7 Tips to Sharing Highly Effective Comments
Comments are the life blood of a successful blog. They are the evidence of a thriving, robust online community.
Comments are great for you and your website, but there are a lot of principles that many bloggers fail to understand when sharing comments on other sites. If you forget about these concepts then it will basically result in your comments being nothing more than a complete waste of your time.
On the flip side, if you pay attention to these concepts, others will appreciate your participation in their conversations. They’ll be grateful for your input at their blogs. Most importantly they will value you and likely visit your site.
- Use a Real Name: You’re going to begin building your credibility throughout the internet as you present yourself as a real person with legitimate value to add to conversations. For more on this see Comments with Real Names Build Credibility.
- Use a Gravatar: Gravatar provides a unique service that allows you to associate an avatar with your email address. If you take 2 minutes to set this up then every time you leave a comment somewhere on a Gravatar enabled blog, your image will automatically appear as your avatar.
- Use Complete Sentences: You should be working to present yourself as an intelligent authority online and you’re not going to do that by throwing around incoherent pieces of jibberish. Unlike a real conversation, you actually have the opportunity to stop and proofread your responses before putting them out there. Do it.
- Minimize Web Slang: In a chat room, web slang seems like the standards but on blogs about serious topics web slang makes you look like a juvenile.
- Avoid self promotion: If it’s really, really on topic then it’s alright to make a mention of one of your articles in your comment. But if you mention a piece of your own content more than once for every 100 comments you leave then it’s probably too much.
- Stay on topic: If you need to get in touch with the blog owner about something unrelated to the post at hand then use the contact page. Don’t post an unrelated question on a post. It makes you look very unprofessional.
- Ask questions: One of the best ways to get people to engage with you and to respond to your comments is to invite them to do so. Ask questions of the author and of the other participants in the conversation.
Group Reflection
Here’s your end of class exam. Here’s your chance to practice what we’ve learned. Leave a comment and let’s see how well you’ve connected with these seven principles.
But while you’re at it why don’t you share some of your commenting experiences? Which principles did I leave off of the list? Which ones do you disagree with?
Eric B. said:
First! great post!!!!!
But seriously, many people unfortunately do not follow these rules enough.
Another thing to remember is to at least try to sound like you actually read the post. If you go to any of the huge blogs, you’ll notice that it’s obvious that the first few commenters didn’t even read the post. They just quickly type out some canned message in an attempt to get their link near the top.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Eric B. » That’s a good point. Too often people don’t sound like they took the time to read it and it simply looks like they are chasing backlinks. Great point.
Don Gilbert said:
While I enjoy being the first comment – I usually take the time to get the comment right before I hot publish. I remember recently here on SS101, I thought that I was going to get first comment on a the post – but by the time I got done reviewing my response and submitting it, someone else had already snagged first comment! MAN! (But I’m over it now. lol)
But honestly – I see WAY to many spammers out there. That is why I am thankful for plugins like Akismet.
@Nick – In your recent interview over at Not a Pro Blog, you went over some other areas of commenting and not appearing as a spammer – would you care to rehash them here?
Thanks.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Don Gilbert » I don’t remember what they were right off the top of my head but I would encourage everyone to follow the link that you posted and to check out that interview.
Dana @ Blogging Update said:
I think stay in topic is the base key for commenting. Your comment will be not deleted even it bad one as long as related to the topic.
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Eric said:
Nick,
Nice work on this one.
I think I can come up with a few things you forget to mention about what to leave in your comments.
First you should be you. Don’t just leave something a robot would say. Show your personality a bit as you are presenting yourself for the first time every time you comment on a new blog. Let the you inside come out to those who may actually decide to click on your name and visit your blog.
Second is something I always strive to do which is mention something about the article I’ve read. You’d think this is common sense but a lot of times readers will talk about their opinion of what they read but will not comment directly on an exact point you made. I think this paragraph does just what I’m talking about I strive for.
Speaking in public is very different than talking to someone through their blog. There’s a rule to every game – blogging included.
Awesome post Nick!
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Eric » Those are both great additions to the discussion. I guess I take it for granted that people would be themselves but I think that you are definitely correct for bringing it up. People really do forget about that.
Derek Jensen said:
In being you. I would also say that a quality comment is one that connects with people within the comment discussion. Comments are a great way to build relationships and show that you are there to help the discussion along.
Meggin said:
Great post, Nick. I agree with what Eric said too. It’s so important to mention what you’re responding to in the post, not just your story. It just makes the dialogue more comprehensive and interesting!
I need an icon to look at. Even if it’s a logo, or a symbol, and not someone’s mug shot. I am off-put when I see just a twitter bird, for instance. I want to know who I’m talking with.
Make No Money Online said:
Really good. Was like totally OMG. Must RT ! Just like what I always say.?
You guys ready for the new season of Lost?
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Shane said:
Well played, Jordan. I would not have accepted anything less from you.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Shane » Yeah. Me too. When I saw his comment I was immediately laughing. I guess that’s what you get from a stand up comedian.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Make No Money Online » Ha ha.
Antti Kokkonen said:
Good tips Nick, you pretty much covered it with those 7. I am guilty for throwing plenty of jargon and geek-speak to my comments, but I’m working on it…
I’m a big fan of using real names on blog comments and take a notice of people who do the same (and pretty much ignore those who use their business or website name, let alone try to throw keywords in their “name”) – Like who is this “not a pro blog” guy there?
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Antti Kokkonen » That real name issue is really one of my pet peeves. When people don’t use their real name, I feel like I’m being contacted by the person’s website or something.
Stefan said:
I believe you cover most of them. The only thing I can think of, besides yours, is to get back to your old comments and make sure you answer the blog owners questions.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Stefan » Ahh. That’s actually a really good point. I hadn’t even thought of that one but it is a terrific idea.
Lee Ka Hoong said:
I almost implement all the points that you listed above. I believe that sticking your comment to the blog post topic then it would fine, at least your comment will not be deleted at the first place. Then slowly you can implement other elements.
Cheers,
Lee
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FJ's Fitness Blog said:
-Minimize Web Slang
Sh*t… I guess it’s too late for that one.
Btw Nicholas, have you split tested this whole commenting business between different names?
Let’s say you keep the quality of your comments the same, yet for a while you use “Nicholas” then at other times you use “Nicholas – SiteSketch” or whatever… whats the difference in your traffic?
Obviously were not expecting a gigantic turnaround here but it’d be a neat lil test.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
FJ’s Fitness Blog » I haven’t split tested it but I’ve been hearing and reading a lot of feedback from a number of people who are turned off by it. And if one method pleases 100% of people and the other method please only 60% of people then why not just stick to the better of two methods?
Ruth - Web Career Girl said:
I especially like the point about not promoting yourself. Even if someone leaves a nice comment on my blog, if they say something like ‘please check out my blog here: link.com’ then it annoys me a little (if I don’t know them). I will generally visit their blog anyway, especially if they had left a nice thoughtful comment.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Ruth – Web Career Girl » Self promotion can really come across as very tacky and it’s usually only practiced by those who are scraping the bottom of the barrel to get people to come visit their website because the content and design of their website doesn’t attract people on it’s own.
Seth W said:
Leaving comments is important. If I read an article or post I always try to leave a thoughtful comment. It does not always happen, but I definitely try!
About leaving good comments – There is a bad habit to either go too positive or too negative in commenting to try to stand out from the crowd.
You know the “This is an Awesome Post! Best Ever!” or the “I completely disagree with you about everything you have ever said since you were born”.
Leaving insightful comments is really about breaking down what you want to tell them and not what you think they want to hear or will get you attention. If you disagree that is fine, but do it in a civil manner. If you like it, tell me why.
Good comments are hard to come by but I am sure that if we focus on being readers more than on being bloggers when we read others blogs then our comments will drastically improve.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Seth W » That’s a good insight and the truth is that I often see people doing exactly what you’re saying they shouldn’t do. You’re last paragraph in that comment is pretty powerful. If we would focus on just being readers. Wow. Too often people are simply trying to promote themselves and not trying to actually be a part of the conversation. Very good points… and a great comment.
Shane said:
Nice post, Nicholas!
Have you been getting good “results” from asking questions in comments? I do that quite often, but I find that on quite a few blogs, the questions never get answered.
I’m wondering if it could have something to do with the way I ask questions?
Cheers,
Shane
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Shane » I can’t stand visiting blogs where the author doesn’t respond and answer questions. I may miss a few here at Site Sketch 101 but I probably answer 95% of comments on this site. A case in point is your comment right here. I’m answering it and I see nothing wrong with the way that you’re asking it. In fact, the way you asked it makes me want to answer it.
All I can say is that you should stop hanging out at those loser’s sites that don’t respond to you and you should just hang out here with me. LOL
Shane said:
Well, I don’t find it too bad. What’s really weird to me is when someone advocates interaction and socializing with your readers etc. and then they don’t answer direct questions in their comments…
Even worse, I got a mail a while back, from someone who’s list I had subscribed to. The premise of the mail was basically “what can I do for you” and “it’s awesome that you’re on my list, I want to get in touch with you”, but then I never got a response to two mails I wrote back…
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Thomas Levin said:
Should we really be teaching bloggers how to comment? Surely we all by now know the game. If I comment on your site you have to return the favour and pop down to my site to comment, boast the numbers and all that! Even though I write about Football Manager and I bet none of you have heard about that Niche.
But on a serious note, its alot of common sense, you want to show that you can add value to a discussion and as such gain authority and brand equity. This and building relationships with other communities will begin an organic growth and you will start to attract people to want to follow what you are saying a little more and that obviously where they will find your blog! Add value to everything you, add value to your brand!
Brandon Cox said:
You are totally on target here. I get a dozen a day comments from someone named “insurance rates fl” and so forth, who apparently doesn’t understand the personal nature of my blog posts.
Keith said:
Another great article, I love to comment (sometimes more than I write!) so I generally feel my comments are value added content to the article.
Never forget that your comments left on sites will be there forever unless the site shuts down!
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Deepika said:
Nice post Nick.. I think commenting on other blog is very good and effective method for blog promotion.
But we have to submit a valuable comment. We should not spam it.
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Davor Gasparevic @ Internet marketing ebooks said:
1. When I first started commenting a month or 2 ago, I used to put only the keyword phrase. Some blogger warned me about this, and although I was leaving genuine comments, I realized how naming yourself “Internet marketing ebooks blog” is not a good practice.
) to look more natural and fit in the discussion, however when you talk about serious stuff, you should write in a proper manner.
2. I set it up just about a week ago, now I see my picture all over the place, I really don’t understand why I didn’t do it sooner.
3. Hmmm, I sometimes tend to write in a “…” and “etc” manner, leaving sentences unfinished. Good point, when you make a solid sentence you are expressing your opinion and knowledge, and when you leave things untold you seem like doubting in yourself and not knowing what to say.
4. I think I don’t use slang. It’s just like when you approach the market, you have to speak their “lingo” (here’s the piece of intentional slang
5.I think the biggest self promotion you can make is to leave a comment that is at both on topic and somehow expands and widens the post topic. And of course, lot of blogs have this “last blog post” ability, so there is actually no need.
6. I think I do
7. I asked a question right here on this blog, remember. And while it wasn’t totally on-topic, it was after the on-topic part of the comment, so I guess it was fine that way too?
(I asked about my new blog design on a topic about cool wordpress templates)
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Karl Foxley said:
I’ve decided that if all I can say is ‘great post’ or ‘thanks’ then I’m going to show my appreciation another way instead by sharing it across my social networks; after all, if the post really was a ‘great post’, my followers and social connections would appreciate reading it to.
I really like people who comment on my site to have a Gravatar just so I can start to build a level of familiarity with the commenter. This comes into its own when you know that someone always leaves valuable comments across the blogs that they read. You are more likely to scroll through the comments and stop when you see their ‘familiar’ Gravatar and take the time to see what they are adding to the conversation.
Regards,
Karl
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Glen said:
Personally I often don’t comment on things I’ve read because I don’t feel like I can add to the conversation.
My comment regarding this post relates to point #3 where you say “you actually have the opportunity to stop and proofread your responses before putting them out there”.
I agree with the statement but it made me wonder why your comments don’t have an edit button.
My site does and I have seen it on some other sites. I actually used it on one site today to correct a spelling error I had made.
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Ron Leyba said:
That is a great suggestion Glen. I think Nick already considered that and just waiting for the right time to implement it. Having an edit button on our comments for a period of, lets say, 60 seconds can give us time to correct what we have said.
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element321 said:
Hi Nicholas,
Great post, when I started actively posted comments, I never knew what to say. I started reading what others had to say and I saw some of the more experienced posters following your advice. Thanks for explanation of why a we should follow these tips.
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Kok Siong Chen said:
Thanks for sharing! I am implementing the points that you have listed out above. But sometimes i just cannot express myself correctly while commenting because of my poor English. Is it a big problem?
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Ron Leyba said:
About the correct grammar and language, it can be practiced and it can be learned. But the commenting ethics or value, its a must, even if its your first time commenting or in the blogging world.
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mk akan said:
very true..commenting builds relationships so having a real picture as gravatar and a real name is very logical.many people still don’t do this.great tips..
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Nicholas Cardot said:
mk akan » It is logical. It’s the closest thing that we can get to having a face to face conversation with someone.
Shamim said:
I totally agree with you that…gravat is the better way to become familiar with blog authorities and with the other readers quickly.
Your post will remind me some great things whenever i will go through on any comment.
Thanks
Mel Melhado said:
It is a great experience to read a post and interact with the other commenters. By commenting and interacting one learns a lot, I love visiting blogs and commenting.