Argh!!! I can’t figure out how to reblog a post from Blogger. So I’m going to paste in this morning’s post from the April A to Z Challenge folks because I think it’s wonderful information for ANYONE commenting on other blogs. Should you wish to read the original post, you will find it at 10 Common Misconceptions About Blogging Comments…
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Wednesday, March 8, 2017
10 Common Misconceptions About Blog Comments
Read a post, then comment on the post. It seems simple to some people. Others feel differently. Here’s a list of misconceptions about commenting on a blog post.
1- I have to write a lot in order for it to be a good comment.
Nope! Even just five kind words are worth leaving. Blog analytic programs count the number of comments or interactions each visitor leaves, not the number of characters in those comments. Leaving without a comment makes for a poor bounce rate and a negative social engagement. Meaningful, quality comments build relationships and are the ideal… but empty blogs with no comments are disheartening.
Leaving comments — It’s what bloggers do for each other. How important is it to you to be a valued member of the blogging community?
You can achieve the goal of commenting on as many A to Z blogs as possible while leaving thoughts and questions based on the content of the post.
You can communicate positively by trying to add to the idea and increase your social relationships by asking a question about the post.
Bloggers depend on comments, so be supportive by taking time in April to leave as many as you can.
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2- It’s rude to leave a link back to myself.
Quite the opposite! Those who participate in a blog hop are looking to connect with others. A link makes that faster and easier.
You can achieve the goal of connecting with other bloggers.
This is a positive communication strategy and it will increase your social relationships with other A to Z bloggers.
Be assured that a vast majority of A to Z bloggers expect a link-back, which is why there are instructional posts on hyperlinking a signature.
Here are four of those instructional posts:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2012/02/how-to-make-hyperlink-signature-guest.html
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2013/01/blogging-basics-hyperlink-signature.html
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2014/03/get-more-visits-by-hyperlinking-your.html
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2016/03/a-to-z-tips-creating-signature-for.html
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3- I might look foolish.
Most other comment leavers don’t have time to troll to read what you wrote. The blog owner is grateful for the boost in the number of comments. It’s true that most everything online stays forever, but reread what you wrote and ask yourself if it’s really as bad as you think it is. If not, post it. If it is, then go back to just simple, polite, and kind words. Even a few smile emotes is better than nothing.
If you are worried about your spelling and grammar, try the Grammarly extension in your browser.
You can achieve the goal of coming across as a polite blog commenter capable of true interaction and thoughtful questions.
You can figure out a positive way to communicate with simple, short comments.
It is acceptable to come back to that blog on another day, as perhaps it will be easier to comment then.
Keep your comment on topic and add something of value if at all possible. Here is a post with some ideas: http://www.problogger.net/the-ultimate-guide-to-leaving-comments-on-blogs/
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4- I have to respond to every comment on my blog.
This is a matter of personal preference. Regular readers might stop back to check if you have replied. Anyone who included an important question in a comment will probably come back to check if you replied. There are some comments that are just there because someone was being kind enough to say hello. Personally, I think the nicest reply to those is to click the link the person hopefully left and leave a return hello on their blog.
You can achieve the goal of connecting with people who visited your blog.
You can increase your social relationships by sorting through the comments you receive.
Some people respond to comments imminently, some take a few days, some only write responses on Sunday, and others wait until the end of April to write replies.
Consider this: Do you expect your comments to be replied to? If you wrote this comment, would you want a reply?
Here is a good article on this subject: http://goinswriter.com/blog-comments/
A quote from the article: “the best way to respond to a generic comment is with a generic reply.”
At the very least, check your comment spam folder daily during the challenge. No one likes being stuck in comment moderation purgatory!
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5- I am concerned that I may actually be a robot, one with poor math skills…
I worry about this too. Captcha and the like are good ideas with poor implementation. If I can’t solve the image in three turns I give up commenting. Then I make fun of the captcha on my Pinterest board.
You can achieve the goal of inspiring a better way to prevent spam without alienating real people. For example, some systems only have a box to check.
You can communicate using humor to bond with others over this Internet creation.
Robots might take over the world one day, but probably not in April 2017.
Google and other search engines have built in calculators to help with the math captchas.
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6- There is too much arguing in the other comments for my taste.
That can be a tricky one. A desire not to attract the attention of an angry mob is a survival instinct. A simple “Dropping by from the A to Z Challenge,” and your name should be more than adequate as a comment. In this case, I might link back to the challenge page or the homepage of a search engine rather than my own blog (if a link is a required field).
You can achieve the goal of leaving a comment without engaging in confrontation.
You can communicate positively instead of joining the argument.
You can maintain a positive and supportive status without engaging in conflict. You could also comment on an older blog post with less argumentative comments.
There is a fine line between facts and opinions in some cases. Do you have something of value to add? Can you bring another perspective to the topic? Consider your own blog brand, and how you want to represent yourself, before submitting a comment.
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7- I do not understand the post, and therefore feel unable to comment.
I hear you. Sometimes it’s a translation problem, and sometimes the post is about a subject you have no knowledge or interest in. Once again, I’ll recommend a simple “Dropping by from the A to Z Challenge,” and your name as a comment.
You can achieve the goal of being a nice person who is dedicated to leaving comments.
You can deepen a social relationship by asking the blogger questions about the post.
You could check the blog for a post that is clearer, easier to understand, and better to comment on.
If it is a translation issue, perhaps try a different browser’s translation service.
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8- I have to log in to something to comment, and then create a whole other account, and I just don’t want to.
I do not feel bad not leaving a comment on blogs with such a system. There are ways to avoid that, as is evidenced by the overwhelming majority of blogs which allow comments without forcing someone to jump through a hoop.
If the blogger has a Twitter link, I’ll usually go there and leave a tweet instead. Logging in to my own WordPress, Google, Twitter, or Facebook account I accept. But creating an account just to comment on one blog… that’s something only extremely famous people might need.
You can achieve the goal of encouraging bloggers to disable this by contacting them through other means.
You can communicate on social media about a desire to have such functions removed.
Time is valuable, so you be assured that you are not the only one skipping a blog for this reason.
Here is a website that discusses such commenting systems. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-choose-the-best-comment-system-for-your-blog/(Warning: Ad heavy.)
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9- The blog posts are all just shared reposts from other blogs. I do not know if I am meant to comment here or on the original post.
As this practice grows in popularity, the amount of original content decreases. If the blogger had something fresh to add, then of course you should comment. If not, the original writer would probably appreciate you more.
You can achieve the goal of keeping blogs fresh by commenting with a question about the poster’s take on this shared repost, or by thanking the person for including a new perspective.
You can increase your social relationships by seeking out the original poster.
The blogger felt this post was worthy of his or her blog’s precious space. You can try to figure out why the blogger felt someone else had such a value and generate a comment based on that.
Here is an article about why this practice exists: https://blogs.constantcontact.com/how-to-curate-content/
(Not to be confused with guest posts.)
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10- If I comment on a blog, and then the person comments back, then I’m stuck commenting on their blog again. It’s too much!
That’s how relationships form and grow. It’s a give and take process. Sometimes one blogger posts three times a day and the other blogger posts three times a month. That certainly makes it more difficult. You have to find a balance. Figure out what works for you, your schedule, and your online-social-presence goals.
You can achieve the goal of making new and lasting connections with other bloggers.
You will only encounter this if you have communicated positively and thus increased your social relationships.
You should take the time to build this into a positive and supportive relationship.
by J Lenni Dorner
Reference and Speculative Fiction Author
A to Z Challenge Co-Host
Operation Awesome Debut Author Spotlight Organizer
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And just to let anyone know who is planning to be a part of the April A to Z Challenge, the A to Z Theme Reveal is Monday, March 20th. I look forward to seeing who all joins in this year!
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Picture Sources:
Blogging Comments — Writtent
A to Z Challenge Reveal — http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2017/03/get-your-to-z-theme-reveal-badge.html
Kathryn Grace said:
Thanks for these tips. I especially love it when a reader or blogger is interested enough to participate in a brief back and forth in the comments about some point or other in either their post or mine. Sometimes it’s deep, sometimes amusing. Either way, it’s fun and often enlightening. About #s 5 & 8, like you, if the captcha doesn’t work by the third time, or a writer requires me to create an account before I can participate in the discussion, generally I jump away. I agree, there are more user-friendly ways to ward off spammers and bots.
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calensariel said:
Hey Kathryn Grace! (Grace is like my favorite name of the year!) Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. You’re right. Sometimes I wonder if people realize just how much traffic they lose because of those two. I especially have a hard time with sites on Blogger. Going back and forth between websites can be a real pain in the keister. And there’s too many blogs and too little time for fiddling around with writing a comment that you end up not even being able to post.
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Kathryn Grace said:
You’re welcome. Happy to find you. On those two points: Agreed. And yes, I agree about Blogger, too. Given that’s where I started out, and how much they helped in the beginning (more than a decade ago), I hate to say it, but Blogger is not comment-friendly.
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calensariel said:
I never got my blog off the ground there. I found it too complicated for me to understand how to set it up (this was a few years ago). THEN I couldn’t figure out how to delete my account. NOW I’m still signed in so when I leave a comment I have to put a link to Promptlings on my comments. Word Press was far easier for me to understand.
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Catherine said:
Hi Lady Calen!!! *sigh*, with work and everything else going on, I haven’t had time to comment my fave blogs. But now, I’m making the time and man, oh man, what a great post to see when returning to commenting! I LOVE the tip on visiting another blog to say “hello” rather than leaving a comment. I think that is a great solution for someone who has entered into a busy stretch. I’m bookmarking this post for reference. It’s a great reference point! Thanks!!!!!!
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calensariel said:
I thought it was a smashing blog post, too. You poor thing. I know the job is a good thing, but it sure cramps your blogging time, doesn’t it… {{{Catherine}}}
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oneta hayes said:
Some handy tips here, Calen. Are you going to do the A to Z Challenge. I think I will watch for it. Thinking about it but I’m not sure what it is. I remember some from last year that made me want to hop in but I thought I was too late.
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calensariel said:
Oh do hop over there and take a look at the info. It explains it all. You might enjoy it. 😀
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Safar Fiertze said:
I’m glad that it’s not rude to link back to self. I often leave a link, but usually to somewhere else, but if written about it myself… hmmm. Not sure about this one. I don’t really like – please check out my blog – but I do like – I’ve written a post about this and the link is added.
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calensariel said:
Will do!
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Soul Gifts said:
Some useful links here – thanks 🙂
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S. Thomas Summers said:
I don’t comment enough on other blogs. Gotta do better.
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calensariel said:
You know, after thinking about it, I wonder if the intent for which we started our blogs has something to do with it. I didn’t start mine primarily to have a platform. I was looking for company. So I tended to comment a lot. It would make sense…
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doodletllc said:
This is an excellent post, Calen. Thanks!
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calensariel said:
I thought so, too. The guys over at the A to Z Challenge do an excellent job.
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Reprobate Typewriter said:
I love this one! I wish more people would say hi while they’re at my site.
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calensariel said:
I’ll have to make it a point to stop by. Why not drop me a note with your link so I can add it to my list?
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