Blog commenting has been on my mind often over the past couple of weeks.
In an effort to understand the world of commenting in greater depth, I decided to let other bloggers help me out.
In this three part series you’ll see the three following questions answered by many well-known bloggers.
- How much time do you spend commenting on blogs?
- What makes a great comment?
- Why do you comment?
I feel like these three questions identify important aspects of blog commenting and help us to better understand commenting improvement, time-dedication and importance.
Today the first question will be answered.
How much time do you spend commenting on blogs?
Stay tuned for the other blog posts. Thank you to all those who responded with their answers. Without further delay; here are their answers.
JD Meier of Sources of Insight
I time-box it to 20 minutes max.
Marko Saric of How To Make My Blog
I don’t spend much time anymore as my blog is well established.
In the early days I used to spend quiet a lot of time commenting on other blogs as it was the main source of traffic back when I started my blog.
Chelsea Thomas of The Social Marketing Project
I can’t really put a time frame on the amount of time spent commenting on blogs. I do try to comment at least twice a week. I’m guesstimating that I spend about 40 to 60 minutes reading and commenting during those days.
I may have a free hour during the day and I’ll try to dedicate that time to blog surfing and commenting. Other times I may have a free 15 minutes to myself where I’ll try to make a round or two at a few blogs. Sometimes that is only enough time to read but I end up coming back to comment later.
Ayngelina Brogan of Bacon is Magic
It really depends on the day and what is in my Google Reader. Most days it’s only 20 minutes or so but some days there are so many good posts it is easily over an hour.
Benny Hsu of Get Busy Living
I spend as much time as I can commenting. Before I was trying to comment on as many as I could but I find it takes away from working on other projects.
I wish I was a super speed reader so I could read more and comment more! But I do spend time commenting but only on blogs and posts I really enjoy.
David Siteman Garland of The Rise To The Top
Less time now. When I first got going I’d spend at least 1-2 hours a day doing it, but now it is much less.
Justin Germino of Dragon Blogger
Not enough, I only spend about 15 minutes average per day commenting on other blogs, I would like to spend at least an hour or 1/2 hour per day.
Srinivas Rao of The Skool of Life
I probably spend about 45 minutes to an hour day on it.
Patricia Millman of Lavender Uses
When I started blogging seriously in June 2010 I spent a great deal of time commenting on blogs. Probably several hours a day. However, lately I have spent less time as I build my business and concentrate on other aspects of blogging/marketing.
Probably no more than an hour on some days and less on other days. Depending on what other tasks need doing and also what blog posts are being published. I am more selective now as some of the blogs I previously visited are not relelvant to where I am at on my journey.
Annie Andre of Adventurous Living
When I first started blogging (seriously) two whopping months ago, I spent about 4 hours a day commenting the first 3 weeks. This includes reading time. I cast a wide net and now the commenting has narrowed a bit.
I spend about one hour a day commenting in the morning. And then if I feel up to it, I ‘ll spend another hour in the evening commenting. Again, this includes reading time. If I don’t put a limit, I can actually go for much longer, but that doesn’t leave any time for me to run my sleeping mask business.
Michael Powers of Mind of Michael
I’ve actually just recently started commenting on other peoples blogs thanks to your suggestion. I now spend probably about 10 minutes a day doing it.
I try not to go overboard with commenting but it helps to read other peoples blogs and learn from them and then leave them a nice comment afterwards. It also helps me get some traffic and connect with people in my field.
Aaron Klein of Aaron Klein
I try to spend 10-15 minutes every morning reading and commenting on blogs. Most of that time is spent in two categories: blogs of friends, and blogs in the tech startup world that I work in.
Vitaly Tennant of My Time Matters Blog
The time varies, but I try and make it a daily habit anywhere between 2 to 7 comments. Obviously the more the merrier. I often use google and other search engines to look for answers to my questions or things that interest me, and most of my answers and thought patterns are found in other people’s blogs.
Back in the day I used to read a bunch of info, get what I wanted, and leave … without showing any recognition, but at the same time not seeing the benefits. Without going into all the pros of commenting to build backlinks, seo presence, etc.; it’s a great way to build relationships with like minded individuals.
Antonio Coleman of Traffic Coleman
I spend 1 1/2 hrs each day commenting on blogs that have the readers that will be interested in my content. I mainly do this between 8am to 9:30am which is the time most bloggers to have thier content posted.
Plus I’m commenting on about 60th blogs or less on any given day which is the best if you really want to see a big effect of commenting.
Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook
I spend 9-12 hours a week visiting and commenting on blogs. Whenever I receive comments from my fellow bloggers, I always visit them and read their blogs before leaving a comment. Also, I subscribe to my favorite blogs or become their Facebook fan so whenever I see a new update, I go there to visit their post.
Commenting does requires some extra time, but it’s always nice for me to receive a comment or feedback from my readers, so I’d like to do the same for others.
Marlee Ward of Metamorphoself
It depends on my workload. Typically, I comment on blogs about 2-4 hours per week, but sometimes that’s in the course of two days. It just depends on what’s cooking.
Janet Callaway of The Natural Networker
It probably averages out to 1 to 1-1/2 hours/day.
Riley Harrison of Getting Unstuck
One hour a day.
Daniel Wood of Looking To Business
I do not spend a specific amount of time, instead I make 20 quality comments every day. That way I have a reason to work efficiently and get as much done as possible.
Frank Jennings of A Spark Starts
I spend about 3 hrs a day commenting on other blogs. Most of that time is used reading the post thoroughly enough to hopefully add value to the conversation.
Lance Ekum of The Jungle of Life
Blog commenting varies depending upon my other activities. That said, I have a core group of people who I visit whenever they post, and joining the conversation feels very much like talking to an old friend.
Other sites, I comment based upon what I have that can add to the conversation.
Adrienne Smith of AdrienneSmith.net
Usually around an hour a day, maybe a little more depending on how long the posts are. I take my time reading the entire post and I’m no speed reader. I visit five blogs a day, sometimes a few more, so that I don’t overwhelm myself.
If I could do nothing but visit blogs all day long, I’d be in heaven but I do have a business to run.
Tyler Cruz of TylerCruz.com
Zero, other than the occasional comment once or twice a month, but I definitely don’t to purposely go out and comment on other blogs.
Tristan Higbee of Blogging Bookshelf
I currently don’t spend very much time commenting on blogs. When my blog was newer, I commented for 2-3 hours every day.
Now that I’m focusing more on product development, I comment on only a couple blogs a day. I’ll be ramping up my commenting efforts again pretty soon, though.
Eric Gati of My 4 Hour Workweek
Lately, due to an overall lack of free time, I don’t comment nearly as much as I used to.
I used to spend at least 15-20 minutes per day commenting on other blogs (not including the time it takes to read posts). That allowed me to comment on most blogs that I read.
Alex Whalley of AlexWhalley.com
Too long. In the beginning maybe 50% of my time was dedicated to blog commenting (up to 20 hours per week) Now its maybe 10%. But I still devote a few hours a week to it.
John Paul Aguiar of Money Dummy
I used to spent 2-3 hrs a day commenting on blogs when I first started. It got me a lot of traffic and attention, but took way to much of my time. Writing quality comments takes time and to do that on a big scale isn’t time well spent.
Elise of Elise’s Review
Unfortunately, not as much time as I used to. I used to spend at least a good 6 hours a week or more commenting on blogs, but I’ve struggled to keep up with it, especially now that my schedule has changed after graduating school.
I plan on making the goal of spending at least 2 or 3 hours per week commenting soon again.
Christian Hollingsworth of Smart Boy Designs
I comment in the morning for an hour. I hop onto Google Reader (which tracks around one hundred blogs I adore) and see what’s new for the day.
At night I’ll often come back and reply to comments posted throughout the day.
Your Turn…
So, I pose the same question for those of you who are reading.
How much time do you spend commenting on blogs? Is there an optimum time?
*Bloggers were listed in order of response.
Related Posts:
- Spend 3 Hours Per Day On the Computer
- Spring Cleaning For Blogs – Building My Blogroll & DoFollow
- Creating Comments Cautiously
- YouDoFollow.com – The Ultimate Directory of DoFollow Blogs
- Why You Should Never Delete Your Blogger Blogs
Loading ...
"You’re such a smart boy!" were his first accolades heard. So, it’s no wonder that this phrase became the title of his business, Smart Boy Designs.
Read more about Christian 
{ 100 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for adding me! Everyone has a different approach. I do like to comment on blogs, especially if they’ve left a comment on mine. It’s something I could spend too much time doing if I have other stuff going on. And I’ll be more likely to comment on a blog if I see the blog owner responding to the comments.
Benny recently posted..Why a Couch Potato Will Stay a Couch Potato without a Kick in the Butt
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:25 am
You’re sure welcome Benny. Thanks for being the first person to COMMENT over here.
That’s often how I’ll find new blogs. Comments. Someone will comment on something over here at Smart Boy Designs, and then I’ll head over to their blog to reciprocate. It’s a great way to build that great connection through commenting.
Twitter: dlysen
June 2, 2011 at 12:22 am
Hi Benny and Christian, I don’t know that blog commenting is important on the first year my blog. When I knew it can increase my reader and traffic I try to communicate. Usually I contribute to the topic and It takes 10 – 15 minutes to juice up my common sense about the topic and share. I try to visit two to five blog to learn more.
In my blog, I can’t reply to much when the comment is really out of topic and sometimes I got boring but happy to give a short reply like Thank You.
dlysen recently posted..Why web developers are having a hard times on web design
Christian,
Thanks for writing this post. It was was really interesting. I have often wondered how much others comment on blogs. I think it’s really important to comment on blogs. It shows your support in others and it creates a sense of community.
p.s.
Great Job on your Vlog. I am inspired to create my own.
Annie Andre recently posted..Do You Bore Everyone- 10 Steps To Become A Boring Person and Live A Dull Life
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:27 am
Really excited to check out your vlog Annie. I’m sure it will be something exciting, filled with action & adventure, and inspiring in the process! Keep an eye out – as you should see a few more coming out in the next couple of weeks.
Twitter: Faryna
May 25, 2011 at 5:35 am
Whether your blog is popular or noobly, I believe that the question to be asked is… are you a member of the community or not. If you are a community member, you should be reading and quality commenting on at least 3 blogs per day (holidays and weekends should be optional) with some emphasis on new bloggers.
That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong if you are just being an author and not going out there to build and sustain a community. It just means that community is not your thang. And it shows. But that’s ok too.
Stan Faryna recently posted..Book of Carrot- Chapter 22 by Stan Faryna
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:28 am
With the transparency of blogging, it certainly would show. It’s easy for us, who are involved in the community, to identify what bloggers don’t take the time to comment – and as you mention, it leads us to believe it’s just not their “thang.”
I wonder how many people are employed during election years to do blog commenting for political campaigns? I’m sure there are a whole lot!
Twitter: lance02
May 25, 2011 at 5:47 am
Christian,
Very interesting and enlightening to read how others are doing this, and how it has evolved over time. That’s something I can relate to, also – how blog commenting used to be a much bigger part of my day and now it has shifted to a smaller time chunk (although that time chunk is very meaningful).
Lance recently posted..Why Do You Ride
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:29 am
Something that I’ve seemed to notice is that many have spent a larger amount of time commenting in the beginning, and have tapered off in order to focus on building content. That seems to be the theme.
Thanks for adding me to this post Christian.
Blog commenting is important.. but I think many bloggers put to much focus on it and lose focus on what the comments are for.. Adding to the Conversation.
A lot of great view points from some great bloggers.. nice to see what other people think.
John Paul recently posted..Video Boss All New and Bossier
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:31 am
I think that’s where the next two questions are going to be handy. Why do you comment, and what makes a great comment. There’s just too many ways to comment – and some don’t understand what the goal is. Exactly what you’ve identified. Adding to the conversation!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 25, 2011 at 7:06 am
Hey Christian,
I appreciate you including me among your list of well known bloggers. I’m totally honored to be among this group. It’s great to read how others answered this question and what their days consist of when it comes to commenting on other blogs. See, everyone started doing it a LONG time in the beginning.
Thanks again and great job Christian.
Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..5 Simple Ways to Connect With Other Bloggers
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:31 am
You’re welcome Adrienne. I’m always amazed at how quickly your blog posts are commented on. You’re really involved in supporting others – and I think it shows in the response you receive from things YOU post.
Twitter: vitalyvt
May 25, 2011 at 7:12 am
Christian, thanks for sharing this insight on how others go about commenting, cool stuff! And thank you for adding me to the list.
Vitaly Tennant recently posted..Attracting the Best Apartment for You
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:33 am
No problem. Thank you for adding to the conversation and sharing your thoughts!
Great post,
I have to say my blog commenting has been distinctly lacking of recent months due to my focusing on other parts of my business rather than my blog!
I will however be ramping up my commenting in the next few weeks as I enjoyed it so much before and I was getting a nice community of bloggers checking out my blog as well!
I’m now looking forward to getting back into blog commenting on a daily basis, so look out for me coming back
Thanks again for a great post
Simon
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:49 am
Well I’m sure excited for you to get back in the conversation. Thanks for stopping by – and I’ll chat with you often I’m sure!
Great to have you here. I just subscribed to your blog. By the way, the RSS feed on the social slider on the right doesn’t match up to your Feedburner URL. Just a friendly notice.
Hi Christian,
I never “spend” time commenting, I invest and share a conversation and this is the best
Yael Rozencwajg recently posted..Cuisine & Confidences From the Real Time Space
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:50 am
Well you’ve done so in a way that I’m enticed to visit your blog – and sign up for your feed. Welcome.
What a honor ! Thanks so much Christian !! Now I’ll have the occasion to share more
I’m still learning about the importance of commenting. It’s interesting to see that it is such a priority for many bloggers, especially new ones. Thanks for this post.
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:51 am
It sure is. It’s a fast-track ticket towards connecting with other bloggers quickly. Not much contends.
Thanks for stopping by. Just checked your blog and will be back often. You should think about setting up a Gravatar for your comments. I bet people would love that!
Hey Christian!
Thanks for including me in this post with a bunch of other great and well established bloggers!
I’ve often wondered how much time other bloggers spend commenting, this post cleared that right up for me. All of us are really busy, so it’s nice to know when people find the time to take care of comments and how long the spend doing this.
Looking forward to the answering of the 2nd & 3rd question!
Chelsea Thomas recently posted..What’s That Sign Mean
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:52 am
That’s a great point Chelsea. Bloggers, although very busy, take a lot of time out of their day to share their thoughts, feelings and comments with others.
I think that shows the generosity of the blogging community on a whole.
Hey Christian -
Thanks for including me. I’ve retweeted your message! Great post. Lots of quality content you added here! I think I need to step it up a big with my blog commenting. Maybe go from at least 10 minutes a day to 30 minutes (if I can find time). It appears that new beginning to start out blogs needs a lot more attention from other bloggers.
I’ll keep it up. Thanks for all the different suggestions from other bloggers on how much time should be spent on commenting!
Michael recently posted..8th Edition Blog Carnival
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:54 am
And think already, with your added focus on commenting, you’re being rewarded. The discussion is already starting to blossom over at your blog.
Hi Christian,
I use to comment on blogs everyday, but now, I have a schedule and I only comment on blogs on my free days that I do not post on my blog. And sometimes, I comment on blogs at night, but I try to do most of my commenting during the day.
During the earlier days of my blog, I commented like crazy on other blogs, but I never really saw any benefit from doing that. These days, I coast along and whenever I check my google reader and find something that I feel I can contribute and comment on, then I do so.
I don’t comment nearly as much as I use too. But the funny thing is, I get more traffic now than I did, when I was commenting all over the place. I’m learning to use my time wisely.
Take care,
Evelyn
Evelyn Parham recently posted..Ten Tips to Help You Keep Off the Weight
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:55 am
Maybe the universe is rewarding you? Maybe you’re increasing that focus, which brings success?
They say that all top CEO’s and business people have one common quality. Intense focus. Not multitasking. They have this ability to focus on one item at a time, knock it out, and get back to work.
I’m sure you have that, and that’s probably why you’ve seen an increase in traffic and success on your blog.
Twitter: lavenderuses
May 25, 2011 at 7:53 am
Hi Christian
Interesting to see what other bloggers do with their time. And to see some familiar faces amongst the contributors too. I think most of us start off spending so much time commenting and then realise if our blog is a platform for our business, we also have to work on other aspects of our business. I know for me it is a lot less time now and some days I’m not commenting at all.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia recently posted..Is This Lavender Pill Hard to Swallow
Hi, Christian. It’s my first time at your blog. I kinda stumbled upon your site from Google. Imagine my surprise when I saw some familiar faces I’ve been building relationships with.
I’ve been commenting on blogs now for a few months. Sometimes I spend 2-3 hours per day commenting. Other times, I spend only a couple of hours per week. It depends on my schedule. I’m working on making it a part of my daily routine, however… Maybe commenting an hour or so each day.
I like your post by the way. It’s interesting to see how much time others are spending leaving comments.
Allyson Stewart recently posted..Changing the Font Color of Hyperlink Text in a PowerPoint 2010 Document
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:57 am
Well thanks for adding your thoughts Allyson. Really appreciate it. Just visited your blog, and I should be involved in the discussion during the next few weeks. Got all subscribed and ready to read!
Keep up the hard work. Your blog will find its niche and community with all that effort you’re putting into commenting.
Oh, thanks so much, Christian! Sorry, I’m just stopping back by and just read your response. I really appreciate it! You’re too kind!
Allyson Stewart recently posted..Changing the Font Color of Hyperlink Text in a PowerPoint 2010 Document
Allyson! Just responded to your two comments on my blog. Thanks! You should come to SmartBoyDesigns more often. Great stuff here and Christian is a great person as well!
Thanks, Benny! I pretty much stumbled upon this site. Looks like a great place. I’ll be heading your way soon.
Allyson Stewart recently posted..Changing the Font Color of Hyperlink Text in a PowerPoint 2010 Document
Twitter: wonderoftech
June 7, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I’m like Allyson (I’m glad it’s not just me). I have favorite blogs that I visit so I can learn from them. I comment to add to the conversation and perhaps enrich the reader’s experience? I really enjoy the experience and the interaction so I try to do it as much as I can. Great topic, Christian!
Carolyn recently posted..WWDC- A Slice of Apple’s Future
Christian these are many of the top bloggers on who are making big moves on online. It’s wonderful to see how we all have came to this point because of the undulation of blog commenting.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
TrafficColeman recently posted..Meet The Super Black Seo Guy In 3D
Christian,
Man that was really valuable info. I thought I was the only person who spent way to much time commenting. I was surprised to learn there are tons of people who are much worse than I am. lol! Thanks for providing these great resource of opinion and information. Back to commenting!
Good summary of results and you can see a commonality as people tend to frequently comment when their blogs are small and they want to rapidly expand their network, but scale back as their sites grow bigger and it takes more time to moderate comments, create content for their own site which crowds out time to comment on others sites.
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 9:58 am
I think naturally, too, as your blog gets bigger the discussion takes care of itself. People will hopefully start responding and replying to one another – and carry the conversation further.
I would like to spend no more than 1 hour per day reading and commenting on blogs.
But I’m not a speed-reader, and I am easily distractable. This is not a good combination. ; )
Right now, I probably spend anywhere from 45-60 minutes reading blogs, and 30-60 minutes commenting. If I could trim down a little in both, I would be well pleased.
It’s encouraging to see that others spent more time reading/commenting when they were newbies (like me!) but have been able to shorten their times and devote that attention to other pursuits.
For one thing, I shall soon need that extra time for noveling. Reading/commenting on blogs is valuable, but I’m not going to let it get in the way of my creative writing. : )
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 11:13 am
That’s a great point Courtney. You don’t want to comment so much to the point where you’re forgetting your other responsibilities and producing the things that are meriting comments in the first place. That would be a quick recipe to quickly have no comments to respond to!
…and we sure wouldn’t want that!
Chris, you’re so right — we definitely wouldn’t want that!
On the other hand, life has happened, and I’ve now gone about three weeks without commenting on very many blogs at all. The result is that I feel overwhelmed and frustrated and out-of-the-loop — and my own blog is feeling a bit unloved. Thankfully, today I’m in possession of a few unexpected free hours, so I’m using them for a little bit of catching-up.
As always, striving for balance — or at least for discernment of true priorities. : )
Courtney Cantrell recently posted..3 Lessons from Jury Duty
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 15, 2011 at 8:41 am
Those are difficult times. I’ve felt like that lately too. I’ve had an increase in comments, so it’s been difficult to find the time to give back to those comments – and get the discussion going. I want so much to be able to give a whole lot to each person who’s taken time out of their day to comment here. I just really appreciate them!
Yes, I know what you mean! I just now had the thought that I really should take the word “later” out of my mental vocabulary. As in, I should never let myself think, “Oh, I’ll do that later.”
One, in that context, “later” probably means “never.” Two, there’s no guarantee I’ll even have a “later”! I do believe in living in the present…but maybe it’s time to put that belief into serious practice and change how I think!
Baby steps…that’s why I popped over here to reply as soon as I got your comment notification in my inbox. Baby steps.
Thanks for inspiring these thoughts, Chris!
Courtney Cantrell recently posted..3 Lessons from Jury Duty
When I started blogging in February, I took the advice of many of the people you mentioned in this post and focused a lot of time on commenting. That first month or two, I probably spent 2-3 hours a day reading blogs and commenting when I had something to contribute.
Now that I’ve picked up more freelance business, I have to move my priorities around a bit. But I always try to comment on at least 5 blogs a day and spend at least an hour reading. I’m finding that I have to do this late at night these days…
Marianne Worley recently posted..Isn’t Your Blog Community Just Another Clique
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 25, 2011 at 1:19 pm
We’re in the same boat it seems, Marianne. It’s rough sometimes. There’s so much work to do, and so little time. But I guess it stretches us, and makes us a little better each step of the way.
Loved reading your about page on your blog. It’s great!
Thanks Christian! I just worked on my About Me page yesterday, based on advice in a post from @CatsEyeWriter!
Marianne Worley recently posted..Why You Shouldn’t Put Out Fires at Work
Too much time Christian, some days I’m like Frank… other days, hardly at all. Agree w/ JP Aguiar that it’s a lot of work to write quality comments, and not all the time is well spent. So like Antonio said, I should be looking for those blogs potential clients read. Know any?
Really I just need to pace myself better, think more strategically and perfect speed reading (Adrienne, call me if you figure that one out). BTW I love your edits to the GrowMap spam blocker, makes me want to make mine even sillier. FWIW.
Davina K. Brewer recently posted..Of Facebook- Freebies and Fan’s Choice
Very cool.
About 30 minutes every couple of days, which needs to increase significantly!
I’m realizing more and more, it’s this right here.. interaction, connection and engagement, that fuels everything.
Great data up there.. you can really identify the consistencies.
Ryan Critchett recently posted..A Social Media Mind Hack
Twitter: janetcallaway
May 25, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Christian, aloha. Let me begin by thanking you for including me in this list. As a relative newbie to the world of blogging, it is an honor to be included in a list with some of the illustrious bloggers you queried.
Christian, to me it was quite interesting to read the comments of others–some of whom I know through blog interaction, some by name only and some I don’t know.
Great question, Christian, and I like the diversity of the bloggers–both in content and length of time blogging.
All the best to you, Christian. Until next time, aloha. Janet
Janet recently posted..Eat- Pray- Love and Live! By Janet Callaway The Natural Networker
Twitter: smartboydesigns
May 26, 2011 at 2:13 pm
There’s a lot of diversity. You can see that some have based their interactions with bloggers IN commenting, and there isn’t as much of a focus for others.
I think some bloggers, through their writing solely, are able to connect and network with other bloggers. Some have a real gift for that. When you read you feel, wow, they really “get” me.
I’m fun with blog commenting but I don’t comment easily to any blog. I only give comments to what’s interest me, just like this post. Blog commenting requires hardwork. I really have my hats off to the great bloggers mentioned above for they have alloted time for blog commenting. So great!
Anyway, I already have my list of blogs where I always hop to. This is one. Thanks for the share.
SEO Blogging | Kira recently posted..Distinguishing the Right Guy to do SEO
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:43 am
It’s great to be inspired and motivated by all the bloggers who dedicate so much of their time to making the blogging community involved, networked and beneficial.
When bloggers add their comments and thoughts to blog posts via comments – they’re giving a piece of their time, and I appreciate that.
Good question and lots of opinion! To be honest, some days I spend more time than I should commenting, other days I don’t do any! On average I like to add about 20 comments a week – but I’m only interested in doing so on articles that are of interest to me. A year or too ago, most of my comments got flagged by Akismet and it took a while to undo that! Now I’m much more careful to add value and only add to sites that I like. I think that the google juice is obviously a factor, but actually it’s much nicer to hang around places where you can build a relationship – those people will probably visit your blog and add to the community there too!
I think, as long as google sees you are out there and contributing, you’re going to be adding value to the web and it’s win-win.
dan recently posted..I am Fantastic
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:48 am
Love your bottom line Dan. If your goal is to contribute and add value, you’ll more than likely receive some type of benefit on your end in regards to comments – and the return you receive on your blog, and for others.
i don’t feel like i spend enough time commenting on other blogs, when i actually do i get some great feedback. i feel like it’s totally worth the time spent.
amber renee recently posted..Moblog- The First of Many
I’m still trying to build up my blog which is only 7 months old, so I spend about 1 hour per day commenting. But, I now only read and comment on what really interests me. If my alexa raning drops..so what? I make a llving from writing travel articles, not from my blog.
inka recently posted..Glamourgranny is going east
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:52 am
You can’t spend your entire blogging career worried about simple numbers like Alexa ranking. Just keep blogging, just keep blogging. Like Dori from finding Nemo!
Love your blog Inka. Just subscribed. So thanks for stopping by and letting me know where to go for your posts!
Hey Christian!
I would say that I spend a good hour per day commenting on blogs. I would spend more, as I used to only a couple months ago. But now I’m spending a lot more time replying to comments on my own blog. It’s a balancing act for sure.
I love being out reading and learning from others, then sharing my take on what I took from their material. I find the process one of the most rich learning processes that I’ve ever come across. By far over the past 11 months I’ve learned an grown so much from my peers that it should be a crime to charge people for college, where the learnings don’t really apply to anything of the real world. If you want real education, get in the loop of a strong blogging community…like this one!
PEACE
Jk Allen recently posted..These are the Tales- When the Smoke Clears
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:55 am
I’ve been thinking so much about that lately. My college education so far versus what I’ve learned online.
What I’ve learned online really applies. It matters. It’s made a difference. On a business level even, it’s been light-years ahead of anything I’ve learned on a college level – and all only at a cost of time.
Which has led me to wonder if I have a few years of college ahead of me that I’m going to dread. Seems like it would be boring compared to the great people I’ve learned from online.
quite an interesting question Christian:)
i spend something around 30 minutes /day , so that’s 6 hours a week, friday is off
It can take a LOT of time if you let it. Plus, you have to read the article, it all takes time.
Enjoyable, tho. And lots of friendships made.
Jannie Funster recently posted..10 Potential New Jannie Song Titles
Christian, thanks for the great collection of views! It is interesting to see what other bloggers are doing. When I first started blogging I attempted a strategy but now just sort of jump in where I’m interested and when I have time.
It is amazing how efficient some people are at commenting with both quantity and quality. I think it is a skill set in and of itself.
Adam Toporek recently posted..Can a Company Use Twitter to Prevent a PR Crisis- A Look at SurveyMonkey’s Acquisition of Wufoo
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:56 am
Certainly a skill set. You’re right. I see some bloggers online who are both prolific and intelligent. Their comments are always spot on – and whatever blog I’m on, they’re on.
Some bloggers are professional commenters I’m convinced!
hello christian
how are you?
i set a target to visit, read and comment on about 30 posts/blogs each week.
some days i may spend 10mins on 2 blogs other days it may be more but as long as i meet my goal for the week…. job done.
30 for me is healthy and it gives me the opportunity to create a balance with other projects, work, family…
it’s important to comment on blogs because it builds relationships and honestly i’ve met great people and received fantastic support from various bloggers.
take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of the day
ayo recently posted..What Makes You Beautiful
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:57 am
I like that idea of having a goal of blogs to comment on versus time. Like you mention, that gives you a “limit” to work with – so you don’t go overboard during your week one way or the other.
It varies. The blogs I follow tend not to have posts on the weekend.
It goes from occasionally zero to occasionally an hour or occasionally even more.
Usually probably about 20-30 minutes.
Hi Christian,
This post is very interesting!! I’m new in the world’s bloggers and I still not having many comments on my blog. Then I spend and I focus my time in commenting other blogs, hoping to learn as much as possible and to meet more and more people. From now on i will follow your blog…;)
Luca recently posted..Web writing- tips- ideas and resources
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:58 am
Thanks Luca for stopping by and for following the blog. I’ll do my best to deliver some content you might enjoy!
Hi Christian,
I comment at least an hour per day. Only someone who read the entire post can leave a good comment -I think you get the feel who is a great commenter and who isn’t, engagement is key. I want my friends (and other bloggers) to know that I appreciate them and I am interested in what they say.
I comment because I want to build a community, connect others, get to know more, expand my network, learn and of course also increase my linking/ranking.
Franziska San Pedro
The Abstract Impressionist Artress
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 2, 2011 at 8:59 am
Enjoy your list of benefits from commenting.
-Build a community
-Connect with others
-Get to know
-Expand Network
-Learn
-Increase traffic
Those are some great benefits we receive from blog commenting. You’re going to love the next parts of the “commenting” posts that will be coming out. We’re talking all about good comments and why we, as bloggers, do so!
For me, it all depends on what I am doing each day. I try to spend 30-60 minutes at it each time, as I am trying to get traffic to my blog. It’s basically “an every other day task” at the moment. I enjoy reading what everyone has to say and try to make a well thought out response, although sometimes, depending on what I am reading, it is just a quick response.
I have a hard time reading a big lengthy post – my eyes fade out on me – sorry. It’s just me I am sure, but I do my best to read it all when I can
I’m a newbie to your blog and found you through Adrienne Smith’s blog
Hope you will stop by mine and say “hi”.
Have a GREAT day!
Linda
Linda recently posted..3 Most Common Affiliate Mistakes
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 3, 2011 at 9:49 am
Hey Linda, I would have stopped by your blog yesterday – but for some reason it wasn’t working quite right. It looked like it was down for just a bit. But no worries, I popped on over today and subscribed to your feed.
Adrienne is a fantastic blogger, and I always appreciate all that she does for me. She’s amazing!
Great post! Looking forward the the rest in the series too.
I haven’t been commenting much, maybe only an hour a week. But I’m trying to set aside more time to do it. I’d like to work up to an hour a day!
Matthew Karsten recently posted..Daily Travel Photo- 10 Hour Cargo Boat Ride
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 6, 2011 at 8:49 am
Getting up to that “hour per day” mark really seems to bring in results – and thoughts of “ideas” for blog posts.
I usually read a few blog posts while I’m making coffee in the morning. What’s that? Oh. Gotta go, my coffee’s ready.
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 6, 2011 at 8:49 am
That’s a great way to do it. I bet your comments slowly get faster and faster as your body starts to digest its coffee….lol
Twitter: berget
June 6, 2011 at 1:10 am
Hi Christian,
I find blog commenting to be very interesting, not as a strategy in order to drive traffic, but as a way to build strong relationships. That’s what I try to do. It looks like some of the people you have interviewed are doing the same thing as me, while others did it more when they had a new blog.
I really enjoy talking to people on their own terms and where they are most comfortable, at their blogs. But unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time, and spend 1 hour a day at the most.
Jens
Jens P. Berget recently posted..You don’t have to be Jerry Seinfeld to be running a kick-ass business
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 6, 2011 at 8:50 am
You make a great point here Jens. People really DO feel their most comfortable on their blogs. They put in more effort, generally too, as it’s their own place on the web.
I wish I had more hours in the day to read all the great writings that are out there!! I can’t even keep up with my own blogging and website upkeep and work and life!
When I do take the time to read blog posts I always make a point to leave a comment on the ones that touch me.
I guess that doesn’t really answer the question, does it?
Donna recently posted..Sunset in Morro Bay- Ca
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 8, 2011 at 12:21 am
It sure does – because it means this post touched you!
While I like budgeting and planning things out, I feel that commenting is something that depends on the day and your priorities at any given time. Leaving comments should not take away from mission-critical items but it is good to have it as part of your daily work flow; better yet, look at the greater picture – connecting with people!
It’s all a matter of perspective. Those that see it as doing others a favor will invest less time in it unless they are truly selfless (very rare). Those that see it as something of mutual benefit will invest more time. I’m somewhere in between: I like helping others but I realize that I need to sometimes draw some lines and be a little selfish too.. Otherwise, I’d be giving everyone freebies. LOL
I personally love commenting on other blogs. Admittedly, I don’t always get to read all the other comments on there but I try to return to the other comments as time allows it. This is particularly so for articles that are very interesting to me (like anything having to do with game mechanics, since I am a game designer, amongst other things).
Another thing I would say: don’t worry about target audiences and demographics. You’d be surprised where you’ll find people interested in your “thing”. I’ve often made clients by striking up conversations and having THEM ask me “what I do”. Really, that’s the ideal situation. ;o)
Yomar recently posted..Would You Rather Live In A House Alone On The Hills A Lesson In People Skills
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 14, 2011 at 11:19 am
Commenting is certainly something that moves around a lot for me. Some days I’ll spend hours commenting and some days will be close to nothing, nada, zip, nill.
But that’s what I love about commenting. It’s not like anyone is breathing down your neck to do so. You’ve chosen to comment. It’s the same with blog posts. When I check my reader each morning, there’s no telling who’s going to have posted something for me to read that day. The number changes often.
I too love to comment on other blogs. Don’t you just wish there was more time? I’m trying to “make” the time to comment, because otherwise, you’ll never “find” it. It just doesn’t work that way. What’s helping is limiting the number of posts each week – and spending more time networking. It’s making a huge difference, as mentioned by Marcus over at The Sales Lion.
Time spent on blog is directly proportional to the post. I mean to say if post is relevant for which i was looking i don’t bother about time and go through the post and then comment. If the post is about some topic then i quickly post a comment.
Jonathan cole recently posted..Social Media for Business
Twitter: smartboydesigns
June 22, 2011 at 9:54 am
I tend to not worry too much about the time I spend writing a comment. If it’s a good post, it will simply drive me to write a good comment.
I spend around 2-4 hours a week, but i like to call it interacting and building relationships with others bloggers.
Also, what makes a good blog post? Being able to add more information or to add to a list of some sort.
P.S you look exactly like a good friend of mine!
Mike recently posted..EBay Inc. revealed recently that it owns a 49% stake in Magento Inc.
Mine varies from day to day. While some days I intentionally sit down with a focus of “okay, I’m going to work on commenting on blogs,” most days, I don’t. More often than not, I do it naturally throughout the day as I click on links in Twitter or Facebook, check in with feeds on a 20 minute lunch break or 5 minutes while I wait for water to boil.
Jessi recently posted..Vancouver likes their carrots
Commenting on blogs is something I can spend way too little time on. However, as you can notice, today I’m trying to catch up a little on things
Bjorn recently posted..5 Internet Marketing Myths You Should Know About
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 12, 2011 at 12:31 am
I do notice it today Bjorn – and happy to have you stop by. It’s great having you here. Always enjoy your commenting, thoughts and advice. It helps a whole lot.
Are you making it a goal to comment more on blogs now?
That is indeed one of my goals for 2011 that I still need to work on
But time my friend, time is rarely on my side
Bjorn recently posted..Ways to enhance sluggish Mac computers
Twitter: smartboydesigns
July 12, 2011 at 11:51 am
It’s never on my side either. So, consider us friends.
right now, I spend about two hours a day commenting on blogs.I am trying to build traffic and have heard that is the way to do it.
Jules recently posted..Just Jules News
Twitter: smartboydesigns
October 3, 2011 at 8:35 am
It sure is. You’ll be richly rewarded by commenting for that amount of time each day. Keep it up. Excited for your progress.
Thanks for stopping by.
Twitter: wsiabelpardo
January 11, 2012 at 1:34 am
I don’t purpose myself to comment like a must. Just see an interesting blog, read the articles I think could be interesting and if I think I can add something, answering a question or clarify anything I do it and write.
Abel Pardo – Digital Marketing recently posted..By: ¿Estamos preparados para la Revolución Digital? | Abel Pardo Fernández – WSI Digital Marketing Consultant
Twitter: smartboydesigns
January 12, 2012 at 8:48 am
That’s a good way to look at it, Abel. When I first start building traffic to a blog, I have an actual set “time amount” that I spend commenting each day. As the blog grows, I tend to taper back – as managing the blog begins to take more time.
Twitter: wsiabelpardo
January 12, 2012 at 9:02 am
I agree with you, and this will be my purpose for this year, to schedule some actions for commenting posts!
Abel Pardo – Digital Marketing recently posted..Marketing Digital: Dos ejemplos de SEO
Twitter: smartboydesigns
January 12, 2012 at 9:05 am
Awesome! Excited to watch your growth!
Christian Hollingsworth recently posted..The Santa Making Business with Kylerkraft Studio
Twitter: wsiabelpardo
January 12, 2012 at 9:09 am
I think we share this spirit
Just a little think, could it be possible to have the invitation for Triberr? I sent you my email and also you can write me to the one that appears here.
Thank you very, very much!
Abel Pardo – Marketing Digital recently posted..Aigen Digital Marketing helps Senegal
Twitter: smartboydesigns
January 12, 2012 at 9:20 am
Yes, will send you an invitation in a few days. I’m at Disneyland at the moment, and will be catching up with Triberr and emails on Monday.
Excited to have you in our Triberr tribe!
Christian Hollingsworth recently posted..The Santa Making Business with Kylerkraft Studio
Christian, good stuff. New here but have been following along for a while. Question: How may people and how much time is actually spent in the comments? Sometimes that is the place where the real inspiration happens.
Anyway, the average seems like about an hour. I am newish to the blogging world so I probably spend more than an hour a day commenting but I do spend some time in the comments reading the stuff there too. You can find some real gems.
Ralph recently posted..How can comfort food teach us to act in our own best interests?