Tread Carefully with Comments

Whether you have a blog or not, leaving comments is for anyone and everyone. It's so easy! That's why I say, "tread carefully with the comments you leave."

More lightning-quick (if not long-lasting) damage has been done to corporate and personal reputations in blog comments than anywhere else online. More honest disagreement and deep understanding has also been reached in that same venue. Because it is so easy to respond to blogs (as simple as clicking the “'Comments'” link on a blog post), you should really think carefully about how the comments you leave.

Don'’t forget, comments are indeed a double-edged sword: they can tell your side of the story and lend credibility OR get misinterpreted and have ugly repercussions.

The most critical time to watch what you write is after a disagreement or challenge. Wait a day or so before responding. There is no "take it back" on the web. Sure, technically (as in software that let's you remove it) you can try to "take back"” a comment. But erasing history by editing your comments (and especially the comments of others) is wishful thinking and never works.

Bloggers are like elephants; they never forget. And if they do, Google is there to remember for them.