I decided to run this old post again.
It was a simple email. You never comment on my blog. I was a little nonplussed by this. I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to respond. I have blogged about comments and written about how many blogs I visit. I came up with a goofy word for what you need to retain and expand your readership.
I have also blogged about how responding to comments is among the most time consuming parts of blogging.
When you write to say that I never comment on your blog I have to ask why are you blogging. Perhaps the problem is that your blog is not user friendly. Perhaps it is just bad blogging. Maybe you should read my list of ways to build traffic to your blog.
Or maybe you just have blog envy.
The thing is this. Begging for comments is not a good strategy. It doesn't play well and it tends to be uneffective. You probably have a fair number of lurkers. Some people just don't like to post comments. There are endless reasons why and if I were you I wouldn't spend any time trying to figure out what they are.
What you really need more than anything else is passion. If you don't blog with passion you are going to have a tough time gathering readers. Readers flock to passionate posts and passionate bloggers.
It doesn't have to be a particular topic, just blog passionately and you'll see things change. At least I think that you will.
In any case, the real point of this is emailing me to complain that I never post on your blog isn't going to make me do it. It might even chase me away, or maybe not.
10 comments:
I agree. I find it highly annoying when people ask me to comment on their site. If I don't it is usually for a reason. Only rarely will I respond to such a request by actually commenting...
I feel oddly compelled to write...
I've started commenting more frequently - but some times I simply have nothing to say (tell my hubby that - he'll never believe it). There are times when I read something, enjoy it, and simply leave it at that.
Christ. I wish some people WOULDn't comment on mine. Or come around.
Present company excepted, of course!
I have to say that I wrestle with this issue quite frequently on a personal level.
You were among the earliest commenters to my journal and are arguably the most consistent commenter I have. You can't imagine how much this loyalty and consistent feedback means to me.
At the same time, I read your site quite frequently (although your sheer volume of posts makes staying current a challenge), but I rarely comment. I don't know why this is, but I often feel pangs of guilt over the disparity between the number of comments you leave on my site and the number I leave on yours.
I have a sneaking suspicion that there are three basic types of people in the blogosphere:
1. Those who enjoy writing
2. Those who enjoy reading
3. Those who enjoy commenting
Obviously many of us are a hybrid of two or even all three of these personality types.
For instance, #1 and #2 apply to me... but getting me to explore #3 requires more than just enjoying the post. The post needs to either evoke some strong emotion in me or it has to remind me of a personal anecdote directly related to the it. That's a tall order.
Add to that the scarcity of time which often makes me choose between reading a couple of extra blogs or leaving a comment on one... well, you get the idea.
How pathetic! I guess I'm lucky - I get lots of comments from very cool peeps. But I've worked on being open to different POVs, while some others can't deal with that at all. Disagreement doesn't bug me, and neither do trolls (usually!) - it all makes for livelier discussions.
Hey Jack!!! How come you never comment on my blog???
I can't believe I'm the first one to do this. {BEG}
If you think my blog sucks - that's OK. I do it for me.
Hey Jack - I wasn't begging for a comment. Really. I was completely expecting you to blow me off. :)
Rafi G,
I am with you.
Babka,
I hear you. I am lurking challenged. I sometimes find it hard not to comment. Maybe I just talk too much. ;)
Mark,
There are ways to fix that.
Trep,
If you must know I comment because Val pays really well. ;)
Paula,
Every now and then a troll provides a little excitement. Ask the Billy Goats Gruff.
Chana,
No worries.
I think a lot of us write for the comment(ers). Or the readers, at least. The comments are a form of feedback for us. To let us know people are reading what we write and either like or hate it.
Sure we have stat counters and the like. But there's nothing like a little, "hey, that was funny," or "you're a moron" to shape your blog. For better or for worse.
"There are ways to fix that."
Yes and no. IP blocking isn't terribly specific. More to the point, I shouldn't have to.
And I'm not referring to people who disagree. I don't mind that at all. I'm talking about people who act like schmucks for no reason at all. Two entirely different things that some people believe to be one and the same.
But then, respect for others begins with respect for one's self, doesn't it?
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