Blog Comments
Apr 9th, 2008 by Bethany
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I just read a post about comments here that got me to thinking about my own commenting “philosophy.” I LOVE getting comments on my blog. It makes me feel like someone “gets me” and that I’m not just talking to thin air. I like to hear about it when someone is touched by, enjoys, disagrees with, or has more ideas about something I say. The longer and more detailed the comment, the better, but short ones are welcome any day!
That said, I haven’t yet figured out how, when, or if it’s best for me to respond to the comments I receive. Do I respond again with a comment? Do I email a response? Do I just read and enjoy the comment and let it go at that? I don’t want to clutter up the comments section with MORE writing from me, because I’m afraid that’s a little too controling and verbose. A blog isn’t really supposed to be a discussion board, is it? I’m imagining the following “blog post, comment from reader, response from me, comment from reader, response, comment, etc.” Wouldn’t that be a little pretentious? But sometimes someone asks a question or leaves a comment I just can’t leave unanswered, and I add another comment myself. Maybe I should write another post answering the question? I’m still not sure about the etiquette and protocol for this venue.
As for leaving comments on other blogs, I try to do it rarely and usually only if I feel I can really add to the conversation. It’s kind of strange that I do that since I like to get comments so much myself. When I comment on someone else’s blog it feels like I’m writing notes in the margins of a copy of a book I borrowed from someone else knowing that the author of the book will also see all my notes. Again, it comes down to feeling self-conscious about cluttering someone else’s space (whether the author’s or the other readers’) with my writing. In fact, when I write comments I find myself getting embarrassed about writing too much in a comment and thinking about just sending an email instead. Do you think most bloggers want comments for validation, no matter the value of the comment to the subject of the post, or do you think they want to get only content-related comments? I like to get both types of comments on my blog.
I wonder if my comment-leaving habits stem from how I feel about reading comments on other blogs. I read the comments to find out about the reactions of other readers to a post, to avoid duplicating content in my own comments on the post, and to glean additonal information on a topic. While the “this is a great blog!” comments are pleasant and could certainly be much worse, there is no content in them to keep me reading. It doesn’t add to the conversation. I skim past them hoping that someone else will say something more useful or relevant. I like to see that other people enjoy what I enjoy, but beyond that it’s valuable to me.
So, if I were writing for a reader like me, does that mean I shouldn’t publish the cheerleading-type comments I receive on my blog? I don’t think so, unless a post gets a HUGE number of comments. Doing so would alientate even more readers by making them feel that their comments were unappreciated or inappropriate, which is not the case. It’s better to read comments of others that aren’t of great value to me than to fear rejection of my own comment.
Beyond my emotional issues with leaving comments, there’s the RSS factor that keeps me from commenting. Most blogs I follow I read through an RSS feed on Google Reader. I don’t actually click on to most blog posts at all. I just read them, enjoy them, and move along. If I were on the site itself, I think I would leave more comments than I do now. Assuming most people who read my blog are in the same boat as I am as a reader, if I really wanted to increase the interactiveness of my blog maybe I should change my RSS feed to only include excerpts of each post so that a reader would have to come to my actual site to read the complete post. But I’m guessing that would decrease my readership volume, which for one reason or another I like to be as big as possible. I myself rarely follow blogs that have excerpted RSS feeds, and wouldn’t like to do that to my readers either.
I’m sure you’ve all noticed that I have NO inhibitions about writing long posts on my own blog, despite my concerns about writing long comments on someone else’s blog. I guess if you keep coming back you like it, or at least you don’t mind. It’s exciting when I occassionally discover that someone likes my blog enough to put me on their blogroll even when I’ve never heard from them. Thanks to all of you who comment on my blog and to all those readers out there browsing silently (but harmlessly). I hope I make your day a little better or your load a little lighter with my writing.
Bethany–
WOW–that was a mouthful! But a great post nonetheless.(or was that a cheerleaderish comment??) haha…
I LIKE when people ask questions and I really try to respond in the comments section back. I love it when others do the same–what if I had the same question that someone else had? I like seeing the response and it makes me feel like I am “in” the group discussion!
As for the whole reader thing–I think it is funny how you like it so you can read, and I like it so I can comment on more people’s blogs a.s.a.p and not have to search each one. It helps me keep all caught up through the day to go check someone’s blog and be able to comment right away.
Like I said in my comment BACK to you on my blog (if you read that at all) your “blog” seems more like a really informative website–which is another reason I haven’t commented too often. I feel really silly leaving too many comments because lots of people check here for ideas, and I feel like my comments aren’t valid on a primary activity when I have nothing to do with primary. Ya know? Your “blog” is so technical and organized and feels more like a REAL website…I guess I just have the knock-off kind!
But I am happy to comment more if it’s wanted. I think your “blog” is PROOF that you can make it whatever you want–discussion board or not–
I always sign up to see the comments after I post–and am thrilled when there is a response.
I guess you just never know who will be happy or not and you should just go about things the way YOU are happiest. If someone else feels happy in the process, you get double points!
Hope you have a great day! And yes, thank you for your comment on my blog!
Rachel, your comment is fascinating–thank you! It actually never occurred to me that my blog would be seen by anyone as a reference or informational site. Since I’m doing my Primary stuff anyway, and it might be helpful to someone else, I post it here, and same for FHE stuff and anything else informational. I think of my blog as an emotional/intellectual outlet, as well as a place for my out-of-town family and friends to get caught up with our life. Oh, and I guess I do use it as a kind of archive of ideas for myself–things I like, things I want to come back to, etc.
PLEASE don’t stop yourself from posting cheerleader comments–I love them as much as you do. And certainly don’t feel silly for commenting here. I know from reading your excellent blog that you have as many thoughts and ideas about the things I write about as I do! Ah! I’ve written another mouthful!
On the blog that my husband and I write, we feel like our posts give us enough of a voice that we like to leave the comments section as a place for the readers to react and discuss. Occassionally we join in that discussion, but not as a habit.
On my personal blog it’s a bit different. I only respond if I have a specific reason to, and then I let the reason dictate how I respond (in comments or email). If they are asking for clarification on something, and I feel like that clarification would benefit other readers, I put my response in the comments AND I email them the response, so they don’t have to keep checking the comments section. If I just want to thank them, or say something more conversational, I will often just send an email. I think it’s great to acknowledge new readers, questions, and noteworthy comments, but I don’t think it’s necessary to acknowledge every comment that comes your way.
As far as commenting on other blogs, I go up and down–usually depending on how busy I am. I am glad you don’t excerpt your feed, because I almost always unsubscribe from those; it’s just too much mouse-clicking. People will click through to comment if there is enough of a reason (I did today).