Blogs or websites normally attract people who at some point feel compelled to share their views. It may be in the form of a review, a question, a suggestion, an opinion etc.
I have visited a few blogs that attract comments filled with lots of interesting views. Not many blogs are that lucky. Most blogs have comment sections filled with words that don’t add value to what is discussed in the blog post.
I realize that different bloggers have different approaches to blog commenting. Commenting means different things to different people. For some, it is a way to let people express their views without forcing them to do so in a particular way.
Most bloggers may not like comments that look like spam, link-seeking or attention-seeking type. Some just like watching the comment count rise. Some like to hear the reader’s personal experiences, stories or views and nothing else.
I’d say that some bloggers also consider every comment to be valuable as long as the commenter submits an honest comment.
That means that ‘quality comments’ is something that is left for discussion – this could attract tens of definitions. I just believe that it loosely translates to a comment that helps the blogger achieve the goals they had in mind when they published an article.
That doesn’t mean that every valuable comment should never attempt to challenge the meaning, wording and purpose of a particular post.
So then how does a blogger encourage readers to stop filling the comment section with great post, nice post, awesome content, you are a genius, check me out too types of comments to something that’s almost void of self-centredness?
1. I guess it all starts from the point one sits down to write a post. If a blogger rushes over a post and doesn’t take time to explain things very well (or makes a lot of assumptions) chances are that there will be people who’ll submit comments that don’t add any value to a post. Someone will come along to challenge the blogger and if that comment is approved, people will start to pay more attention to what the post is all about.
I believe that when a blogger spends enough time before publishing a post, it goes ahead to show that they spent enough time to make the post valuable. Chances are that their post will attract valuable comments too.
Bloggers should therefore put together great pieces, if they want a comment section filled with value.
2. When replying to a reader’s comment, you may add a few questions in your reply. Make the reader feel at liberty to express their thoughts without fear. Convince the reader that you really want to hear them talk about a certain thing.
Tell them you are really listening. Remind them that you want to hear them say what they might be afraid of saying.
3. Ask your readers to share their personal experiences in a way that doesn’t make them feel ‘too exposed’. Sometimes the value behind great comments result from words carefully cut out from personal experiences.
Readers will be more comfortable if you take the initiative to share your own personal experiences in a post. Sometimes all a reader needs is someone to show them that it is ok to talk freely about this or that.
4. Have your say type of posts once in a while. I remember reading one of Pat Flynn’s post asking the opinions of readers on whether it is good to have one site attracting X amount of dollars or ten sites attracting the same amount.
People freely shared their opinions. They gave out valid reasons. They threw in an equal measure of personal experiences. They talked about the pros and cons of depending on revenue from one site/ten sites.
You can have posts like these published on your blog once in a while; posts that lets the reader comment without letting a bloggers words influence them.
5. Make sure the comments you leave on other blogs are also valuable. You should also add value to the comments (replies) you leave on your own blog.
I sometimes come across comments by my favourite bloggers left on other blogs and it is amazing to see that they are able to leave valuable footprints all over the blogosphere.
Be the same person in and outside your blog. Whether you blog in English, Chinese and Russian, don’t let your quality standards wane because you believe that the people who read your English blog won’t stumble upon your Chinese blog.
6. State clearly the type of comments you want in a comment policy. Set your rules. Tell your readers about the type of comments that won’t see the light of day; back it up with some reasons.
It is easier to get what you want if you ask for it. Most people will understand why you encourage them to submit high quality comments. So don’t be afraid to be a little bit strict. If you want a cup of tea, don’t keep looking at the kettle, do something that’ll get the tea in your cup pronto.
7. Don’t be obsessed with comment counts. Don’t just approve every comment because you want posts laden with hundreds or thousands of comments. Ensure that you encourage people to leave valuable comments when your blog is still less popular.
A tradition will then emerge. People will understand why you frown upon certain type of comments. People will understand that you encourage great comments not just because you want to. Readers will ease into the tradition as days roll by.
To you now
- What do you consider to be a valuable comment?
- How do you encourage the people who visit your blog to leave valuable comments?
No related posts.
7 ways to encourage your blog visitors to leave quality or valuable comments
Blogs or websites normally attract people who at some point feel compelled to share their views. It may be in the form of a review, a question, a suggestion, an opinion etc.
I have visited a few blogs that attract comments filled with lots of interesting views. Not many blogs are that lucky. Most blogs have comment sections filled with words that don’t add value to what is discussed in the blog post.
I realize that different bloggers have different approaches to blog commenting. Commenting means different things to different people. For some, it is a way to let people express their views without forcing them to do so in a particular way.
Most bloggers may not like comments that look like spam, link-seeking or attention-seeking type. Some just like watching the comment count rise. Some like to hear the reader’s personal experiences, stories or views and nothing else.
I’d say that some bloggers also consider every comment to be valuable as long as the commenter submits an honest comment.
That means that ‘quality comments’ is something that is left for discussion – this could attract tens of definitions. I just believe that it loosely translates to a comment that helps the blogger achieve the goals they had in mind when they published an article.
That doesn’t mean that every valuable comment should never attempt to challenge the meaning, wording and purpose of a particular post.
So then how does a blogger encourage readers to stop filling the comment section with great post, nice post, awesome content, you are a genius, check me out too types of comments to something that’s almost void of self-centredness?
1. I guess it all starts from the point one sits down to write a post. If a blogger rushes over a post and doesn’t take time to explain things very well (or makes a lot of assumptions) chances are that there will be people who’ll submit comments that don’t add any value to a post. Someone will come along to challenge the blogger and if that comment is approved, people will start to pay more attention to what the post is all about.
I believe that when a blogger spends enough time before publishing a post, it goes ahead to show that they spent enough time to make the post valuable. Chances are that their post will attract valuable comments too.
Bloggers should therefore put together great pieces, if they want a comment section filled with value.
2. When replying to a reader’s comment, you may add a few questions in your reply. Make the reader feel at liberty to express their thoughts without fear. Convince the reader that you really want to hear them talk about a certain thing.
Tell them you are really listening. Remind them that you want to hear them say what they might be afraid of saying.
3. Ask your readers to share their personal experiences in a way that doesn’t make them feel ‘too exposed’. Sometimes the value behind great comments result from words carefully cut out from personal experiences.
Readers will be more comfortable if you take the initiative to share your own personal experiences in a post. Sometimes all a reader needs is someone to show them that it is ok to talk freely about this or that.
4. Have your say type of posts once in a while. I remember reading one of Pat Flynn’s post asking the opinions of readers on whether it is good to have one site attracting X amount of dollars or ten sites attracting the same amount.
People freely shared their opinions. They gave out valid reasons. They threw in an equal measure of personal experiences. They talked about the pros and cons of depending on revenue from one site/ten sites.
You can have posts like these published on your blog once in a while; posts that lets the reader comment without letting a bloggers words influence them.
5. Make sure the comments you leave on other blogs are also valuable. You should also add value to the comments (replies) you leave on your own blog.
I sometimes come across comments by my favourite bloggers left on other blogs and it is amazing to see that they are able to leave valuable footprints all over the blogosphere.
Be the same person in and outside your blog. Whether you blog in English, Chinese and Russian, don’t let your quality standards wane because you believe that the people who read your English blog won’t stumble upon your Chinese blog.
6. State clearly the type of comments you want in a comment policy. Set your rules. Tell your readers about the type of comments that won’t see the light of day; back it up with some reasons.
It is easier to get what you want if you ask for it. Most people will understand why you encourage them to submit high quality comments. So don’t be afraid to be a little bit strict. If you want a cup of tea, don’t keep looking at the kettle, do something that’ll get the tea in your cup pronto.
7. Don’t be obsessed with comment counts. Don’t just approve every comment because you want posts laden with hundreds or thousands of comments. Ensure that you encourage people to leave valuable comments when your blog is still less popular.
A tradition will then emerge. People will understand why you frown upon certain type of comments. People will understand that you encourage great comments not just because you want to. Readers will ease into the tradition as days roll by.
To you now
No related posts.
About Philos Mudis
Hi. I publish content here at Eapost.com. I am a writer working hard to achieve his goals - a writer ready to listen to your stories any time. And...uh...I love watching cartoons too. Connect with me on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and RSS.