Care to comment?
2 CommentsI recently declared that commenting on blogs is my new "must-do" for chefs who care about managing their brands. It wouldn't be fair of me to lay this smackdown without offerings some tips, now would it?
So here we go:
DOS
1. DO correct misinformation, as in incorrect facts, about your restaurant as soon as you become aware of them.
2. DO be respectful. You never know who might stumble upon your comments. Heck, your grandmother might read your post!
3. DO be yourself. Let your personality show through your writing (within reason, now; if you're naturally a big jerkface, check yourself, and if you're a bore, jazz it up a bit, okay?).
DON'TS
1. DON'T respond only to blogs that mention you. It's the Interwebz equivalent of being That Guy at the party, you know, the one who can't talk stopping about himself.
2. DON'T feel the need to comment on everything. Sometimes on the web, as in real life, people just aren't worth it. Most social media geniuses agree it's generally useless and potentially damaging to respond to the following types of posts:
• Spam and off-topic comments
• Defamatory remarks
• Rants
• Comments from Haterz who make a habit of bashing others online
3. DON'T be defensive. There will be times when people disagree with your comments, and you don't always have to have the last word.
Here's the Golden Rule of commenting, your W.W.E.D. moment, if you will:
Ask yourself, does my comment add to a reasonable conversation? If it is determined that the post is worth responding to, the challenge is to craft a post that truly will add to the conversation. "Right on, dude!" or "Your blog sucks" certainly do state opinions, but neither comment enriches the discussion. What new information can you add or new perspective can you bring? Add it, with links when appropriate (preferably back to your blog, Facebook page or web site. Get it?).
A perhaps personally idiosyncratic amendment: It's generally more efficient (and builds blogger bonhomie) to correct inaccurate information by emailing the blogger directly, rather than leaving a comment. This also ensures that the proper info will be put into the post itself, which means it's accessible to people reading through RSS or other comment-free vehicles.If you don't get a response to your correx email within a reasonable amount of time (we're talking an hour or two, not 5 minutes), or if there's already a commenting discussion raging and you need to do some spin control, THEN comment.
H makes a powerful point about correcting "inaccurate information by emailing the blogger directly." If a chef or restaurateur posts and actually becomes engaged in the discussion, it becomes more necessary for that chef or restaurateur to follow the discussion and answer further questions that arise; failure to answer subsequent questions could be interpreted as weakeness or as a willingness to hide from uncomfortable answers.