Although sites focussed around some topics (gaming for example) are an exception to this, many sites get very few comments posted on them.
That’s because most people who read a website do so passively – they turn up expecting to read something funny, entertaining or informative, not to take part in a huge discussion and debate.
Even national newspaper sites which gets millions of readers contain stories and articles with just one or two (and in some cases no) comments.
For this reason it’s best to avoid posting ‘What do you think?’ style posts unless you’re really sure people will respond.
But don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with attracting only a few comments provided your readers are enjoying the content you have for them to read.
It’s always really tempting to add a forum to your website and assume that everyone who reads it will flock to join.
Sadly, as many site owners will tell you, it seldom works out that way for the reasons above.
An empty or seldom used forum makes a site look unloved and out of date, forums also attract a lot of spammers who will post annoying, and sometimes unpleasant, content which you’ll have to check and remove.
This can be a lot of work which could swallow up the time you have to write for your site.
If you do allow comments on your site or open a forum it’s wise to think about moderation.
In general, it’s sensible to consider only allowing comments to appear after you’ve approved them. This slows down discussion but it stops flamewars and gives you a chance to remove objectionable content before it appears.
Abusive, hurtful and libelous content will result in complaints to you, your web host (who may suspend or terminate your site) and, in some cases leave you open to legal action.
