I tried to leave a comment on a Fortune blog last week (owned by CNN). I say tried because a) the comment still isn’t posted, and b) I’m left with the impression that it may never be. Why? Here’s the confirmation message I got after I hit the publish button (emphasis mine):
Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated by CNN and will not appear on this blog until they have been reviewed and deemed appropriate for posting. Also, due to the volume of comments we receive, not all comments will be posted.
Although I’m not a big fan of moderated comments, I recognize they sometimes are a necessary evil. But saying you’re too busy to post the comments that come in? That won’t go very far toward building a community around your blogs. There’s a cost involved in nuturing and maintaining online communities, and blogs are no exception. If you’re not willing to bear that cost, then don’t bother having blogs in the first place.
(Speaking of moderated comments, when I tried to leave a comment on a New York Times blog a couple of weeks ago about the Yahoo layoff situation, I was politely informed by the technology editor that the word “suck'’ is not allowed. As in “Layoffs suck.'’ Always interesting to see where media outlets draw the good taste line.)