Happy New Year! (I am not sure when I will stop saying that… It is already the 6th of January – but I digress…)
We are currently in the 6th Day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge where you are encouraged to visit other blogs and leave comments. I have seen the gamut of comments left by folks wither on my site, or on other sites.
Believe it or not, there are actually GOOD and BAD ways to leave comments on a website. Try to stick the to the good ways, and you will be well respected. Leave comments the bad way and you may find that your thoughts never get posts and are simply deleted.
First the bad way… Here are 4 examples of BAD comments – so do not leave this type of comment:
2. I never thought of it that way.
3. I really like what you have to say.
4. I will have to remember this / I have bookmarked your info for use later.
What is wrong with these? Mainly that they do not refer back to anything in the blog post! These look like spam comments that were left on the site by some robot. No thought goes into聽 these. As the owner of a site, I would rather NOT have these on my website than have them there so people can see that someone else was here.
I agree.
Rather than just say that you agree when you leave a comment, also let the site owner know why you agree. What is it that you like about the content? What resonates? Give some substance and let people know what you are thinking.
I never thought of it that way.
Again, let folks know what you were thinking – what made this post such a divergence in your thought process? Show other visitors that you can think logically and you can make the leap form your thoughts before to now. When someone reads your comment and thinks to her/himself, “Wow – I thought like that too!” a connection gets made between you and that person.
I really like what you have to say.
This is like, I agree. Say WHY you like it. See #1 above 馃槈
I will have to remember this / I have bookmarked your info for use later.
Let people know WHY you have to remember this or why you need to come back.
The bottom line to leaving comments is that you want to try to leave information that is helpful and beneficial to the other readers (as well as to the blog owner).聽 Offer good advice to those that come after you. Remember to be friendly and approachable!
The blog owners will appreciate you for adding to the conversation and helping to build the community. The other benefit to YOU is that when you leave meaningful and helpful comments, you are building up your credibility as an expert! Folks will be more likely to click on your name/link thereby driving traffic to your website when you provide value to the blog’s community! By the way… this will get you remembered and poised as an expert!
The next time you are leaving comments on a blog, think about the impact you are having and how it can work towards your benefit!
OK – Let’s see what you learned after reading this… leave a comment below!
Great insight. I’m always trying to learn new things about blogs and comments, and feel that you have offered valuable insight here. I appreciate your knowledge and look forward to putting it to use.
Glad I could help, Mary! If you have any other questions, just ask! Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for this helpful hints. I know that I should leave more than “I agree,” etc as a comment, but sometimes struggle when a blog is totally outside of my area of expertise.
Cynthia – when you have NO idea what to say, but you need to comment becuase you are involved with the Ultimate Blog Challenge, for instance), leave a comment such as, “Wow! This is not really my area of expertise, however I find it interesting that ___________ (fill in the blank with some fact from the post showing you read it!)” Of course, add another sentence or two and explain why you find it interesting!
Thank you for posting this! I really love reading thoughtful comments about what I say on my blog. I’m always so disappointed when someone has just said, “I agree” or something along those lines.
I find that leaving meaningful comments is more rewarding as well, because I like the conversations that spring up because of them.
That is the beauty of comments – when you set them up ’embedded’ you can see the conversation unfold!
I would, but I feel as though it’s going to be graded.
Hmmmm – what grade do you think you just got, Holly?
At least I wasn’t mistaken for a spammer. 馃槈
No you weren’t! 馃檪
I hope you saw my reply. 馃槈
http://jahangiri.us/2013/tips-for-leaving-comments-when-theres-nothing-to-say/
Thanks! Actually, I was just over at your site just before I saw this comment! Thanks for the shout out!
Well I hate to say this but I gotta say it! I agree! LOL. No seriously I totally agree here because I get this hideous comments left on my blog ALL the time. I simply delete it. They never get published because yes these types of responses is nothing but spam and I HATE it…
The funny thing, Janelle, is that the comment after yours was:
I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This article posted at
this website is really nice.
As you can see, it is not here – it got deleted!
I had one on my blog this morning:
“My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post鈥檚 to be just what I鈥檓 looking for.
Do you offer guest writers to write content for yourself?
I wouldn鈥檛 mind publishing a post or elaborating on a few of
the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome weblog!”
This is so much funnier if you know me at all.
Are you picturing the expression on my face?
I get those types on a regular basis! DELETE and move on! Thanks, Holly!
Thank you for the suggestions about how to comment and how not to comment. I do try to respond to the blog, which shows that I’ve read it and that I am interested in what the person has to say. From what I understand of your suggestions, vague comments that could be applied to any blog probably are not too useful for the blog owner.
I appreciate interesting, specific comments as well.
To add on to that, Alice, when you are really vague, you may appear to be a spam comment. After all, if your comment provides no value, why should it be there?!? Thanks for stopping by!
I totally agree! As a blogger myself, I am always looking for new comments that will spark conversation. It brings more traffic to the blog. So when I leave comments on other blogs I try to think about “Paul” lol, I mean the writer behind the blog. Leaving a “real” comment shows that I did in fact take the time to read the blog and appreciated or disagreed with it in some way.
Another reason why I appreciate this post is because it it shares how important leaving comments on other blogs truly is for the success of your own blog. You are putting your name and your site out there, so put on a good face.
Thanks for sharing the post Paul.
In good health,
Melissa Blair
http://www.adventuretolivebetter.com
Great points, Melissa. It really is a win-win situation! I like to think of it as being rewarded for doing a good thing!
I appreciate the education that you provided in this blog for those of us new to commenting on blogs. Thank you. I have a question. In terms of commenting, what if I don’t relate to the content of a blog and the piece really does nothing for me or I don’t like it? What do I do? Also, I have a built in editor’s eye. Do bloggers want to know what I see? (e.g. “Try to stick the to the good ways,”)
Thanks Paul.
As someone leaving a comment, you have the right (?) to leave any sort of comment you desire. You can agree, you can disagree.
As a moderator/blog owner, you can decide if you want to approve a comment or delete it. If a comment is left that is against your opinion or is disagreeing with you, the normal reaction is to delete it. I would advise against this, however. When you write about a controversial topic, you should expect to get opposing viewpoints. Don’t dismiss them.. Instead, address them and start a conversation! Get the interaction going! It can be a fun thing!
I’d want to hear your edits (if you’re giving them out for free), but maybe emailing them would be a kindness, and I think most bloggers are not so thick-skinned or eager to hear it, so it is probably best to ask before diving in with edits. The other thing to keep in mind, when providing free edits, is that the blogger is within his/her rights to ignore them and do as he/she pleases, despite your good intentions and efforts.
I’m not following, Holly… You want to hear what I would edit on your site? Maybe I should read this again in the morning after some sleep… and coffee!
My comment was a reply to Carol’s, Paul. She asked if bloggers would welcome her editorial eye.
More sleep and coffee sounds like a grand idea.
馃槈