It's relatively easy to understand if we remember that we are building a business and working to become authority persons in our niche.
A potential customer for a product or service we are promoting visits our website, reads an article and wants to post a comment or ask a question....
Scrolling down, they see feedback....
If it's of a critical or advisory nature, the impression may quickly be that the administrator is a dabbling greenhorn, rather than an authority in their niche.....
Bad for business.........!!!!!
If it's a compliment, the effect is, true to say, not much better, the potential customer thinks...."oh, this person is just learning still, maybe they don't know much yet, still getting all that coaching....I better check for a more solid source...."
Equally bad for business.....
You gave me another angle about what is inappropriate. You're telling us that a compliment can hurt our business too, because it appears then that our site is still formative, just starting out...and that we need coaching:(!
Yikes - hadn't thought it out like that, but just knew it didn't feel right;)
Thanks for yet another defining moment in your good blogging for us!