Facebook offers users the ability to filter comments on their posts. This allows you to automatically hide comments that contain keywords, phrases, or links that you don’t want to see. Comment filtering can be useful for avoiding spam, offensive language, and other unwanted comments.
However, you may decide you don’t want to use comment filtering anymore. Here are the steps to turn off comment filtering on Facebook:
View Comment Filtering Settings
First, you need to access your comment filtering settings. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu
- Click on “Settings”
- Click on “Community Standards” in the left sidebar
- Click on “Comment Filtering”
This will open your comment filtering settings. Here you’ll see any filtered words, phrases, or links you’ve set up.
Delete Filtered Words and Phrases
If you want to completely turn off comment filtering, the next step is deleting your filtered words and phrases. To do this:
- Click on “Edit” next to “Filtered Words”
- This will open your filtered words list
- Click the “X” icon next to each filtered word or phrase to delete it
- Click “Confirm” to delete the filtered words
- Repeat this process for any filtered links or domains in the “Links” section
Once you’ve removed all the words, phrases, and links from your filtered lists, comment filtering will be turned off.
Disable Comment Filtering
An alternative to manually deleting each filtered word or link is to disable comment filtering entirely. Here’s how:
- In your Comment Filtering settings, toggle the switch next to “Enable Comment Filtering” off
- Click “Confirm” on the pop-up message
This will disable comment filtering and immediately stop hiding comments on your posts based on filters.
Effects of Turning Off Comment Filtering
Once you’ve turned off comment filtering, all comments will be visible on your posts by default. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Comments containing offensive, abusive, or spam content will no longer be automatically hidden
- You’ll need to manually delete or report unwanted comments
- Legitimate comments that were being inadvertently filtered will now appear
- Your comment streams may feel less curated or monitored
If you’re comfortable taking more responsibility for moderating your own comment streams, then turning off comment filtering can make sense. However, if you start to feel overwhelmed by unwanted comments, you can always turn filtering back on.
Adjust Manual Comment Moderation
With comment filtering disabled, you’ll likely want to be more proactive about moderating comments manually. Here are some tips:
- Check comments on your posts more frequently to look for any unwanted content
- Set aside time to regularly moderate comments, deleting or hiding ones you don’t want to appear
- Reply to commenters asking them not to leave offensive or abusive remarks
- Change settings to approve all comments before they are visible to others
- Designate friends to help moderate comment streams on your behalf
Moderating comments on your own takes more effort but allows you to have full control over conversations on your posts.
Use Comment Moderation Tools
Facebook does provide some built-in tools to help you manually moderate comments even with filtering turned off. Some options include:
- Deleting comments – You can delete any individual comment on your post by clicking the “X” in the top right corner of the comment.
- Hiding comments – Rather than deleting a comment, you can choose to hide it from public view by clicking the drop down menu on the comment.
- Banning words – You can ban specific words from appearing in comments on your page through your comment moderation settings.
- Restricting commenters – If a user repeatedly leaves inappropriate comments, you can restrict them from commenting on your page for a set time period.
Take advantage of these tools to remove unwanted content while still keeping commenting open. Over time, active moderation can help establish a healthier discussion environment.
Re-Enable Comment Filtering
If manually moderating all your comments without filters proves to be overwhelming, re-enabling comment filtering is always an option. Here’s how to turn it back on:
- Go back to your Comment Filtering settings
- Toggle the “Enable Comment Filtering” switch back on
- Add any words, phrases, or links you want to be automatically filtered
- Adjust the filter intensity from low to strong if desired
Comment filtering will then be enabled again on your posts. Just remember you can always return and make adjustments to find the right balance.
Use Filters Sparingly
One approach is to keep comment filtering on but be very sparing about words and phrases you actually filter. For example, only filter the most offensive terms and specific spam links instead of filtering broad categories of content.
This allows you to still benefit from automatic filtering of the very worst comments, while letting more marginal comments come through. Over time, you can adjust your filters to find the optimal balance for your needs.
Outsource Comment Moderation
For public figures and brands managing major Facebook pages, moderating all incoming comments may require dedicated resources. Some options include:
- Having a community manager or social media team member handle comment moderation
- Hiring an agency or freelancer specifically for moderation
- Using a social media management platform that includes moderation tools
- Letting fans help flag unwanted comments using a crowdsourcing approach
The right moderation solution depends on your budget and needs. But delegating these tasks to trained moderators can ensure unwanted content gets addressed properly.
Conclusion
Comment filtering on Facebook offers convenience, but taking back control of your comment streams has benefits too. Turning off filtering and moderating comments manually gives you greater say in the conversations on your posts.
But be prepared to invest more time and effort into active moderation. You can always re-enable filtering if things get out of hand. With some trial and error, you’ll likely find a solution that works for your unique needs.
The key is regularly evaluating and tweaking your settings based on your capacity, your audience, and the types of comments you tend to receive. Don’t be afraid to experiment to strike the right balance for your page.