Why You Should Stop Moderating Comments
Many blogs I visit moderate comments. Here’s a typical scenario:
You go to a marketing blog like my own (or any type of blog), find the post interesting, and post a comment. When you submit, a message appears saying “your comment is awaiting moderation.” As a reader, I am less likely to return when I see this. Here’s why you should stop doing this:
1) CAPTCHA‘s*. Spam recognition software has improved to where you don’t need to moderate comments before they are published. This is a WordPress blog, and I use the Akismet plugin. It’s fantastic. Spam is automatically thrown into a folder that I check to make sure it is really Spam. I’ve been using it for a few months, and it has been 100% accurate. Keep in mind, I’m not saying you shouldn’t delete spam; I’m just pointing out that if you use a CAPTCHA you won’t have to.
*A note about CAPTCHA’s: Don’t use the ones that require the user to type in a series of characters to verify they are human. Why would you want to create another barrier between your reader and their comment? Modern CAPTCHA technology like Akismet means you don’t have to require your reader to go through this step. Stop making it difficult for your readers to interact with you.
2) It makes your reader less likely to return. Too many high-profile blogs are using current CAPTCHA technology to justify most people’s use of comment moderation. If I see “your comment is awaiting moderation”, I’m less likely to return. I find it to be annoying and unnecessary. I’m not alone.
3) It send the wrong message. When I see the words “comment awaiting moderation”, it tells me you are interested in controlling the message. It tells me you might (or might not) be the kind of blogger that deletes negative comments. Negative comments (as long as they aren’t over-the-line personal attacks) are an opportunity, not something to be “moderated.”
I hope I’ve convinced you to stop this practice. Disagree? Let me know in the comments.
What captcha’s are there that don’t require human input? I wasn’t aware that there was any other kind. I thought that the distorted image and text box was the definition of a captcha.
What’s up Greg? Hope you are doing well.
I use Akismet (I misspelled this originally – but I corrected it and linked it). Perhaps by definition it is not CAPTCHA.
Regardless, it is a WordPress plugin that identifies and blocks comment and trackback spam. It works great and means your readers don’t have to:
1) Wait for their comment to be moderated.
2) Type characters into a box.
So yeah, it’s great. Good to see you are reading the blog. I really appreciate it, and I’m flattered.
Hey, well it was in my facebook feed and it interested me, whats the point otherwise?
Interesting program, I have 0 idea how it works, and I’m tempted to try and break it, but perhaps I’ll wait till I’ve got my own site.
You got lucky Altrup…. this time.
Also nice blog, looks updated, concise and well targeted.
Thanks Greg (both for your kind words and your decision to not “break it”).
Incidentally, I’m planning on changing the design…soon. As in 2-3 weeks soon. I’m also working on a new logo for 417 Marketing.
Take care.
Hey Nick,
You win : )
I took down the comment moderation for my site because of your article. You made some great points and if anything is really inappropriate, I can just delete it as admin.
Keep up the content.
Tim
What’s my prize?
I’m glad that my post influenced you to do so. I think you made the right call.
Thanks for the kind words, I am highly focused on providing the best content possible to my audience.
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