Guide: Guide the Negativity rule
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/guide-the-negativity-rule
Topic: Moderation rules
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: Negativity is judged in the context of your business, not in the abstract.
Context: Negativity is the rule most worth teaching. A note about your page tells it what is normal for you, what is a real complaint and what is banter, so it stops hiding your regulars and starts catching what actually harms you. Custom AI rules are included from Starter.

Before you start:
1. Without a note the rule judges generally, which is usually stricter than you want.
2. The note applies to this rule on this page.
3. Criticism is often worth answering rather than hiding: consider Hide, not Delete.

Steps:
Step 1 of 3: Open Negativity and write the note.
Where: On the Moderation tab. Under the rule is a box for rules, examples and edge cases. Write what your page sells, what your customers complain about fairly, and what you consider an attack.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation.en.webp (The note under Negativity.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The rule judges new comments with your note in mind.

Step 2 of 3: Give it edge cases, not adjectives.
Where: Write the sentences you argue about internally: a customer saying delivery was late is a complaint we answer, not negativity; anyone calling us a scam is negativity. Two or three of these teach it more than a paragraph of description.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation.en.webp (Edge cases in the note, not adjectives.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Borderline comments start landing on the side you chose.

Step 3 of 3: Test the sentences you worry about.
Where: The Playground at the bottom of the tab. Paste the exact comment that started this, and one you would never want hidden.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-playground.en.webp (Test the sentences you worry about.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-playground-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Two verdicts that tell you whether your note landed.

If something is off:
Problem: It hides fair criticism
Fix: Say so in the note, with the example. Also consider setting this rule to Hide so nothing is lost.
Problem: It misses obvious attacks
Fix: Add the attack you saw as an example, and check that the rule is on and that its scope covers where the comment appeared.
Problem: It behaves differently on another page
Fix: The note belongs to the page. Copy the rules across with Apply to other pages, which carries the note.

Common questions:
Question: Which plans include custom AI rules?
Answer: Starter and every plan above it. Mini and Lite run AI moderation in any language with the preset; custom topics, Negativity guidance and impersonator checks show with a lock, and anything set in the trial is kept for an upgrade.
Question: Does the Negativity rule work without a note?
Answer: Yes, but it then judges generally, which is usually stricter than you want. A note saying what your page sells, what customers complain about fairly and what you count as an attack makes it judge in your context.
Question: Does the Negativity note apply to the other AI rules too?
Answer: No. The note applies to the Negativity rule on that page only. Custom topics takes its own topics, one per entry, and the Whitelist protects specific words from every rule.
Question: Should the Negativity rule hide or delete?
Answer: Hide. Criticism is often worth answering rather than hiding, and a hidden comment comes back with Unhide, while a deleted one cannot be recovered on either platform.

Related guides:
- Custom topics in plain words: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/custom-topics-in-plain-words
- Hide or delete, per rule: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-or-delete-per-rule
- Test a comment in the Playground: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/test-a-comment-in-the-playground

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/guide-the-negativity-rule.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt