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Commenting Guidelines

Jake Crump avatar
Written by Jake Crump
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Commenting on Product Hunt allows you to interact with and ask questions to Makers building the newest and most impactful products in tech. It’s a direct line to the real people making the products that you love. These guidelines will help to explain how best to join in and meaningfully contribute to those conversations.

What Makes A Good Comment

  • Engaging

    • Share thoughts or feedback that open the door to conversation.

    • Ask specific questions, share a personal experience, or suggest an improvement.

  • Provides Genuine Feedback

    • Give respectful and constructive feedback to the Makers.

    • Try out the product to make sure you’re giving accurate feedback.

  • Insightful

    • If you have an interesting experience with similar products, share it.

    • Our community is made up of experts in all kinds of fields, Makers would love to hear from you.

What To Avoid

  • Generic Comments

    • Simply saying “congrats!” or “looks great!” is nice, but doesn’t add much to the conversation or provide any feedback to the Makers.

    • If you’d just like to show support, you can upvote!

  • AI-Generated Comments

    • Product Hunt is about person-to-person interactions.

    • Our community wants to talk to and hear from real people. No LLMs or Chrome extensions please!

  • Mass Commenting

    • We value quality over quantity and so does our community.

    • It’s ok if you don’t have something to say for every launch each day. Focus on products that genuinely interest you.

Best Practices

  • Be Genuine

    • Comment on products you genuinely find interesting or compelling.

    • Makers want to hear from real people, not just see a big comment count.

  • Be Specific

    • If you like a product or feature, explain what elements of it you specifically enjoy.

    • Makers love to understand what resonates with people and it gives other users the opportunity to weigh in.

  • Be Respectful

    • Disagreements and differences of opinion will come up, but they are not an excuse to be disrespectful to others or their beliefs.

    • All members of the community should feel respected and safe.

    • Frame your criticism constructively and focus on the product, not the person.

Moderation Process

Our team is committed to maintaining high-quality discussions on Product Hunt that benefit and engage Makers and the entire community. If you or someone you know's comments aren't showing, they are likely being reviewed. Actions our team may take include:

  • Removing comments that do not align with the above guidelines.

  • Reaching out to provide guidance and feedback to better align with our guidelines.

  • Permanently removing contribution access for repeated violations of the guidelines

  • Temporary or permanent account restrictions may occur for ongoing guideline violations.

  • Continued violations could result in hidden comments even after participation privileges are restored.

We want everyone to have a chance to join in on meaningful discussion, but that means that we need to enforce these guidelines at times to keep the quality of conversation high.

Why Are My Comments Not Visible?

A common question among Product Hunt users is why their comments sometimes appear hidden. Visibility issues arise primarily when comments are flagged for review to ensure they meet our guidelines. These flags can lead to temporary or permanent non-visibility depending on the nature of the issue. For users whose comments are not showing, we encourage reviewing our guidelines above or consulting resources like our 'Why Was My Comment or Post Removed?' article for clarity. These resources provide helpful insights and ensure alignment with our standards. Comments on Product Hunt might be hidden for several reasons:

  1. Flagging Through Moderation:

    1. Comments flagged during the moderation process or by other users may be hidden.

    2. Comments that seem unproductive, irrelevant, or spammy are more likely to be flagged.

  2. Non-compliance with Commenting Guidelines:

    1. Posts that lack constructive engagement (e.g., congratulatory comments without insight, or commentary showing a lack of interaction with the product) risk removal.

    2. Aligning comments with Product Hunt’s Commenting Guidelines reduces these occurrences.

  3. Profile or Account Issues:

    1. Accounts flagged for incomplete or inaccurate information (e.g., missing real names or unclear profile pictures) may prevent comments from being visible. Always ensure that your profile appears genuine.

Steps to Resolve Hidden Comments or Restrictions

If your comments seem to have been hidden or suspect you have commenting restrictions, follow these steps to address the issue:

  1. Review and Align with Guidelines:

    1. Read and follow Product Hunt’s Commenting and Community Guidelines.

    2. Ensure future comments are constructive, engaging, and relevant to the product or discussion.

    3. Avoid overly promotional, unrelated, or generic comments. You can share thoughtful feedback, ask relevant questions, or provide detailed insights.

  2. Complete Your Profile:

    1. Update your profile with the following details to ensure authenticity:

      1. Full name (first and last)

      2. A clear profile picture

      3. An informative bio that reflects your professional or personal interests

      4. Optionally, connect verified social media profiles such as Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook for added legitimacy.

  3. Appeal for Review:

    1. If you believe your comments were flagged in error or if the restrictions persist, contact our team to request a review of your account. State your case and be open to recommendations on addressing flagged behavior.

  4. For New Accounts:

    1. There’s no specific verification process for newly created profiles, but submitting high-quality and guideline-compliant comments from the start helps you establish credibility.

You may also find these resources helpful:

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