Blog commenting is key to online engagement.
Commenting on someone’s blog typically leads to a reciprocal comment from that person on your blog. It’s the “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” of the blogging world.
How you choose to approach leaving comments on others’ blogs reflects on your status as an educated engager.
In other words, the comments you leave are reflective of your professionalism and knowledge in an area.
Unfortunately, many comments are about as deep as a puddle after a 15-minute rain shower.
You know the comments I’m referencing. You’ve probably even left them (I admit I have on occasion). The shallow comments say things like “I love this post. It was great.” It’s the commenting equivalent of saying someone is “nice.” It lacks substance. You could copy and paste the same comment on hundreds of blogs and it would still mean nothing… on hundreds of blogs. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some tips for deeper blog commenting:
1. Set a commenting goal
Time for you to spend commenting on blog posts won’t just appear. You have to be intentional about it. I like to think of my blog commenting goal as quality over quantity. I read a ton of blogs, but that doesn’t mean I can or should comment on them all. Instead, I try to comment on at least two blogs a day. The number is reasonable and having a goal helps keep me accountable.
2. Read the post—twice
You must read the entire post before you comment. Not doing so means you’re commenting with a portion of the available information. This will result in shallow and inaccurate comments. I recommend you read the post once and then skim it again, taking informal note of key points you plan to address in your comment.
3. Read the other comments
You should read or heavily skim at least some of the comments already left on the post. Will your comment add to the discussion or just repeat things others already posted? An “I agree with everything she said” comment is not a comment at all. It’s not worthy of anyone’s time. If you can’t add to the discussion, consider sharing the post with others instead of making a pointless comment.
4. Use your manners
Use the manners your Momma taught you. You always should be polite with your comments, even when you don’t agree with what the blogger or another commenter posted. Challenge specific statements with equally specific information—challenge statements, not people.
5. Add context to the discussion
Context can be added through things like examples, links to more information or stories of your personal experiences in relation to the post. Be sure to make it obvious to other readers that you read the post by referencing specific portions of the writing. This adds credibility to your comment and helps get your comment noticed.
6. Draft your comment elsewhere
It’s a good practice to draft your comment outside of the comment box. This will allow you to write great blog comments, using your own writing voice and revising before posting. It also allows for careful proofreading and spell checking, something that isn’t offered through most response platforms. If you aren’t willing to go so far as to draft your comments elsewhere, at least review and edit your comment before you post it.
chattyprof says
Of course, I had to comment after this fantastic blog post. My blog’s anniversary will be on September 8th–five whole months. I am learning about the blogging community, commenting on others’ blogs, etc. This post taught me a great deal and I believe that the advice also translates beautifully into students responding to each other on discussion forums. Thank you! Ellen Bremen, M.A. @chattyprof
profkrg says
@chattyprof I’m glad you think it responds well to discussion forums too. That’s actually the reason I wrote it. I use certain portions of my blog for student discussion, either for class assignments or as bonus opportunities. Perhaps it’s the word “blog,” but I find that students sometimes don’t explore the information to the depth that they would in class. I was trying to find a way to benefit both those commenting on blogs “just because” and those doing it for academic purposes. It sounds like I accomplished this goal in your view.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Ellen. I really appreciate your support.
Oh, and happy almost blog anniversary! It’s fun, huh?
profkrg says
@chattyprof I’m glad you think it responds well to discussion forums too. That’s actually the reason I wrote it. I use certain portions of my blog for student discussion, either for class assignments or as bonus opportunities. Perhaps it’s the word “blog,” but I find that students sometimes don’t explore the information to the depth that they would in class. I was trying to find a way to benefit both those commenting on blogs “just because” and those doing it for academic purposes. It sounds like I accomplished this goal in your view.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Ellen. I really appreciate your support.
Oh, and happy almost blog anniversary! It’s fun, huh?
profkrg says
@chattyprof I’m glad you think it responds well to discussion forums too. That’s actually the reason I wrote it. I use certain portions of my blog for student discussion, either for class assignments or as bonus opportunities. Perhaps it’s the word “blog,” but I find that students sometimes don’t explore the information to the depth that they would in class. I was trying to find a way to benefit both those commenting on blogs “just because” and those doing it for academic purposes. It sounds like I accomplished this goal in your view.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Ellen. I really appreciate your support.
Oh, and happy almost blog anniversary! It’s fun, huh?
ImprovementZone says
Wow, I love this post, it’s great, and I agree with everything you said, Kenna!!! 😉
Your post was very timely for me. I just posted my eighth blog entry tonight. I’ve been amazed at how very little attention my blog has generated so far, despite significant efforts at building a following on Twitter.
My blog and Twitter account are all about improvement. I’ve been reading a lot about how to “do social media” better, and one area in which I know I’ve been lacking is engagement. I’ve really tried to engage more on Twitter, with very little to show for it so far.
Your post was eye-opening for me. My approach with blog posts / articles up to now has been to quickly read the post, determine if it’s something that my followers on Twitter would find beneficial, and buffer it to be shared or retweeted. You’ve helped me to realize that there is a lot of value in investing the time and consideration to leave thoughtful comments on blog posts. It benefits the author, the commenter, and others who read the post later.
Thanks for sharing these helpful action steps and helping me to improve my blog commenting. I’m looking forward to reading more.
Have a great week!
Glenn Rumfellow
TheImprovementZone.com
mking90 says
I do not have a blog, other than Twitter, if that counts. My suggestion for responding to blogs would be to try to know the person you are responding to as well as possible. I would never want to offend someone rather I know the blogger or not. Sometimes things written through text can come off in the wrong tone, and the blogger may take the things said the wrong way. Other than that, I think all the advice looks great! I will be using this in the future if I ever decide to start my own blog!
Biebert says
Kenna, I think a post like this is helpful for all bloggers to read once in a while. You’re right on commenting being key to engagement.
I might add to your “draft your comment elsewhere” section that I use Google Chrome and it has spell check built in, which is nice. Saves time and allows me to read/comment on more blogs.
Thanks for putting this together!
TheJackB says
I like this post doesn’t have to be seen as shallow or self-serving. I understand why you wrote that and agree that some times it is just that. However there are times where it is appropriate and worthwhile to let someone know that you appreciate their work.
prosperitygal says
It helps people to see it formulated like this to hopefully inspire a deeper comment. Frankly I am weary of trying to find something deeper to say when many blog posts do not stimulate enough questions. So shallow posts get shallow comments. AND yes there are people who just cannot leave a deep reply.
chattyprof says
@profkrg Thank you! Yes, it’s really enjoyable and lo and behold… I have my first student question regarding communicating with a prof. Ironically, it has to do with how to be more thorough on discussion board posts!!! In my response, I’m going to link to this piece!
I agree with you about “blog” having a different connotation than “discussion forum post,” but even there, I find that the writing can be somewhat surface unless I have good samples of what is expected and a rubric. What your words remind me of is that if I ever implement a blog (and after my sabbatical, I certainly might!), then I need to have solid criteria and also samples of excellent blogs.
I am learning so much about how to incorporate social media upon my return to the classroom. My tweeps like yourself are key in that regard. I thank you!
profkrg says
@prosperitygal “Shallow posts get shallow comments…” I hadn’t thought of it that way. There does need to be something worthy of discussing.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
profkrg says
@TheJackB I agree that there are many times that it’s good to let someone know that you appreciate their work. As a writer myself, I love it when people praise my work or tell me that what I wrote was useful to them in their teaching or learning. I still think that we can be specific when giving them praise. For example, you could say “This is a great post, ***insert blogger name here***. I really related to the part about ***insert helpful portion of post here*** because ***insert reason here***. I think we just don’t take time to do it that way.
Maybe the reason we don’t take time to comment correctly is because we don’t want to think about engagement. It also could be because we’re just commenting to mark it off of our list of things to do. I need to comment on blogs so other people will comment on mine approach. If that’s the case, we’re commenting for the wrong reason. It’s not just about what you’ll get out of it. It’s also not about commenting on a certain number of blogs each day. You (and I’m using a general “you” here, by the way) should comment because you actually want to and have something to say.
What do you think? Is there another reason that people don’t leave deeper comments and I’m just missing it?
profkrg says
@Biebert That’s true about Chrome. I just started using it a few months ago and I love it. the plug-ins and features are so useful. It also truly is faster than other browsers.
Thanks, Aaron, for that suggestion and for reading and commenting.
profkrg says
@ImprovementZone Glenn, don’t give up! I have been blogging here since 2004. My blog is really just now “taking off.” This is longer than it takes most people, but I was (admittedly) not very committed to regular posting and engagement. Blogging is a lot of work if you want to do it right. It’s true what mackcollier and others say about most people quitting their blogs just about the time they’re about to gain momentum. When you have those days, shoot me a DM. I’ll coach you through them!
I’m glad the post helped you. I hope you will share it with others. Thanks so much for reading and for commenting. Blog on, Glenn!
profkrg says
@chattyprof It is responses just like yours that make me happy that I blog. This is exactly what I wanted this blog to do. I want it to help professors, advisers, students, and just those who generally want to learn more about communication. It’s my goal to post some of my other syllabuses, assignments, etc. on here as well. I used a lot of blogging and social media in my Opinion Writing class, so you might want to check that out once it’s posted. Perhaps it could help inspire ideas as well.
Thank you again for all of your support. You’re fabulous!
TheJackB says
@profkrg I take a different approach to blogging than a lot of people do. I am not sure that I would say that there is a correct or incorrect way to comment. It is definitely fair to say that there are people who leave soft comments everywhere because they hope to build their readership and are trying to stimulate reciprocal comments.
But what comes to mind to me are deeply personal posts that make it harder for people to respond because they just don’t know what to say.
For example I have posts where parents talk about children that have died in accidents, from terminal illness or because they were murdered. I have read posts where women told about how they were raped and brutalized.
Sometimes you read those posts and find a ball forming in your throat and tears welling in your eyes and you want to let the writer know that they aren’t alone. But because you don’t really know them you end up with a few words in which you say that you are sorry.
Or sometimes it is a post which has a ton of comments on it and you feel like you have nothing new to add to the discussion.
The question is do you say nothing and move along or leave a short comment. Me, I leave a short comment because I like letting people know that I appreciated what they wrote. I don’t think that it is any better or any worse- just how I like to do things.
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BethWood says
Great advice – I admit that I’m “guilt” of a standard comment at times. Not for lack of reading the post or having something to say, but usually due to time. Which, in hindsight, is a lousy excuse, huh? I think many people feel that it’s faster just to like or retweet, but the engagement that comments offers goes so much deeper. Here’s another thought. I’ve wondered about the difference between just “liking” a post (LinkedIn) or “favoriting” (is that even a word?!) via Twitter, Retweeting – where there is not much room to comment – and actually posting a comment. Kenna… you’ve done something wonderful with this blog post – given me much to think about… and an idea for another blog post of my own… THANK YOU for sharing!
profkrg says
BethWood I’m so glad you found so much value in the post, Beth! I too am guilty of the standard vague comment at times. It typically is when I get into the “more is better” mindset. I try to comment on a lot of blogs that I enjoyed instead of writing worthwhile comments. I agree that it’s much easier to retweet or share a post via social media. However, as a blogger, it feels so good to get comments! I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate the social shares, I certainly do, but the comments are just so fulfilling. I usually share things I like on LinkedIn. I don’t favorite much on Twitter because I just don’t use the “favorite” as a “like.” If I like a post, I’ll either comment, retweet or both. Perhaps each person just has to make his or her own social media policies? I’m not sure. Thank you so much, Beth, for reading and commenting. It means a lot to me.
turnkei says
Lots of good stuff here. What really stuck for me was that you brought up that we as bloggers need to add content to the comments as well. So true! I’ve read lots of good tips about increasing comment -because we all love comments- but this little gem is often forgotten.
When some one pops by your blog and leaves a comment, they are leaving a sweet little bit of themselves behind. It would be like inviting someone over to your home for a cup of coffee, and staring blankly as they share their heart. We all know that brushed over feeling, we would never do it to a house guest, good golly, lets never do it to our blog guests.
profkrg says
turnkei What a great point! I might add that we also wouldn’t just say “what a good idea” or “excellent” to something someone said to us. We would add context that told the person why we thought it was a good idea, what we thought was excellent, etc. It seems this is sort of elaboration also should be used in blog comments. I absolutely agree that our readers are our blog’s guests. We should treat them as such. As I tell my students, “Use the manners your Momma taught you.” Thanks for reading and commenting!
turnkei says
A girl after my own heart! I’m sure we’d have LOTS to talk about if we ever had coffee!! Have an awesome weekend and keep up with the good work
profkrg says
turnkei We should make that happen!
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