Apart from crafting blog posts, commenting comes second nature to a blogger. Whether you’re a blogging super-power, or an anxious newborn - you’ve probably commented on other blogs in one shape or form.
Commenting in today’s online world has become painlessly simple in many cases. Registering usually isn’t required, and only a few lines of validation (e.g. name, email, website url) are needed in order to input your thoughts via comments.
As in all aspects of life - ease of use generally leads to complacency and overconfidence.
Proceed With Caution
When posting a comment - take the time to read over the text you’re about to post; as it can either make or break your brand & name for others in the future. Is the comment courteous? Am I flaming? Will I regret what I’ve said here, tomorrow? These, and many other questions should be taken into consideration before tapping submit button.
It should also be noted that spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be covered in your comment. There’s no need for choppy, hacked out thoughts. Sadly, this only degrades your image.
After posting a comment, please note that it might be difficult to have it removed if you find the information you posted isn’t to your liking. Maybe you chose the wrong words, the comment was irrelevant, or any other random reason.
In the event that you do want a comment removed - contact the blog owner; and kindly request removal of your comment. For some busy bloggers - this might take some time. The takeaway? Be careful what you post.
Constructing Your Comments
Along with the attention to comment courtesy and relevance - there are certain aspects in writing a comment that really help to make your thoughts stand out amongst the busy blogging crowd.
If you really want to get yourself noticed, take time to craft a unique, helpful comment.
Comments should be designed in order to add information to the post at hand, while supplementing your own thoughts - in a kind manner.
In my own opinion, extra links pointing to your own blogs should never be added to your comment. Many blogs today already give the option of linking your name to your blog. How much more should you ask for?
Over time you’ll notice people will notice your comments, which will in turn help to propagate your brand - and attract more visitors through your thoughtful, informative thoughts.
Commenting Checklist
Before posting any comment - it may me helpful to run through the following checklist; in order to generate superior thoughts.
- Am I being courteous enough towards the author or post at hand?
- Have I checked the comment’s grammar, spelling, and punctuation?
- Did I spam my comment with links? Does the comment look like spam?
- Is my comment helpful? (Please note that your comments don’t always have to be novels. Simple sentences are appropriate, and a “Great Post!” comment is always appreciated here and there.)
Have Fun!
Comments are meant to generate a sense of community in all blogs; so above all else - have fun!
Remembering to “tighten” up your comments will only help to increase the returns and benefits you’ll receive by becoming a knowledgeable, trusted source in your specified niche.
Remember, the more time you put into your comments - the more you’ll receive from others.
Share with us your commenting tips! Be sure to run through the checklist before posting. ;-)
- Tags: blogger, blogs, commenting, comments, posts
3 Responses to “Creating Comments Cautiously”
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About Smart Boy Designs
Smart Boy Designs is owned and operated by Christian Hollingsworth (aka Smart Boy) - a web/graphic designer, and internet marketing consultant. Christian is currently based out of Northern California.
This blog was produced in an effort to share Christian's passion for design - with the online world.
Read more here.
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dotlizard
August 29th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I agree with everything wholeheartedly but one thing - the ‘great post’ comment. Two reasons: first, because there are so many spam bots that use a similar tactic (short comment, praising the site or the post) as a kind of social engineering so that they may drop a spam link in the URL field. It’s easy to overlook these small, innocuous spams as opposed to the horrid multi-link blasts, that’s why the bots do it. Second, it has always struck me as a little bit spammy on the commenter’s part when it’s a short, effortless, generic compliment - I wonder if they are just skipping down their linklist, leaving comments as a way to get traffic. In my opinion, a good complimentary comment should give some indication that the commenter has actually read the post.
My advice would be to make the effort to craft a thoughtful comment that directly addresses something in the post. If you don’t have anything to add to the discussion in general but want to encourage the blogger, for instance in this case if I hadn’t had this to add, I might have said something like, “I always enjoy your posts, they are well thought out and clearly written. Thank you for taking the time to put this together, I think everyone who blogs and comments can benefit from this advice.”
Smart Boy
August 29th, 2008 at 12:08 am
dotlizard, excellent example of a fantastic post. :-)
I agree with your comments regarding simple, too-close-to-spam comments. In many cases these comments are just looking for a link back to their own site; and can become quite obtrusive to the discussions following posts.
Thank you, once again, for the excellent comment.
kikeaccessy
December 19th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Qualitative resource