World Class Poetry Blog

Comment Policy
29 June 2008, the poet @ 9:46 am

Since I’ve made a couple of changes to the way that my comments look and act I thought I’d institute a comment policy. Specifically, the changes made are the installation of the CommentLuv plugin for WordPress, which adds a link to a commentators latest blog post, and the reward of a do-follow link for commentators. Let me explain the importance and benefit of these two new developments for WCP.

No. 1, if you comment on this blog you have the option to allow a link appear with your comment that points back to your latest blog post. This could lead to additional traffic to your blog. As my readers browse the comments they will come across your remarks and have the ability to visit your blog through mine. This is an option, not a requirement. The link will appear automatically unless you opt out. All you have to do to opt out so that the link to your last blog post does not appear is uncheck the box next to where it says “Enable CommentLuv which will try and parse your last blog post, please be patient while it finds it for you” under the comment box in which you enter your comments.

To see an example of a comment with the CommentLuv link, visit the blog post titled “How Poets Innovate” and see the comment I made under the name Allen Taylor, my real name, which points to the Gettysburg Pennsylvania Blog.

The second benefit, a do-follow link, simply means that you will get link building credit for your comments by commenting on my blog. WordPress is automatically no-follow with regard to links. What that means is, in HTML language, the search engine robots are being commanded not to follow the link. That’s what they normally do, unless told otherwise. In search engine optimization, do-follow links give webmasters an added edge with search rankings when they receive inbound links from websites within the same niche that have a level of authority on the subject. Since the World Class Poetry Blog is more than six months old, any links to your website or blog from mine will count as inbound link credit that will help you in search rankings. In essence, I’m paying you to comment on my blog.

What I’m Asking You To Do For Me
In order to maintain fairness to all my commentators and to facilitate intelligent discussion regarding poetics in the 21st century, I have instituted the following comment policy, which I will adhere to strictly. Please follow these guidelines when leaving comments on the World Class Poetry Blog.

• Keep comments on topic - Comments that are not related to the blog post you are commenting on will be deleted or, occasionally, edited.
• No anonymous comments - Sorry, I don’t allow anonymous comments. My name is on this blog and all comments made by me are signed “the poet.” This is not to be a wise-ass or to show my ego. It’s a moniker I’ve adopted for SEO reasons. I understand that some people are turned off by that. Cool. Start your own blog. The World Class Poetry Blog has achieved respectable search rankings because I use effective search engine optimization tactics. That doesn’t mean that I don’t take the subject of poetics seriously. Any time you see “the poet” assume it is me. If you have a nickname that you use on your blog then feel free to use it in your comments. I’m OK with that. But it should match the branding on your blog. Changing your name to a nickname because you want to post a comment anonymously is not accepted and those comments will be deleted.
• External linking - I don’t mind external links if they provide real value to the blog post your comments are about. Linking to your own blog or website within your comment isn’t necessary most of the time because you are asked to input your URL and your name will link to your website when your comment appears. But I do understand that sometimes a particular blog post is helpful to the discussion. Feel free to link to it if you think it will help, even if it’s on your own blog. Links for the sake of links are frowned upon and your comment will edited or deleted.
• Profanity - Some people are offended by strong language. I’m not. I sometimes get a little loose on this blog. It costs me - people unsubscribe to my news feeds, they don’t show up at my poetry readings or buy my books, I get dirty looks at the mall, etc. I pay the price. I’m willing to. This is not some sappy, teenage “I love Sappho” blog. It is adult-oriented, not just for the language but for the discussion. I provide intelligent commentary and respect intelligent commentary in return. If you are mature enough to handle the discussion and the language then come on in. Make your comments relevant, engaging, and intelligent and I’m happy. Profanity for the sake of profanity might see your comment edited or deleted. Otherwise, let’s just be responsible adults.
• Personal attacks - Personal attacks on me or another person on this blog will not be tolerated. Heated debate is encouraged, but don’t get personal. I sometimes make sarcastic wise cracks, but I generally don’t aim them at specific people. Comments of a personal nature that attack an individual’s character will be deleted and the commentator may be banned at my discretion.
• Gaming the system - Spam will not be tolerated. All comments that look like spam and act like spam will be treated as spam and be instantly deleted. In the future I may decide to add a top commentators plugin or use other methods to reward top commentators and other participants on this blog. If it looks like you are using these reward systems to increase your own stature then I reserve the right to implement measures to regulate and control that. That may include comment deletion or editing, exclusion or reduction within the community, or whatever I deem appropriate for the situation. (Note: I’m usually not into flogging or public humiliation so set yourself at ease).
• Publisher’s right - I want to encourage more comments. I like well-thought-out comments and heated discussion. But I reserve the right to edit or delete comments at any time. The idea is to facilitate intelligent discussion regarding poetics and as long as everyone is using my comment system to that end then all will be well. Oh, and I also reserve the right to amend this policy at any time.

Thank you for your participation in the World Class Poetry Blog community. I hope this policy and these changes to the World Class Poetry Blog will facilitate more discussion and debate about poetics. I value your comments and encourage them. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy what you read here.

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