I avoid moderation at all costs (I don’t moderate any content on any of¬†the social networks I manage, my facebook page, blog comments…none of¬†it).
The main reason you’d moderate is to stop people saying crazy things or posting inappropriate content.
The problem with moderating is that it makes your readers feel like¬†you don’t trust them…don’t you love the way they compare your receipt¬†to what’s in your cart at Sam’s Club as if you’re trying to steal from¬†them.¬† Moderation also robs your users of the instant gratification of seeing their content on your site.
I’d prefer to have the occasional comment that I have to delete after the¬†fact than to create a full time job of moderating comments (and askimet or disqus will filter most real spam¬†automatically).
If something does slip through the cracks, folks understand that it¬†wasn’t you who posted it…and I promise, someone will let you know¬†about it really quickly.
I’ve got thousands of people on social networks that I oversee and I receive about one¬†content complaint a month.¬† It’s not worth telling your readers you don’t trust them to prevent the one idiot who’s going to abuse the system.
I can’t wait to see the comments this post gets!
Update: A reader sent me this post from Guy Kawasaki: The Top Ten Stupid Ways to Hinder Market Adoption (check out #11)
Jon Dale 
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