Commenting -- Just Because the Bathwater May Get Filthy Doesn't Mean the Process Isn't Worthwhile

See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. But maybe miss out on some good.

There are those who gleefully say, "don't read the comments," when it comes to on-line posting. It's an attitude that I find supercilious at best, but -- and especially for business -- self-defeating at worst.

Of course, it's becoming increasingly hard to read the comments, because they're being shut down in newspapers across the country. And business must resist the urge to follow suit.

I'm not going to deny that there are some horrible, racist, sexist, ignorant, and borderline pathological people out there. I'm not going to deny that there are people who get a sick pleasure from being anti-social.

But I also don't believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater -- no matter how fetid, disgusting, and disease-ridden that bathwater may become.

There are those who deplore the idea of anonymity, feeling that everyone should stand behind everything they say, no matter what. That's why they have no problem linking social profiles to commenting, creating some sort of traceability.

But that's an argument and a solution based on a position of incredible privilege. Sometimes, people don't have the willingness or ability to speak up for what's wrong, because they're trying to do what's right.

It's easy to take a stand on a principle when you have a rock solid foundation. Risk/reward is different when you're a two-income family with no kids. But for a lot of people, life doesn't allow them the freedom to walk away -- there are people with children that need to be fed and clothed, people who are taking care of sick parents or helping to cover expenses, there are those who are dealing with medical issues that aren't covered by OHIP or health plans. These people don't have any less of a courage in their convictions, but they're also adults who know that their ultimate responsibility lies at home.

Call it lived experience.

I once worked at a place that ran "anonymous" surveys. They were anonymous in that you only had to identify the department in which you worked, your level of service, and other vague-but-easily-identifiable demographic choices that made it easy to know who said what. After one of these "anonymous" surveys, when the department I worked for gave its honest -- and, ultimately, less-than-flattering -- opinion of the current situation, we were sat down as a department and berated by a manager, demanding to know who said what and why.

Those who spoke up did so at their own peril. And we suffered for doing what was right.

Oh, and guess how many people told the truth the next time this "anonymous" survey came along? Exactly. But, oh, how management was pleased with the increased satisfaction metrics. And if an "anonymous" survey brought about such negative reactions, why would anyone actually sign their name to a critique?

In business, the negative may not be what you want to hear, but it's sometimes what you need to hear. And just because you've blocked access to the negativity, it doesn't mean it doesn't still exist.

I once had the pleasure of having lunch with Gwynne Dyer. This was just when the Internet was starting to make its presence known. I remarked that it seemed that the Internet was showing that there was an increased number of conspiracy theorists and racists in our society. What Dyer replied made a lot of sense, though. He said that those people always existed -- now they just have a forum for their beliefs.

Negativity does not go away if you ignore it. Worse, it's allowed to fester and grow. Like a cancer, it can spread and become malignant -- but it likely could have been excised if you acted early.

In business, people will say bad things about you. And they may not say them in a way that you like. Now, you can be supercilious and say that the comment doesn't meet your 'standard of discourse' and ignore it; or you can try to get to the root of the anger and see what the real issues are. Passion is a double-edged sword, but even negativity means they care enough to write. So how can you fix what's causing this exaggerated response without even knowing about it?

You can monitor your comments -- but do so only for illegal comments (racist, homophobic, etc.) You can set standards and expectations, but don't automatically dismiss something because you don't like how it was said.

Comments reveal how people actually feel about your product -- good and bad. If something about your product and services is causing such a visceral response, then there's likely a reason behind it. You can ignore it, or try to fix it -- and, likely, meet the needs of a larger, silent, group that may be feeling the same way, but is not as passionate about it. If you don't know about it, or prevent dissent, how are you going to improve upon your offering? In business, ignorance is not bliss.

How many of you have gone to a restaurant, had terrible service and/or food, and never returned to that place of business? And how many of you have seen a patron losing their mind at a poor employee over a perceived transgression? The latter often gets a reaction and some change; the former does no good for anyone. The restaurant doesn't learn why it's bleeding customers -- and, in many cases, isn't aware that they are.

Ideally, there's a happy medium -- a place where people can criticize and suggest politely and affirmatively. Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. We also have choices -- you can choose not to read comments; you can choose to give the blatantly obnoxious ones the attention they deserve (hint: the answer is none); and you can choose to value certain comments more than others.

Just because the bathwater may have a bunch of filth in it, it doesn't mean the overall process of cleaning your baby isn't worthwhile. If your business is your baby, comments can be the same way -- sure, there's some disgusting stuff in there, but overall, the information that you get from them can help you thrive.

Your thoughts? Comments, after all, are open!