Blogging, the greatest trend in online publication right now, is sweeping the Internet like wildfire.
With blogs, which are a combination between an online journal and a bulletin board, everyone from celebrities to politicians, corporate leaders, and your everyday “Adam” or “Eve” may suddenly become an online center of power.
However, like with any social contact, certain standards must be followed in order to be perceived as acting “correctly.”
One of the factors that contribute to blogging’s popularity as an online publishing strategy is the concept of “comments.”
Comments-enabled blogs allows readers to respond to and expand on the content posted by the blog’s author.
These comments and the open exchange of information, opinions, connections, and new ideas generate the dynamic and expanding content that contributes to blogging’s popularity as an online activity for both publishers and readers.
However, the rules and unwritten customs governing the proper use of “comments” on a particular blog are also the source of the majority of disagreements and conflicts.
Because a successful blog eventually becomes a community of people, correct social etiquette is crucial for becoming an effective and accepted member.
Keep these fundamental guidelines in mind when approaching a new blog that permits reader comments to avoid receiving a reprimand from those who follow a different set of standards than you.
As is the case with any social circle, disregarding the group’s rules and conventions immediately results in a negative reaction.
Remain on topic with the blog post you’re commenting on. Nothing will quickly gain you the fury and contempt of your fellow posters and the blog owner than making an irrelevant comment.
Different blogs function according to their own set of rules. What is considered appropriate in one blog may result in a verbal beating in another.
Before you write, especially if this is your first time on a certain site, take a look at the types and quality of posts people usually make.
It is acceptable to disagree with others when making a remark, whether the author of the blog or another reader.
However, it is not permissible to launch a personal assault on another individual or to make derogatory comments on another’s blog.
If you feel compelled to do so, you may do so on your own blog.
It’s the same premise as saying whatever you want in your own home, but acting appropriately and better in someone else’s home.