How to Manage Comments on Blog

Comments by readers of your blog can be moderated by you in a number of ways. Your decision on how you will monitor comments will have a large impact on your overall blog. It is important that you keep in mind the pros and cons of your decision.

 First and foremost, blogs that invite comments from readers are generally more popular than blogs that do not. Web 2.0 is all about participation on the web and people like to feel part of a blog community rather than just a reader of a one-sided blog.

For some businesses it may make sense to disallow comments, however, for the majority of businesses and personal blogs you should consider allowing comments from your readers.

Unrestricted Commentary

One option you can have on your blog is unrestricted commentary. This allows anyone to post comments on your blog with no moderation. Though this is the most open form of blogging it is also the most dangerous. You will undoubtedly find inappropriate comments and SPAM on your blog which can lead to problems with the search engines.

For the most part it is not a good idea to allow unrestricted commentary.

Registered User Commentary

One small but effective way to restrict the commentary on your site is to require the person interested in commenting to register for your blog with a valid e-mail address. This will prevent most spammers who want to post quickly and move on. It will also help prevent people from posting ridiculous comments on your blog. Some SPAM and ridiculous commentary will still get through.

Once someone is registered you can monitor their postings on your blog and ban them or block them if you find them posting inappropriate comments.

Approved Comments Only

Most bloggers choose the option of allowing only approved comments to appear on their blog. Basically you set up the blog so you are notified anytime someone posts a comment to one of your postings. The comment will not appear until you have reviewed it and actively approved it.

Requiring comment approval is a good way to both allow comments and protect the integrity of your blog at the same time. Most people familiar with blogging expect to have their comments reviewed before being visible.

Allow commentary on your blog in order to keep your readers active on your blog but choose the level of protection that works the best for your needs.

How to Name Your Blog

Shakespeare asked if a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The importance of choosing the right name for your blog should not be overlooked. Remember there are two different names for your blog. First, there is the name you choose for the actual blog. Second, there is the URL you reserve to host your blog.


Naming the Blog
People can sometimes try to be overly cute or a bit too creative when they name their blog. Though it is a way to show your creativity you run the risk of no one knowing what your blog is actually about.

A blog’s name should immediately convey the central purpose of your blog. This will be helpful in gaining followers who often look on blog directories or search for blogs by category online. If someone is looking for a blog about luxury handbags they will want to see a blog with a name that includes any of the following:

•  Bags
• Clutches
•  Handbags
•  Hobos
•  Purses
•  Satchels, etc

Though you may want to be more creative and use a term like arm candy, not all of your potential readers will be able to identify the focus of your blog based on the name.

Try to be straight forward with your blog’s name and use your creativity with the design of the blog and the actual content on it.

Blog URL
If possible you want your blog’s URL to be the same as the name of your blog but this is not always possible or even desirable. If you want to be creative with the name of your blog then try to be straight forward with your URL. For example, if you choose the name Eye Candy Blog for the name of your blog, as mentioned above, you may want a URL that has handbag or purse in the name.

Typically people see both the blog’s name and URL when looking in a blog directory. Though ideally you are straight-forward with the name you give your blog and the URL it will be placed on, you can choose to be a little more creative with the name of your blog as long as your URL contains the keywords in it.

Take time to think about the best name for your blog. Try to choose a name that will strike a chord with your target market. Often less is more and simple is the best way to go.