Question: Would You Agree to Turning Off Comments on a Blog, if the Blog Owner Was Paid to Do So?
Today I would like to bring a strange kind of a question to your attention.
If you run a blog, or if you visit a certain blog, would you be comfortable having the comments section of that blog turned off if the blog owner was paid to do so?
Either as the blog owner or as a blog reader, would you agree to turning off comments on a blog if the blog owner was getting paid for it?
A blog owner could be handed actual cash value for each day their blog comments were turned off, and thus it could be financially beneficial to the blog owner. The reader may feel relieved for not commenting on the blog too for various reasons, or the reader may feel upset that the blogger in question valued money more than the opinions of the reader.
How would you act, in both cases? If you are the blogger and the blog owner, would you agree to turning off comments on your blog if you were paid to do so, for any reason? If you are the reader, would you oppose having comments turned off on your favorite blog if you found out that the blog owner was being paid to turn off the comments?
Please let me know if you can think of any answers, or if you have any comments or questions about this. Thanks.
Andrew says...
The only reason I can think of for that to happen is if the person paying for comments to be turned off was expecting a negative reaction about them. Is there another reason I am missing?
Firstly, if that was expected then why would the blog owner not simply avoid the topic? Why would they effectively invite negative thoughts and then not allow them to be expressed?
Secondly, it would seem self defeating, as it would encourage more widespread negativity and linking from bloggers that were frustrated at not being able to comment.
Finally, it would remove any potential to refute such negativity.
Perhaps I have missed the point of the question. I don’t see why anyone would do that, and on that basis I would not think well of such a blogger.
Jeffro2pt0 says...
Hmm, interesting question. As a blogger/blog owner, there would be a number of variables that I would have to consider before going through with it. The amount of money being paid, the topic concerning the post, the reason behind turning off the comments for that post, and listening to see what my conscious would say. As it stands right now, I would probably not go through with the idea. Comments at times, can really improve the value of the blog and I love getting into intelligent conversations with my readers.
As a reader, I suppose my natural reaction would be to shun the blogger. I might have to question the bloggers integrity. If the blogger comes out in the open explaining the situation, I suppose that would put me at rest and I wouldn’t mind it so much, but if it took place behind the readers backs without an explanation as to what was occurring, then I would have to wonder what else was being put onto the blog which might of had financial backing.
Simonne says...
Of course I would turn them off. It only depends on how much you would pay me to do that. I usually play this game with my friends: we imagine crazy situations and we ask each other “for how much would you do that?”. Many times, it comes out that what seems to be totally outrageous or imoral at first sight, could be at least tried for a million bucks (or even less).
Ronald Huereca says...
Bes,
I know you’re not into the hypothetical game, so I know there’s some “real” example of a blogger turning off comments for cash. I’m curious as to who, but I imagine it falls into the category of, “I would make this up, but I don’t have to.”
On a lighter note, if I were paid to “not comment”, I would be all for it. Less work for me, and more pay.
On a serious note, readers should come first. The pros and cons should be evaluated, and if turning off comments benefits the readers, then so be it. But to do it just for the money is selling out.
Bes says...
Andrew, thanks for the comment. You have a good question: I was assuming that any reason out there can affect some business or an entity in any manner, who may in turn pay a blogger to turn off comments.
This is a real life example for me, as Ronald pointed out below your comment: I have been offered some money to delete comments and to delete a post on my personal site in which I pointed out some specific ethnic groups and businesses treating other ethnic groups with discrimination. That situation prompted me to think of other blogs and some other stories I remember where some people feel it is better to turn off comments on entire blogs, specially if they get paid for it. Sometimes, people may not expect really strong negative reactions, and thus may find money to be a good reason to get rid of something that only attracts negative comments. Once someone has built a large user base that does not comment, retaining them may be easy since that large reader base will still come to read the site even when comments have been disabled.
In many cases, imagine a blog where the advertisors are allowed ads only near the top part of the pages. If people comment,t hey have to scroll down. The advertisors want to retain the visitors near the top portions of the pages, so that the ads can be more directly exposed. Those advertisors can offer those bloggers money to turn off comments on some posts, or the entire blog, if the blogger can somehow show that turning off the comments will still result in majority of the readers sticking around.
Jeffro2pto, thanks for the comment. So in your view, if I understand correctly, at this point in time you are not willing to turn off comments for money?
As a reader, I also would think that a person who turns off the comments for some certain reasons is not caring about the readers.
Like I told Andrew, advertisors may see more potential in retaining more readers than commentors on a blog, and thus may be able to influence the blogger into getting rid of commentors. Also, some sites like Seth Godin’s site do not have comments enabled, and instead Seth focuses solely, or at least publicly, on the things he writes on his site. I wonder if the people who are comfortable with Seth not having comments enabled, would be comfortable too if, let us image, they find out that Seth Godin was being paid to have his blog comments turned off?
Simonne, thanks for answering. Maybe we should play that game on this site and come up with some more crazy situations.
So in your view, you can turn off the comments if the amount of payment was enough? I wonder what percentage of bloggers would turn off comments for a million bucks, or for $500. 
Ronald, thanks for answering too.
I rejected an offer of around $3k last week to either delete a post and its comments, or to turn off comments on that single post I wrote on my personal site about some ethnicities and an ethnic business, as I explained a bit to Andrew above. That single post was written with a lot of passion since it affects me directly, and for me, I prefer having advertisements than turning off comments for a post that is not getting any new comments, but does have the potential to.
Heh, so you would not comment if you got paid to ignore commenting. That sounds logical and possible: maybe someone can post such comments which may be true, yet harmful to certain companies or individuals, and they may be willing to pay that commentor to not post such information online. Isn’t that the opposite of what many companies like Microsoft or Apple do, by hiring “evangelists”, to go out and promote them? Basically, “evangelist” can be a commentor who is paid to post good things and is thus paid to not post bad things about a company. Do you think they are sell-outs?
Do you think that “selling out” is a bad thing, and that every blogger has an obligation to the readers? I personally think that anytime a reader is invited to come, a blogger owes that reader some things. I just got a text from someone who said “Retard! >< , ask them for more!” in response to me telling them that I turned down around $3000 to turn off commenting on a post, or to delete a post on my personal site, that is causing a business near San Jose a lot of customers and money.
Ronald Huereca says...
Bes,
A blogger is truly selling out if he choses money over readers. In your case, I don’t think you’d be selling out by stopping comments on a post for some cash. I personally don’t see how it can hurt the readers (since it’s an old post) and also how it can benefit the company (since the post is entrenched in Google and Internet archives). If anything, you’d be making some easy money.
Andrew says...
Bes,
I’m with Ronald on this one. I don’t think you would be selling out. I had assumed you meant turning off comments before the post was published as in agreeing not to let people comment.
I am still of the opinion that the person that wants it removed / turned off would be better off dealing with the issue openly instead of trying to hide it, but not everyone can do that.
I don’t know what I would do to be honest. It’s all well good us giving our opinion but in the real world it isn’t that easy. I suspect I wouldn’t be able to say no to the money.
Simonne says...
Hey Bes, I agree with Ronald and Andrew. Those people who wanted to pay you have a wrong approach anyway, if they imagine that this can stop ideas from spreading. Taking their money would not be a reason for your readers to disregard you.
To ask your question, yes, I would turn off the comments for a reasonable amount… and I would set up a new blog, specific on that topic they wanted me to prevent from being discussed.