One of the attributes of blogs that make them so unique and interesting is the ability for readers to post comments in response to the commentary on the blog.   In the business world, this option may seem a little scary at first, until you realize that you as a publisher can be in complete control of what comments are posted. 

The functionality for reader comments is built right into IMN’s DirectBlog service as a Letter feature.  You can easily add this feature wherever you want and, as we mentioned above, you will have complete control over which letters are viewed by readers. Here are a few tips on how best to utilize this feature.

Where Should I Put The Letter Feature?

Many blog publishers do not follow a traditional newsletter format of a synopsis and full story that is viewable after clicking on a link.  Instead, they write short commentary that is the complete story on the Cover Page of the blog.  If you publish in this manner, your best bet would be to place the letter entry form and previously posted letters right at the bottom of the blog posting. 

If this is your preference, you can place the Letter feature right on the Cover Page.  You may want to change the Text Label for the Full Story link to something more in keeping with the spirit of a blog.  You could use "Read & Comment" to encourage people to respond immediately after reading the posting or you may want to use "Discussion Forum" since you're putting the entire post and comments on the cover.

If you follow a more traditional newsletter approach and want to have reader comments viewable at the end of a full story that is found on an Article Page, you'll want to edit the "Article Page" template in the layout by adding the "Letter View" and "Letter Summary" elements into this page. You'll need to click the checkbox for "Single Mode" so that there are not two forms on the page when the person first gets there. Also, be sure the "Article Assignment" is set to "Auto."

The Eternal Dilemma

From a business perspective, you’ll need to ask yourself these questions about posting readers’ comments: Do I want to give anyone viewing the site free reign to automatically post any comments they want, or do I want to monitor the comments being posted before they appear on the site?

There's no right answer as there are benefits and drawback to both.  It’s really a decision the individual organization needs to make and this decision is often based on whom the blog is intended for. For internal groups that want to facilitate quick and immediate communication through a blog, then posting all comments may be fine.  If however, your blog includes external readers such as customers, you may want to place some filtering controls on the posts so you can ensure that only positive comments get posted.  With the IMN DirectBlog system, both options are relatively easy to implement.   

In the Publishing Options area, there is a setting labeled "Content Approvals." To post any and all comments submitted by readers on the blog automatically, click on  "Approve Automatically."   To have the ability to monitor the postings and only place certain ones on the blog, click  "Must be approved by an editor."  With this option, the system will hold the readers’ comments until someone logs into the account, check the content, and manually approves the letter.

Want more information on using letters for your blog or newsletter?  Email me with any questions you might have!