Comment deletion is a prickly issue. Here, we’re talking about deleting human-added comments (no bot spam here) that are too promotional or deceptively promotional (e.g. promotion of products you’ve raised in your post, but in an unrelated or deceptive manner), are very offensive (as in filled with extremities, racial abuse, etc.), and the like.

No one likes having their comments deleted, even if its filled with stuff like “f**k u and ur mom, u think making money from blogging is rite?” since blogs are supposed to be a medium of discussion (and to a very large extent, free speech). It thus follows that you usually have to think about more than just yourself when deleting comments, i.e. yourself (and those hurt by the comment), the commenter, and everyone else.

So, how should you do it? I think 3 seemingly obvious (but some rarely adhered to) key steps are involved:

1. Contact The Commenter If Possible
   This is usually the hardest step. Those that spam or attack you and your readers rarely leave e-mail or blog addresses, but expect to have their “rights” respected. Luckily, these kind of people are rare. More often than not, this step helps you determine the actual intent of the commenter, seek clarification of the meaning of the comment, and help prevent misunderstandings.
2. Delete The Comment and Say So
   The most obvious step, but one that I think is often done wrongly. I feel it’s important to delete the content of a comment, but not delete the comment entry itself. This is in order to transparently show that you’re deleting the comment. What should follow is a line stating that you have deleted the comment. Something like “Comment deleted by author.”
3. Explain Yourself
   Stating that a comment is deleted is often pointless - alone, that is. Stating the reasons for deleting the comment is what makes this whole process work. Most of your readers will understand if you have valid concerns, but if they are not valid, this allows your readers to tell you so. I tend to add the fact that I’ve emailed the commenter in my explanation as well.

The result should look something like this (though the reason given was definitely worded badly):

Edit: Comment deleted (e-mail to commenter sent). No promotional “stunts” please.

Of course, this is based on my personal thoughts on how I’d like my comment to be deleted (if one ever has to do that), and my experience in reading comments across the web on this very issue. Feel free to comment on how this process could be improved.

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