Is it ever justified to delete reader comments?

1. 68

   eHealerposted 12 years ago

   Is it ever justified to delete reader comments?
   
   Do you ever delete comments on your Hubpages?
   Sometimes we get inappropriate or over promoting comments on our hubs, how do you  handle the situation?

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2. 92

   Rochelle Frankposted 12 years ago

   It's always justified to delete inappropriate or over-promotional comments.
   I handle it by deleting them.
   They have no way of knowing if an author or moderator enacted the removal.
   Some people delete, then post a note explaining why they deleted -- sometimes, even inviting the respondent to clean up the comment and try again, but this is not neccessary.
   Others just leave an offensive comment-- just to show others what kind of person the commenter is.
   It's your choice. I say delete without regret.

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      eHealerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Rochelle, the hubpages community is a supportive and positive one. Negative comments should not be tolerated!

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3. 60

   xstaticposted 12 years ago

   I have not felt it neccessary to delete any comments yet, but would not hesitate to do so if they were abusive or inapproprate.

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      eHealerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Xstatic, I am feeling less guilty by the minute!

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4. 61

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   The hub belongs to the author and they can delete comments or not without justification.  The work belongs to us and it is up to us to decide what climate we want comments to have. I personally delete negative and commercial comments. I want the climate to be positive, I don't want to argue, nor do I want my hub edited. Arguing can be saved for the forums and if someone finds a glaring error in my hub, I would hope they would contact me personally so I can rectify the error(s).

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   1. 92

      Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thumbs up!

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5. 62

   Rosyel Sawaliposted 12 years ago

   IMHO, if the comment has totally no relation to your hub or question, you can delete it. That way, it discourages those who spam.

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6. 73

   Kimberly Vaughnposted 12 years ago

   I beleve it is justifiable to delete reader comments if they are off topic, if the commentor is using in appropriate language or attacking other commentors.

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7. 60

   tirelesstravelerposted 12 years ago

   I have only deleted one.  It was incoherent and I suspect the writer was under the influence and would have been horribly embarrassed if I had left it.

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8. 74

   Kathleen Cochranposted 12 years ago

   I am hot-wired to be repelled by censorship so I never delete a comment.  In my experience the hubbers who do just don't want to hear from anyone who disagrees with them.  "Being off topic" is often code for "the discussion is not going where I want it to go."
   It's your hub, you can do what you want.  I think it's counterproductive to want a lot of comments then delete the ones you don't like.

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9. 83

   mikejhcaposted 12 years ago

   A few times I was happy to find out I received a comment only to find out it was not a comment at all.  The person was promoting something.  In those cases I just delete the comment.  I have also deleted some negative comments but not just because they did not like my hub.
   
   If I left a comment like "That is stupid.  You don't know what you are talking about." then you are justified to delete the comment.  Another option would be to comment on the comment and ask them to provide an explanation.  However if they don't explain themselves the first time they probably are not going to respond to your comment.
   
   I received a comment like the one above but it was not worded as nicely.  Since the hub was based on my personal experiences and the information was clearly based on facts I just deleted the comment.  I have rock hard muscles from doing cardio exercises so I wrote a hub about building rock hard muscles doing cardio.
   
   While I don't agree with stacking the deck by only keeping the comments that make you and your hub look the best I do think it is justified to get rid of the comments that are promotional, misleading or do not make any sense.

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10. 80

    Seth Winterposted 12 years ago

    At rare times yes. I'v deleted 2 comments during my entire time on hubpages. Those comments showed the intellect level of a 2nd grader and the grammar to boot. If a comment is an argument I'll keep it but if it's just insulting and offers no reason why the reader didn't like the hub then it's gone.

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11. 67

    Anti-Valentineposted 12 years ago

    Praise and constructive criticism I'll tolerate. Outright negative, abusive comments with foul language directed at me or anyone else? No thanks. I don't want that on my hub. It reflects poorly on the hub as a whole, and can even jeopardize one's affiliate status in some cases. You are responsible for user-submitted content that isn't your own. Spam is also out, no questions asked.

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12. 72

    grumpiornotposted 12 years ago

    Much like Kathleen Cochran, I am wired against deleting comments. Particularly, if my first urge to delete the comment is simply irritation for the view expressed, because it is offensive or otherwise.
    I strongly believe that disagreement and civilizes discussion, even from completely opposite perspectives, leads to the growth of most of those involved. A certain degree of emotion of personal affront should even be tolerated.
    There is a theory, the origin of which I cannot remember now, about killing with kindness. Teach others tolerance by tolerating them, no matter how much you might disagree with their argument.
    That said, comments made with the sole intention of self-promotion and no genuine intention of engagement, are not in the spirit of this site. Bin them.

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13. 95

    donnah75posted 12 years ago

    I have deleted two comments in the time I have been here.  The first was spam, I think.  If not spam, it was certainly someone trying to promote something that had nothing to do with my hub.  The second comment I deleted was immature, inappropriate bathroom talk, literally.  I don't know what that commenter was thinking, but again, it had nothing to do with my hub topic.  I didn't feel bad about deleting either comment.  It is your hubpage.  If you don't want to see the comment, your faithful readers probably won't either.  So I say, delete without guilt when you know that deleting is the right thing to do.

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    aviannoviceposted 12 years ago

    Yes, some of them are not real.  I have had spam infiltrate somehow.  Those I disposed of.

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15. 70

    toknowinfoposted 12 years ago

    I think it is appropriate to delete comments, if you feel they are offensive, or self promoting. It is a personal decision on the part of the author of the hub, and I think it is our right to be able to remove comments when necessary.

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16. 73

    lone77starposted 12 years ago

    I've only deleted comments when someone is being belligerent or disruptive.
    
    I enjoy discussing things with people who don't agree with me. I learn a great deal about myself and my beliefs, and sometimes about the real world. It helps me grow.
    
    But when someone makes nonsensical claims, doesn't discuss them and then berates those who disagree with them I put a stop to them just as I would to a party crasher who gets rowdy.
    
    I've left the invitation open, though. I tell them that if they behave themselves and discuss things civilly, then they're welcome to return. But some people enjoy their verbal abuse so much, that the constraint is too much for them.
    
    Just like murderers. I don't allow it. You can play so long as you don't kill anyone. But if you insist on murder, then you'll have to leave. Simple.

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17. 0

    GoldenThreadPressposted 12 years ago

    I agree with Rochelle Frank and if there is something offensive or spam delete it. I have had the same trouble on my own website (and Hub) and have just deleted another spam just today. Not sure how or why someone would think to do this, since they probably already know that their comment is going to be deleted. Instead put your piece of mind first and don't worry. --Deb

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    1. 68

       eHealerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I get a lot of emails that want to write spam posts on my hubs. Lately, I've gotten an incredible amount of people offering all kinds of compensation. I don't have a problem deleting them, but I have to think about some others .

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18. 60

    Penny Gposted 10 years ago

    Thank you for this question, as I have been debating it for awhile now. I'm not here to have people think for me or tell me what I feel or know about myself, and really I am trying to stay positive. I may not be the smartest person on hub pages, but I there are people who deliberately try to make you feel stupid. DELETE sounds good to me. Thanks again for the courage to do so.

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