One of the best things about having a blog, or even just being a reader, is that you get to talk about all the things that interest you! Whether that is books, movies or video games, whether you agree or disagree on a topic, there is always something to discuss with someone out there. I mean, that is the point most of us started a blog or read blogs. I’ve only had a blog since June or July, so I’m fairly new to this community but there is already something I’ve noticed: a lack of conversation.
I want to touch on 3 points: Replying, Liking and Memes.
This is essential to blogging. It creates conversation and builds a solid relationship between you and your readers in hopes that they subscribe or stick around. You should always respond to comments. I know sometimes it’s hard depending on the content of the comment, but I always say ‘Thank you’ and try to relate to what the person has said. This at least shows I read the comment and took the time to respond.
This isn’t the case with everyone. There are some who don’t respond at all. It’s just silence. Why take the time to write the post if you don’t bother responding to your readers? Does that build a solid following for them?
Always respond to comments!
Something else I’ve seen a lot and have also had done to me is someone just liking comments. Does that count as a response? You could just be scrolling through your comments, liking all of them, but not actually reading any of them (kind of like Instagram spam liking photos). If that is the case, then this seems like a cheat. “If I look like I care, they’ll keep reading” is the message I get from liked comments.
I’m not talking about the occasional like, even though I disagree with the practice, maybe it’s something that works for someone instead of just saying “Thank you”, it could be less awkward for them. I’m talking about the people that like comments most of the time. For example, if I were to comment on multiple posts, over the span of a few weeks, on the same blog and all I ever receive as a response is a “like”, I’d be pretty disappointed. I took the time to read your post then write a comment, the least they could do is respond to continue the conversation.
Side note: I kind of feel the same about liking posts. I don’t have an issue with it, but sometimes I wish readers would comment because it’s so much more fun to have a conversation rather than just seeing someone liked a post!
This is just a side thought, as it may not apply to everyone, but it does apply for me. I participate in 3 weekly memes: The Sunday Post, Top Ten Tuesday and Friday Finds. Commenting on the posts that are linked up is essentially self-promotion. You look at their post, respond to it then post a link to your own so they can check it out. Something I’ve noticed within these comments are people who just say “Great choices, here’s mine” or something along those lines. I did this in the beginning but have since stopped. If I can’t find something to relate to within that person’s post, I simply don’t comment. Even if that means I get 1 less view for that post, at least I didn’t just self-promote on someone else’s blog.
This one is something new I experienced: a plug on a non-meme post. Just recently someone commented on one of my posts with a link to their post that was of a similar topic. It honestly shocked me. Not because they linked their post, but because all they did was link their post. I think it’s alright sharing something that may be similar or have a topic they might be interested in (a book review on a Friday Finds post, for example), as long as you create conversation on their post. To just say “Check out my post: [link]” without adding something to theirs, is rude in my opinion.
I use the same principle as I do for Goodreads reviews: I write a full review for my blog then post a condensed version while linking back to my blog. It drives traffic, but also gives enough information for people who don’t want to go to my blog. I do the same if I feel like a post of mine might be of interest to a fellow blogger. Now I don’t know if it’s annoying to them, I do know that if someone were to do that to me, I wouldn’t mind! I love finding new blogs to follow and someone with a similar post just means that great minds think alike!
So, what I think bloggers should be practicing is:
- Always reply to comments, even if it’s something as simple as a ‘Thank you’.
- Don’t just like comments. It makes the reader feel a little ignored.
- Don’t just self-promote all the time, try to create a conversation.
What do you guys think about the categories of comments I presented? Do you have issues with them? Are there other types of blog post comments you’ve seen that irritate you? Let me know in the comments!
13 Comments
I agree with almost all your points here. I do like comments, personally, but I also always try to at the very least respond in some way to the comment as well. I’ve noticed the lack of conversation, myself, and would love to see more people commenting instead of just idly participating.
That’s what I am trying to say with this post. A lot of people don’t respond or just like a comment and that isn’t continuing the conversation, you know? I love to comment and talk to people on not only my posts but others’ as well!
I think you made some valid points. I try to reply to every comment I get, but sometimes if I don’t know how to reply, I’ll like it so they know I saw it. I think you are offering some great advice for newer bloggers such as myself. 🙂
I understand sometimes comments are hard to reply to. Especially if they just say “great list” or something simple like that, just personally, I don’t like when someone just likes my comment so I would never practice that. I see what you’re saying, though. & I’m really new to blogging as well, I just started in June or July so engaging in the community is something I’m still learning to navigate. So thank you for thinking my advice is sound 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I get the gist of what you’re saying, but I also understand why some people use ‘Likes’ or don’t comment. One reason I sometimes just do a ‘Like’ but don’t add a comment is cause what that person said fits and I don’t have nothing more to add. Adding to something just to add to it is pointless. If I have nothing more to say, I’m not going to say something else. A ‘Like’ is an easy way to show my interest as I do read the things posted, but it allows me not to have to add something if there’s nothing more for me to add or it’s the type of comment that doesn’t invite more discussion. The other thing of not commenting on comments: a lot of bloggers don’t do this if they get a lot of comments. They try to do some, but inevitably there’s too many comments and again a ‘Like’ is an easy way to show they read a comment without needing to respond to it. If some bloggers took the time to respond to every comment? They wouldn’t have time to do other things or blog other posts. Comment responding can take up a lot of time.
I try to respond to my comments. Mostly cause comments are not something I often get on my blog, my Instagram, my FB writer’s page, etc. I always invite conversation, encourage discussions even, but people hardly ever ‘Like’ something I posted let alone post comments on it. It can be frustrating.
I see what you’re saying, some comments are hard to reply to. Personally, I still feel like a comment is better just because of what I said in my post – as a reader, I don’t know if they actually read the comment or are just scrolling through liking all of them. And I agree that some people receive a lot of comments and it may be hard to reply, but there are a few bloggers I’ve seen that reply to NO comments. To me, that is unacceptable. There is one blogger that gets many comments, posts a lot of reviews and other great content and she responds to every comment, so if she’s managed a way to respond to everyone, I think other’s can do the same or at least respond to a few. And yes, commenting does take time, but why else have a blog if it is not to engage in the community that shares your interest? If talking to the people that came to my blog, read my post and commented means a post may be delayed a bit, I’m okay with that because I may have just made a new friend and a reader that sticks around.
I see your points, though, we just have a different view on it. Also, I know what you mean about not receiving a lot of comments, I don’t receive that many so it is easier for me to respond to people. &yes, sometimes it can be frustrating when there is no engagement on my posts, but I know someone out there read it and took something away from it.
Thanks for taking the time to comment 😀 !
I totally agree, and I make every effort to reply to my comments, I am new also, I know exactly what you’re talking about. I think we should all support each other, but not everyone sees it that way I guess. Great post!!
Exactly. For me it’s about more than just getting posts out there, it’s about meeting new people with similar interests. It’s a platform to talk about things like books and tv shows since I don’t have many friends that are interested in those.
Thanks for stopping by!
Another new blogger weighing in–I don’t reply to every comment, because sometimes there’s not anything to say. What I do instead is to visit the commenter’s blog and find at least one post to comment on in return. Sometimes I discover a blog I really like, and wind up commenting on several posts! But if I write a review, and someone comments, “I’ve been thinking about reading that, and now I will,” I feel silly saying, “Okay, great!” back at them. A discussion (like this post!) is different.
Part of it might be personality–I’m not very good at small talk in person either, but I love having long conversations with people I know.
I see what you’re saying, and visiting the blog is a great alternative! For me, I like to do both if I can, I think that’s just because I want to make sure I’ve acknowledged their comment. I love when other bloggers respond to my comments on their posts. But yes, sometimes comments are hard to comment back to. In those cases, I’ll say something simple like “glad I could help” or I’ll try to create a conversation by asking if they’ve ever read the author, what other books in the genre they like, basically anything related to the post. I understand what some people are saying when they say they don’t want to just add something for the sake of adding something, but I think that may come down to personal preference.
Thanks for stopping by !
Excellent discussion! Commenting has always been a point of interest for book bloggers. I think you’ll find as many reasons for commenting/non-commenting as you do people. 🙂 I always comment back on my posts even if it takes me a week. However there are some people who don’t because the original commenter may never see it. Instead that person will visit the commenter’s blog and leave a comment there.
If I can’t find anything to say meme or not, I won’t post an empty comment. I know I don’t like them because it seems like there is no way to respond. I wouldn’t do to others what I don’t like myself. BUT if I can’t post a comment and I took the time to read it? I’ll share it on Twitter. That way I’m still paying it forward somehow.
I also never self promote on a post. Or at least not anymore. Maybe in my newbie days I did. 😉 I want to build up the book blogging community and I feel that this is the way to do it.
My commenting habits have definitely changed over the past few months. I used to not visit any other blogs except for memes, which was kind of stupid of me, so now I make it a point to go visit others at least once or twice a week. Also, if it is a meme, I try to visit some of their OTHER posts and comment on them (that’s kind of the reason people do memes, to get their blog noticed). I like your idea of sharing via twitter. I never really thought of that, so that may be a new habit I add – even if I do find something to say about it, it’s always exciting when someone shares a post 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Oh wait, one more thing to add: You said that if they don’t see the comment, that’s a good reason to go to their blog and comment. Which I totally understand, but to fix that issue for myself, I use Disqus because it automatically emails the person when I respond. Perfect!