10 Reasons No One Notices Your Blog Comment

Thanks Judy. I don’t always know what to say, even when I know I want to say something. But….when I already started taking action on what was posted, I got noticed and I got the benefit of taking action.

I never write novels, but am very guilty of one-liners! I will try to elaborate more. Again, thanks for information that made me think!!

Jeanie

Of course I freeze up when it comes down to writing a comment. I don’t want to sound like the “asshole” of the comment section.

You make some very valid points in your posts about making comments. Sometimes it is just best to proof read your comment before hitting the submit button. I started doing that back in October. I always find it quite funny when a person goes off topic within a comment though because that tends to happen more so than often. I learned a lot from your post this morning.

I write a blog but I don’t consider myself a blogger. I’m a writer.

I comment on blog articles but I don’t consider myself a commenter. I’m a writer.

Your 10 tips can apply to any type of writing, not just comments on blogs. Reading, critiquing, staying on topic — it’s Writing 101.

Judy,

This is a great discussion piece and includes some fantastic tips.

I gotta tell you though, I almost shied away from leaving my 2 or more like 4 cents but then said “screw it”.

I agree with all your points but I beg to differ with one of them if you don’t mind – yes Danny you guessed right – “Your comment is too long”.

It’s true that most folks don’t like drive-by’s like “hey, nice post”.

But I’ve been known to leave novel-length comments – that sometimes do add value. So far, I’ve had no complaints (not to my recollection). And I admit, that I much enjoy receiving them on my blog as well – as long as they have something interesting to point out or insight to share.

As for me – i just have a tendency to write a lot. But maybe for others – it just may be that the story they’d like to share (personal viewpoint or experience) needs more than the few lines to explain. The advice they’re trying to give you – needs more than just one example. The steps they’re trying to teach you – have more that just 3 points.

If you’re gonna’ leave a long useless comment just for the sake of being noticed and having the author gasp- then yes, no one feels like reading it. But if you have something to say, that you think others can benefit from – then by all means say it.

I could obviously add a ton more here to defend this point but I hope I’ve made a few useful ones at that.

Thanks so much for sharing this piece. It’s well-written and well-thought out. I’m enjoying reading other people’s views on this.

Cheers

Have I waited too long?

My struggle, too, is with the time it takes to think up and write a good, useful comment. Some days are easier than others. Then there are the times when I’ve spent half an hour or more *trying* to write something useful – only to bail out in the end. So, instead of simply saying: “Wow. I loved this post” – I end up not commenting at all.

As a blogger myself, at these times I feel like I’m depriving the writer of some well deserved recognition. I think it all comes back to intention. Are you trying to create a relationship with the *blogger* or get other readers to click through to your site? If it’s the former, I think a quick (and heartfelt) “thanks for writing, I can relate, great post” would be fine. Especially when the alternative is to say nothing at all.

Ooops. Now I might be crossing the line into making my comment too long. So I’ll stop typing now.

One more tip: liberal use of emoticons also can attract attention.

But be careful, because too many can be annoying. >:(

Judy,

I wish you had run this post a few weeks ago so I could have cribbed it for my lesser take on the same subject

I have one wrinkle to add to Reason #5, because not reading the post before you comment might might actually result in a surfeit of attention — but the unwanted kind. For example, I recently wrote a guest post on the Spin Sucks blog that was also picked up on Social Media Today. Another blogger chose to excoriate my argument, also on Social Media Today. Fair enough. Problem was, despite the clear attribution to me on both the original post and the SMT version, the rebuttal’s author mistakenly attributed the ideas to Gini Dietrich and directed his shots at her. Both Gentleman Danny Brown and Gini kindly alerted the author to his error, but by then the damage was done.

Yes, I just broke the “all about me” rule, but I thought you might enjoy the anecdote notwithstanding.

I have a couple of points to make, and I’ll have to summon all my powers (which are few) to stay on topic (I’ve been known to ramble).

1) It can be intimidating to leave a meaningful comment because you expose yourself to potential criticism but in my experience, if I’m being honest, criticism shouldn’t matter because I am who I am

2) Although I’m new to the blogging world, sometimes a short and sweet comment like “great post” or “i really agree with point #xx” left by a reader is very nice to read

3) lastly, I encourage everyone to comment. Our era places tremendous value on getting the ‘gist’ or ‘most pertinent facts’ of things in order to perpetuate our increasingly ‘efficient’ lives. It seems meaningful, slower paced conversations are rare and almost like a lost art. Blogs and comment sections are a great forum to expand on and explore new ideas. Here we can allow ourselves to be thinkers instead of just data miners regurgitating raw facts and information.

Oh, and I really enjoyed this post.

As a reader, I often get stuck because I want to share something really great. Also, I’m a writer and editor, so I’m cautious to write anything without a good amount of thought behind it. As a blog writer, I’m just happy when I get comments (my blog is still in its infancy).

Thank you for sharing these insights, Judy!
I have a question about #5. On a post like this one with a lot of comments, is it important to read others’ comments before commenting? I like to read other comments, but I find that sometimes it takes me too far from the original blog post. And, I can’t spend all day reading blogs and comments.

Ultimately, all 10 of the points covered in your post can be properly and effectively addressed by doing one thing:

Read the entire post.

(No skimming!)

If you write honestly using short words and compelling sentences based upon a post that you have actually digested, you’ll never need to worry about the quality of your blog posts.

I go one step further than this: I read at least 5-10 comments before I create my own. Why? Perhaps other readers got something out of the post that I missed, or perhaps someone offers important supplemental information. By reading what the host and her guests have said, I have a better idea of the dialogue before I jump in with my “two cents.”

Actually, this was more about how to get noticed in the comments of someone else’s blog, but, yes, bloggers need to pay attention to the comments on their own site, too.