Last night’s post was written partly out of frustration, partly self-pity and partly genuine curiosity.
I had been reading a lot of blog posts through the day and found that within minutes of publishing they already had something like 10-15 comments and they weren’t necessarily huge blogs. Huge, as in number of followers/subscribers.
Reading your responses this morning, I began pondering this question – what makes a reader want to comment on a blog post? I too read lots of blogs and admit that I do not comment on all of them. But time is only a minor consideration.
Some posts move me to comment and even if I do not have time to comment right away, I will go back and comment later. I’ve even been known to walk away from the computer mid-comment because I needed to feed/rescue/entertain a child.
So what is it? What is that factor that makes me add a comment to a blog post? Off the top of my head here are some reasons why I leave a comment:
- the post strikes an emotional chord with me, I want to add my advice, experience, encouragement, congratulations;
- the writing is exceptionally good and I just need to tell the blogger how good it is;
- the blog is new to me and I really enjoy it, but it has no, or very few, other comments;
- the post offers advice that I needed to hear at that particular moment and want to thank the blogger for that;
- the blogger is a friend, new to blogging and I want to encourage them;
- it is a huge, very popular blog and I’m one of the first commenters – this tends to generate traffic to my blog, especially if I put some thought into my comment, making it interesting enough for readers to follow me back.
The main reasons why I comment seems to be if I genuinely feel I have something relevant to add to a point of view, or if in fact I have an opposing point of view. Also for support and encouragement of good writing and like you if something strikes a chord emotionally I often feel compelled to let the writer know. (and cool I am the first to comment here so expecting massive amounts of traffic! Lol) 🙂
Commenting is such an intestine thing. I don't know what makes people comment and why some posts get a huge number and then others who write almost the same thing will only get a few. I comment if somebody really touches me with their writing. If I think I have something to offer, if that person needs some support, especially if that person is going through something that I have been through too.
I don't usually comment if I am in a rush, if there are a million comments on the post saying the same thing over and ov again or if I feel like I have nothing good to offer to the conversation.
I don't think you are doing anything wrong though and your writing is good. It's engaging and conversational. As for the the posts that are sad and hard getting more traffic, I think you will find that is universal. Something i have definitely found when I pondered the same thing. I think someone said to me that they thought it was because the community worried about one of their own and want to show support. That sounded like a lovely way to see things to me and so now whenever I have a train wreck post with lots of comments I remember that it's because friends want to love and support me and for no other reason.
Thanks for that, Tiff. I agree about the sad and painful posts, I know I do it because I want to show the author that I’m here, that I’m listening, even if I don’t have advice to give. Also, like you, if I see lots of comments, saying the same thing, I don’t find the need to comment, unless I have a very different point of view.
LOL, Martine! Remember I said “huge” blogs! Ones with thousands of followers and subscribers. This happened to me with Single Dad Laughing a couple of times, where a seemingly innocuous comment generated heaps of traffic to my blog. But for that, you have to be at the right place at the right time… Thanks for commenting!
This bloggy thing is such a big game Dorothy! I sometimes see it as an extension of those facebook games people play (like i used to before I got addicted to blogging! ). I agree with all of your reasons above. I do know that unless you are already a BIG BLOGGER you have to be a comment maker to get comments. I have about 50 blogs I regularly try to comment on and most of them comment back (See my blog roll). If I find a blog I really like (big or small) I'll leave comments to try to engage them in my community. I'll do this 5-6 times without getting a comment back and then, unless I am addicted to their blogging style, I'll stop. That might sound rough – but I want people to engage with me. I don't care if it's on facebook or my blog but I need engagement.
Putting a lot of time into commenting can be hard work and the time factor is ever present. But you have to offer your readers something to get them to comment. Be that knowing they'll get a return comments, great giveaways or fantastic inspiring posts. I've been so busy for the past few months that my commenting has been slack but I've been lucky enough to have a few big giveaways – which has kept people commenting and traffic flowing.
Anyhoo – that's my two cents worth. Just keep swimming 'or blogging'. You have great things to say and a real voice about some difficult issues women face.
Caz
Hi Dorothy, your post title intrigued me so I popped in, I must admit I haven't read your blog before, I just read your post from yesterday as well. I comment when I really feel I have something to say, on a couple of blogs nearly always because I just love them, I try and return comments on my blog and lastly on some blogs because I am friends if only “online friends” with them. I know I should probably read and comment on more blogs but I simply don't have the time.
As far as getting more comments on your blog, I am only a new blogger so perhaps not the best qualified to give advice but here is my two cents on what's working for me.
– Zoey of Good Googs told me this, make a friendship with another blogger or bloggers and always comment on each other's blogs, having some comments there seems to get others commenting
– get out there and comment, the more comments I make the more I get back
– the old saw “great content” I can always tell when I've written something that interests others as it gets retweeted and comments from new people
– and with memes if I am up near the beginning of the list I get far more comments and I also try and comment on as many as I can in the meme
Hope that makes sense, and as I said I'm only a new blogger so probably don't really know what I'm talking about 😉
I try and comment a lot on other blogs, if not to offer my own opinion then just to support the person or introduce myself.
For the first time yesterday I went through the whole Things I Know meme and commented on every one, and I do find that the more I comment the more I get back.
When I don't leave comments, it's usually because I've read the post on my phone and commenting isn't an option. I simply just forget to do it later 🙁
Thanks, Kellie. I have to admit that I am a bit disillusioned with commenting on blog posts and then waiting on comments back. It just doesn’t happen that often. They may come over once to have a look, but don’t comment. I used to try and get through lots of posts on linkies, but this did not generate a lot of traffic or comments.
I am beginning to see that different strategies will work for different blogs, in terms of both readership engagement and traffic. I will just continue to experiment to find what works best for me… It seems that writing about blogging, generates a lot of both… 😉
I find your comment particularly interesting, Kate. I added your blog to my blogroll after a call-out on my FB page for bloggers wanting to be on it. You raised your hand and so I added you. And yet you had never read my blog 😀 Interesting, don’t you think?
As for your other suggestions, I find that they work the first few times you do it, but after a while they stop. Except for the “great content” one. I am yet to really understand what makes good content as far as my blog is concerned. Because I tend to write a bit about everything, it tends to be quite hit and miss. Perhaps it is something I just need to accept, because my blog is about me, about my life and it can’t always meet everyone’s interests.
Thanks for dropping in and commenting!
I really like your approach, Caz. It’s really consistent. I think I tend to comment once or twice on some blogs and then don’t go back for months. But for others I do keep going back to, even if they don’t return the comment. I guess then I become part of their community, but they are not necessarily part of mine.
Maybe my commenting approach is too scatter gun. I tend comment all over the place, rather than just concentrating on a few blogs at a time. Thanks, Caz!
I am also a time poor commenter who reads more than I responds to posts. But I love reading good stuff ( like yours) and it is usually snatched in minutes here and there.
I love your writing and I think your blog is important.
I would not change a thing if I were you, but that is my own humble opinion.
Xxxxxxx
OMG! Mrs Woog commented on my blog!!! (Again!) I shall never complain again… I have been blessed by Australian blogging royalty…. Now if only Eden would drop by… 😀
Oh, and thank you, I am humbled by your praise. Really. I still remember what you said at AusBlogCon about how you gauge the success of a post – “If I enjoyed writing it!” If that attitude can get you sponsorship to BlogHer, then it is an attitude worth adopting…
Well you've got some interesting comments in this post so I think you may have just answered your own question.
I don't comment for the sake of commenting. I comment when I feel compelled by the post for all the reasons you mentioned above. Except for the last point. I never really consider that being the first to comment will help traffic to my site. You could be right, and it may just happen. But I don't approach it with that mindset because then I feel my comment won't be genuine.
Though, like most, I read more than I comment.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
My biggest issue is time, I love and follow alot of blogs and wish I had the time to comment on them all….
As I said I really don't read & comment enough on blogs as I'm so time poor. It's probably less than 20 that I read regularly. Though I do follow a lot of bloggers through facebook and twitter as I do want to be a part of this great Aussie bloggy community. If a post from a blogger that I don't read or don't read regularly has a title that intrigues me and pops up in my facebook feed or twitter stream, then I will go have a look and then comment if I have something to say.
I've followed you on facebook for a while now, but you rarely pop up in my feed as you use networked blogs and facebook does that thing where it lumps all the network blog posts together and unless you click you only get the top one and then a link saying see 44 other networked blog posts.Tonight you were the top one plus an interesting title. I do remember the request for blogs for your blog roll, I'm sorry I thought you were after suggestions of new blogs to read. My bad.
I have absolutely no clue as to what makes great content either, and I think I've only hit it maybe twice. Probably not at all in actual fact, but I have had a couple of posts that had quite a few (for me) new commenters and re-tweets, which is what I gauged to be content that actually worked.
This is a post from Zoey of Good Goog about the blogger friendship thing which is probably the best thing I've ever heard about increasing your comments http://goodgoog.com/2011/blogging/vlog-blogging-tips-for-newbies-part-one/
Anyways I would just keep on as you are, if you have Mrs Woogs reading and commenting then you're doing pretty good 😉
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, too. Because sometimes I'm really surprised when I get a lot of comments on a post I didn't expect I would and also when the reverse happens…I'm particularly proud of a post and think it's clever and it's gets none!
I've also been commenting a lot less than I used to on other blogs. That's due to having less time because I've been working again. But I think your list is spot on. Somtimes I visit a favourite blog with every intention of commenting because I haven't in awhile…and then I get there and can't think of anything to repond with. I used to force myself to say something…anything. But now I don't, I only comment if something comes to mind immediately.
Like now…boy, I think this is the longest comment I've written in ages! 🙂
I feel a bit intimidated to comment often. I read lots of blogs..but don't have my own blog. I don't have a nice picture attached or a blog to link to and feel like the bloggers and other comments offer so much advice and info, that my non-blogging opinion isn't as useful. I do comment from time to time but maybe a handful of times across various different blogs..probably not enough to build a relationship…I feel a bit like the unknown!
Ahhh and then add to it, depending on how I sign in…I may be Bec S or I may be sherman99…..I can't seem to sign in via FB for this blog!
It drives me insane at times that I get loads of views, and many people tell me they like my blog-but I get very few comments. Then I decided, I really need to let go of it. Of caring. I think my blog is interesting, I'm sure some other people do too (unless they are lying to me!) so why not be happy with that? But yeah I totally do hear you. Great to find your blog btw, lovely to see another single mum blogger 🙂
Hi Dorothy. You've received a lot of interesting comments to this post. Your previous post and this one reminds me of one I wrote the other day titled Is Bloggy Love Conditional? I had comments to it but like your previous related post, a common thread for all was time, or lack thereof. Also how to manage blog related activity came up eg: priotising blogs to read, using tools like Google Reader etc; basically a strategy. For me being new, I think giving comments and replying are the main ways I've tried to get some traffic. It's worked to some degree but due to lack of time, I'm lately considering a more focused approach on bloggers I'd like to build a good rapport with, or already have one, and review a handful of new ones each week. I'll see if I how much time I have, given my list of targets is too long already!
I don't comment on all blog posts I read but do comment for the same reasons pretty much as you listed. The other way lack of time affects me is that if I choose to leave a comment, I try to really express myself which takes time. Maybe I don't know how to edit myself (as hubby would say). I only occasionally leave brief, “Wow, great post, great photo”, comments because they don't say much. Having said that, would you feel better if you got more of those type of brief comments?
A few people raised the issues with logging in and I find them annoying too. I ended up creating a blogger account that forwards to my wordpress blog because I got fed up with Blogger login issues via mobile apps like my iPhone and iPad. The other annoying thing when I write long comments is not being able to scroll via mobile apps. Better end then!
This is going to sound terrible and selfish but this is what SOMETIMES leads me to a post and commenting…. As I mentioned in yesterdays post, time IS a consideration for me, and I feel like of late I'm following so many blogs that I can't keep up; and even if I remember a fab new blog I found I sometimes can't for the life of me remember where or how I found it {I dont want to shorten my 'follow list', I like that I support so many bloggers}.
So… if someone comments on my facebook fan page or my blog post I 99.9% of the time review in my own mind who they are {if they are not a regular} by clicking through to their profile and their blog. Then I have a looksee through what they've written of late and I read and comment. AND I try and read some of the slightly older posts, not just the most recent one which is the landing post. Then of course I also have all of the reasons you mentioned above as to why I would also and otherwise leave comments.
I’m commenting because a post like this shouldn’t have an empty comment box lol! This is something I often wonder myself, so it was good to read your insights
LOL, Elise. There are heaps more comments but they’re not showing up since I moved over from Blogger. I wish I could figure out how to get them to show, as there is some good advice there…