Preston asks – “I started a new blog about a month ago. I got about 40 topics written. But only 2 comments. I’m thinking of faking comments, making a few users and get a nice sample of comments on some of the blog posts I’ve made.
Is this not a good use of my extra time, and i should do something else related to my blog? or spending some time doing this, is a good idea.”
Thanks Preston. Let me share a few thoughts.
Congratulations on your new blog and the 40 posts that you’ve written. 40 posts in two months is a great effort and if you can keep up that level of posting you’ll have a great foundation of content for your blog.
Don’t be too discouraged by the lack of comments to this point. For a month old blog I don’t think it’s too bad an achievement to have 2 comments. While I know you’d want more I’d encourage you to stick with it and be patient. Many month old blogs would probably not even have 2!
Fake comments. Hmmm – I think this one will cause some debate and I’d love to hear how many ProBlogger readers have written them in the starting of their blogs.
I’ll be honest and say that on my first blog I did do a few fake comments in the very very early days. I used them in the same way that you’re suggesting here – to get conversations going and to make the blog look a little more active.
So I understand the temptation to use them – however I can say from my experience of them that they didn’t work very well for me and the conversations that I had on my blogs in the early days that had a more lasting impact were natural ones with real readers. Instead of going with fake comments I’d really recommend that you work on the content on your blog and writing in a way that is engaging (Read more on the topic of generating comments).
A Word of Warning – while I can see why people go with fake comments (my suspicion is that if bloggers were honest that a majority of them probably have done it) there is of course some danger in it if you’re caught. Blogging is built upon transparency and honesty. I’ve seen a handful of bloggers exposed for fake comments and it probably set their blogs back a little.
What else could you do with the time you might put into fake comments?
- write an extra post a week
- email another blogger in an attempt to get to know them
- email a friend or family member to ask their opinion of a post you’ve written
- leave a comment on someone else’s blog
- think of a question to ask your readers
I’d suspect that all of these things have the potential to generate comments on your blog and build a sustainable readership for it.
Have you left fake comments on your blog? Why or Why Not? Are there times when they are OK?
People just don’t like to write comments, they like to read posts therefore there is no need to fake posts. Take ProBlogger for an example sometimes he is left with 20 comments a day sometimes he is left with 200 comments a day even tho he is getting 25K-30K visitors .
My blog for example has also been started 3 months ago and i get 3-5 comments a day, except on some posts i get 40-70 posts a day and that is totally normal.
So for got sake don’t fake posts, people tend to find that out.
Instead of faking a comment, I choose to answer my own question. I asked a general
I guess I should feel really lucky. I have 32 posts, 71 comments and I just started blogging (my blog is only a couple of weeks old).
Actively participating and linking to top bloggers’ posts has help me a lot.
I don’t think adding fake comments to one’s blog is a good idea. I can understand the rationale behind it, but I think it undercuts your efforts in the long run. I think Darren’s fourth suggestion above is a much better idea – real comments on other people’s blogs rather than fake ones on your own!
Sorry, my computer cut out. I was saying that I asked a general quesiton of my readers and then start the ball rolling by answering in a comment my personal answer. No need to fake it, and the conversation starts.
I have honestly never done it, simply because the thought had never crossed my mind. I always felt that if I don’t get comments I have to improve my writing, so that’s always been a motivator.
Maybe it’s just my niche. Maybe students don’t like to comment. Maybe no-one likes me. Or as I said, I should just keep working on my posts. My subcribership jumped from 10 to 27 this last week! Yay!
The one thing that a blogger has is integrity. You lose that, you lose everything.
I guess I don’t understand what generating fake comments would get you…
If I have something to say as an author, I say it in my posts or in response to reader comments. If I had something else to say, it would perhaps be a new post – but a fake comment, what would the point be?
And as a reader, I have to say that my comments are based on the blog post and are not influenced by the number of comments. I don’t think a post is better or worse because of the number of comments. And in fact, sometimes too many comments is a turn-off to leave another.
So I absolutely wouldn’t do it. It doesn’t make sense.
I never even THOUGHT to do this!
And, if you look at the comment level on any of my blogs, you’ll know I don’t (just not good at engaging comments, I guess). But, I do spend a bit of time leaving comments on other blogs, and that nearly always brings me a little traffic.
Spend more time being nice to the users who visit your site and spend more time commenting on other blogs… much more rewarding.
In the beginning – fake it! Sites that have repeated posts with ‘0 Comments’ just look unloved and unpopular.
It’s like how the more readers you display in your feedburner widget increases the amount of people who subscribe. Success breeds and success and the more comments there are (even if they’re fake) means you’ll get more comments.
In my early days I thought of doing the same thing but opted for posting a comment as myself offering a bit more on the topic. I gained more readers who comment through social networking sites, altering my tone, asking my readers questions and posting on the regular. Blogging for me is all about community. When I started out I wrote blog posts but didn’t read other blogs. Once I started reading blogs, commenting on interesting posts, offering support, and spreading link love only then did I start to receive comments. MyBlogLog is the most productive in terms of gaining readers for my site. You can discover blogs in your niche and comment on their community page as well as their blog.
I would definitely go against “creating” users just to comment. Usually the tone and feel of the comment will point a careful reader right back to you and if that happens you’ve lost a potential reader which is worse than a non commenting lurker.
Wow..I never even thought about doing that. My blog is for my reflections on my day. If someone comments, links or mentions me on their blog, I feel like I have done a good enough job for the day. Sometimes I have a hard enough time deciding what I want to post about for the day, I have a ton of things that I could write about in my mind, but often choosing what I want to post about proves to be a challenge.
I can honestly say I haven’t faked comments. For me, reading real comments on my site is one of the most rewarding aspects of blogging. It shows someone has read my content and been compelled to respond in some way, even if part of the agenda is to promote their own blog. I think the best ways to generate comments are:
1. Ask for a response at the end of your post. “What do you think about…?”
2. Write a thoughtful post that people can relate to. The most comments I have generated from a single post so far was from writing about mediocre AdSense earnings, something most newbie bloggers can empathize with.
3. Link to other blogs. Those writers are likely to head over and read the post, maybe even leave a comment.
Very useful site man, congratulations!!!
About the fake comments, i think that isn’t necessary, ’cause the dialogs ‘ill come with the time and the relevancy of the topic. Make the blog more interesting is a good way to make the comments grow fast.
Hugs.
___________________________________
http://saladadecevada.blogspot.com
I’m with Arun – I never thought of it either. Seems sortof, I don’t know, desparate to me.
I agree with Darren’s alternatives as something that will pay off far greater in the long run. And you need to take the long view, not the shortcut or it’ll bite you in the butt every time, sooner or later.
Patience, people! Patience! It’s worth the wait.
My blog is 1 week old.
Theres around 8 comments or so in total across posts and static pages. However, i did add one fake comment to a news post about a grow operation in a swimming pool.
The comment was written to spark a minor discussion off with visitors (the actual comment is this: its amazing how much effort it takes to grow this stuff it must costs thousandss to setup a cannabis farm, you got rent, personal wage, equipment cost, electric all sorts!)
It did sort of work, as there were a couple more comments that day on that post. But they wernt really interacting with my fake comment like I had intended. Which leaves me wondering, if I didnt post the fake comment, would I still have had the other comments. Have I actually benefited at all?
Make friends with new sites I make my friends comment until I get readers.
Adding a very clear “call to action” at the end of the post asking for comments is effective. Simply say, “If you have a reaction – good or bad – to this post, please tell me what you think. I’d love to know your thoughts. [additional pertinent question or two].” Very effective, usually, on nearly every post. I don’t think this is annoying, as the whole point of a post is to open up a discussion. Do this for a few weeks/few posts, and your readers will start participating without you even asking – or simply end your posts with a real question that you are genuinely curious about that relates to your writings. You have new readers every day, and they are not all necessarily the most blog-savvy – they sometimes need to be encouraged that their voice is what’s wanted.
I do have the same problem, my blog is one month old now, I have 40 posts and something like 5 comments or so. As well some few trackbacks which are the result from a blog carnival I entered with one of my first posts.
Sure it would be nice to get some more comments, but I think with improving writing skills and some more traffic it will come automatically.
Faking comments is something what I don’t think about. As for building a regular readership it is necessary that your readers have some trust in what you write and what you do. After finding out about faking comments it will definitely take longer to built up a trustworthy relationship with them.
I wouldn’t really fake comments, as your time may be better spent actually posting elsewhere in other related communities.
However, there may be a middle ground where you can talk a few friends into participating on your site regularly. Tell them:
“hey guys, I really need to make this place look more alive, can you just try and comment whatever your heart desires on a lot of my posts until traffic goes up”.
I would think 2 to 4 people doing that is legit enough, and genuine, and will provide the effect you are looking for. I actually have done this in the Internet radio business many years ago, asking a few friends to listen so that the number of listeners registers just like comments does on blogs. After a few months other traffic picked up on its own, and my friends could relax and stop listening almost 24/7 :) Of course this assumes you still have quality posts coming all the time.
– Ari
It does seem desperate. Proper networking is the best way forward and more rewarding. My last post only has had one comment on it so far, but I’d much prefer that than 3 or 4 written by me.
Try doing what I do and nudge friends/relatives who know your blog to write a comment to try and stimulate conversation.
I have to agree with what Shane suggested. If there are no comments on a post that I want comments on (a lot are throw away short posts that would never attract comments) then I go back to the post and add my own comment, updating something in the post or adding a new view to what I have written before. This can help get things rolling.
Another thing to do is always answer comments with your own comment. It raises the comment numbers and makes people feel like they are being listened to by the blogger. They are more likely to come back to check for further answers.
Finally, if you do get some comment traction on a post, after a while I try to either update the post itself (highlighted in an “Updated:” section at the bottom, with a summary of the comments or if there has been enough interest I add a new post about the comments. Again, if you mention commenters by name they feel more like their contribution was worth it.
Getting and retaining a strong commenting audience is a definite two way street of inclusion.
Finally on a technical note, if your blog has a feed you should add a “Post a comment” link to the bottom of each item (Feedburner can help with this). Make life as easy as possible for your users. That’s how I got to this post to comment. :)
I haven’t done the fake comments either and have experienced the lack of comments on my blogs. Something that I found helped increase activity were a few plugins that reward people for commenting and make commenting a little more like a discussion.
Try to participate in blog carnivals and get out there commenting on other people’s sites. You’ll likely have an increase in your own traffic and should see some new comments coming in as well.
Honestly, I’ve never even thought to do this. Sure comments are slow at first, but I don’t see any point in priming the conversation with fake comments. If you want to prime the conversation, do it in the blog post. Ask a question or ask for opinions — these types of things usually get people to comment a little more frequently. Then you can have a real conversation with them through the comments on your post.
On one hand, I am ashamed that I have also tried this. But on the other, I’m relieved that my peers have done the same thing at one point. I tried to add a comment that seemed argumentative against me hoping that it stir controversy and gain some attention. It didn’t work. It didn’t even get any other comments other my own fake comment. I’ve even considered deleting the whole post just so I don’t have to think about it anymore. I really like the suggestions of other things to do with your time here. Thanks!
My blog isn’t even a month old and I have around 10 or so comments. My traffic count isn’t that great, but I guess people feel the need to comment on what they see. I suggest you promote your blog more and see if that helps. Linking to other blogs’ articles you enjoy, submitting posts to digg, joining mybloglog, etc. Its about getting out there and getting noticed.
BTW, my blog is still totally in its newbie stage. Still trying to get my writing style and niche down. If anyone can check me out at http://destyonline.blogspot.com and offer any suggestions, it would be appreciated. In the works is a domain name and a new template. I’ve been holding off on the domain name because I want to get my niche solid, but I figure I’d better get it down now.
No, I haven’t left fake comments, but have commented on something I wanted to explain, after I posted. Also, just today, I asked my daughter to leave a comment, Pleeze!
Never considered it, I guess it’s a sign of my ignorance to have not even thought the comments on others’ blog might not be “real”. Thanks for the wake-up call.
My blog was more than 6 months old when the first comments started to come. So Preston, I would say you are much better! As of leaving fake comments, yes, I did it a few times, because I read that this will attract other people to comment as well. In my case it was false. Besides, I was writing almost exclusively for people who were coming from search engine results pages, and I did not know why anybody would like to have comments on his blog. I even did not know that my blog was set up in such way that only subscribed people can leave comments :)
Wow fake comments? I never even thought of that. It doesn’t seem real to me, I wouldn’t want to do it, but I am a purest. I don’t download movies, I never use cheats on video games, and I always try to do things by the way that will show me the most exact level of performance.
I hadn’t even thought of fake comments until reading this, but I can definitely understand the temptation. Hell, I may have done that same thing in my earliest days of blogging had the idea occurred to me. I’m glad I didn’t, though, because I think the potential risks outweigh the gains.
If you get caught, your reputation will be tarnished. I can’t imagine anything worse than having your reputation destroyed before your blog has even gained momentum.
I’d say that it’s much better to follow Darren’s alternatives, especially commenting on other blogs. Integrate yourself into a community and you will find that your readership and comments will increase. It takes time to build, but it’s better than faking it and being called out for it if you get caught.
I never ever thought to do it either. In general it seems a little sad.
Why not ask yourself instead, why people aren’t commenting? I often think that if people agree then they don’t comment. Be more challenging.
Also agree with the comment above – integrity is everything.
Don’t do it.
Fake comments – no way! Honesty is always the best policy. Results got from cheating are no results at all. I would rather have few comments than false ones.
Having said that, I do sometimes follow up my own post if I think of something later that I forgot to mention.
When I started I thought about doing it but never did. I’ve been blogging for almost 3 months and have over 240 post and 57 comments. I would love to have more but they type of stuff I post some of it just doesn’t need to be commented on. I wouldn’t think it would be bad to comment on your own blog to trick people into commenting. There are other ways to get people to comment.
I agree with most of the people here that posting fake comments would not be the best use of your time.
Another point is that, if you do fake comments, you will never find out what the TRUE potential of your blog might have been; and for some people, that’s important too.
I’ve not done this on a blog at all, but this is a great tactic for forums where the posts are pretty much everything. The good thing about blogging is that comments are very ancillary to the whole process.. so you don’t need to fake it. You can even turn them off and just keep trackbacks on (a la Seth Godin) and few people really care (and if they do, they can blog a response and you get more linkjuice!)
Wow – like others here, I’d never even considered the notion of faking comments.
Also like others here, I *have* left comments on my own posts to add extra details or to respond to a question I asked IN the post. But always as me.
I think if I found a blog I subscribed to was faking comments I’d probably wonder about credibility in general and unsub.
I have found that when I write for appropriate blog carnivals, I usually get a lot of comments on my carnival posts. Another thing that helps sometimes is to end the post with a question. But I still have a long way to go
I would advise against leaving fake comments. Personally, I think that if you leave comments on other blogs, and you actually have something intelligent to say, people may just go to your page because you’ve intrigued them. Also, as Darren said, it would suck to get caught faking it! One thing that I always do is have a dialog within my own posts. If someone leaves me a comment, I respond to them in a comment on my own post. Sometimes when people leave comments they come back to see if you’ve responded.
I think that if you’re getting traffic to your site, though, comments shouldn’t matter too much. Remember, people are just feeling you out and getting to know you at this point. Just try not to get discouraged, and keep up the good pace on posts. I think most bloggers write posts that don’t get any comments sometimes, and it doesn’t mean that your readers don’t like what you’re saying. Maybe they’re so in awe by your post, they can’t come up with anything to say!
I would think that there are two possibilities. Either people will like your writing and over time will get to know your writing style and will recognize that you write comments on your own blog. Or they won’t like your writing and they won’t leave comments what ever you do.
okay I admit, I did one fake comment under anonymous! and could feel it in my bones how the writing style was similar to the post and how anyone could tell.. may be no one could tell, but I couldn’t live with it! so decided to never do that..
my blog is less than six weeks old and I am getting fair amount of comments! I would rather spend time on making your content better than worry about faking comments! Also to let others know about your existence, leave comments on their posts, join social networking sites like mybloglog and join communities and network! Networking with other bloggers is the biggest aspect of blogging!
Darren: I love your honesty even when you have more than 20,000 readers!
so Preston.. its all about honesty!! and of course, patience!! ;)
I don’t think it is a very good idea. Just keep banging away with compelling content and the comments will come.
I’ve never posted ‘fake comments’, instead I make it a point to comment as myself after others have commented on my posts. This creates a nice dialogue between me and my readers, while also increasing the total number of comments on my posts.
I’ve never even thought of doing something like that. I just focus on writing good content and the comments come in on their own.
Two things I did do were:
1. Answer every comment and engage in a conversation. Don’t just say “thanks for the comment”. Answer questions, ask follow ups, elaborate. Make sure you engage your readers.
2. Changed some settings on my blog. Initially, every comment would go through moderation. This discouraged readers from posting since comments wouldn’t show up right away.
Gal
Like many others above, I never thought of this, or that anyone else was doing it. I think it’s “not kosher” and probably not effective, either.
What I do appreciate, however, is the honesty of those who admit to doing it, and to Darren’s respectful response and his allowing the discussion to proceed, free of judgment and self-righteousness.
I think the general disapproval of the idea is more powerful in this context.
It’s also reassuring that others share the feeling of blogging to the void, feeling frustration at the lack of comments in a new blog. Just hearing others with similar concerns might comfort the person who sent in the question, and convince him not to waste time having a public conversation with himself.
(Comments on others’ blogs would serve his ends much better.)
Thank you.
I don’t do fake comments either.
Hey, on my first blog I did 61 posts in two months. Haha!
I second Gal’s comments – early on, respond to every comment with a comment of your own and don’t sweat it that some posts don’t draw commentary. Instead, focus on good content and add links on your good articles to high-profile bloggers, who will likely notice your trackback or see you on Technorati.
I swear I’ve never done it. Why? Because I’ve never thought of it!
I was sad when nobody left me comments when I started blogging, but I invested a lot of time reading up on “self help” articles, e.g. how to get people to leave you a comment kind of posts, and I slowly got the hang of it.
I’m still not a pro when it comes to blogging — in fact, my readership isn’t something to be shouted at, but I know I’ve improved considerably, thanks to blogs like ProBlogger :)
I don’t see any reason to leave fake comments. There are well established ways of attracting readers and comments – most of which are regularly mention here on ProBlogger.
When I started an anonymous blog about a year ago, I spent a week working on 7 or 8 posts that covered topics that most people would have an opinion on. I then spent a couple of days reading and commenting on other blogs – when I had something to say. This was all it took to generate interest, comments, links, and a small core of regular readers.
My advice would simply be to follow the advice given here many times – good content, and be social when it comes to other blogs and bloggers. And as has been mentioned above – ALWAYS reply to comments. If you ignore people, they won’t come back.