Commenting Tips

Posting a comment on someone’s website is like walking into their dining room and pulling a chair up to the table. If it’s your dining room table it can be a bit of a shock when someone shows up.

Now, that is not to say it is necessarily a bad thing to have someone pop in. It can lead to some interesting and stimulating exchanges. And most of the time the discours is really quite enjoyable.

On the other hand, lacing your comments with profanity and insults is rather like sitting up to their table and breaking free with a horrendous blast of flatulence. While no one may actually say anything about it, they may consider locking the door for the next meal.

Here are some guides I try to follow when commenting.

• Value added. If I have nothing to say that adds value to the post, I don’t comment.
• Consider email. If I have something of a personal nature to address with the author, I consider contacting them by email.
• Hanlon’s Razor. If I draft a comment that can be construed to be “out of line” I table it, or don’t send it at all.
• Stand up. If I want my comment to be anonymous, I ask myself what I’m ashamed of.
• Be Brief. If my comment is more than 3 sentences long, I save it for the topic of my next article.

Reg Adkins writes on behavior and the human experience at (elementaltruths.blogspot.com).