I contemplated this a bit while reading Krystin's blog post. For example, my blog has evolved over time to focus more on political issues. I don't really have a big readership yet (I get excited when my Sitemeter says I got 40+ visits in one day), but I have already received a few negative comments from people of a more, shall we say, politically conservative angle that have attacked my moral compass based on my likes and dislikes on my Blogger profile.
I pretty much blew them off, figuring that I do not have the energy nor the capacity to make one's political beliefs turn a complete 180.
I know some blog templates allow for some form of comment moderation. Blogger, for example, has a system in place to prevent spam comments. Other blogs I've seen require blog owner approval of comments, or a user login before leaving behind a comment. Here's how Krystin dealt with a spate of negative commenting on her blog:
First things first, thanks to everyone for the sweet words!!! Getting nasty comments really get me down sometimes, especially when their personal attacks. Truly uncalled for, but I can't get rid of it, I think its a template conflict.
[...]
On one last note, I'm allowing comments by anyone again. Unregistered users can use my comments too. I found something called comment moderation, it allows me to say which comments are published and which arent. So, if your comments don't show up right away, it's because I've not published them yet, no worries.
People create blogs for many different reasons - one need only look to our Blogs By Women Blogroll to see the myriad interests of our blogging sisters - but I think that there are also little bits of our egos baked into our regular posting: The rush one gets when reading a really good comment; Technorati info showing somebody linked to your blog and built a post of their own while springboarding off of your idea; your chosen web tracking mechanism telling you that that day's hits exceeded that of yesterday's, for example, are some of the little perks that come along with citizens' media. That people respond to your writing, your emotions, your thought processes in a positive way - it's just great to be able to connect with people on a common interest that is dear to your heart.
The great thing about blogging is that it helps create a dialogue where there might not otherwise be one. So I guess the moral of the story here is to take all comments with a grain of salt - what matters most is your point of view, and letting your voice be heard.
Technorati Tag: blogging
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