This might be a somewhat controversial post but I've been thinking about this quite a bit and have developed a point of view over the past couple of weeks.
If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago, I would have said that if you're running a blog you need to allow people to comment and you need to be very careful in not over-moderating them. Allow people to voice their opinions. Actually a big reason of why the blogosphere has gotten as popular as it has it because of magic that lies within the interaction of writer and audience. You don't get that when reading a newspaper on your front porch.
Now, the most popular marketing blogger of them all and my professional idol - Seth Godin - does not allow people to leave comments on his blog. Is that bad? Two weeks ago, I would have said yes. But it's ok for Seth Godin. Because Seth Godin is a an absolute "best of class" thought leader who does some pretty bold marketing thinking. If you ask him why he doesn't allow people to comment, he will tell you that if people left comments on his site...that would change his writing. He'd worry too much about people's comments which ultimately would lower the quality of his writing. And oftentimes, Seth Godin's posts spark conversations all over the Internet, which he can't stop and probably drives a fair amount of traffic to his blog anyways.
So, here is my conclusion.
It's ok to not allow comments if the alternative is that your editorial product is affected. Very few people can do this...but Seth Godin is one of them. Bill Gates would be another. And I'd certainly read Warren Buffett's blog even if he doesn't allow comments. Only the best of the best.
If you're a brand or individual that's running a mediocre blog or has a mediocre product and you're turning off your comments because you're afraid of criticism, that's not ok. You probably shouldn't have a blog. And if you do, then please allow for comments and learn from people's input.
To conclude, if you're the best in the world at something, don't worry about allowing for comments. We're just thankful that you're out there contributing. If you're not the best in the world, turn on your comments, learn from them and work on becoming the best in the world.
So, we'll keep allowing comments for at least a couple more decades here at Scrappy Marketing.
Great point...i think you've hit the nail on the head. But i also think that you have to be honest about yourself and your blog. Dont turn off comments because "you think it will effect you style" if reallly you're using as a cover because you're affriad of the critics. In which case i think that a blog is the best way to silince the critics and make sure that the message your brand is putting out there is what you want and no here say.
Adam, I think we agree on this. Our comments here in Scrappy Land will stay open. At least until we know what we're doing.