How Seriously Do You Take Blog Comments?
Posted by Ching Ya | Posted in Blog Traffic, Social Networking |
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We all read other people’s blogs. And often the case we’re advised to leave our digital footprints in ‘comments’. Hoping by doing so, while gaining some link juice (from Do-Follow blogs), the author or visitors will be kind enough to, maybe, return the favor? That’s the general idea of commenting as one of the traffic-magnet and relationship-building strategies, is it not?
I am NOT someone with the highest ability of commenting, but just how serious we should take blog comments? I know there is a need to be succinct so we could have links spread on 100 new blogs daily! However, what if all the efforts went down the drain just because we didn’t apply QC in our commenting?
There should be an awakening on …
Treating Commenting as Micro-blogging (Quality over Quantity)
Even I, made the exact same mistakes! Came across a perfect post that I have nothing else to add but to compliment on the effort. Then it makes me realize, “Gosh, I’m doing the ‘You’re great’ type of commenting!” Then I’m in dilemma – shall I comment at all? Does the author bother to check out who am I? Of course you can, but you may need to do it differently. We’ll be discussing about that shortly. But first:
What type of posts attract comments?
Ask yourself, what do you like to read best? Here are just some that probably have crossed your mind:
- Informative & thought provoking.
- State out a problem, providing solutions, asking for more opinions and added ideas.
- An inspirational story that makes people go teary eyes, strike the emotional cords.
- An honest confession / experience that teaches a lesson.
- List post that’s one of a kind – resourceful, entertaining or different.
- Self made comic, poetry, vodcast – there’s a risk for putting yourself out there, but surely there will be tons of feedback on it. Be prepared as some may not ‘enjoy’ it as much.
- Tool-type reviews – How cool/ effective is the tool? Sometimes it requires more than just a brief content to evoke comments. Otherwise people will be more into ‘great review, I’ll consider using it’. Don’t blame them for doing so. They may read through them just not in need of using it for the time being.
- Totally Out Of The Box!
My Personal Favorites:
Informative + personalized postings = while absorbing the useful information I could learn a bit more about the author as well — personality, creativity, his/her art of blogging… It matches my goal in learning while building a relationship with the author through commenting.
What type of comments that least likable by authors?
a) Covering 80% of the already limited sentences with same-meaning vocabs — ‘great, love, good’ or ‘bad, sucked, hate’.
“This is great. Love your blog. Good job!”
“This sucks! Dislike the idea and really bad!”
— Kindly prove your point a little bit more? Otherwise..
b) Not speaking straight to the point, left the author hanging with ‘HUH?’
“Thanks for sharing 8 great ways to drive in traffic. Can you explain how to get more traffic to my blog?”
— Do you mind to read the post beforehand? Or do you need particular elaboration? Try to be clear.
c) Translated comments from software with no further modification.
“I really like you to write the article..”
— Some direct translation might sound unnatural. Modification is needed otherwise the author may think you’re a bot.
d) Too extreme with self-centered opinions, with disrespectful tone.
“That’s stupid. No way that would work! I have a much better solution for this problem on my post ‘ABC’ (with link). I explained it more thoroughly on how to deal with problem XYZ with cool examples. So you guys do head over to my site and catch the real deal!”
— Seriously? Kindly be respectful and more specific instead of just self-promoting for people to visit your site.
e) Repeated ideas without strengthening your point.
“I like your point A. I also use point A to deal with Z problem. A is really a good way. We shall all apply A.”
“Others have given good ideas. I have nothing else to add.”
— Alright, A is good, but how did it really help you? Kindly elaborate on that. Nothing else to add? You gotta do much better than that to get approved.
How To Comment and Leave an Impression?
- Be personal with your comment. Share you opinions/insights as you are microblogging.
- If disagreeing, kindly be respectful and provide advises to assist author in strengthening the point. – you come to build relationship not to ruin one.
- Needless to be over-used with vocabs, make it plain and understandable.
- If ‘Me Too’, type anything but the two words.
- State your interest/gratitude for the provoking story as it helps you in what ways.
- Request for explanations for your doubts, respectfully.
- Can you be humorous and unexpectedly entertaining? Even a ‘Me too’ comment attracts with a simple twist.
What If the post is too perfect and I have nothing else to add??!!
Bookmark the page, tweet it or stumble it! An action speaks a thousand words. Whether you meant it genuinely or to ‘bribe’ the author, doesn’t matter as you’re doing a good favor. A little act of kindness is always a beautiful thing to do, why not? It’s just a simple click away nowadays.
Should I notify the author? It’s up to you. I don’t see the harm in doing so but in reasonable frequency. Don’t ‘hard sell’ your effort and do expect nothing in return.
Commenting is a type of social networking
Drop the author a note at the social media sites, complimenting him/her for the great work. It’s much better than just a ‘I love your post’ comment — such visibility may not be in much help since no constructive comments are given. Or you can try Add/Follow the blog author in social media sites. Be initiative.
As of the authors,
Obviously, we still need to provide quality content or else, show people some personalities. Sometimes don’t just blame the commenter as maybe we need to improve our content firstly.
Here are some links that may help you in proper managing your comments and encourage feedback:
30+ Plugins for WordPress Comments
WordPress : Combating Comment Spam
WordPress Plugins for Comments
I don’t plan to use all of them for now, but plugins like Akismet, CommentLuv, Do-Follow, Recent Comments, Subscribe to Comments are the ones activated in my blog.
It’s Your Turn..
Do share you opinions on how to manage your blog comments. What are you likes/dislikes and how us, as visitors could improve our commenting skills over time? Love to hear from you.
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Your idea is not bad but few commentators habituals to spam or write some ugly words on comment section.
.-= Surender Sharma´s last blog ..How to Tweet Your Blog Post Automatically on Twitter =-.
Surender,
That is the need to have comment-control plugins or manually inspect through them ourselves.
The main idea is to treat commenting seriously either as authors or visitors. Putting aside spam-commentators, we are actually hoping for more ideas on how to improve our commenting strategies in various blogs for relationship-building or traffic purposes. Do you have some suggestions on that? Hope to hear from you.
That’s what comment moderation is for. Those kind of comments should never get through in the first place.
Wow, I’m new to your blog but I’ve just read a couple of posts and I’m pretty impressed. I think commenting should always be encouraged on a blog, because it creates a genuine INTERACTION between the blog owner, and the reader.
They are no longer reading, but COMMUNICATING.
Anyway, keep up the great work here!
.-= Paul, copySnips.com´s last blog ..The Power Of “Because” =-.
Hi Paul,
Sorry that I missed your comment within the thread. First of all, welcome, truly wonderful to see you here.
I’m glad this subject has evoked massive feedbacks. Hopefully we can all treat commenting a lot differently from now on. You’re right, we are communicating instead of just reading alone. Well said! Do visit again soon.
If you’re tempted to write the “great post, thanks for writing” kind of comment, you should also bear in mind that it’s the kind of thing spammers write too – so a grumpy blogger is likely to assume you’re a spammer and delete your comment.
I like your “what if the post is too perfect…” suggestions very much. “Nice post, Stumbled” is 1000% better a comment to receive than “nice post” – especially when you can go see that the person *did* Stumble you.
My other top tip for commenting is that the “name” field is NOT the place to practice SEO. Your mother doesn’t call you “top wii games” or “sexy adult chat”, does she? So that’s not your name – don’t put it in the name field, that’s just rude.
Sue,
It’s so great to have you here!
I couldn’t agree with you more with the ‘name’ field been used as SEO purposes. Commenting is all about networking, how else will we be able to connect better if others don’t know how to address us?
Truly appreciate your view point! ^^
LOL @Sue
That “Your mother doesn’t call you ‘sexy adult chat’ does she?” quote made me laugh out loud here. Hilarious, but true.
I am having a hard enough job ranking for my own name at the moment let alone anything more exciting so I am more than happy to use my real name in the blog commenting section!
I have had my fair share of “great post!” comments and most get consigned to the trash bin. I’d love some of my readers to add a “Stumbled”, “Dugg”, “Sphinned” or “Delcioused” at the end though!
David
.-= David Walker´s last blog ..Six Success Factors – Entrepreneurial Ability =-.
David,
Ha.. you have no idea how many of those I’ve deleted.
Sigh… sometimes I feel hard, but then again, I realize there’s a need to be fair to everyone who’s here and entitled a link. I always appreciate a little more thoughts on the subject then just a ‘good job!’ comment. Although I really do like that, but I do believe if the person is willing enough, he/she will add a little bit more to make it personal and less spammy.
Hope this serves as a reminder to all of us while commenting.
Spam comments aside, I am happy with the type of comments that I have been getting.
Most of my “I really like you to write the article..” follow with a comment, like “found it on LinkedIn”. The bad English makes sense since I have an international group that visit, more than Americans.
.-= McLaughlin´s last blog ..Using LinkedIn to Drive Traffic to Your Blog =-.
McLaughlin,
It’s true. Actually I was having a problem finding a proper example on the translated version.
As of everybody, don’t get me wrong. It’s totally fine if you are using a translation software to convey your opinions in comments, what I meant to say is the ‘mis-used’ of it to drop links instead of proper view points. I had an experience once, unable to understand the content which I felt the commenter was promoting a game software on his site. Then I found more duplicate of the same translated version everywhere around the net.
So bottom line, what’s coming after “I really like you to write the article..” is the utmost importance, don’t underestimate the power of the following sentences, it may clear your name from auto-bots. (I don’t mean Transformers here)
Thanks so much for your comment, Richard.
Hi Ching Ya,
Do you know what happens to me often? The articles I like most are the thought provoking articles, the ones where I want at least a half an hour or a full day to ruminate. …and the comments I leave just after reading the article are never my best
It would be great to go back and once my own thoughts on the subject settle, but reality means that this does not happen often
I personally do not react to the short meaningless comments. I mentally sweep them under the mat. But I do notice the people who know how to comment well only focus on building relationships with them.
I do notice people who simply do not know how to comment online. Just like I notice the people who do not know how to use the “cc” and “bc” functions on email. And just like it is useful to show others by example how to “email”, I think there are opportunities to show others how to comment by example. Now, they may not be inspired, but at least there should be more people out there who learn how to do it.
Great post as always!
.-= Cindy King´s last blog ..Cross-Culture Tweets – Week 34 of 2009 =-.
Cindy,
Always a joy to see you here! ^^
Ha.. that’s another good point! You know what I do? I bookmark the pages I visited which require time to ‘digest’ before I feedback, sometimes I manage to comment back but at times, it just got ignored after the list piled up. Shame on me! So I end up stumble/tweet the page instead.
As much I think everyone has their own styles of commenting, I do believe there are ways we can facilitate comments for mutual benefits — the author & the visitors. You’re right. I will have to look more into this subject.
Thanks so much for bringing that up!
Commenting on other blogs is one of the techniques I tell all my clients they need to do. But not just commenting for the sake of commenting. If you can’t add something to the conversation, don’t. Because that is one of the huge benefits of blogging. Blogging is one of the opportunities we have to create and carry on a conversation with our audience. And it is our audience’s opportunity to enter into the conversation too.
As a blog visitor, you should be commenting on blogs and you should do this even before you have your own blog. Believe it or not, bloggers notice comments and they notice repeat commenters too. If you are commenting on another blog in your niche, you are going to get noticed. But don’t just leave a comment like, “nice post, I will be back.” I for one don’t even approve those and usually spam them.
Add to the conversation or don’t leave a comment.
Grant,
Thank you so much for dropping your suggestion here. ^^ It’s a pleasure.
You pretty much said it all. If a comment is not going to be memorable, no matter how frequent and active a person is in commenting, he/she will never receive the acknowledgments from others as he/she hoped it would.
Very nice quote in the end! It’s something we shall all remember before commenting.
I’ve read many, many great blog entries and didn’t leave a comment because I had nothing interesting to offer. I’m not going to annoy people or clutter the comment space with “Great post.” Sometimes I’ll say that — but I also add on some original thoughts.
Like you said — if you have nothing to say… tweet it, digg it, share it.
.-= Meryl Evans ´s last blog ..Watch What You Blog, Post and Tweet Online =-.
Meryl,
Welcome! I appreciate you dropping by! ^^
“Sometimes I’ll say that — but I also add on some original thoughts.” — absolutely right! Sometimes we need more than just ‘Great post!’ and you’re spot on with the concept of having originality & personality in commenting. That I realized is the utmost reason why we’re commenting at the first place! To get noticed, not to get buried.
Sometimes we might not have the BEST words to say, but at least we share our personal views and feelings, all authors will appreciate such feedback.
Just like I appreciate yours now.
Thank you so much!
Couldn’t agree more. If you’re a blogger, you should know how much you appreciate a thoughtful comment that continues (and improves upon) the initial aspect of the post. So why would you short-change other bloggers elsewhere?
Think of it as a blog post itself – if it’s not adding anything, do you really need to comment at all?
.-= Danny Brown´s last blog ..Why It’s All About Community =-.
Danny,
That’s true. The idea is not to discourage comments, but to add value to the post and personal branding through quality commenting. Pleasure to have you here, Danny.
You definitely can’t take the negative comments too seriously. My first blog post ever and I had two people say that Lupus was not that big of a deal and I should not be treating it like it was ruling my life.
It really threw me. I was a new blogger and vulnerable.
I followed up my second post saying that this blog was about MY experience with Lupus and my other illnesses, not theirs or their friends!
I inspired two bloggers to write posts on their blog in support of my right to blog about MY Life. It turned out to be a great start to my blog!
.-= Emily´s last blog ..End of Health Week! =-.
Emily,
That’s great! Think we all learned something from your experience. A blogger that inspires is always welcoming in the community. ^^
I can see your point. We all value comments, whether they are good or bad. If only the comments are coming with good intentions. Since we can’t control that, hopefully we could all set an example of how to facilitate commenting well ourselves.
And also, good advise on having an open mind to people’s words.
Nice post. I like you to write the article.
Just kiddin’!
Often when I read posts about blogging and WordPress in particular, I find myself asking questions in my comment – real questions I’ve been wondering about. I hope the author finds that a good opportunity to expand and have a little more activity on that post.
.-= Christie´s last blog ..MiscBytes unusual niche of the month =-.
Christie,
That’s a good attitude. Great to keep the discussion flowing while encourage participation through questions. I particularly thankful to bloggers who are willing to take initiative to write an email explaining the question I asked with further details.
Thank you so much for dropping by!
I think it is very important to comment on other blogs. I hate the this was a great post crap. I think if you want other people to follow your link back to your website then you will need to put the work in to do some meaningful comments. Greg Ellison
.-= Greg Ellison´s last blog ..On Call for 8/17/09 – 8/24/09 =-.
Greg,
Although at times it is a bit hard for some to express themselves better with comments, hopefully with more practice and efforts, they can be separated from link droppers. I too, was once a ‘great post’ commenter only then noticed, commenting is much bigger than that.
Thank you so much for the visit. ^^
I’m afraid to leave a comment to this post – what if it’s not good enough?
Ok, let me try this (*cross fingers*): Your “what if the post is too perfect” idea ain’t bad, I actually never thought of doing it. I stumble/digg a post if the author makes a “call to action” about doing it – and I like the post – but I really need to better myself on that point.
And then one could leave a comment telling that you have stumbled/digged it because of this and that. I hope that’s not frowned upon.
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..How Do You Decide Which Charity To Donate to? Childrens, Animals, Cancer, or…? =-.
Klaus,
ha.. you’re a fighter! I like that!
No worries.
It’s not really about good/bad comments but just how someone likes to have his/her comments treated by author and others. Of course people can still ignore the whole quality commenting, but it’s just sad to see 100 comments on 100 blogs but only 5% got a returned visit.
As of informing the author about SU or digged, that’s perfectly fine and a good thing to do. ^^
Appreciate your comment!
Hi Ching,
Pretty useful post. This is one area I am lacking, I don’t comment often and don’t reply to comments much. For me commenting is like writing a post, it takes time because I want to write my true heart felt feeling in the comment. Some comments I see really suck ‘great post’ ‘awesome post’ ‘I’m sure to be back’, the usual blah blah.
If I have nothing to say I just walk away. Anyway your post definitely encouraged me to comment more and I mean real meaningful comments.
Its not hard to comment but I have to be involved with the post, like I am here on your post.
Take care and cheers
.-= Robin Bal´s last blog ..Health Care Reform Or Welfare Program – Who Pays The Bill? =-.
Robin,
“commenting is like writing a post, it takes time because I want to write my true heart felt feeling in the comment. ”
– very well shared. I think many of us can relate to that feeling very well. It’s a sincerity a reader has for the author, sometimes it’s really not easy to comment. I’m no way near a brilliant commenter. I admire those who can really express themselves well in commenting and nail the point perfectly! I believe it takes time to practice. ^^ May we all learn it along the way. At least we can show our sincerity, which I can feel it from your comment now.
Welcome and hope to see you again here soon!
I think I need to reconsider the commenting approach. I’m guilty of some of the point you’ve stated here.
Thank you for the enlightenment.
Walter,
Thank you for dropping by. It’s alright, we are all learning and sharing our experiences. I too, can learn so much from you all who are commenting right now. It’s truly a pleasure to have everyone’s feedback about this issue.
Best wishes!
Hi Ching,
Excellent Explanation on How to comment on other blog to gain link juice and traffic… But since long i have an doubt that the link juice from blog does effect in my website ranking?
Coz in blog the anchor text i would be using is my name in name field…. so the link appear on my name than how would this help in ranking? Please Advice
Sundar,
Actually this post is more about how we shall treat our commenting seriously to ensure traffic & relationship building with others. I think your question is more about the benefit of do-follow blogs to commentators? ^^
I assume you know do-follow blog is allowing link juice to whoever is leaving a link in the comment section (like you’re leaving yours now). It works the same as backlinks: the more you have it the better your rankings are. Think of the backlinks as ‘supports’ for your blog. No matter what anchor texts you put (encouraged your real name), the link you left is entitled the link juice.
Hope the brief intro can help.
I am a little intimidated to comment too because I can only say what a great post.
After reading it I think I too need to reconsider my commenting approach. I ‘m guilty as charged because sometimes I think since I am there I may as well say ‘great post’ or similar but I do add something personal too. In defense that is rather than say nothing and have my fellow bloggers know I visited but didn’t comment.
Thank you very much for the lessons and enlightenment.
Still personally I don’t mind great post type comments ….just saying.
.-= trish´s last blog ..Weekly Winners 34 2009 =-.
Trish,
Rest assured your comment will be treated with care and I valued your view point, very, very much.
Please don’t feel intimidated.
I see it as a group-enlightening session. From the feedbacks I think many of us can learn from each other’s experience in commenting. Adding something personal is fantastic! Quality comment is about adding value, whether it’s a story shared of lesson learned, or simply an opinion etc.
Sometimes a do-follow blog will experience message-influx, mixing with quality commentators and spammers, I think it’s important to separate the good ones from the rest. ^^
Hope to see you again soon.
Another good way to get good comments is by blogging your personal experience.
.-= Ridiculous blogger´s last blog ..Where am I? =-.
Ridiculous Blogger,
I agree. Sometimes sharing own experience and lessons learned can be a good comment-triggered post. Thank you for sharing the idea.
I will take any kind of non-spam comments, gladly. Sure, I appreciate a in-depth + thoughtful comment but I realize that not everyone has time or good writing skills (or quick typing skills) so if they just want to say “Great article!” – I’d much rather get that and see who’s reading – than nothing.
.-= Brett Borders´s last blog ..6 Tips for Creating “Sticky” Social Relationships =-.
Brett,
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it.
It’s true. We certainly can’t hope everyone to comment with flying colors, even I have a problem to do so at times.
It is a choice, really, not a compulsory. I do appreciate all the sincere comments from anyone.
I do really like your last point. Sometimes if I find nothing to comment on the “too perfect” post, I’ll probably retweet or share it on my Facebook. This is the best comment to the authors (I think so).
.-= Jacob Yap´s last blog ..A Review of the Godlike Thesis WordPress Theme =-.
Jacob,
I agree. It’s an appreciation for the author, certainly no harm of helping out if you think it’s a well-written post. Thanks for your opinion.
I wish I had the energy to write more comments! I have so little energy to go around that it gets triaged/rationed very tightly and, of course, if it comes down to “will I comment on these 10 great posts or write my own great post?” then self-interest wins out and I write my own post.
It’s easier to see that I’ve accomplished something when I publish a post, than when I’ve “just” been networking. I know it’s an important part of things and I know you see me on Twitter but commenting is one of those things I tend to leave by the wayside. Do you think you’d choose differently in this situation?
.-= Ricky Buchanan´s last blog ..Snow Leopard is Coming, Are You Ready Or Not? =-.
Ricky,
I truly appreciate you dropping by and provide such insightful opinion, as I know it’s no easy task to do so.
Well, I probably would have chosen the same decision if given no choice. However, I may still have to try find alternatives to connect if possible. Actually joining a forum is a good way, like you did; also, maybe through inserting some nice read you came across that inspired you to write the latest article will alert the authors who have pingback setup at their site? Perhaps they’ll head over for a read since got mentioned and comment, where you can get to know them from there?
Think you brought up a good question here. Looking forward to discuss further with you about this issue. Keep me updated.
I really agree with most of your tips. Don’t be a bot comment. Read, understand and comment. The author will appreciate our comment if we are honest in give opinion, create relations, make them happy..
I just want to add some, a comment with many promo url must be avoid.. Sometimes it make author sick..
p/s:- I’m sorry for this poor English..
.-= poorblogger´s last blog ..Increase your traffic efficiency =-.
Poorblogger,
No worries about English, you’ve conveyed the message well and understandable.
Commenting is all about networking, building relationships while voicing opinions. Not sure if everyone will be happy but surely it’s an encouragement to see people participating in the discussions.
Appreciate you dropping by.
Wow Ching, you always seem to offer these very useful and thought provoking posts. This is definitely not just another “how to blog” blog.
I can say I learned a lot. I do read every single comment I get and I definitely try to visit that person who took the time to comment at least once. I would come back if the blog resonates with me, etc. Otherwise I am always very grateful for the comments.
I guess some people just want a link and others genuinely care, but I still think it is nice if they took the time out if what they said reflects the post.
Evita,
Thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot, really.
Very true. I believe all authors will feel appreciated by having people reading/commenting in accordance to their writings. Frankly, the idea that inspired me to write about this is after seeing so many types of comments in various blogs, mixing with obvious link-droppers and well thought out comments. I truly think those who are sincere to comment shall be given enough appreciations they deserved.
Thank you so much for willing to drop a few words.
Now I’m almost too self conscious to comment.
I do like it when people tell me they liked my posts even if they have nothing pithy to add. Some people are just not that comfortable with writing. I don’t want to discourage anyone from joining the conversation. Now if they have to worry that their comments are going to be considered lame, it’s going to send the message that we don’t want you contributing because we think you’re lame.
.-= Deborah Richmond´s last blog ..Facebook: Feedback Creates Relationship =-.
Hi Deborah,
Thank you very much for contributing, I appreciate your comment.
I would definitely love some encouragement words from the commentators, good/great post is just as welcoming. Actually I do see that more as a choice of how one facilitates the comment through relationship building. It’s not to discourage commenting, but to truly enhance the use of commenting to bring blog-networking to the next level. ^^ It’s true, some are not that comfortable with mass-expressing, even so, I think we can sense their sincerity even just a few words, but it may take some times.
It’s just sad to see duplicate comments on multiple blogs with the exact same phrase. Actually that’s what triggered me to write about this post at the first place.
I have never thought of (or heard of) commenting as microblogging – that is exactly what it is though. Akismet clears away most of my comments from “sexy adult chat” (lol) but I do get lots of “nice post” type comments and you are right… it doesn’t make you want to take a trip over to their site.
Visiting sites regularly and leaving well thought-out or entertaining comments definitely increases traffic I have found. If I don’t comment, my visitors drop rapidly.
I often RT great posts – I am stumbleupon but not sure what I am doing there. I’ve been meaning to look into it more when I find the time.
Great post Ching Ya and thanks for the dofollow info – I think I’ve sorted it now.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Britney, MJ & Lismore =-.
Hi Michelle,
Great seeing you here, my friend.
Thank you for sharing and I agree with your points. Actually there are various ways to leave a comment, I’ve seen some of your commentators wrote and eventhough some had kept it brief, but I still think that’s one heck of a good comment. It’s about how one expresses him/herself I guess.
You’re welcome on the do-follow issue. Actually I should have make it clearer in previous post, sorry about that. ^^ Anyhow, do drop me an email anytime you need some assistance. I could learn a lot from you as well. Keep in touch.
Nice post! Your central message rings very true. Quality comments take more thought to craft, but are a lot more useful for everyone involved.
I am starting to notice a few things with this:
1. Time spent coming up with a thoughtful response is great exercise for the intellect.
2. The ideas I come up with get reinvested in my blog, as they invariably end up containing the seed idea for a post.
3. Reflecting about what I have read makes me more likely to practice it. For example, your idea of “micro-blogging” was what prompted the idea to even post this comment in a bullet-point manner.
4. I feel good about having shared something valuable with someone else, to make their blog more valuable at the same time!
So really this strategy is truly a win-win-win for everyone involved!
.-= Karthik Kumar | Between a Breath´s last blog ..7 Uncommon Reasons Why You Should Blog on Personal Development =-.
Hello Karthik,
Pleasure to meet you. Very well thought out comment and I’m grateful for your feedback. You have listed some really good points on the benefits for both parties. When you see it that way, it gives a whole new perspective about commenting as microblogging.
Truly appreciate it!
The most important one to concentrate is on the comments which disagree with our points.
Well written post.
.-= BlogrPro´s last blog ..Uniqueness in Blogging! How to do? – Part 5 =-.
BlogrPro,
Personally, I value all the comments. Whether agreeing or disagreeing both are equally important. Perhaps patience and tolerance are required to understand the opposing party if been given valid points. A process to learn as well.
Thank you for pointing that out.
You wrote a really good post! I reallylike when I receive quality comment on my blog. I don’t really like when commentator come and post a comment just to get featured and receive traffic from my blog. hopefully most of my commentators are writing what I call “quality comments”.
.-= Benjamin Cip´s last blog ..$20 Logo Design Contest Winner =-.
Benjamin,
Glad to see you again!
Exactly! As Karthik had put it, it’s a win-win(-win) situation. Why not make an impression? If not with expressive words, how about sincerity? I hope it doesn’t sound too demanding, but an author’s hope for a quality communication, just as we’ve been educated over and over again about ‘quality posts’.
Thanks so much for dropping by, Benjamin.
I totally agree with both of you. I was thinking that maybe I should removed featured comments and top commentators plugin to check who really want to comment on my blog, but finally decided not to remove it as it would be bad for my quality commentators that I want to reward with links to their blogs.
.-= Benjamin Cip´s last blog ..New Discount Coupon For OIOpublisher! =-.
This post is too perfect and I have nothing else to add.
.-= Jannie Funster´s last blog ..Yes, Kids Do Say The Darndest Things =-.
Jannie,
hahaha.. for you, I’ll make an exception! Probably someone is going to throw stones at me now.. wait, hear me out why I let this comment through:
- Only if the reader who does this has a good relationship with the author that I can tolerate a small joke here. How does Jannie owned my trust? Simply with her support for the past months with sincere/quality comments.
I’ll see you in the next thread, Jannie. ^^
ha, ha, ha. just kidding up there, of course!
Wow, what a popular post you have here. I think this is actually my favorite post of yours so far. I love hearing that you like to get into the personality of what makes the blogger tick. I love that too! So fun exploring human nature and getting to know someone, deeper over time.
Yes, Most of those examples sound pretty spammy, so I would most likely ignore them.
I am very intrigued by the Do-Follow aspect, I have no idea if my blog is one, and if not I better get that changed ASAP.
Thanks, Wonderful Ching Ya. I love you and your blog, you know!
xo
.-= Jannie Funster´s last blog ..Yes, Kids Do Say The Darndest Things =-.
Jannie,
Your joyful spirit just shine upon my blog!
Always a joy to have you here.
Actually I need to thank all of the commentators who are willing to participate and share the opinions. Without all of you, this post is practically nothing. ^^ Truly blessed to have caught some attention regarding commenting issues. I truly appreciate your comment, Jannie.
Have you did a check with your site? As I believe the comments are normally no-follow in default. I’ll be ready to assist if you have some questions during the Do-Follow transition. Let me know.
Take care always! *hugs*
This is great. Love your blog. Good job!
.-= Sueblimely´s last blog ..Firefox Collections and Social Networking =-.
Sorry, I could not resist – please excuse my silly humor. Another problem with leaving such a comment as my last is that authors are likely to think they are spam. For me comments have to show that the writer has actually read the post they are commenting on.
PS It really is a good article though
.-= Sueblimely´s last blog ..Firefox Collections and Social Networking =-.
Sue,
Thank you my friend.
ha.. ok, ok, I can tolerate one more joke here.
You’re right Sue. That’s the idea of commenting at the first place. The last thing we want is to be treated as spammers.
Chat soon. Take care, Sue.
I am a big fan of building traffic through commenting, as it has done tremendous good for our blog in terms of traffic and great interaction.
And I agree with everything you said… well maybe not the minimum comment needs to be at least 10 sentences long. You can leave a pretty good response in less than 10 sentences for sure.
As for me, I try and visit everyone’s site that leaves comments on our site and if I can find posts that I find interesting and think I can add value to I will definitely leave a comment that hopefully adds value to the conversation. Some posts deserve serious well thought out replies, while some others require you to be funny and hopefully give the readers and author a good laugh.
.-= Doug Dillard´s last blog ..Win an Awesome Custom Banner Package =-.
Doug,
Well said — “Add value”, couldn’t agree more.
Ha.. just wish to make one thing clear, there’s no word limit in commenting. Of course it’s possible to make a valuable comment with less than 10 words. It’s just an example to show the same-meaning vocabs that covering more than half of the already limited sentences. Hope that’s not misleading. I will make adjustments to the point. Thanks for pointing that out.
Appreciate your comment, Doug. See you soon.
Ching Ya, this is truly an excellent post and I loved the graphic you used under how to comment and leave an impression.
I’ve have been pushing for ages how important it is not only to leave comments but to make sure that your comment is of such good quality that it will literally draw others to your own blog.
Doing it for link juice alone is not worth the effort, as you should be striving for more than just link juice. Your comment should be shouting to everyone about who you are and only then will you have a chance of people following you.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Blog Me This You Blogging Fools =-.
Sire,
I can’t be thankful enough for you to mention the graphic. ^^ It is a globe formed by blogs belonged to the commentators of this site. Hope you can spot yours easily?
Well said. You’ve made it clear and I can’t be more agree with it. Think of it as an investment, the blog networking ROI will certainly be higher in the long term.
Always a pleasure have you here.
How could I miss it, it’s right in front and on the bottom, just like Australia is. I loved the way you put it all together.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Blog Me This You Blogging Fools =-.
Very well written, but you’ve said something I read on another blog earlier this evening that, well, it’s the first time I’d ever heard the term, and now it’s twice in one evening.
This concept of the “perfect post” that people have problems writing on. Frankly, that’s one I just don’t understand. For instance, you wrote a thoroughly comprehensive post here, and I could add my two cents (I will) on commenting by adding that people should write comment on how they feel about the topic if there’s nothing else to add to a post, especially if you’re learning something for the first time.
In other words, I can’t believe that something could be written so well that a person couldn’t find a way to leave a legitimate comment if they tried. If you have a better understanding of something, say so. If you don’t get it, say so. However, if you really don’t have anything to add, which happens to me sometimes if a person is writing poetry, leave it alone and move on.
Perfect post; my mind can’t grasp that concept; who here can help me with this one?
.-= Mitch´s last blog ..Take Responsibility For Your Blogging =-.
Hi Mitch,
Thank you so much for visiting. ^^
Ok, the term of ‘perfect post’… I will share my part of the definition:
I agree, there is no such thing as ‘perfect’ in this world, but the idea of ‘perfect post’ here I’m referring to is the type that one feels he/she has simply nothing to add on; it’s good and could be considered ‘almost’ perfect in one’s own gauge. It may not be the ‘perfect’ word to used in the context, but hopefully close enough to deliver the message.
It’s true. Quality comments not necessarily just about insightful and informational ideas, but including own opinions and feelings after reading it. Hopefully this post will remind myself and some about the importance of commenting, more than just link juice alone. ^^
Hopefully others will jump in to add, I know this is not a perfect answer/comment, at least it’s my own opinion though. ha..
Yeah, that’s for sure, especially when reading my post. You’re bound to find a typo or two or three, hey Mitch?
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Blog Me This You Blogging Fools =-.
The best kinds of comments are those that share additional information, personal feelings and the like.
I never do understand bloggers who allow nasty comments to stay on their blog – it’s just like allowing complete strangers to trash your home while visiting unexpectedly.
.-= Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..Give BACK to Your Affiliates – Covert Angel Time =-.
Welcome Barbara,
Thanks so much for stopping by.
I like the idea of seeing one’s blog as a home. True. I don’t allow nasty comments as well. No one needs to be harsh while proving a point.
It’s a pleasure to know you.
“This is great. Love your blog. Good job!”
Okay Ching Ya, seriously, the point behind comment is enriching the post, as simple as that for me!
.-= Hicham´s last blog ..Lockerbie: Who deceived Who? =-.
Hicham,
Thank you for the comment. Indeed, thanks for stressing that out.
Greetings Ching Ya,
Now, that is a very detailed analysis of the commenting consensus with physiological examination included. I admire you for that.
I find that commenting is another way to express and connect yourself, with others. Therefore one is as they are, even with short get to the point posts.
I find every comment matters, as it is the person behind the words that counts.
Keep up the wonderful work on your site.
You are doing an excellent job.
Kind Wishes
.-= Ana´s last blog ..Life’s Temple; Open Gateway =-.
Ana,
Thank you for the uplifting comment.
Commenting is all about expressing ourselves, depicting the personality behind the words. That’s a good point you given there.
Hope to see you here again soon.
I take commenting quite seriously. I really like what you said about leaving comments with words such as “good, bad, awesome, nice, etc..”. I mean, it is okay to use those words, but only if it fits into the comment. I hate comments like “Awesome blog, nice job!”.
I can tell straight away that the person did not even bother reading the post.
.-= The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet.com´s last blog ..Using Testimonials To Increase Sales =-.
Gooroo,
Appreciate you taking the time to leave a few words.
Sometimes it just takes a little while to digest the content and express oneself through comments. Although I don’t expect everyone to read through word by word, at least treat commenting a way to make themselves memorable. I adore my readers and always hoping to know them through their words — that’s what prompting me to visit their sites.
See you soon.
Commenting on blogs is a good opportunity to express our views on a particular topic.It will also very helpful to improve the site.By commenting we learn a lot and it will also help to increase in blog ranking.
Blog Commenting,
Thank you for sharing the benefits of commenting.
I am laughing hysterically right now Ching because we met through twitter and you have been so supportive of me and my blog and my writing skills that are currently being “worked on”
I just thought about 20 minutes ago that i should check out your blog and i get here and the first post i see is this one! pretty funny huh?
I read it and thought… hmmm? should I leave a comment? lol
I used to leave comments like…
“Great post, thanks”
But i just recently stopped doing that and realized that i need to leave a feedback, or an opinion. I needed to join the conversation really.
So from now on i am making sure that i “continue the conversation” with my comment and if i can’t do that i at least add to it and say what i got out of it.
I actually posted a comment on one of my friends blogs the other day that was probably a good 300 words! it was a LONG comment!
Thank you so much for your support and you are someone to look up to in the blogsphere because you are doing much better than me!
I look forward to getting to know you better and helping each other out!
Take care and have an awesome day!
David
P.S. I thought leaving a comment would be better than not! lol
.-= David King´s last blog ..7 secrets to amazing productivity =-.
David,
I’m glad the post did not chase you away before I get to welcome you to my little blog, lol.. I admire your courage!
Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. As I mentioned earlier, it’s all about the sincerity and words to show one’s personality that counts. You’ve done well and It’s a pleasure to have you.
I’m still learning. You’re doing great with your blog and I’m sure it won’t be long to witness your success. Thanks for willing to drop by. Keep up the good work and looking forward to your tweets/posts soon.
I love to read others post (blog) and dying to leave my opinion or comment. Just name it… there’s no other way to easily promote your blogother than commenting
.-= steppinout´s last blog ..Web Hosting Guide For Beginners – Part 1 =-.
Steppinout,
Only if quality comments are given. ^^ Authors are most likely to remember those who did, including other readers too. Appreciate your input.
[...] How Seriously Do You Take Blog Comments? by @wchingya [...]
Great topic! I have been guilty of one lines when Usually the author is someone I know.
I prefer to leave longer ones Interact in the conversation. Its fun and stimulating.
I read others comments too just to see what their opinion is and if they have an article of interest on their site.
.-= BunnygotBlog´s last blog ..Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Human Needs =-.
BunnygotBlog,
Exactly. To leave behind a proper comment is to have ourselves ready to meet some new comers along the way. Thank you so much for visiting.
I find that if I can’t speak well on the topic, whether its a PR 2 or PR 8 I’ll move on. “I get the great post please type more” comments all the time and its rather tiring. Maybe they could at least say what you liked about it or what struck you as the most helpful? If you want a link from me I’m sorry but you have to earn it a little bit.
They don’t have to write a book but at least add something to the discussion.
I unfortunately never thought about Social Bookmarking as payment so thanks for the heads up! You’ve been Stumbled and my personal favorite is to tip the blogger check out Scott Grodin’s Post on Blog Tipping. Thank you again for being a part of the Do Follow Movement,
Andrew Brinkworth
Welcome Andrew,
It’s a pleasure to have you here. I appreciate your thoughts regarding this topic. Well said and you’ve made your point loud and clear. Couldn’t agree more. Hope to see you again.
When the blog post is perfect and we have nothing to add we can share our success story if we have to further emphasize on one or all of the points/things discussed in blog post.
Not only the blog author notice you but the blog readers also check out further about you by visiting your blog or web site if you leave an informative comment. So the point is not to write the whole blog post in comments keep them short and to the point, but not make them very short so they start looking spammy.
.-= Hameedullah Khan´s last blog ..Skribit, let your readers tell you what should you write! =-.
Hameedullah,
Nice to meet you. Indeed, we don’t know who else will be reading our comments. I always remind myself, if I don’t even bother to read my own writings/comments, don’t expect others will either.
Thanks again for dropping by.
Well as what I always tell my readers, comments defy who you are.. I’ve seen a lot of people leave generic comments in my blog and thats fine with me. After all, it’s their brand anyway that they are brandishing through the way they comment…
.-= Melvin´s last blog ..My Info Product Has Gone Really Far =-.
Melvin,
Absolutely. Think of it as a chance to create a branding for your name/blog. That’s how I like to see it too. Thanks so much for voicing out your thoughts.
Hallo Ching Ya,
I’m new to blogging – and still really site building rather than marketing – so am not really having to worry about the quality of messages at the moment ( but hopefully the situation will change in the next months!!) The comments above though speak volumes about the quality of your own blog – and those posting.
This – by the way – is a great great discussion/post ( but really it’s probably better not to mention that!)
Best wishes
Will
Will
Will,
Welcome! Nice to meet you too. ^^
In that case, you’re off to a good start. Continue your good work in commenting. I’m sure in the next couple of months, there’ll be a huge difference in your visitors amount. Best wishes in blogging, hope to learn about your updates soon.
I really love those comments where they ask a question at the end that was either answered in the post, or has nothing to do with the post at all. Like “this is a great post about social bookmarking, how do I care for my pet snake that is sick” kind of thing.
From what I can tell, spammers have a certain “formula” that they use for their comments. And I think there is some automated programs that actually pick parts of earlier comments and merge them together.
~ Kristi
.-= Kristi @ Kikolani´s last blog ..Do You DoFollow? =-.
Kristi,
Great having you here! Do you mean a twist from the comment that’s totally out of anyone’s expectations? hmm.. as long it’s relevant. ^^
Certainly there’s a pattern. Weird, I kept getting the same ‘spam’ message these days even after I deleted them numerous times. Kept coming, same length, same words, same author.. definitely automated. Wonder how can I block that?
Thanks so much for commenting!
But i have always noticed many people try taking advantage when a blog is “dofollow” .They drop in comment just for name sake..I dont like tat
.-= sham´s last blog ..Yahoo Meme Invitation Giveaway =-.
Sham,
I’m afraid that’s unpreventable. Which is why we need to check thoroughly before approving a comment. Since the link juice is practically ‘free’ as a way to appreciate our commentators, I think that’s fair to have a stricter rules in comment-approvals.
Great post, I totally agree with you!
Seriously now that was long but very informative article. I bet you spent some good time in preparing this article. I’m a 1 week old blogger and very noob in the scene of blogging but I’m trying my best to get the good points even at the start.
I got a Do Follow commenting already plus Comluv and Keywordluv.
BTW, I like your blog, design and content are awesome. I mean that.
Z
.-= ZXT´s last blog ..8 Ways to Improve your Alexa Ranking =-.
Thank you so much ZXT,
Sorry for the lengthy post, *blushing* but I do meant it with all my heart. I would love to see everyone getting a fair chance to earn the link juice by providing personal insights and make the conversation flow. That’s the idea of commenting.
Thanks so much for the compliment. For a relatively new blogger you’re doing quite well! I’m sure you’ll have a great future ahead of you. ^^ Having your blog do-follow & comment luv friendly, a smart move!
Those tips are useful, I personally get really fed up of the spam and boring comments that I get.
Maybe if the quality of my comments increases the increase in others’ will too.
Will definatley be dropping by your blog again.
Thanks.
.-= Charlie´s last blog ..Daily Chinese Proverb: Needs =-.
Thank you Charlie,
Yes, truth is, we never know who else is reading our comments. Why not making it a chance for promoting your brand and get discovered through quality comments?
Looking forward to seeing you here again.
I really enjoyed your suggestion. i think it’s more important to be a returner commenter. I’ve never left a comment on a blog just to get a link.
.-= Rose´s last blog ..Excuses for not Blogging =-.
Rose,
That’s great! I keep reminding myself “relationship building and self-branding”. I’m still learning to be more expressive and insightful while commenting, not easy but at least we all are trying, right? ^^
See you soon!
I’m taking blog commenting seriously. I try my best to contribute to the conversation and read most of the comments too.
I think blog commenting is a win-win situtation between the one who leave comments and the blog owner.
.-= MichaelR´s last blog ..All About the V Thing =-.
MichaelR,
Absolutely. Win-Win situation. Why not? ^^ I truly appreciate you visiting.
It’s nice to give an honest comment, positive or negative comment is essential to make the topic more reliable. It’s nice to be respectful specially disagreeing with the content and sharing what it’s on your side. This will make more interesting topic when good conversation started.
.-= dlysen´s last blog ..Friends Love at all times =-.
Welcome Dlysen,
Well said. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Hope you enjoyed your stay!
I think of blog commenting as a way of communicating with other fellow bloggers.
I think of commenting as a freedom of expression so I say what I want.
.-= Ridiculous blogger´s last blog ..Make money with Blogitive =-.
Ridiculous Blogger,
Commenting is all about expressing oneself. As long it came out respectful, I’m sure people will appreciate your honesty.
Thanks for your visit. ^^
Me too!
I do agree that blog commenting (both ways) go towards creating a community: just like in any other line of work/activity.
.-= The Envoy´s last blog ..Rote Learning and Asia =-.
I had to laugh at your list of Least Likable comments. I see those come in & they are fast on my delete list.
I really do not like it if I can not tell if the commenter is a real person that actually read the post.
I say that visiting someone’s blog should be as if you were stepping into their home. Treat it as you would like guest to act in your home.
ps. I found your blog from a visit at Sire’s.
.-= Sheryl Loch´s last blog ..Get More Backlinks Indexed Faster =-.
Sheryl,
Nice to meet you. ^^ Again, thanks to Sire for the publicity on his informative site.
I like the idea of treating one’s blog as a home. It’s a place where we’re invited in and communicate with each other with respect and sincerity.
Hope to see you drop by often, Sheryl. You’ve been a good guest.
“A little act of kindness is always a beautiful thing to do, why not? It’s just a simple click away nowadays.”
While this is so true, I’m hoping…really hoping…that many bloggers would embrace the idea. Unfortunately, just a handful like yourself. Most known bloggers normally leave the comment thread hanging without a response especially if they are too many. It doesn’t look like a conversation to me.
.-= Mathdelane´s last blog ..The Benefits of Feedback Systems =-.
Hi Mathdelane,
I know what you mean.
There’s still quite some bloggers who are very responsive and willing to share good content in various social media sites. We can only hope by making it a practice ourselves while educating our readers, somehow people will follow suit and do the same. We got to start somewhere,right? ^^
I once read a very interesting article, not sure is it from Mashable or.. it’s about when do author stop replying comments in their blogs. Amusing while quite true as well, if only I remember the link.
Thank you for valuing commenting in a blog. I truly appreciate you dropping by.
This is a very nice write up. I enjoyed how you broke down the types of comments with examples.
Well done my friend.
.-= shaunjudy ´s last blog ..Knock Out Thursday 09-17-09 =-.
Shaunjudy,
Thank you for visiting. I appreciate you liking the ideas.
I’m always glad to see other bloggers “get it” when it comes to interacting. Commenting can double your traffic or more if you use a strategy I wrote up on commenting and then sharing across Social Networking. I’ll put a link to that very popular post in the Website field of this comment.
My most recent post featured in the CommentLuv link has more tips on how to use Social Networking to bring more visitors and – most importantly – to bring great value to others.
.-= Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..Social Networking is NOT Chat =-.
Congratulations – this post is gaining popularity at StumbleUpon. My review of it is being featured and you’ve picked up fifteen other reviews so far.
.-= Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..Instantly Acquire 76 High Quality Incoming Links =-.
Internet Strategist,
Sounds promising. Would love to have a read on that. I appreciate you sharing the idea. And thanks so much for the stumble, I truly appreciate it.
Pleasure to meet you.
Your post speaks to a most important topic: How seriously do we take our own comments? The fact is, the simple rules you outlined for quality commenting are not followed by many, not in the least.
I think one consideration to keep in mind is that the Internet tends to “reward” trolls: a nasty comment can sometimes play to a popular sentiment and send readers to attack an author or another commentator. It certainly looks, on a number of social media sites, as if trolling is not just acceptable but a way of gaining popularity.
The truth is, the reward for commenting well has to be that much more than that of merely trolling. I like to think I leave decent comments, but so far, it hasn’t really paid off in terms of traffic or respect.
.-= ashok´s last blog ..On Socrates, Dancing and Philosophy: Xenophon, Symposium II 15-20 =-.
Ashok,
I can relate to what you mean. Personally I still believe in being polite and decency in commenting. Although some people have their ways of creating controversy to attract traffic but that’s just not my way. I can’t judge how right/wrong that is, but I tend to respect one’s point of view. Even though I may disagree about one’s post, but there’s always a better way to express that, respectfully.
Thank you for sharing.
Hey i agree with your post. I should say its a great way of promoting your blog as well and when we reply to the comments the users get some respect in return
.-= Amar´s last blog ..Top Luxury Travel Trends these days =-.
Amar,
Well said. I believe so. Quality commenters shall be appreciated, that’s the least we could do to encourage them.
Hi there Ching Ya, ni hao? ^^
I love commenting in people’s blogs and I like a lot of blogs in any genre (blogging, online marketing, news and games are my fav). I usually drop comment on encouraging them, asking something but I never really use harsh words, swearing, etc. I love peace. lol
Kevin,
Good for you. I believe we all have our ways to express ourselves, even in disagreements. Politeness is the way to go, I agree.
well, the hardest thing is to prevent spam comments. some spammers are really good in exploiting the blog. They have really cool technics in spamming. hhh …. Any suggestions for my blogspot blog?
ITP,
Do you mean to fight spams? Luckily for Blogger blogs the spamming is less serious comparing to self-hosting sites, based on own experience. However, if you do face such problems, don’t hesitate to block them straight away.
Haha! This is a great post – plus people will now think before they comment haha! Wouldn’t want to be marked as a spammer now… hehe.
.-= reyjr´s last blog ..Pacquiao defeats Cotto! =-.
Rey,
ha.. you won’t.
There’s a big difference between link droppers and sincere commenters, it’s a reminder we should have for all times.
I really like how you broke down the types of comments people leave.
The great thing about commenting is that you don’t need to write reams and reams to convey a message that provides value to the post and value to the readers.
When you do add value, you get the attention of the blogger and usually some visits from the blog’s readers (works well for me).
Sometimes a post is just so good that you really do not have much to add at all but that is where the power of the retweet and other sharing buttons come into play.
Warmest regards,
Karl
.-= Karl Foxley´s last blog ..When ‘Thank You’ Just Isn’t Enough! =-.
Karl,
Very well said.
I treasure your insights and hopefully I get to see you here often. Welcome!
What a great way to learn net ‘ethics’. This could very easily translate to social media and off site meetings as well.
.-= chicago online marketing´s last blog ..The Future of Mobile Apps: Flash CS5 =-.
COM,
Thank you and I appreciate your visit.
Thanks, Ching Ya. Something tells me the people commenting here are not the ones spamming or leaving senseless comments.
Therefore, your great advice would be nice in the hands of those who NEED it.
Mostly, I see 2 groups:
1. Comment spammers (trolling for links)–this group is controlled pretty easily
2. Visitors who “don’t” comment for various reasons–this group needs encouragement & constant reminders that they comments/thoughts are valuable & appreciated.
A few big-name bloggers paid for comments just to “build” community. Sometimes, visitors don’t want to be the first to comment.
What strategies do you and others utilize to encourage comments? Obviously, this kind of post is instructive…even for blogs on (non) IM blogs.
Thanks,
Mike
.-= Mike´s last blog ..Bad Credit Repair Snake-Oil Opportunists Plant Dreams & Steal Money! =-.
Hi Mike,
Welcome and it’s always wonderful to see new faces here.
I agree, most of the commenters you see here are no spammers at all as I’ve already deleted or blocked the troublemakers for good, thanks to Akismet.
The amount is overwhelming which is what inspired me to write about this post.
In my opinion, it’s important to have a community or a group of supporters/friends that supports one another: to tweet, vote, share & mostly, to comment. I do return visits and hoping to connect with my readers as frequent as possible,which is why Twitter & Facebook both play a big role to extend the connection outside this blog. The interaction should be continuous, so is relationship-building.
Thank you so much for sharing this insightful comment. Hope to see you here again.
great blog. sometimes I do write reams when I feel stongly about something, other times I leave a short comment because I agree but don’t know enough about the topic to feel like I can contribute. Either way I love reading blogs because I can learn and discover peoples interests.
take care
Pete
Pete,
Thank you for your feedback. I must confess at times I also not knowing how to comment in blogs that are out of my niche, especially when the content is complicated for a layman to understand; so I try to be succinct, while expressing myself + not being spammy. It’s quite challenging too so I’m still learning too.
Appreciate your visit.
[...] take commenting very seriously. Visiting to 3-5 new blogs daily earned me a connection with founder of Rotorblog, Maris. He was [...]
I definately agree that commenting is an essential part of building backlinks but one should not resort to spamming and should post good comments. In fact comments actually help build a good relationship with other bloggers and thats much more important than a backlink.
Selurus,
Well said. I agree with your remark, that’s the whole idea and lasting benefits of quality commenting. Appreciate it.
I really enjoy reading comments on my and other’s blogs – however I am not too keen on going through pages of “nice post” or comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the post at all.
Comments are great – it’s a great way to network, to see what other people are writing in their blogs and to see other people’s opinions. However it is important to be concise, polite and legible.
.-= fiona@Wedding Photographer Edinburgh´s last blog ..Edinburgh Wedding Photography – Sonja and Billy – 22/8/09 =-.
Fiona,
Absolutely. Why waste the chance to get noticed with a mere backlink? There are much we can obtain from the comment box. Glad you think so. ^^
Almost all of my online friends I’ve become close to because of that initial spark: blog commenting. You’ve a glimpse of that person’s mind through his blog comments. So much more is unveiled: temperament and points of common interests. In a post, a writer usually puts his best foot forward. In a comment, he’s much looser and more likely to reveal his thoughts. It’s up to us encourage them by being warm, civil and keeping an open mind.
.-= jan geronimo´s last blog ..When a Question Is the Answer =-.
Jan,
Agree. Sometimes I find it’s easier to know someone through the various comments he/she shared not only here but on other non-related niche blogs too.
I get to know your writing expertise too from the various viewpoints you shared. Don’t we just love comments? ^^
Thank you so much, Jan!
Hello Ching,
You’re one of my favorite commenters because you do precisely what you have described above as a good commenter. You do not just say great post…lol..you cite reasons why and you also strengthen the post by your additional information. What I like most about you and commenters in my blog is the sincerity. I’d rather have a short but sincere comment than a long winded, insincere one.
Yours is both sincere and significant. I always look forward to your comments. All the best.
.-= Jena Isle´s last blog ..The Perfect Lady =-.
Jena,
You have proven to be one of the quality commenters I came across who I like to continue my network with, obviously.
It’s so easy to get trapped in the ‘backlink’ ‘dofollow’ ‘keywordluv’ but the main purpose why we comment is to build community, a network, something that will last when none of the apps is working no more.
Love to read your comments. Keep them coming!
Since am very new to blogging i not getting lots of comments but am taking each of my comment very seriously and working on them
.-= Rathan´s last blog ..Worlds widely used Antivirus Softwares =-.
That’s a good start, Rathan. Treat your commenters well and reward them for their feedback. I think in time you’ll discover more benefits from their participation.
Thanks for visiting. ^^
Hi Ching Ya,
I found your site through a comment that you left on another blog. So your quality commenting policy works
Most mini sites that I create don’t have comments, which is fine as they are really not meant for that. However, my main site is a weight loss site and I get a lot of low quality comments. Most comments are good and you can really get into some decent conversations but it’s a pain sifting through all the “great post, I loves your best site” kind of comments.
I guess some people just don’t care what they do online. ( thank god for Akismet) I’ve blocked more than 54,000 spam comments to date.
Steve
.-= Bissell Carpet Cleaner´s last blog ..Bissell Cleaning Products =-.
Bissell,
Thanks so much for your kind words. It’s great to meet someone who are also a commenter from particular sites we visited.
Another good thing, we just never know when the surprises will come. Appreciate your comment. Yes, I’m a big supporter for Akismet too — without it, I’m not sure will I ever be at ease thinking what will appear on the comment section. 
Hope to see you around. Thanks again!
This is my first ever comment on this blog. Users look the quality of posts while commenting, we should make the posts in away that it raises an opinion or idea in the readers mind, yep and you have mentioned it.
Liked your blog,
Good Luck and Keep Going Ching
.-= Amal Roy´s last blog ..22 Free Beautiful Orkut Themes For Download =-.
Thank you Amal, pleasure to have you landed here.
Glad you thought the same way, thanks for treasuring the comment box and share your points.
[...] How Seriously Do You Take Blog Comments? [...]
No, you won’t find a microblogger here…but this is the perfect answer or response to my ranting …. lol. Just the other day I was thinking about and fretting the blogging rule of commenting. It didn’t strike me as microblogging until I read this today.
I think I’m in the minority of comment dread – is that a correct terminology? I digress. There are just too many times that I only want to AMEN a post and nothing more but I am constantly reminded that is a no-no.
.-= Kissie´s last blog ..Blogging Rule Rant =-.
Kissie,
I understand.
Perhaps I’m writing based on what I think should be done, but definitely, there are many ways we can acknowledge a post or network with one another. As Jan, one of the commenters pointed out, we get to meet someone and know them a bit too — which is exactly why I’m so glad you decided to leave a comment here. ^^ I wouldn’t have known.
Love your sites too. Hopefully get to know you better from posts & comments.
Ching Ya, you have a great blog and I definitely love to leave a foot print here as well as coming back for an occasional visit. Must admit having leave one or two things when visiting your blog!
Pardon me if I ask this question – if you don’t mind sharing an idea or two with me. How did you manage to reduce your alexa ranking to 84,717 and a google rank of 3/10?
Keep up the good job of providing good information for the blogo-sphere.
.-= CJ´s last blog ..No Bumpy Ride, but just One Big Hole in between the RETAKAFUL CLAUSE =-.
Welcome CJ,
Pleasure to meet a new commenter, thanks for dropping by.
I’m not sure am I the right person to ask, ha.. well, but I must say it involves a lot of networking, trials and research to improvise the site. Guest posting is another great way too.
With a new blog, I count any comment as a good comment.
I like comments that add information to the discussion or point out which points in the post they liked.
Like most of us, I also like a bit of praise.
I also enjoy humorous, playful and clever comments.
If I ever get 152 comments on one of my posts… I might become a little more discerning.
.-= Keith Davis´s last blog ..Practice, practice, practice… =-.
Keith,
That’s true, as we just started blogging it is easy to hope for more quantity over quality. ^^ Treat this as a challenge for yourself when you comment, a training to network. So far you’re doing well.
Appreciate you dropping by.
Comments are great for blogs but people should always add the dofollow attribute.
Ching ya I love your blog and i’m just discovering commentluv, cool!
Hello!
Very good post, i congratulate you for that (like you see, i read your post xD).
Sometimes It is a little “hard” to give quality comment, sometimes i can’t find words to describe how i think about the post so i write short useless comment… u_u
But after reading your post, now i will try to improve my commentting-on-blog skill, thanks! ^^
.-= Sushie@ diet plans´s last blog ..Low carb diet =-.
Heya…. Interesting and unique ways you have included in identifying the type of commentators… Its really a best way to deal with our commentators for new Bloggers like ME…
Ching Ya, you have a great blog and I definitely love to leave a foot print here as well as coming back for an occasional visit. Must admit having leave one or two things when visiting your blog!
Pardon me if I ask this question – if you don’t mind sharing an idea or two with me. How did you manage to reduce your alexa ranking to 84,717 and a google rank of 3/10?
Keep up the good job of providing good information for the blogo-sphere.
CJ´s last blog ..No Bumpy Ride, but just One Big Hole in between the RETAKAFUL CLAUSE My ComLuv Profile
.-= sridhara´s last blog ..Eight Most Detrimental -amp Prohibited Practices =-.
Let’s face it, the true intent of social networking is the exchange of ideas to “further” the discussion. If you read the post, and then follow up with something that moves the discussion, you’re providing value to the post.
If the meat of your comment is something along the lines of “Great post” you’re not moving the conversation, and your comment is not providing a drop of value.
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Aside from the never-ending spams, I also get some not-so-desirable comments in my blogs. And sometimes it really drives me crazy reading some comments which are out of this world and in some cases out of topic.
Personally, whenever I am commenting a blog, I must make sure that I am contributing something and talking some sense…
This is one way we could thank the owner of the blog for the space and some link juice whenever applicable.
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