PR Advice for Professionals

Who Should Have The Last Word?

by Jennifer

With the rise of social media, just about anyone can make a comment on something and sound like an authority on the subject. Slant Six Creative, a communications firm in Maryland, recently published a blog about the debates that can arise when people start commenting on online articles. There are definitely instances of the comments providing support for the subject and encouraging healthy debate, but there are also many times when ignorant people, “fools” as Slant Six Creative calls them, chime in.

Leave the fools alone

Slant Six Creative recommends that writers should let the fools have the last word. Their reasoning: that responding to the fools will only encourage them to continue. Ignoring the responses may hurt in the short-term, but will only increase credibility in the future. Not acknowledging the comments stops the fools from having fun and will keep them from sticking around too long.

Clarify the facts

After reading the comments on the blog, I started wondering if the firm is right. While I know from experience that responding to foolish comments only encourages more of the same, if someone makes a comment that is factually wrong, would it be right to just leave it there unanswered?

People reading the article may look at the comments, and if an incorrect post remains undisputed, they may not know who to believe. The credibility of the article is going to go down anyways, and writers should be the ones to stand up for the truth than let the fool have any additional influence on readers.

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