Blogging is a community based activity and without blog comments it wouldn't be the same. But blogging is not the same as it was 2 years ago, those who have been blogging for longer would have definitely noticed a shift in things.
For every blogger, being a part of a community is the most important thing.
And naturally being a part of a community means that you exchange ideas, respond to others’ thoughts and voicing your opinion. And what better way to do this than by leaving comments?
So do comments hold value in the current blogging world? Hell Yes. Comments are tangible validation that your readers aren’t simply skimming your posts, comments are tangible validation that your readers are eager to share their thoughts and interact with you.
Reader engagement has changed so much and pointing out what makes readers speak out is a tricky thing. Each reader interacts differently, some:
For every blogger, being a part of a community is the most important thing.
And naturally being a part of a community means that you exchange ideas, respond to others’ thoughts and voicing your opinion. And what better way to do this than by leaving comments?
Pageviews may show you that people are ‘seeing’ your content but how many of them are actually ‘reading’ it?
So do comments hold value in the current blogging world? Hell Yes. Comments are tangible validation that your readers aren’t simply skimming your posts, comments are tangible validation that your readers are eager to share their thoughts and interact with you.
Reader engagement has changed so much and pointing out what makes readers speak out is a tricky thing. Each reader interacts differently, some:
- Readers are pressed for time or have a lower attention span so they choose to read, absorb the knowledge and move on.
- Some readers choose to engage more quickly by tweeting, sharing or liking posts.
- And then there are others who consider blogging a conversation-They believe that blogging is a two way street, they believe that true connections are formed in the comments section and that conversations begin and end here.
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Mastering the dying art of commenting
The most important thing to remember when you leave a comment on a blog post is that you are representing both your blog and yourself.
- Try your best to add value to the conversation -Yes, I understand that sometimes this is easier said than done! How many of us have read blog posts and thought ‘I’m totally with you’ or ‘Great Review’? Sometimes it is hard to say anything more because you feel like whatever needs to be said has already been said. That’s fine.
- Most people find generic comments off putting so the best route to take if you wish to let the blogger know that you enjoyed their post, it to reach out to them via social media. What I usually do is share the blog post on Twitter tagging the author of the post. Bingo! You’ve achieved TWO things: You’ve shared your favourite post with your fellow readers and you have also let the blogger know that you appreciate their post.
- Don’t be THAT douchebag! - Generic ‘Great Post’ comment followed by a ‘Come visit my blog at blahdeblah.com’ is NOT a cool move, dude. When you leave a thoughtful comment automatically, the blogger and even other readers will be encouraged to check out your blog.
- That awkward moment … doesn’t have to be awkward at all!