photo courtesy of kool_skatkat
I would rather have a good conversation.
- Katsumoto, Last Samurai (2003)
One of the things that arose from last week’s discussion about successful networking was the practice of commenting on other people’s blogs and what made for a good comment.
The general consensus was that while it’s nice to receive short, one sentence comments patting you on the back for writing a “great post” there was something missing. Those types of comments are almost hollow and we may even question the motives of the commenter!
For many bloggers it’s all about the conversation and conversation is a two-way street. How are you expected to build a conversation around “Great post, thanks”?
Commenting on blogs remains one of the best ways to network despite the introduction of Google’s nofollow attribute. But remember what I said about good networking? You need to be useful.
How To Be A Useful Commenter
So what do you have to do to be useful? Here’s my 7 tips on the matter:
- Make time to comment – I haven’t got time to comment is something I hear a lot. Let’s clear something up right here. Everyone has the same amount of time as the next person. As Gandalf said, “all we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us”. In other words it comes down to prioritisation.
- Refer to previous posts – OK to be fair, no one expects you to comment on every post a blogger writes. One way to show you’re more than just a Feedburner statistic is to mention a previous post when you do get around to commenting. It shows you are a regular reader.
- Answer questions – I ask questions at the end of my posts to encourage commenting, sometimes I will ask for help outright. On a similar note I don’t pretend to know all there is to know about a particular subject. If you notice a mistake, point it out. In essence I’m always asking the question, am I right?
- Ask questions – Nothing shows more interest in a topic or person than asking questions.
- Recount your experiences – Everyone has a story to tell. If one of yours relates to the post then tell it in the comments. Sharing a commonality is the foundation of all friendships.
- Rinse and repeat – Don’t just comment a few times and then disappear. Make it a regular thing.
- Link love – Perhaps a post has sparked an idea in your mind, set the wheels in motion and got you writing. Link back to that post from within yours. Just because the conversation isn’t taking part on one blog doesn’t mean it can’t be held on another.
So what are your thoughts on comments and particularly the short, pat on the back kind?
Can we afford not to respond to those types of comments? Choosing not to may result in the loss of a reader.
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t comment daily as such, but I’ll always try and comment on someone’s blog if I’m a regular reader. Apart from anything else, it’s a nice way of saying, ‘Hi, I’m still reading, I appreciate what you’re doing.’
Essentially though, I don’t think it matters how long your comments are, so long as they add value to the article or contribute to the discussion. Just saying, ‘Great post!’ is a bit rough, to be honest.
Just take the time to think about what you write and respond accordingly.
Iain Broome’s last blog post..How to write about your life (without upsetting friends and family)
@ Iain. I agree. If I’ve taken the time to read a post and feel the urge to comment then it must be for a reason.
I have to admit, I’m as guilty as the next person. Take Write For Your Life as an example. I’ve subscribed to your site and I still read it but I don’t comment regularly enough. I’ve read Janice’s site but I haven’t commented yet.
Time to take my own medicine.
Great Post Marc, thanks!
Melinda’s last blog post..More Business Practices that Make You Look Bad
Sorry Marc, couldn’t resist that last comment!
I totally agree with you! I really really dislike the comments like that when they contribute nothing to the conversation. The whole point of blogging is that it is two-way communication. The blogger posts an article and readers comment, discuss, expand and contribute. The sum of the parts makes up more than the whole.
I am on Probloggers 31 days to a better blog, and I stupidly subscribed to comments on his first post. I say stupidly because I woke up to over 400 emails this morning! LOL! I did skim through the first 50 (on my way to deleting them) and a HUGE proportion of them were the meaningless “good post” or “great info” type comments. Seriously people, what’s the point?
If you’re looking to get people to click through to your site then commenting on an A-list blog like that isn’t going to help, and not contributing to the convo won’t help either. When there’s that many comments, only the first few comments will be read and then they’re just scrolled past.
I think the other thing that you didn’t mention Marc is that the blog owner needs to join the conversation. It can’t all be comments by readers. I know some of the A-lists don’t do this, and I can accept that (can you imagine Darren Rowse answering 400 comments) however if at all possible the blogger needs to add to to comments and reply to readers. It comes back to the two-way communication.
Melinda’s last blog post..Free Blogathon April 2009 – Come Join Us!
These are all good commenting tips. I find that it takes bloggers a little while to master the art of commenting, and I remember when I first started out, I received plenty of fly-by comments. The best comment sections are always the ones where commentators don’t just drop a comment to the author, but start interacting and conversing with each other. If only there was a formula for that!
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..18 Do-it-Yourself Proofreading Tips
@Mel LOL! I *knew* one of you was going to post that, my money was on James though.
Yeah A-List blogs are a whole different ball game. I’d say you have to be within the first 10 to comment to get any real attention, probably less than that.
Thanks for pointing out my omission. Again discounting A-List bloggers, you really do need to join in on the conversation going on in your own comment section. You’d be daft not to.
I also forgot to mention the new WordPress functionality of threaded replies. Having said that I’m not sure how much of a help or hindrance that is as Thesis doesn’t support it right now.
@Melissa I’ve noticed that about bloggers as well, yet there isn’t really anything much to master when it comes to commenting. I guess there’s not enough good examples to follow?
Commenters interacting with each other is awesome, unless they’re drooling over Hugh Jackman
If you do stumble onto that formula, package it up in an e-book and send me the link!
I managed to hit comment #9 on Problogger last night, and so far I’ve had over 50 hits on my website and my RSS jumped. I’m pretty impressed with that! LOL!
Melinda’s last blog post..Free Blogathon April 2009 – Come Join Us!
This post and all the comments have made my day, Marc! I thought I was turning into some kind of weird serial commenter because, as you’ve discovered, I like chatting with other commenters as well as bloggers themselves. I also like replying to people who take the time to comment. Maybe it’s because it’s still all new to me and fun.
I chose to visit Blogopolis Blueprint through a link on Writer Dad, and as it was a new blog, it felt like the perfect place for a new blogger to meet people. I still only wander in and out of people’s blogs if I’ve time to comment.
And, Marc, THANK YOU for this:
“I also forgot to mention the new WordPress functionality of threaded replies. Having said that I’m not sure how much of a help or hindrance that is as Thesis doesn’t support it right now.”
I thought I was just being stupid because I hadn’t figured out how to do it!!
And well done Melinda! I think my lowest ticket number on Zen Habits has been 56 or something. Time zone differences make it impossible for me to say anything that hasn’t been said 55 times already. In the comments on my blog today, Marc mentioned Tolkien and I immediately thought of you and what you’d think of Aragorn and Legolas given the shameful case of the Wolverine Confessions…
Janice’s last blog post..Find Your Great Work
Aragorn and Legolas…. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! LOL!
What’s shameful about liking Wolverine? What’s not to like, really?
Melinda’s last blog post..Help me help a friend in need
This makes sense. I hate to admit it but I’ve done that. I’ve been blogging only 6 months so seriously people what do you expect? Advice well taken. Thanks.
Tess The Bold Life’s last blog post..My Kid Did Something Bold & Thrilling
Hi, Marc. I have to say, you had me at “Gandalf.” And I got halfway through the comments thinking I’d be the only one to get than in before I arrived at an Aragorn and a Legolas thrown in. Argh.
I enjoyed reading this post because it reinforced a few of the things I’m learning already as a new blogger and a new commenter. I think I subscribe to the mentality of most people here when I say that I like to read the whole post and respond as it relates to me. And it’s great when a dialogue gets going – WOOHOO.
I’ve had a few of the “Hi. Great post” comments myself and, like everyone else, don’t see how it benefits me or the other commenters that much. It’s like showing up at a party, popping in, handing everyone your card, and then leaving. Ouch!
Commenting does take time, though. So if I know I’m running low on it, I try to wait until I know I’ve got a bit of extra time. I also don’t read everything in my reader every day. I pace it out. I’d rather leave one meaningful comment than a stream of meaningless ones.
As for the A-List blogs … I don’t really visit them. When I am comment #239, somehow I don’t feel like my voice is going to be heard. I’m just going to be one of a number. I prefer the smaller blogs any day.
Chania Girl’s last blog post..Sharing the Journey with Janice Hunter
Thanks for visiting Chania, and for taking the time to leave one of your meaningful comments. I really appreciate it.
I love your party analogy by the way, couldn’t have put it better myself.
I read quite a few A-List blogs but I barely ever comment since like you I’m always a late comer and find a few hundred comments have already been made! One thing I have noticed is that some of the A-listers will harp on about comment numbers but hardly ever address their own commenters (is that a word?).
I don’t just mean replying to comments but other things such as acknowledging a comment with their next post by answering a question for example.
I know what you mean, Marc. Although a part of me does realize that I would be very hard put to know how to respond to several hundred comments … and be original each time. And finding the time to read them? It’s tricky for sure. And an enviable “problem” to have.
One of the earlier commenters on this post said that she’s doing the ProBlogger 31 Days challenge. I am, too, but find I have not participated in any forums at all for this very reason. I become lost in the shuffle. To go back to the party analaogy, I feel like I’m at one of those speed-dating nights where I need to be dressed to the nines with my business card and resume at the ready. Ugh. Too tiring. Where’s the pub and a relaxed game of darts (erm … if I played darts)?
Chania Girl’s last blog post..Sharing the Journey with Janice Hunter
Perhaps I am being too harsh. I certainly don’t expect any blogger to reply to every comment if they regularly receive hundreds per post.
Some blogs aren’t geared for community discussion, at least not involving the original blogger. Take Copyblogger as an example.
But then there’s the big bloggers like David Risley. He’s turned comment questions into a feature on his blog whereby he answers a genuine reader’s question through a video post. I think that’s a really nice touch
Hi CG and Marc,
It’s really interesting coming back to these comments after a wee while away and realising how much tireder I am now. I have learned an awful lot about myself and blogging in the last month. One thing is, I need to get some comments v. post writing balance.
I’m attemptng to head off for the evening now, but I just wanted to thank you both for the fun I had over at my blog today!
janice’s last blog post..Do the Next Indicated Thing