Moderating comments--accept or reject?

I currently have my blog set up so that I can accept or reject all comments before they're published--just in case of spam comments, etc. I am so thrilled to get any comments b/c I don't have many readers yet, but some of the comments I've been getting have been obvious sales pitches for specific products. With the guy who identified himself honestly and added something to the discussion, I accepted the comment, but with the person who points us to a site she "found" that is a "helpful resource for teachers," and not relevant to the discussion, I am inclined to reject. My only concern is that this feels like censorship, but then again, it is my blog.

How do you all deal with comments on your blogs?

Tags: blogging

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on December 9, 2008 at 9:22pm

I'm with you on this one: don't use my site to advertise. I don't hesitate to delete a commercial comment, although I won't delete a negative or disagreeing comment. I feel I have to respond to those thoughtfully and not censor them.

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Permalink Reply by Jason de Nys on December 9, 2008 at 9:30pm

Check out this site to see what you can buy to help you with this problem.

(JK!)

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Permalink Reply by Kevin W on December 10, 2008 at 6:01pm

I think in today's age there is too much fear of a lot of many things, such as being politically correct or censorship. Remember, it is your blog, you have the right to do with it what you want, including censoring it. Of course, I realize that censorship can be taken too far, but it is your blog, so it is your choice to decide how far to take it. Remember, even blocking advertisements is a form of censorship. Most advertisements are put on blogs by the use of robots. If you implement something like reCAPTCHA on your blog, then this makes sure it is actually a person typing the comments and not a spambot.