4 Ways to Show Appreciation at your Site
Awesome Content: Set Up For Online Success
I just finished reading a terrific article over at Zen Habits called 3 Jedi Mind Tricks to Feel Better in a Nanosecond. Although that title might sound a bit strange, the article is a terrific challenge to build up your own personal happiness by demonstrating genuine appreciation for the people around you.
Well it works and here’s why. When you tell someone how much you appreciate them, you make them feel better; and when you make someone else feel better, you also feel better.
That’s the trick. Make others feel better and you’ll feel better – and what better way to make others feel better than by letting them know that you appreciate them.
~ Quote taken from 3 Jedi Mind Tricks to Feel Better in a Nanosecond
Generally speaking, people want to experience a sense of self-worth. They want their actions and behavior to be validated in the eyes of those that they interact with. Appreciation demonstrates to people the value that we place on them and on what they do. In essence, it provides them with that sense of value that they’re seeking…and quite often it motivates them to reciprocate.
Can you remember the last time someone genuinely thanked you for something? It probably made you feel good that you had helped them or done something worthy of their thanks.
At Zen Habits, Steve, the guest author of that article, challenges us to show appreciation toward three groups of people: our bosses, our parents and our neighbors.
Here at Site Sketch 101, I want to challenge you to apply this dynamic principle to your blogging experience. I want you to find a way to show appreciation to your readers, to fellow bloggers and to your commentors. Here’s a few tips on how to express appreciation to these groups of people:
4 Tips to Show People Your Appreciation
- Respond to each comment. Provide something more than just ‘thanks for the comment.’ Engage them in real conversation and make it obvious that you appreciate their being a part of your site’s overall conversation.
- Email those who comment. Don’t just send a generic email to your readers. Send them a genuine invitation to connect with you. Let them feel like they’re being invited into your inner circle.
- Comment on your reader’s blogs. Comments make people feel great. I know that I love it when people comment here. It let’s me know that people appreciate my article enough to connect with me. Pass that same feeling on to your readers.
- Mention other blog’s in your posts. This post is a perfect example of this. Let the whole world know that you found an amazing article that you want them to know about…and at the same time let that author know that you appreciate their writing.
These are only four tips that can get the ball rolling. There are actually many other things that you can do to demonstrate appreciation.
Remember that fake appreciation is worthless. If you can’t genuinely be thankful for the people who interact with you then don’t fake it. Find it in your heart to show people that you really value them and you’ll be able to build an enormous community around your site.
Group Discussion:
What groups of people do you think you can show more appreciation? Are there other groups that you can think of? What are some other methods that you can use to demonstrate your thankfulness for people?
Eric B. said:
Thanks for the excellent tips! I do like the idea about emailing commenters. I think that an email I got from you was one of the reasons that I continue to read your posts. It helps to communicate with your readers at a more personal level.
I think that some people that you can also show appreciation towards are the people that help to keep your site running, such as your web host, your web designer (if you’ve hired one) and paid subscribers (if you have a paid subscription program).
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Eric B. –> Good ideas. Those people certainly deserve our appreciation. I was designing a website for a company once and they were so nit-picky about everything. It just drove me crazy. I know what it’s like first hand to be at the tail end of an unappreciated relationship so you are right when you say to show appreciation to the designer…and, of course, you are right on the other points but I don’t have a fun story to share about those.
Casey Brazeal (North and Clark) said:
You couldn’t be more right about reciprocating to your commenter and supporters. I have a very active follower named Charles on my site and I think he is so involved partially because he knows I read and respond to his comments. I also try and maintain a presence in the comments on his site.
I know I always feel appreciated here and it goes a long way toward making me want to keep coming back.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Casey Brazeal (North and Clark) –> Great! I think your point about visiting his site and leaving comments is a great one. I wish that I had the time to do that more because some of the readers here have excellent blogs that are fun to visit and fun to comment at. I know that it goes a long way with someone when you do that. I think that if you stay friendly then Charles will probably stay with you for a very long time!
Stefan said:
A lot of bloggers, including me, try to answer every comment and because of this I personally think I feel more appreciated when I receive a personal mail or are being mentioned in one of the authors post. With that said I still appreciate to receive an answer to my comment.
One of the most frustrating things is when you ask a sincere question in a comment and then notice the author never answers comments.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Stefan –> I hate that! I’ve been completely ignored by some bloggers and it leaves me feeling like I have absolutely no incentive to come back. What did I gain by contributing to the conversation? Nothing. I didn’t get an answer to my question at all and that is a waste of my time for having even commented.
Ron Boracay said:
I often experience this kind of scenario. It makes me think what the hell is wrong.
Is it just the blog owner is too busy to answer my question
or
I am just asking a dumb nonsense question.
Well, I didn’t comment anymore on that blog. But I continue to visit it hoping for some reply from the blog owner him/herself.
Oscar - freestyle mind said:
I try to answer every comment in my blog but I rarely email someone. I wonder if you just send an automatic email or write to each of your commenter individually. I guess I’ll learn myself after this comment.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Oscar – freestyle mind –> It is an automatic email, but I’ve took my time when writing it to make it as personal as possible. I also invite everyone to feel free to respond to my email which emails me directly at my personal email. I then make it my goal to personally respond to every one of those. I want everyone here to feel like they are welcome to connect with me on a personal level. I want people to know that they can ask me questions, give me feedback, make suggestions or even just say hello.
Ron Boracay said:
The good thing is, your email software/template/plugin is easily customizable Nick! And when I receive that automatic mail, I scanned it and it’s much different with other blogs.
Arisu said:
I know one of the saddest things ever is when you find a great post and comment just to find out that the author ain´t answering the comments anymore or has months without a new post.
I think quality content, updates and answering the comments are the most important ways to show your appreciation for your readers.
And the people who helps out to keep the blog up and alive should get the appreciation too -the designer, the webmaster, other authors if they are, or bloggers that inspire you to keep writing-
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> I use stumble upon to find new blogs all the time. Some times I stumble upon a great article and so I leave a comment. Then I click to that blog’s homepage to see their most recent articles to see what kind of content that author is putting out. When I see that they haven’t updated it in months, it is so disappointing.
I love being able to respond to the comments on here but I think that when bloggers respond to comments with just “Thanks for the comment” or something like that, it usually doesn’t mean anything to the reader. Comments are supposed to be a two-way discussion, in my opinion. Both the reader and the author should be able to provide legitimate conversation – questions, feedback, ideas, etc.
Arisu said:
I know! It´s so sad how many blogs out there were just abandoned.
And about the comments, I don´t know about blogs, but at least at my deviant account it´s hard to come out with a good answer to: “I like it, thanks!” But at least at deviant I know they´ll read my answer… whether they´ll comment back is another thing.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> It is really hard to answer those. Also, where’s your deviant account? Do you do graphic work? I’d love to see your stuff.
Arisu said:
I know… my deviant page doesn´t have any new stuff since last year, and a couple of years before that, -actually there are some pretty ugly things, but I like to look back and feel like I´ve improved- you can have a look if you want:
http://arisu-sama.deviantart.com/
And my portfolio is in here:
http://alicem.artician.com/portfolio/Portafolio/
All comments are appreciated!! And try to be mean, all this “corporate” thingies are soooo boring to do, that I need a GOOD challenge.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> Those look really neat. What program do you do your design work in. Photoshop?
Arisu said:
Most of the time I use Illustrator. That´s a program I couldn´t live without.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> I use Photoshop a little bit, but I’ve never used Illustrator.
Arisu said:
Yeah, Illustrator and Photoshop are quite different, but both let you do amazing stuff, and some works are so much faster when using both.
And Illustrator is far more flexible when working with type
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> I see. I need to post some of the Photoshop creations that I’ve done so you can see my work also. I like seeing what people can create artistically.
Arisu said:
Yeah, I would love to see your work -at least your avatar and the whole sitesketch look are awesome!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> Thanks. I’ll put some of my work on the server here and post some links. I’ll try to do that here in just a little while.
Sat Chen said:
Arisu you really have an impressive portfolio. Really like the Arashi Kishuu and Oruha. Great job.
Arisu said:
Thanks for checking my work! I´m glad you like it!
Joe Cassada said:
Nicholas, what do you think of those blogs that post commenting rules like: “don’t expect us to respond to every comment”?
There are some blogs that generate 100+ comments for every post. Do you think there is a certain point to where a blog author can no longer respond to every comment? What do you think that point is for you?
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Joe Cassada –> I think that limit is different for every person. I know that eventually I may have to reach that point where I can no longer respond to every comment. But I’m going to fight to stay with it as long as possible. Once your network begins to grow to the point of hundreds of comments then you will just have to choose the most relevant comments to respond to. Every person you ignore is potentially another reader that will not return.
Arisu said:
I think actually saying “Don´t expect us to reply to every comment” is very rude; is almost as saying “Why should I spend my precious time in you?”.
But in big blogs with hundreds of comments, is expected not to get an answer from the blogger. However, some other readers may give you great answers too, and that´s the plus of commenting in big blogs.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> That’s exactly what it’s like. I think that putting out the effort to try to respond to your readers really does demonstrate that you value them and their input.
Could you imagine the effectiveness of a huge blog that actually interacts with the commenters? How effective would that be? I hope to be the one who finds out.
Arisu said:
A a big blog with an author that answers to every comment or almost everyone, would be the coolest blog ever! And I hope sitesketch101 would be the one to acomplish that!
But if at some point you can´t regular readers will be around to give you a hand
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> I hope that everyone on here knows that you all are always welcome to respond to other readers and interact with them. That’s always a plus. That will help make their experience better and it will probably make your experience better as well. But…I’m always going to do my best to interact with as many people as possible. The connections…err…the friendships that I’m making on this site are what really makes it worth it. I value them a lot and I’m going to work hard to stay with it.
Arisu said:
Yeah, and everybody is welcome to give their opinion of my comments too
ZXT said:
I share the same sentiments. Putting those words its like saying that we don’t value your comments and don’t expect a reply.
People who left comments can think on their own. If they can see that there are tons of comments going on left and right then they will understand if they dont receive a reply.
But if theres only a dozen comments then they expect a reply from blog owners.
Now putting those words is like an scape goat or excuse already. It’s like we told you already so why are you still expecting a reply?
Ron Boracay said:
I am not Nick but I love to answer this well.
I think displaying those words that the Author can’t reply to each of the comments are good thing.
Its like a pre warning in a danger zone, it keeps you out in the trouble. With those warnings, all concerned persons do benefit.
Arisu said:
Actually, they don´t put you out of any risk – but you´re taking the chance of disliked just because of it and losing readers, visits and links.
If you simply don´t answer a comment, well, it´s possible that it doesn´t matter cause your reader might not come back.
But if you write “don´t expect an answer” well, forget about the comment, forget about your reader coming back and of course, he or she won´t share it on social network, why would they?
Unless you´re a famous blogger with tons of readers, that sentence sounds like a very bad idea.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> It sounds like a bad idea to me because it detracts from one of the most important rules (in my opinion) of blogging which is to try to connect with real people and a genuine level. It’s as if you are saying to people, “I don’t want to connect with you.”
Arisu said:
Nick>>
I think that saying that is plain rude for the readers, and if a blogger doesn´t want to interact with people and socialize, he could disable comments at all.
If I ever found a blog with that sentence I would give that blogger a piece of my mind …
ZXT said:
I guess we all share the same opinion.
Good thing I never saw a blog saying that in their own comment section. Again it was like your comment is not welcome and they don’t care if you do leave your comment or not.
That’s bad PR right there.
Bruce Teague said:
I try to reply to every comment, but some of them aren’t really replyable (I don’t think that’s a word). Right now I’m writing a story on my blog about my second sons birth and a lot of (the very few I get) replies are to tell me to hurry up and post the next installment. I don’t really have a response for those.
Great list though. I drop the ball on emailing people after a first comment. I wonder where some of you get all your free time.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Bruce Teague –> With comments like that I usually try to say something like, “Great! I’m glad you liked it. If you have any questions or suggestions just let me know!” That way at least everyone else who reads the comments can know that you value their comments but you are also subtly letting people know that you really want genuine engagement and not just fluff. It says that gently without being rude or unkind.
Ron Boracay said:
Agree! you may also choose not to reply to those not so replyable comments. But replying them once is good enough, I think.
Sat Chen said:
I think responding to every comments can be very hard. You should just choose the relevant comments and respond. The sending an email is a great idea.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Sat Chen –> If it gets too big then that’s definitely the way to go, but if a reader can do it, then I always recommend trying to interact personally and genuinely with everyone.
Sat Chen said:
Can you tell me what you use for the automated emails?
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Sat Chen –> I use a plugin called “Thank me Later.” It’s great. You should try it!
Ron Boracay said:
Thank me later is customizable right? So its definitely a great plugin to use because, you can customize it to appear “personally written and handed to the receiver”.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ron Boracay –> It’s very customizable. You can change what it says and how much later after their post it actually sends the email.
ZXT said:
Finally I was able to use this Thank me Later plug in.
Question though, how do you change the “from” email? It’s showing my host domain and my ftp wp database as the from email address. Can I change that to something like Yahoo email which I use more often?
Ron Boracay said:
Why use free emails? you have your own domain right? Why not create a domain hosted email of yours. It will make your email looks much more personal and professional.
Of for the plugin customization, here is a neat video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UE0jo8D9nI
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ron Boracay –> I use my gmail address because I want people to know that they are welcome to connect with me on GTalk. I don’t think that I can use nick@sitesketch101 (which is my other address) on GTalk.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
ZXT –> It should be at the very top of the options page. You can put any email in there that you want it to look like it’s from.
ZXT said:
Thanks for telling me where to look. I didn’t know why I’ve missed that.
To answer Ron, I use my yahoo email because:
1. It’s my YM id too and people can easily find me there.
2. I was thinking, there’s more chance that I will lose my domain name email (say I decided to change domain for the better) than Yahoo closing out as a company.
George Serradinho said:
I do my best to visit everyone who comments on my site, it’s my way of saying thank you.
I do understand what you mean about email them, but I honestly think that it’s pushing it a bit far. Just my opinion.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
George Serradinho –> I think that visiting the site of those who comment on your site is a great way to interact with them. It’s a terrific way to show that you appreciate them.
ZXT said:
I think visiting your visitors blog (those who left comments) are better than sending them a thank you email. But of course a thank you email is like an icing on the cake just don’t overdue it. Maybe twice a month is okay but don’t send for very comment or else you’ll lose your reader.
Arisu said:
Zee>>
I think the Thank Me Later just sends an email the very first time you make a comment.
Also, I´d say that loyal readers deserve a Merry Christmast card or something XD I do a Happy Holidays card for the customers for each important holiday every year, it´s part of the PR and marketing ^^
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
ZXT –> I think that if you send them an email it should only be once per user. I try to send one for the first time commenter and then if they comment again I don’t send another one. Now I found out recently that my plugin malfunctioned and sent out several to one user, but that is never my goal and I don’t recommend ever sending more than one per user.
ZXT said:
Nick -> But Thank Me Later has an option (by default) to send one thank you email every 2 weeks if anotehr comment has been made the user right? I’m looking at the plug in setting it right now.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
ZXT –> Yes, but you don’t want to use that setting. I have mine set not to send another for years. I only want to thank them the first time. Otherwise it’s annoying.
ZXT said:
Okay if you say so Nick. I will turn that option off.
Ron Boracay said:
George, I think emailing them once or for the first time they arrive or leave a comment on a blog is a good thing. But emailing them as if they subscribed to your email list (which is sometimes not), then its not a good thing to do.
There is a big difference between them.
Arisu said:
Ron>>
That´s a very important point, first, because sending unwanted email to your readers is very rudo, and of course cause you can get reported as a spammer.
Shantanu said:
I read your comment on my blog at cyberplunder.wordpress.com and replied “thanks”.
Then I proceeded to read your blog and soon realized how insufficient a reply such as “thanks” is to a readers reply.
So, here’s telling you how I have improved my way in one way after reading your article. Thanks!!!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Shantanu –> That’s very awesome. It’s good to now that you are growing and learning. I know that I’m constantly being challenged by blogs that I visit and I’m thankful for it and I become better for it. I appreciate that you took the time to stop by and let me know that you appreciate my comment. That really goes a long way with your readers!
Typhoon said:
The 4 tips which you mentioned:
Respond To Comments: I have been doing that from many months and it seriously is a great way to keep readers keep coming and also they feel that they are important.
Email those who comment: Just few days back installed “Comment Relish” plugin to mail the new commentators and to make them a regular reader.
Comment on your reader’s blogs: Also doing this from many months and This month I am thinking to try my best to be in top commentators of at least 10 blogs.
Mention other blog’s in your posts: Have been doing this but little low but will look if I find it useful doing so.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Typhoon –> Comment relish is a great plugin but a better one is Thank Me Later. Essentially it does the same job as yours but it allows you to mail it later instead of instantly. This allows you to make the email look more authentic. If it arrives immediately after their comment then they know that it is instant but if it arrives later they think it is personal.
Top commenter on 10 blogs? That’s aggressive but it will definitely have its rewards. Good luck to you on that!
Typhoon said:
Ok It looks like Thank Me Later is much better from your opinion..I will install it now and uninstall the Comment Relish plugin and let’s see how it works..
Ya I am gonna try my best to be in top commentators of at least 10 blogs of my niche and yes It will be a huge benefit for me.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Typhoon –> I think that you’ll like that plugin much better. It makes the emails feel much more personal and authentic to receive them later rather than right away.
ZXT said:
Downloading thank me later…been looking for this for the past few days. Thanks for the mention.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
ZXT –> You’re welcome. Make sure you take some time and personalize the email.
Daniel A. said:
Thanks for the great tips!!! I have never thought about emailing people after they have commented on a post. I think after a while you would get tried of sending everyone an email, or just awnser in the quistion. I believe its sometimes good for commenter to awnser other commenters questions
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Daniel A. –> Yeah. It’s great to build the site into a community where everyone feels comfortable answering everyone else’ questions. Also for the email, use the “Thank me later” plugin. It automatically sends the email for you. Just make sure that you make it very personal and that you use your email address so that people can personally reply to you and you can use it as a means to connect with people.
Ruchi said:
Awesome tips…I take care of all. I send thank you mail to my readers for their comments and try to reply all my comments.But sometimes I find tough to reply on similar comments on same post.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ruchi –> Good. These tips will help you reach the top as a blogger. They’ve brought me great success!
Ron Boracay said:
If you encounter same comments or questions on the same blog post, then maybe, still try to answer them and then tell them or point them to your previous answer regarding their queries.
Mukund said:
Thanks to Nicholas! I love this article and I have bookmarked the same too! I never replied to all comments in my blog. More over, I never thanked them personally. But, I think I should change my attitude. I will definitely reply every blogger and adopt all the methods mentioned above. Once again, a wonderful article!!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> I think that you will notice a drastic improvement in the conversation and interaction at your site. Good luck while you implement these principles.
Reza Winandar said:
Make the comment to do follow is great ideas too! It will make the commenter feel comfortable because they got links and you got comments.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Reza Winandar –> Exactly. I might as well reward the people that jump in and help make the conversation great.
Klaus @ TechPatio said:
I love that “jedi” trick. It’s so simple, yet really powerful.
But sometimes it can also take a bit of b*lls to really say what you mean, like if you do it to somebody you’ve never said such things to before, even though both parties know how they feel toward eachothers (like co-workers that functions great together, not just work-wise).
ZXT said:
Check out How Full is your Bucket by Tom Wrath. It tells you how to give good comments to make people feel good about their lives.
Actually commenting is the first thing I’ve learn about blog interaction with fellow bloggers and its a win-win situation.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
ZXT –> I’ll have to look into that book. I’m always looking for ways to be more positive towards people.
Ron Boracay said:
Is that a book or a blog? Anyway, seems like a good read eh?
ZXT said:
It’s a book. Just Google the title and you can find online stores selling the book just to give you an idea. But it is probably available in your local bookstores.
Ron Boracay said:
Ok, googled it and googled some reviews regarding that book. Seems a good read.
Ron Boracay said:
Being able to respond to almost each and every questions and/or comments (just like what Nicholas do) are such a great way of saying “Thanks” to your readers.
I think, I can also give something valuable for my readers for Free in return to their appreciation and daily visits.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ron Boracay –> I love responding to comments. Generally speaking, there is a huge treasure chest full of wisdom in the comments section here. People have ideas and experiences that make the topics so much more valuable. I love reading them and interacting with each person.
Ron Boracay said:
Yes, and to be honest, you are the first blogger I encountered who tirelessly, comment and respond to almost all the comment.
Its tiring man! But I think, the word “tiring” is not on your dictionary.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ron Boracay –> Ha ha. It’s hard to reply to every comment but I love it. Connecting and talking with each of you is a joy. I learn from you and want you to be able to learn from me. That’s important to me.
Ron Boracay said:
Glad to hear that, I think, I must adapt the same thinking as yours. What fuels you to go all this way, I mean, sometimes, even though we are bloggers, we need a break.
Alas, I think, its the passion!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ron Boracay –> Sometimes I do feel like I need a break, but then I just take one. But honestly, I love the challenge of consistent writing. I love connecting with people. And I love helping others. It brings my satisfaction. It’s my passion.
Ron Boracay said:
Nicholas, you just don’t write. You write really well and your post are all awesome. I don’t know how long or how many hours it takes you to produce such great piece.
I wish I can write and do my own research as yo do.
akira07 said:
Also wanna know about how nicholas manage time. Because i think nicholas is so busy by him:
- Personal life
- Personal job in real life
- Writting article
- Respond all comment
- Do blogwalking etc….
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ron Boracay –> Some articles take me hours and some take me only a few minutes. It depends if I have to research for something or if I’m just expressing my professional thoughts on something.
Ron Boracay said:
Ah, I see. You are just a very talented blogger. I mean, no matter how broad or simple your topic is, you deliver it well and deliver your point clearly to your audience.
Pinaybackpacker said:
Wow, i’ve learned a lot today. Thank you very much for these tips Nicholas and for revealing the plug-in you use (thank-me-later).
Responding to each reader’s comment in a timely manner is something that I’m trying to work on these days. I have this habit of putting it off until I get around 3-4 comments and then respond to each one (by name) in just one comment box. I know it’s kinda weird…
I haven’t emailed anybody personally for commenting on my blog but I always try to be diligent in visiting my reader’s blogs – read through some past posts so I can get to know them better and then post comments on the articles that i really found interesting and useful for me.
I’ve encountered a few blogs that do not respond at all to their comments and it just kinda makes me feel really unwelcome. So, I try to avoid that in my blog as well.
Btw, I received your email yesterday and I didn’t even occur to me that it might have been an automated response. Kudos to you for that personal touch!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Pinaybackpacker –> I sit down and work on responding to comments a few minutes at a time as I get breaks at work throughout the day and then I usually get all caught up after I get home at night. It’s so worth it though. I love your feedback and I want to make sure that you know it.
I’m glad that you enjoyed the email as well. It’s definitely my goal to make it as personal as possible which can be hard to do. I hope that you feel that you are always welcome to email me and contact me if you ever have questions or ideas.
ZXT said:
I can see that you make it to a point to respond to each comment. That really makes your reader feel appreciated and not out of the loop.
But I also think that if you missed anyone, then its perfectly understandable as you are getting hundreds of comments a day.
Sat Chen said:
I don’t think Nicholas is ever going to miss anyone. Great Job, Nicholas commenting every comment, it makes you visitor feel appreciated, like me
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Sat Chen –> I’ve been missing a couple of them but I’m trying really hard to keep up.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
ZXT –> It is hard and now I’m only able to respond to about 80% or so but I try my hardest to connect with every person that I can. It’s very important to me.
Ron Boracay said:
I think yes, its understandable to miss a few of them, but, as what others say, it looks like Nicholas is responding to each of us. See how dedicated he is.
akira07 said:
Missing some comment is understandable, bethink him busy life (he’s not doing just blogging).
That’s why, we’re as reader should contribute something for this blog.
Promote it on your twitter, facebook, digg, etc…
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
akira07 –> Thanks for the help on that type of stuff. I am working a lot especially lately and I’m getting around 200 comments a day across the whole site so it’s very difficult to respond to everyone. I try to read them all but I can’t respond to everyone anymore.
Ron Boracay said:
And its a good thing you have so many daily commenters which sometimes, take care of replying of some questions that we, as a regular commenter, already know.
Ana said:
Nicholas,
Good post on rekindling the strength of human kindness in connection of acknowledgement. I think appreciation is one of the most valuable gestures between people, and that stems from our love for one another in this world and understanding of living together in one world.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ana –> That’s a great way to put that. That’s exactly what appreciation is.
akira07 said:
Haha i’m learning marketing. And i can say, the 4 ways to show appreciate at your site as “Relationship Management” in internet world.
Hopefully after we do all of 4 ways, the commentator/other bloger will do the same for our blog. And in marketing, it’s called by win-win solution
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
akira07 –> It really is a win win situation. That’s the absolute truth of it.
akira07 said:
Ups, one more things, bro. Can i called it as an investment? Because we’re hope the return by doing it. The return is just like get backlink, get WOM advertising, etc…
Ron Boracay said:
I think, in my opinion, don’t expect too much in return on everything you do for others. This not only applies on the blogging world, but also to our real and personal life.
akira07 said:
What is the reason? Do people angry/hate if we called their as investment tool
.
Yeah but type of human is different each other, there is a people who giving when their getting, but there is a people who do nothing even their get something.
Ron Boracay said:
Ok, I will try to understand you Akira but, what I am saying is, do good things to others but don’t expect that they will do the same thing to you. That is what I am trying to say. Unconditional love!
Arisu said:
Akira>>
Well, you need to invest a lot of time and money doing your blog before you can get some of that back
It´s the way the things work… just like people spends lots of time and money going to college, so they can have a great job to live out of.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> That’s exactly right. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of work to realize the rewards of our work.
Arisu said:
Let´s just say you can´t expect to do a master piece without the knowledge and the right materials.
But after a lot of learning, practicing and giving value to people´s lifes, people will be willing to give back.
ZXT said:
I definitely agree with investing moeny and specially time in your blog just to get some readers and little traffic.
For the domain and hosting it will cost something like $50 to $75 per year depending on which host you are going to.
but the big is the time investment. You will need at least 2 hours a day everyday to maintain a semi decent blog. And if you are a heavy commenter then you need a lot more time.
Arisu said:
ZXT>>
Well, at least when starting you´ll be spending a lot less time replying to comments and a lot more learning and looking for inspiration for creating great content.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> I’ve been finding lately that a lot of people are struggling with good ways to come up with topics and find things to write about. I’m glad that you mentioned that because I think that I’m going to put together a post about it.
ZXT said:
I must admit I am one of those people. Sometimes I find it hard to think of something of what to write next. I need something that will give me an idea on topics or at least a suggestion.
Looking forward to that post Nick.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
ZXT –> I’ll get one up real soon on that topic. I have several methods that work for me and I’ll be happy to share them with you.
Arisu said:
Nick>>
I´ll be waiting for that article ^^
Also, I don´t want to get out of ideas after a month of writing! That would suck 
I try my best to come up with fresh ideas for articles, but sometimes that squirrel in my head just doesn´t run
ZXT said:
I think what Ron trying to say was if you are going to do a good deed then just dont expect anything in return so you don’t get disappointed and treat any rewards just as a bonus.
Ron Boracay said:
Exactly! Thanks for the elaboration Zee!
Ryan said:
i have 2 questions that i’m sure you know the answer to, in fact i bet it’s on this site i just have not found it yet and im going nuts….
1. where can i find a widget for most popular posts or most commented posts. which i imagine is essentially the same thing. i have searched and searched today for one. finally found one, put it in and it’s not showing anything. so i assumed someone here could help.
2. i recently added adsense to my blog, and the ads are total crap. granted, my blog is pretty random since it is sort of a sarcastic social commentary. i want to be able to advertise either funny books, or movies, or travel… and it’s giving me oxi-clean and and camouflage…
please help. ive been trying to figure this out alone. and i am one step away from punching my computer in its face.
thank you in advance
ZXT said:
1. I use WordPress Popular Post – http://rauru.com/wordpress-popular-posts
2. Adsense will automatically put ads that resembles your content. If you put adsense before you put your contents then it will take a little while before adsense will show relevant ads. If you want to show ads about movies or travel then write something about movies or travel too.
HTH
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Ryan –> With the widget, I can’t help you because I don’t know much about blogger any more. But with the adsense, here’s my answer. Sign up for Amazon’s affiliate center and choose specific ads that have to do with what you want to list. If someone clicks through and buys something then you get a good commission.
ZXT said:
Nick thanks for mentioning amazon affiliates. I’ve been meaning so sign up. I will now.
Robin Ks said:
Hey Nicholas,
Love the great post, it simple shot and hits the spot. People should go back to there core more often and they’ll figure out that most solutions are closer then you think.
Keep up the good writing, then i’ll be reading for sure.
Greetz
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Robin Ks –> Thanks. People undervalue the simplest of concepts like showing appreciation to those around them. It really is important. I’ll be sure to keep up the writing, I hope to keep seeing you around.
Ellen said:
I don’t know if anyone has ever replied to my comments- I know I originally came for the Dell, but have become a reader now at both your blogs. Been RTing, so driving up the stats.
I’m actually learning things here.
I dont have Skype or anything so posting is my communication.