Saturday 12 March 2016

About Blogging Comments


What brought about this post is from reading some other blog posts on this matter. A blogger posted how they turned off their comments because they didn’t want readers to influence their life and that the comments were mostly superficial anyway (I love your dress!) . Another blogger cut off commenting because it gave her anxiety to read them. She was constantly checking her phone and email to see if anyone commented and would get disappointed if nobody responded to her post.

I hadn’t considered such perspectives before but I can understand their viewpoint. Personally, I love receiving comments on the blog. Sometimes, there are comment aren’t sincere but I don’t think much about it. As long as the comment is not offensive or spam, it stays there.  I do like people to voice their opinion and I look forward to having a conversation with my readers. While I like comments, I don’t crave comments. There are some blog posts that I make, that I think don’t interest anyone but me or Jon Bear and that’s okay because this blog is like a big diary to me.
I write comments on blogs for three reasons.

1. In an obscure way, it promotes my own blog because people become curious about me and return to find my blog.

2. I genuinely love reading other blogs and find it as a way to connect to new people and ideas. I learn about new things that I haven’t thought about, new books and movies to read, trends and different perspectives.

3. I like to comment to thank the person for writing an entertaining and thought provoking post.  Or sometimes, it’s just to let someone know that there someone out there that is reading their blog especially if it’s a sad post or if they are fledging blogger. It’s a way of saying that they matter and they are important.  I know it doesn’t solve anything it just lets them know that they have been heard.


8 comments:

  1. Great post, Carlyn! This sums up what should be the healthy "comment dilemma" precisely: "While I like comments, I don’t crave comments." So much yes there.

    Also, you're third point is excellent! I enjoy visiting/commenting on blogs that I enjoy reading even if it doesn't result in return visits. That doesn't mean I'm not going to continue reading a blog. If I like the style or writing, I'll return no matter the bloggers interest in what I have to say because blogging is so much more than the number of comments. :)

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    1. Thanks Rissi, I'm glad we have that in common.

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  2. Good post, Carlyn. One of the main reasons I like the internet much more than television is that I can respond to whatever I read or watch in comments. TV is pretty much all input, no output from the viewers--unless they comment on the internet--and I don't like to be "brainwashed," for lack of a better word.

    When I see a blog with comments closed, unless it's just occasional--say for a post mourning a terrible event--I think the writer does not value what his/her readers think. I prefer to "hang out" with other bloggers who actually will build relationships with their readers, rather than just expect their readers to swallow everything they say and leave...but that's just my preference.

    Thank you for valuing us and not just providing good content, but also being a friend!

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    1. Thanks Bethany, I'm glad you enjoy the conversation.

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  3. I was just reading a couple posts about how some bloggers had turned off their comments for the reasons you had stated. And while I can understand the reasons...I guess I don't necessarily agree with them. Blogging is all about building relationships, and I feel as though one of the most effective ways to do this is through commenting. And it's so fun to interact with readers! This was a great post! (And if you hadn't commented on my blog I may not have found yours!) :)

    ~Lindsey
    http://have-clothes-will-travel.com/

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    1. I'm glad that we discovered each other's blogs Lindsey. I look forward to reading your blog.

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  4. I can see why comments can be different things for different people. Personally, I find that comments determine the success of my post. I know you sometimes get more readers than commentators - that is actually always the case. But in my opinion, the more comments, the more successful the post and the likelier it is that I will do some like it. I just think that it's always nice to comment back and sometimes say your thoughts on what has been posted! But I only like genuine comments that aren't fake...

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  5. I also agree that you can measure the success of a post on the number of comments received. For instance, I can see that this post has interested many bloggers to respond. In the past, I have predicted which of my posts would gain responses based on similiar posts that had drawn comments. However my predictions were mostly wrong. In this case, I have been surprised by the response as it was a spur of the moment post.

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