Dear reader, if it seems your comment has not been approved, sometimes it actually has been approved even if you don’t see it. The reason is that once a combox reaches 200 comments, the Blogger software will not show any new comments made after that unless you click “Load more…” at the bottom of the comments page. The trouble is that this is in small print and easily overlooked. In the screen cap above, I’ve circled in red what you should look for.
Occasionally,
your comment does not appear because it has not
been approved. Sometimes this is because
the comment is too off-topic. Most of the
time, it is because the comment is nothing more than a drive-by insult or the
like, or is blasphemous or obscene.
Those are never let through if I notice them. Sometimes obnoxious comments are let through
if they are not too egregious and there is also a more substantive point made
in the comment. But I ask readers kindly
to refrain from sophomoric squabbles and the like.
Finally, sometimes your comment has not appeared simply because it takes me a while to get to approving comments. I’m trying to be more speedy on that, sorry.
The website makes you manually approve or disapprove of each and every comment you get? That's insane. That'd be so much work for any blog with an actual following that I'm astounded you still have time to publish so many books and do so many lectures!
ReplyDeleteComment moderation can be turned off so that comments appear automatically, and indeed that's how I used to run things. But trolling and flame wars got bad enough that moderation was a less bad option.
DeleteI thought Blogger had ended this obnoxious "Load More" feature...
DeletePlease consider adopting a third-party comment system, such as DisqUS; it works much better...
Ed, don't you have any friends who could help moderate comments? I help to moderate a political blog, but we use Disqus. We normally moderate after the fact, and when folks stray off-topic, we issue warnings. And if they're ignored, we start deleting. That normally does the trick. However, if we're still ignored, we start banning. I can't imagine being as busy as you are and moderating every comment on these boards.
DeleteBill, what political blog? I would be interested.
Delete@Bill or get a PhD student to do it :D
DeleteI approve of this post
ReplyDeleteI'd like to be first to be rejected, please.
ReplyDeleteWell said
ReplyDeleteThank you for the explanation and heads-up, Professor Feser!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Professor! I don't write here often, mostly because I make remarks elsewhere on topics that interest me more. Your indulgence is appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSo, who did you have in the Super Bowl?
ReplyDelete