Lorelle has been doing some great blogging recently and her latest titled How NOT to Comment on Comments has a lot of wisdom in it. She outlines 5 main ways to make your comment count when you leave it on someone else’s blog:
1. Say Something Intelligent
2. Ask Something Intelligent
3. Write Something Intelligent
4. Add to the Conversation
5. Your Comment is a Mini Resume
I particularly like her last point where she writes:
“Your comments on this blog, and many others, are published with your name and blog URL on them, if you include them. When people click your name, they visit your blog. Your comments are little representatives of you and your blog.”
I’ve written previously about how every post on your blog has the potential to add to or take from your goals and objectives as a blogger – the same is true for the comments you leave on other people’s blogs also.
I suspect a lot of people leave pretty random comments without much thought to what they’re saying and the impact that their words might have on their own reputation.
Don’t just leave comment for the sake of it or because you’ve heard it will help you promote your blog.
A lot of people say leaving comments is a great way to raise your profile. There is truth in this, however they can also hurt you if you don’t put some thought into them and use make them intelligently.
I know both as a blogger and a comment leaver that comments can be a very powerful tool – their impact can leave a lasting impression on others both in a positive and negative way. Use them carefully!
Update: for a related post see Liz’s on 10 Reasons Readers Don’t Leave Comments on Your Blog
Darren,
Good post – aka a “Me Too” comment ;-)
But seriously, commenting is a powerful tool. It does raise your profile and if done correctly can bring in the readers. I know from personal experience.
Bloggers (especially newer ones or those that just seem to can’t get any) love recieving comments as it gives them a boost that they’re being heard.
The tip is to engage in the conversation with some thought, make other readers say “this commenter is cool or knows what he’s saying” – I better check out his blog.
I’ve had the odd instance where I’ve regretted some comments I’ve made – and once you press the submit button that’s it folks – you have no control over it.
Also, one of my pet hates with comments: “Great post, Darren” – woah, tone it down a little. :-)
BTW Darren, most of my comments lately are being kept in moderation.
Why? It’s an insult. :-) I’ve commented dozens upon dozens of times over the years.
You must have some strong anti-spam stuff going on there – any way to get me off it? Pretty Please ;-)
that one seemed to get through ok…..
I’ve just made a change or two – hopefully that will help.
I read mostly personal blogs and writer’s blogs, so I focus my comments on what that blogger might want. If it’s a blogger who talks about work, I comment about his or her work and perhaps an experience of mine that relates. If it’s a blogger who talks about children, I do the same. If it’s a blogger who writes for the sake of writing, I try to not only comment on the content but the actual writing. Good list. I enjoy short lists and this one is a keeper.
I’m drawn to sites that don’t have the comments activated or have a limited number of comments. Seeing 70+ comments to a post is absurd. No one has the time to read that many comments.
That depends. If you’re truly interested in the topic and motivated to follow an engaging discussion, you might be willing to read 200 good comments. I’ve had a very few posts get 100 or more comments full of interesting and useful discussion, usually after being posted to slashdot or digg.
What do you recommend doing, then with people who leave useless comments. I can usually smell out the SPAM comments, but some are just lame and contribute nothing to the conversation? Do you get rid of them?
On a blog with limited traffic, wouldn’t a blogger want to keep comments to show that there is interest in the blog?
[…] Comment too much. Returning comments on your own blogs is uber-important, that’s for sure. But when there are more comments than you can count, or if you can’t add to the conversation, forging on with your own comment is suicidal (both time-wise and reputation-wise). The same goes for commenting on other blogs. […]
I often use comments as a way of testing my theories and asking questions. If there is a point that I think hasnt been raised in the main article then I’ll question it in the comments. That way I can gain an insight into what other people think before I use it in one of my own posts. I’m teaching myself blog marketing from scratch so gaining advice from worldwide seasoned professionals through comments has been an excellent way of learning.
I do comment on blogs when something is just bursting to be said on the topic. Now this comment is something different. Given the topic, it’s almost like seeing a Wet Paint – Do Not Touch sign. It almost dares you to check it out. So Darren I just had to comment. That really is a key indicator of a good topic. I’m sure even non-commenters would be intrigued and want to get in on the action. You have a must-read blog. Keep ’em coming.
I’ve always enjoyed making comments but never just for the heck of them. That’s why some of my blogging friends thought that I never go on bloghopping sprees. I use the blogger’s shoutbox for that. Even if I read an entire post and feel like not commenting on it, I don’t make a comment, but it seldom happens anyways.
Truth is, most of my posts were inspired or expanded versions of comments I’ve made in the blogs I visit.
A well-written comment moves the discussion forward. I find myself often saying to commenters on my blog that their comments are a great start on a new blog post, because the idea that they have put forth is well-thought and well presented in a compelling fashion.
This thread is a great example of where good commenting can take a discussion. You can’t keep me from commenting when the discussion is focused as this one is. But you can’t get me to comment when folks are just dropping a note and leaving.
Thanks, Darren, for the mention. We had a good discussion on why people don’t comment over there too. :)
I was just leaving a comment ;) at Liz’s site about this topic. On a well-written, thoughtful post, I will often be writing a comment, and thoughts are running around in my head, and I either keep writing forever or turn it into my own post. I think good posts do that oftentimes, inspire creative thought and ideas.
I said over there that oftentimes good posts that I do not comment on are about very personal things or areas that I don’t know much about as well. If someone has a long funny story about their cat destroying their couch, I may laugh but as I don’t have a cat (ha just a toddler destroying mine), I might not have anything to say about it other than a LOL which is rather silly to post.
I find by responding to all my comments and making it easy for people to comment, I get a lot of comments – it all depends on what you want to get out of it and where you want to spend your time.
1. Avoid mouthing the obvious.
2. Be witty.
3. Differenciate between opinions and facts.
4. When emotions run high, attack ideas, not people.
5. Keep it short.
To add to Halfdeck, I think it is good to follow the dictum:
when you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t .
I find many people who abuse the host by saying something nasty without even common courtesy. They don’t change anybody’s opinion except cement the people’s negative feelings for what they are doing.
Leaving the nicey-nice behind, I almost exclusively comment on political sites, and most of my comments are antagonistic. In some cases they’re designed to discredit the blogger. Needless to say, that doesn’t sit well with some. I’ve had comments deleted or been “banned” from: ThinkProgress, QAndO, BlogsForBush, Media Matters For America, RedState, Brothers Judd, DailyKos, and others. Perhaps one day this site can discuss the world of political blogs, which are quite a bit different from commerce/marketing types of sites.
I see all the post of this page is all 2006 are things diffrent now that we are in 2009 what i’m trying to say are the rules the same as back in 2006