If you choose to leave them up, Lorelle on WordPress suggests some things to think about before you reply to them:
Before responding, seriously consider the following:
- Get past the emotional response that comes up when first reading the comment or post. In other words, don’t respond emotionally.
- Carefully re-examine the words and what they are saying. Is there a measure of truth or criticism that is warranted?
- Does the comment add to the conversation? Does it invite more conversation, even if it is not in agreement with your opinion and the way they put it reads badly?
- Will your response add to the conversation?
- Re-read your post. Did you say something that might have inspired or inflamed such a response? Did you invite this response?
- Put the comment in moderation and think about it for a few hours or a day or two before responding or taking action.
- Write out a response in a word processor or text editor. Hit the save button with the same energy you would click “Submit”. How does it feel? Now, re-read your response and see if you still feel the same way. Consider saving the response and then waiting a day to re-read it before posting to your blog.
- Do you think they are being nasty because of you personally, what you say, or is this an attempt to sensationalize the issue to attract attention to themselves? Are they responding from jealousy or some misguided assumptions? Is the person trying to get you to do something you don’t really want to do? Are they trying to “call your bluff” or direct the content of your site? It’s your blog. You control it. Consider their motives in your response.
- Take your time. There are no rules and regulations that say every comment must be released to the public immediately, nor responded to immediately.
