I’ve recently modified my message that displays after a guest leaves their first comment on my blog. I’ve received a few rude comments that leave me scratching my head, wondering how on earth you’d leave a snarky/rude/hurtful/hateful comment on the internet. I mean really, why wouldn’t you just click the little “X” in the top right corner of your browser window? Why do people find that being deliberately rude is such an impossible urge to ignore?
A few months ago, after receiving a slanderous comment about one of my clients on my blog, I decided to moderate all first time commentors. Since then, I’ve felt an added level of security – those people won’t even get one second of air time on my blog. Those people? They suck.
So here’s the message, revised:
Your first comment has gone into moderation.
I’ll release your comment very soon, if you’re a real person.
(and you should also be KIND, and drama free.)
(oh and funny would be GREAT. I love funny.)
Please come again!
🙂
Please note: If you’ve used every smiley I own just for fun, or said something rude, unkind or thoughtless that is going to serve no other purpose than to insult or hurt someone you don’t even know, I’ll save you the embarrassment and delete your comment before it ever hits the world wide web. I know you don’t want EVERYONE on the internet to know you don’t think before you hit that “submit” button!
You can thank me later. 😉
Now in WordPress, you can customize your own message in your themes comments.php file. Just look for this line of code:
< ?php if ($comment->comment_approved == '0') : ?>
Beneath it there should be some text that says “your comment is in moderation” or something plain. Spruce it up. Personalize it with your own message.
Be sure that your text ends just above the < ?php endif; ?>.
It doesn’t take too much effort to set your blog to moderate – go into your “discussion” options and set “author must have previously approved comment.” – and that’s it. Once you approve someone, you don’t have to do it again.
And you, my friend, get to have the last word with that jerk that doesn’t know when to click the little “X”. Totally worth it.
There is a belly in the blogosphere that is about to burst. 
