I recently installed the WP Comment Remix plugin and was stunned to see how often I had been neglecting to respond to comments left on my blog. While replying to a comment by ShriNagesh I was reminded of the Top 10 reasons why you must comment on blogs over at SmartAdvi$e.info.
If readers have a duty to leave comments then bloggers have a duty to respond to them. Here are my reasons why:
- Politeness
- Encourages Readers to Return
- Builds a Network
- Encourage Others to Comment
- Adds Value to Your Original Post
- Can Lead to New Posts
- Not Responding Alienates Readers
This is obvious and probably needs no further explanation. If someone has taken the time to comment on your blog it is only polite that you take the time to acknowledge and/or respond to their comment.
Responding to comments encourages people to return to your site and possibly leave further comments.
Connect with your readers. They have reached out to conenct with you, so complete the connection and address them personally in a response.
An active comments section is more likely to attract comments. This sounds like a catch 22 situation. But responding to comments builds momentum, encouraging others to join in.
No matter how good your original post, there is always something you missed, an 8th reason perhaps. Comments are a chance for readers to fill in the missing gaps. In doing so they are adding value to your original article. Acknowledge this with a response and if necessary update your original post (with a credit of course).
This post came about from a comment left by ShriNagesh on one of my previous posts. It was while writing a response that I had the idea to create this post.
Have you ever visited a blog with a lone comment that has not been acknowledged by the author. I’m as guilty as anyone here. More often than not, I come across a post like this and move right on. There is, after-all, no incentive to comment if you are not going to receive a response.
Agree or disagree I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’d hoped to make this 10 reasons, but ran out of ideas when I hit 7 so the challeng is on to find 3 more reasons for bloggers to respond to comments by their readers.
Great post Bill,
I agree with all the points. Responding to comments on blogs makes them feel welcome. Your blog is like your community. When new people move in, you should make them feel welcome, especially when the neighborhood is small.
Readers will feel as if you’re interested in what they have to say, you might learn something & you’ll also increase the comment count on your post.
Hey Bill,
You would have to have a sensible upper limit I suppose, maybe one meaningful response per person. I wonder if I’ll get the last say on this thread…
@ShriNagesh -
I couldn’t agree more.
To me, interest and value are more important than comment count and page views. A common mistake is to start out with the intention of increasing the statistics. The statistics are only a reflection on reality and not the reality themselves. Fostering a community through encouraging reader participation will hopefully be reflected in statistics like comment count etc. The primary goal, however, should always be to better the community spirit rather than improve the statistics. The difference in apprach is small but one that I believe is crucial.
@Dan -
I’m not sure I’d decide on a sensible upper limit. One person may leave two (or more) equally valid comments. Obviously, if things started to get out of hand, I’d have to re-think this.
I’ll drop you an email to find out how things are going. It’s been a while.