Comments on: Can I Comment on Your Blog?

By: Janet Barclay

Janet Barclay — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:54:30 +0000

Glad you enjoyed it!

By: Margarita Ibbott

Margarita Ibbott — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:12:21 +0000

Thanks for re-posting this on Twitter Janet. I loved reading it!

By: Janet Barclay

Janet Barclay — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:42:46 +0000

Great example of using blog comments as a networking tool, Kristin. I’ve actually connected with people as a result of comments I’ve left on other blogs (not theirs) and I’ve remained in contact with one of them two years later.

In other words, don’t underestimate the value of commenting on blogs! Sharing links on social networks is great, but have a limited “shelf life” whereas comments stay on the blog as long as it remains online.
Read Janet Barclay’s post: Ask or Answer Questions and Grow Your Network

By: Kristin

Kristin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:31:39 +0000

I actually followed up with a person after they left a comment on my blog. They had excellent feedback and I ended up taking their suggestion(s) and made changes. Praise is great, but good advice can be valuable. If the process is too difficult then I agree that people will move on…I’ve done that. However, I don’t mind logging in to leave a comment if it is easy – Google is quick enough and pretty universal.
Fantastic topic. Thanks.
Read Kristin’s post: Perfectly Savvy Finds Under Bed Storage

By: Janet

Janet — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:50:06 +0000

Jeri, I had noticed that some Blogger blogs seem to offer more options than others – I guess it depends on when it was created, or how the individual chose to set it up?

I have my blog set to moderate comments which include more than 2 links, so between that and the plug-ins, I don’t really have to worry about spam either.

And yes, it is frustrating if you can’t include a live URL in your comments. Of course, we would like people to be able to click through to our own blogs or websites, but as you say, there are also times when we want to inform them of other relevant resources. I used to read a blog that would strip off anything after the .com which was even stranger, in my opinion.

By: Jeri Dansky

Jeri Dansky — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:56:14 +0000

Fortunately, Blogger no longer requires you to have any kind of account in order to comment. Even if you have a Blogger account, you don’t have to use that identity when commenting. You can use just your name and (optional) URL, or even be anonymous – as long as the blog owner has enabled that option.

Personally, I use Blogger, and I allow anyone to comment – Blogger account or no.

And I agree on comment moderation. John Trosko convinced me to turn it off some time ago, and I’ve never regretted it. I do have a CAPTCHA system, and sometimes I still get spammy comments – but nothing too horrible, and it’s easy enough to delete them.

Another thing that bugs me about some blogs is the inability to include a live URL in the comments. I understand that allowing links can lead to spam, which then has to be deleted – but it can also allow a commenter to point to valuable resources related to the topic at hand.
.-= Jeri Dansky´s last blog ..October 2009 Organizing Tips and More =-.

By: Janet

Janet — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:54:27 +0000

Liz, sometimes I get a wee bit jealous of bloggers who get so many comments, but I realize if I ever get to that point, I’ll no longer be able to interact with my readers, and to me, one of the best things about having a blog is getting to know other people in a different way than is possible on forums and social networking sites.

By: Liz Jenkins

Liz Jenkins — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:26:52 +0000

Janet – you are spot on with this post – I try to make it a point to comment on someone’s blog every day and some of them are such a pain. I don’t even bother to go to some of the bigger sites because it seems all they want is to capture my information to bombard me as Jacki noted above.
If it is made easy, then people will comment more and keep the conversations going.

By: Janet

Janet — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:01:05 +0000

Jacki, that's a great point. Just because you've made a comment on a particular post doesn't mean you're interested in every comment made on that blog going forward, especially if it's a very popular one that receives hundreds of comments every week. By attempting to make you feel like part of the community, they've actually chased you away! Stephanie, I know exactly what you mean about having enough user names and passwords already. I use Roboform to manage my passwords but I still don't want to have individual logins for the many blogs I read. Glenn, I am absolutely more likely to comment if I think the blogger will respond to what I say. That's why I rarely comment on major blogs; I would be surprised if someone like Darren Rowse has time to read all his comments, let alone reply to them!

By: Stephanie Calahan (@StephCalahan)

Stephanie Calahan (@StephCalahan) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:17:05 +0000

Janet -
I could not agree more! I love providing comments to posts that I believe are valuable or if I have additional information to share. I get really frusterated when I read to the bottom of an article or post find that I’d have to login to comment. My personal preference are the blogs that allow me to log in if I have a profile somewhere, but also allow more traditional comment giving technology like what you have here. Having the choice is awesome.

Honestly, I have too many other important applications that require login for me to have to create one for a blog. I’m all about simplicity and making things easy and the blogs that do that for me receive more comments.

Jacki also makes a great point. There are some blog posts that I WANT to see what others have to say and there are others that I don’t. I prefer to see that function set up just like you have yours. It is a choice given by checking off “Notify me of followup comments via email.”

Bravo for a great post with some solid tips. It may hurt some feelings, but it needed to be said.
To your success!
Stephanie
Productive & Organized – We’ll help you find your way! tm
.-= Stephanie Calahan (@StephCalahan)´s last blog ..One Key to Success – Make SMART Goals and Write Them Down =-.