not disturbing the neighbourhood by its presence, doesn't mean one allows others to trample across the front lawn viciously.

  16. maidiebike
    Member

    Thx for the notice raincoaster. I will miss this by a few days while I'm here in the city before I go back to a job in another province.

  17. raincoaster
    Member

    You're not going? That's a shame. Northern Voice really is an awesome blogging conference, and a huge deal, too. The nearest equivalent is Social Media Camp June 3 and 4 in Victoria, and that's several hundred dollars.

  18. teamoyeniyi
    Member

    I just leant about a conference here in Australia that I didn't know about until it was too late. Of course I never knew there were conferences!

    Now I know better, I will be keeping my eye out for them!

  19. teamoyeniyi
    Member

    *leaRnt*

  20. teamoyeniyi
    Member

    Do they have conference on "Proofreading comments before Submitting - elementary blogging techniques for old and young alike"

  21. raincoaster
    Member

    Not yet, but if you pay my airfare we could work something out...

  22. dlager
    Member

    Not to change the subject but, I can't help wondering, what exactly does one call someone who Trolls in a Troll Forum.

  23. timethief
    Member

    If she's the Queen who takes out the trolls you call her Your Majesty. ;)

  24. maidiebike
    Member

    Cute and appropriate, timethief!

    We decided to publish a comment by another blogger..actually a personal question directed to me on my cycling attire: why I wasn't cycling in streetwear..to be like an ordinary person. In the cycling world, there is a schism between folks who wear cycling clothing vs. cyclists who cycle in streetwear.

    Personally, not worth a debate. I'm always happy anyone who cycles or does any form of exercise for their health. They must be comfortable in whatever they wear.

    But I'm not going be bait for a tortuous discussion, we decided this since it is on a BUSINESS blog. Why bother letting such comments, topics trivialize a business blog?

  25. authorjdhughes
    Member

    I banish Trolls to the depths of Akismet, or whatever kind something seems to zap them.

    I write poetry, so people rarely have intrest in anarchy, I have seen a large number of "blocked"... but I haven't a clue their content.... could be amusing?

  26. timethief
    Member

    @maidiebike
    If you have ever seen the Queen take out trolls you would know what I mean. ;) The Queen has a very high IQ and most trolls don't -- they just think they do.

    Why bother letting such comments, topics trivialize a business blog?

    I wouldn't. Everything you post to a blog reflects it's brand either positively or negatively. Everything posted to a business blog ought to be aimed at improving your audience's appreciation of bicycling and their information base. The clothing both under and outerwear aren't key to the subject matter in the blog and controversy will not enhance your reader base or positioning in the SERPs. So it seems to me that you made a sensible decision.

    Entertainment blogs, political blogs and sports blog thrive on controversy. I refuse to read any of them. Life is to short to waste it on reading nasty exchanges that I consider to be rubbish.

  27. timethief
    Member

    @authorjdhughes
    There is a difference between people who have differing points of view and express it via bad language, illogical argument, inflammatory and/or defamatory statements and behaviors and spammers. I send spammers to Akismet and the troll comments I send to Trash.

  28. raincoaster
    Member

    I wouldn't call that trivialization: I would call that engagement.

  29. maidiebike
    Member

    The target audience of third wave cycling blog is more for transportation planners, engineers, urban planners, architects and cycling advocates who run organizations dedicated to cycling for transportation.

    A secondary audience would be those who merely cycle but do not get paid nor spend tons of time to advance cycling infrastructure and program planning.

    It doesn't fit the mold of a hard-edge super business-like tone that one would expect from such business blogs because it touches upon lifestyle issues with a cycling focus. So the clothing issue is more of cultural issue.

    Pretty easy to lose focus if one debates over the merits of cycling vs. non-cycling clothing. So to stem too many readers from thumping at our door, the owner of the blog (not I. I am the blogmaster and a writer.), he tries to acknowledge some of the more vocal readers:

    http://thirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/dialogue-on-clothing-and-helmets-as-a-barrier-to-cycling/

    Engagement is great on a business blog but can't tip too much over the edge just like going to a conference where there is a moderator to keep the discussion focused.

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