Comment Etiquette

I’m sorry I have to even do this, but I feel like I have to clarify, because I’ve deleted a few comments as of late…I’ll make this short and sweet, but if you’re in the mood for a more extended list of comment etiquette, check out Scary Mommy’s list (yes, I read more than my fair share of mommy blogs, even though I have no children, nor am I pregnant…can you tell I’m in my late thirties?)

So here’s the deal…I love comments, you know that! We all do! I try to reply to them all within 24 hours, unless I’m on an offline vacation, in which case I let you all know before I take off. But there are some kinds of comments I really don’t tolerate, and these kinds of comments will get most likely get deleted:

1. Shameless self promoting. I love sharing the link love, but I can’t stand those comments that go: “If you like such-and-such-dish, you will just love this recipe on my blog” (with a direct link to said recipe). Thanks for the recipe link, but it would be fabulous if you made some kind of acknowledgment that you actually read my post, since you are indeed commenting on my blog. Sorry to get territorial and all, but hey. It’s my blog and I can whine if I want to. Oh, just a note: “nice blog…very nice and [insert shameless self promotion paragraph here]” or “Whatever dude!” are not what I consider to be worthwhile comments.

2. Reciprocal comments that don’t add any value other than the fact that the blogger is just dropping in. I love it that you’ve visited my blog, and maybe even read a post, but if you don’t have anything more meaningful to say than “Just stopping by!”…then, please don’t say anything at all. Feel free to mention that you’ve popped in for a visit, but please add a relevant comment as well.

3. Spammers. I’d go on a rant here, but thankfully I’m on WordPress.com and I have this lovely antispam called Akismet that traps all my comment spam. And if you’re spamming, you’re probably just a bot anyway, so you won’t be reading this.

So that’s it! Thanks so much to the 98% of you who actually write meaningful, witty, and entertaining comments. You’re the best!