As a content creator, especially if your content includes blog posts, you try to elicit reader reaction, which frequently arrives in the form of comments. Not every reader will love everything you create, so prepare to handle both negative and positive comments with grace and transparency.

In the interest of furthering a dialog with readers, most comments should be published as long as they meet the site's criteria, are on topic, and not hurtful or deceptive. But many sites, reasonably, do not display new comments until they've been reviewed and approved, to minimize spam and other nuisances.

Establishing clear guidelines makes it easier to handle and respond to visitor comments appropriately, especially when multiple authors are contributing original content to your site. If you lack clear commenting guidelines, develop them before comments begin pouring in...and the inevitable questions start.

Consider publishing your expectations for comments, especially if you court controversy in your blog posts as a way to get traffic and response. A publicly accessible policy enables you to proactively set a tone for the type of feedback you want. It also provides a clear, open standard you can reference if problematic commenters assert that not publishing their remarks amounts to unfair treatment. 

Not sure where to begin? Don't try to anticipate every possible situation: instead, establish "big picture" requirements that you can easily explain and defend, and apply your best judgment when you need to make case-by-case decisions. Consider the following criteria I developed to help a software company determine whether or not to publish individual comments, and to help the authors respond to both positive and negative comments. 

Criteria for Approving Comments

1. Approved comments should contribute to the conversation started by your post. You need not publish off-topic rants, spam or shameless self-promotion.
2. You can require commenters to be respectful and on-topic, but you cannot require them to agree with you. In other words,
   don't stifle dissent without a good reason.
3. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, think twice before you publish someone else saying it. It's your prerogative to decline comments with profanity, ad hominem attacks, insults, slurs, and similarly unpleasant language.
4. Don't publish comments that explicitly and inappropriately promote a competing product. On the flip side, don't publish comments that inappropriately demean competing products.
5. A substantive comment that honestly and objectively expresses a valuable point about another product, positive or negative, should be approved.
6. Be transparent. No product or service is perfect. In most cases, a substantive comment that points out a shortcoming or flaw should be approved and responded to. 

Responding to Positive Comments

1. Always respond to a positive comment.  If a visitor has read and thought about your post enough to offer a response, graciously recognize that interest with a reply.
2. If the reader asks a question, try to answer or at least acknowledge it. If the reader is not seeking additional information, a simple variation on “Thank you for reading, and for the kind comments” can suffice.
3. A dialog may begin between you and the commenter. If the discussion becomes one that would be better handled by someone else (a sales rep or trainer, for instance), identify the appropriate person to work with your correspondent, and make the appropriate introductions via e-mail. It could lead to a sale!

Responding to Negative Comments

1. Commenters may not know how their writing comes across. It’s very easy to be misinterpreted online, so assume that most people have good intentions. Give the writer the benefit of the doubt when a comment has substance, even if it seems harsh or mean-spirited.
2. Always respond to a thoughtful comment that expresses disagreement or negativity. Critical responses come from interested and engaged readers. Respond in a way that demonstrates that your company cares about what people think, even if they have a bone to pick.
3. Be non-combative, respectful, and positive. No matter how satisfying it seems, never reply in anger or with an off-the-cuff riposte. Take a few hours or a day to cool down, if you need to.
4. Read the comment with as much objectivity as possible. Try to see things from the writer’s position and take your own ego out of the equation. The nature of your response may vary, depending on the substance of the comment:

• Did the reader misinterpret what you wrote? If so, don’t scold him for not getting it—instead, thank him for commenting and attempt to gently clarify what was misunderstood.
• Is she offering a reasonable alternative viewpoint? Simply acknowledge that and thank her for reading.
• Blog writers sometimes make mistakes. Does the comment point out an error that needs to be corrected?  Fix the error in the original post, and thank the reader for pointing it out. Being honest and forthright builds credibility for the writer and the organization.
• Has the commenter raised an issue that goes beyond your expertise or comfort level? Ask for assistance from someone who is better able to respond. You can even be explicit about this:

“I shared your comment with one of our experts on __________, and she offered the following information: <<text or summary of your conversation with expert>>. Thanks for your comment, and I hope this was helpful!”

• If appropriate, respond privately. If a comment isn’t clear, reply with an e-mail asking for clarification. Serious readers will be grateful you’re seeking to better understand their comment, or may realize their comment came off in a way they didn’t intend.

5. Sadly, not everyone on the Internet behaves in a civilized fashion. Ignore chronic spleen-venters, trolls and people who just want to push your buttons. A company is not obligated to acknowledge, publish, or respond to comments that include insults, profanity, ad hominem attacks, slurs and inflammatory content.

If you're just getting started with responding to comments, these sample guidelines offer a jumping-off point for developing your own rules, tailored to your organization's unique situation.

How do you handle comments? If you have other suggestions, please share them below!