Breaks comments down into different types and offers my guidance for how to respond to them in order to keep up the momentum of the conversation. Forget trying to control sentiment -- staying interesting and building contextual relationships is what this is all about.

1. Photo by CaptainKobold How to Respond to Comments on Your Company Blog Blog Comments: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly By Shannon Paulhttp://VeryOfficialBlog.com

2. Agenda Types of Reader Comments, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Responding to Good Comments Responding to Bad Comments Responding to Ugly Comments What’s Next?

3. Types of Comments

5. Stay on-topic

6. Encourage a new, relevant direction for the conversation

7. Show an understanding of the material in the original article regardless of opinion

8. Express something meaningful for readers to consume

10. Ugly Comments Profane for the sake of being profane Abusive toward the author Abusive toward other commenters on the site Abusive toward a third party “Bernanke is a piece of… I hope he…” Spam comments or linkbait comments Name: Forex Software with link embedded to http://getrichwithforex.com

11. Responding to Good Comments Rewarding Good Behavior

12. Why Respond? Encourage engagement Make readers feel “heard” Competitive edge vs. BIG GUYS and established media outlets Keep up the momentum of the conversation Remember herd mentality Establish personal relationships with readers Increase personal relevance, social obligation to check in with you

14. Discourse is good

15. Don’t be afraid to be wrong

16. But remember to be respectful

17. Admit when you were wrong

18. Don’t be afraid to be right

19. Again, remember to be respectful

20. This is always a work in progress

22. Readers = Guests Address Them By Name

24. Especially when you disagree 

25. Remember to think first

26. Don’t get emotional

28. Stir the pot

29. Allow others to come to the correct (your) conclusion on his/her own

30. Remember momentum, not agreement, is the desired outcome

31. Give your point of view and ask others to chime in…

33. Responding to Bad Comments Guiding the Herd

34. Author as Facilitator Thin or unintelligent comments do not necessarily warrant a response Off-topic comments can sometimes be regarded as a test of the author Are you paying attention to me? Although sometimes they’re just completely crazy Comments that touch on compliance related issues are an opportunity to discuss business

35. Be a Leader, Not the Star

37. Tangential Comments Are Not Always Bad

38. Idea Generation for Future Posts

39. Link to the comment in a future post, OR if the commenter is a blogger/author, link to her blog in a future post

40. Put the Ball Back in His/Her Court

42. Don’t be a pushover This is still YOUR house

43. Focus on Your Herd

44. Remember the 90/9/1% Rule 90% of ONN readers will NEVER respond 9% will only OCCASIONALLY respond 1% will create 99% of the UGC (user generated content) Nurture the 1% but remember you’re both on stage in front of the 99%

45. Dealing with ugly comments Keeping it Clean

46. Defensive Measures Spam filter will prevent 99% of all spam comments from ever showing up on the site If you see a comment that looks like it may be spam on the site, email the administrator or tag the comment as spam yourself Reserve the right to delete anyone’s comment if they engage in profanity or abuse

47. What’s next? Encouraging Comments and Participation

48. What if Nobody Comments? Comment on Each Other’s Articles Email your friends and ask them their thoughts Make room in your articles for questions – asking others what they think works!

49. If Two Authors for the Same Site Comment on Each Other’s Work? 99% will be entertained. 1% might be tempted to join in the fun

50. What if EVERYBODY Comments? You don’t have to respond to everyone If there are too many comments to respond, pop in just enough to keep up the momentum and show that you’re listening Respond to those you recognize from past comments or other influencers in our industry

51. Final takeaways It’s almost over 

52. Remember! Reward good behavior Focus on your herd Be a leader, not a star Transparency works This is still your house!

53. Thank YOU! I’m here if you have any questions! Shannon Paul Very Official Blog shannonpaul5@gmail.com