Answering Comments: Obligation, Optional or Off?
I hate to “beat a dead horse”, but I see movement and would like to know your thoughts. All bloggers love receiving comments on their blog, but as a blog grows, for some, life gets in the way and responding to all comments can take a lot of time.
So what do you do, respond to some and ignore the others? Post less and spend more time interacting with your readers? It might take me a few days, but for now I like responding to each comment.
Comments are like multiple births. I have 6 of a kind, but each one is treated as an individual.
What about turning comments off for certain posts? This is not a favorite of mine, so I won’t do it here,1 because I don’t like the feeling of being shut out. However, some blog posts, like this one, don’t require interaction in the comment section from the blogger. Should you let your readers know you won’t be responding?
I admit, if I leave repeated comments on a blog and the blogger never responds, I lose interest. I like feeling that I’m talking to a person and not a wall.
How do you feel when a blogger doesn’t respond to your comment? What if the comments are turned off, are you? Should a blogger respond to every comment? What’s the protocol on your blog?
I’ve shared my feelings, so I will leave the comment section open for your thoughts.
Additional Reading and Plug-ins
Is There A Such Thing As Commenters Burnout?
A.S.K. Darren Rowse: How Does a Problogger Deal With Comments
How to get more comments on your blog
Close Old Posts – Closes comments on old posts on the fly, by default it’s 14 days
Comment Time Out – Comment Timeout closes comments on old posts on your blog
- although I did once, but that post is so buried no one will be able to find it [↩]
In: Blogging · Tagged with: Blogging, Comments, Old Posts
on October 28, 2008 at 1:10 am
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I’ve only had the pleasure of smelling this problem, but I can see where responding to every comment would ultimately cause a trade off. Add to that the social sites that you’re active on and you really have some decisions to make.
I’m not sure which way I would fall on this issue. I think at some point your readers don’t necessarily expect a response…especially if you’re posting every day and getting a large number of comments. Only so much a person can do in a day and still stay fresh right?
Wayne John´s last blog post..Avoid BoredQuiz.com Like The Plague
on October 28, 2008 at 2:13 am
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I try to respond to every comment, myself. Sometimes they’re so generic that I can lump a bunch of posters into a single “thank you,” which is a great time saver. Thing is, I know that a lot of commenters don’t come back to see if I’ve even answered them (& similarly, I can’t always go back to check my comments on others’ blogs, either.) So I guess what I’m saying is “danged if I know.” <:\
Lana´s last blog post..Ibises
on October 28, 2008 at 2:25 am
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Just as I don’t comment on every blog I read, I don’t respond to comment on every blog I post. Sometimes I’ve said all I have to say in a post and I leave it at that. My “commentors” are more than welcome to leave their $0.02 though.
Since I post fairly frequently (it’s gone from hobby to addiction sometimes) and I’ve built up a fairly decent audience of people who comment, I do try not go w/o commenting too often. And if I do, I at least drop by their blog and comment as a way of saying, “hey, thanks for dropping by.”
Now if my blog were huge and garnered a ton of comments daily, I’d probably stop that approach — aiming just to comment on the few blogs that I find to be interesting reads.
TOPolk´s last blog post..Mid-Monday Music
on October 28, 2008 at 2:31 am
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Hi Natural – I answer every comment on my blog, except for the days when I showcase a new blogger and I let them take over the comment section. On those days I’ll drop in and say “thanks”. When I get a lot of comments it does get time consuming, and means I have less time to spend visiting other blogs. I’m working on finding a balance and may reduce my posting schedule to accommodate all I’m trying to accomplish.
P.S. Thank you for the link love.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog post..A.S.K. Darren Rowse of Problogger – When Do We Know Our Blog Is A “Winner”
on October 28, 2008 at 3:41 am
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Hi Natural. I answer every comment but the number is manageable. And, I appreciate when my comments are answered. It does help if the blogger lets the readers know that they won’t be responding to every comment. I just think that if comments are left open there should be some interaction between the commenters and the blogger. Otherwise why bother?
Davina´s last blog post..Awakening To A Balanced Life
on October 28, 2008 at 3:47 am
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Hi Valerie,
Like you, I tend to lose interest when I leave a comment (or several comments for that matter) on a blog only to have the author ignore me completely. See, often times when I comment, I leave things with a question. It’s my way of building on the conversation taking place.
Then again, you have to understand the issue of “scale.” It’s difficult for a large blog (Problogger, ChrisBrogan.com and the like) to respond to every comment. And I do.
How about my own blog? Do I respond to every comment? Unfortunately, not always. But I make an effort to respond to every one. If I don’t respond via a comment back, I do send that person a personalized email (I’m pretty good about at least that much). And at one point I even sent out some video emails. How cool is that?! So I hope I’m forgiven
I think that you HAVE to respond to every comment/email that a person sends you! (Which means that I have some work to do)…
Ricardo Bueno´s last blog post..[A Video] It’s Not Just Text Anymore!
on October 28, 2008 at 4:48 am
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I don’t think it’s a necessity to respond to every comment, but it’s definitely nice. Each of these people that commented did so because your post or statement or what not affected them, in one way or another. While sometimes it takes awhile, as you said so yourself, it’s a nice touch.
While I don’t necessarily respond to each comment myself, I try to make a point to follow links to the posters site and reciprocate there. I suppose it should never be expected though.
But that’s just me.
Stefan´s last blog post..Avoid those hidden hotel charges!
on October 28, 2008 at 6:28 am
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My comment used to be closed because of so much spams in my comment box. I only opened it when I installed something to handle the spam. Commenting is a good way of interacting with the readers. I have always enjoyed seeing people commenting and I have always done my best to reply to every comment. Right now, everything is manageable because I do not get much comments. And I do agree with you that if I left comments on blogger who never made it a point to reply. I will tend to not leave comment in the future. Think about it? The person took the time to comment and should not it be only right that we reply? That is my two cents worth.
BK´s last blog post..Love Actually … is all in the Mind
on October 28, 2008 at 7:20 am
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I try to answer all comments. Generally, rather than a separate entry for each I’ll make one reply but address each person by name in replying to the comments. The way I see it, if someone takes the time to read and comment on what I wrote, they at least deserve some form of acknowledgement – even if it’s only a “thank you for commenting.”
Cheers!
Robin´s last blog post..Kids’ Views on Marriage
on October 28, 2008 at 7:33 am
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This is a hot topic lately on everyone’s minds. I think you have to do what works for you. I personally try to always respond to every commenter but if there are a lot of comments I’ll do one long answer. This cuts down on the number of emails people received if they have subscribed to comments. Even a group thank you at least shows you are listening and value the conversation. I have also had posts where the commenters have conversations and my input would have interrupted the flow. I love seeing commenters interact with one another as it feels like more of a community. I read many blogs with no comment section and that’s fine by me too. In my mind, there is no right or wrong only what works for you.
Karen Swim´s last blog post..Write a Novel in Six Months … or Thirty Days
on October 28, 2008 at 8:01 am
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I try to answer each and every comment I get, though I can take a day or two to respond. Usually less.
As for not receiving answers, well if it is something constant and I feel my comments deserved some reply I would lose interest in the blog. Specially if in the case of a professional blogger.
on October 28, 2008 at 8:38 am
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Crazily, the thing I took from this post was what I see as the challenge in the footnote: “although I did once, but that post is so buried no one will be able to find it.” Now the thing I am focusing on is finding that post.
Get distracted much, Cardiogirl?
On to the actual answer. There are a few bloggers (not professional high-traffic bloggers) who I read regularly and who do not answer comments. However, they tend to leave comments at my place and that gives me the interaction that I enjoy — it makes me feel that we have a bit of a friendship.
I have read blogs, like you have suggested, that give no response and do not comment at my place. I also lose interest in those bloggers.
So far I haven’t found any blogger so compelling who makes me want to read regardless of whether I comment or they reply to a comment I have left. Not trying to sound snooty, it’s just what I’ve found.
I personally enjoy the interaction blogging provides. I enjoy answering the comments and occasionally have an on-going conversation, via comments, with the same person.
What I enjoy the most, however, is when my commenters talk to *each other* in my comment section. I love that they feel comfortable enough to talk directly to each other. Those are the posts that I like the most — the posts that encourage other people to have a conversation around me.
Does that make sense?
I really do not see a time when I am getting so many comments that I cannot answer each one. If that did happen I would love the validation, but I’m not holding my breath.
Lastly, I find I do not want to comment on blogs that have 237 comments already. It feels like I have nothing to add, you know? And it also feels like that blogger will not read my comment since I am one of so many, so why bother.
cardiogirl´s last blog post..The Girls Next Door are now the Girls in the Next Town Over
on October 28, 2008 at 9:48 am
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I do not answer every comment that gets posted but then again I am just starting out. But still I believe that if I visit their blog (if they have one) and post back that is the best I can to do, if I even get a chance to do that. I have found since I read the book by Seth Godin The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) that I can’t be on my blog constantly like I would love to, I had to know when to say enough is enough, instead of sitting here for hours on end trying to update answer people, etc. I am a firm believer in, I can and will do what I possibly can, and I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings or make them feel like I am blowing them off because I am not, it’s just that I have other responsibilities outside of my cyber world that need to get done. So I guess nobody will be coming by blog anytime soon to drop me a comment, lol! Nice blog by the way.
on October 28, 2008 at 10:39 am
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I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately because the topic has come up on a number of sites.
I think all comments should be answered until the site becomes too big for that to be possible anymore. And then even at the point the blogger should still review the comments and respond to some of them or at least say thank you or something. By writing posts and having open comments we are inviting others to visit and share with us – to be our guest. We wouldn’t ignore our guests in real life or we shouldn’t in our virtual ones either. If you can’t keep up with the number of guests, it is best to post less frequently then to not answer the comments.
I understand the time issue but do it in batches or as time allows. A response is still valid even it it comes a couple of days later.
I’ve asked a number of questions over the years and nothing is more frustrating than being ignored. And for whether commenters come back for the reponse I’m not really sure. I know that I do.
Kim Woodbridge´s last blog post..(Anti) Social-Lists 10/26/08
on October 28, 2008 at 11:25 am
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I agree with Kim Woodbridge. I commented every day for over two months on one busy blog and never got a reply, even though many others did. I didn’t so much lose interest as I felt I was being encouraged to leave, since most people who commented got a reply.
I answer all comments, sometimes in batches, and intend to do so until (or should I say “if”) I get so many that I can’t do it. I think people leave a comment because they want to connect with the blogger. Otherwise they would just read every day and be a lurker, which many are. Also, I really enjoy getting to know my readers, which is why I always have Gravatars turned on, so I can see what they look like, too (or at least what icon they choose like your awesome one).
If there were too many comments to answer, then they would be too many comments to answer, whether I posted less or not. I would explain that to the readers. Since some blogs develop a community of readers, I would leave comments on and let them enjoy discussing it with each other. I think I would only turn off comments if I wrote about something that made me feel so vulnerable I wouldn’t want to risk an unsupportive comment.
Dot´s last blog post..Non-Haiku Monday
on October 28, 2008 at 11:32 am
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I answer all my comments because I want the interaction. Some come back and check because the conversation continues. I don’t have too many comments that I can’t respond. I think on a large blog where there are many comments the blogger may want to at least respond to questions if possible. On these large blogs, 75% of the comments (or more) do not require a response. just my two cents!
BloggerNewbie´s last blog post..Blogging Failure Plan
on October 28, 2008 at 12:11 pm
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I don’t answer all comments, not because I don’t have time, but because not all comments naturally lend themselves to answers. I always comment when I feel one is called for. But I do follow all the bloggers that comment to their blog and try to make comments on posts there.
Jennifer´s last blog post..Lost season 5 Promo
on October 28, 2008 at 1:07 pm
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I tried not to answer all comments but I just can’t. It feels so RUDE.
My solution is to keep posting 3 X week but close comments once a week when the post is light and doesn’t invite a real discussion.
Vered – MomGrind´s last blog post..The Funniest Hairstyles Of The 20th Century
on October 28, 2008 at 1:08 pm
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And thank you for the link.
on October 28, 2008 at 1:17 pm
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Part, if not most, of the fun of blogging for me is creating a community where people can not only comment but engage in conversation. It’s the ultimate compliment when someone comes back to answer a question or add another comment related to something that was said previously. I don’t know what the comment total would have to be for me to say, I can’t respond to every single person. That’s just so much a part of what my blog is about — I can’t imagine responding only to some or turning off comments.
And, yeah. There are so many great blogs out there, if the blogger isn’t really participating by responding to comments, I’m more likely to lose interest, too. It’s no fun talking when no one’s there.
JD at I Do Things´s last blog post..Gus Does Things so I don’t have to
on October 28, 2008 at 1:55 pm
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I make an effort to respond although at times I get behind..I don’t mind if a blogger doesn’t respond thinking they are in the same boat as me..and time becomes a barrier…
robert bourne´s last blog post..Light of My Soul
on October 28, 2008 at 3:58 pm
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I worry about this issue quite a bit! I very much like comments and appreciate all commenters and for awhile I answered them in the comments. But since I seldom go back to read old comments on other blogs to see if the author responded to my comments…I now try to answer as many as I can through e mail or by commenting on the commenter’s blog, when I can.
If it is a really short comment I just let it be and hope they understand.
If it is someone new I really try to respond in some way for sure. I have 2 blogs and it can be a lot of comments to go through.
In other words, am muddling along and trying to do what feels right…
Thanks for writing about this, and I did like reading what everyone had to say.
PS You don’t have to respond to this!
Lidian´s last blog post..The Ghost Of Melrose Hall; or, the Prisoner and the Playwright
on October 28, 2008 at 8:21 pm
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My blog isn’t so busy that it’s a problem, but I have stopped reading and commenting on blogs that don’t respond to my comments, when they answer others. I feel slightly offended. It’s as if they are not interested in what I have to say.
I think my answer might be to group a few commenters together for an answer if possible. The thing I love about blogging is the interaction and the friendships it brings about. Without that, you might as well be on any web site reading about stuff. It would soon become boring.
With my cat blog and photo blog I respond by visiting their blogs and commenting, but my Beetle blog I answer all comments, on my post.
Babs – beetle´s last blog post..To Meme or not to Meme?
on October 28, 2008 at 9:03 pm
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You’re absolutely right. Bloggers should respond to comments and I am guilty of not doing this. I love it when a blogger responds to my comments so I should show the same respect to people who comment on my blog. It’s an easy thing and should have been automatic, but I promise to comment on all comments from now on.
on October 28, 2008 at 10:08 pm
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If people took the time to read my post and even more of their time to leave me a comment, you can BANK on the fact that I will reply to each and every one.
I know how time consuming it is, but for me, its worth my time. I have benefited from some unbelievable relationships as a result of my direct interaction.
meleah rebeccah´s last blog post..When Motivation Isn’t Enough
on October 29, 2008 at 1:45 am
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For almost a year, I responded to every comment with a reply in the comment section. I have switched to also sending an email follow up with the same reply. I use GoDaddy’s Quikblog, so no simple plug in is not an option. It could get to be a pain if I had more than, say, a dozen comments a day. But that is unlikely to be a major issue for a little hobby blogger like myself
Tina Kubala´s last blog post..Pumpkin Carving
on October 29, 2008 at 7:17 am
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You’ve gathered a large number of sensible comments here. Not one is of the type, “good post” or “passing through, please visit me”, which I wouldn’t stress myself about answering. I do try to answer any who make constructive comments with points that can be answered. The rest are likely to have to make do with nothing more than a collective “thanks”, but when you have so many as this, it’s well nigh impossible to do individual answers.
I have seen a post, by Ben Barden I think, where he discussed the way comments often dry up as soon as the author of the post replies. He suggested rather than answering each commenter individually, it would be better to enter into the discussion as another commenter. The comments don’t always lend themselves to that technique of course, and I certainly haven’t mastered that particular art.
A.´s last blog post..Time marches on
on October 29, 2008 at 7:18 am
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I respond to comments left on my blog, but will usually bulk up and respond to several comments in one shot instead of for every comment writing one comment in response.
Ann´s last blog post..Bellinzona Switzerland, again
on October 29, 2008 at 10:03 am
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When someone responds to a post that I have written by leaving a comment, I appreciate that . But I do not have time to then respond to every comment. I’ve already said what I wanted to say in the actual post. Now if a commentor has a question they would like me to answer, I would try to do that. either in an direct email or in the comment section followed by an email to let them know I have responded. But there just isn’t time to keep responding to all the comments and it’s not necessary. I had my say, they had theirs. It’s time to move on. There are some exceptions when I have a strong reaction to a comment I may even respond to it by writing a new post instead of in the comment section.
PS: One thing I learned long ago is that if you write a post about comments, you will get a lot of comments ! Ha Ha, looks like that still holds true.
on October 29, 2008 at 10:55 am
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If the Blogger responds to one of my posts great if not I don’t take it personally. If for some reason I really need a response back then I will try to contact them by other means like e-mail.
John Edwards´s last blog post..Rockville Real Estate
on October 29, 2008 at 12:09 pm
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This is a tough one for me. I try to cultivate more readers so I attempt to comment everywhere I go. The problem is, in doing that I’m getting just too many places “to go”. I love getting comments too and am almost too obsessed with seeing results when I’ve posted something.
I try to respond to everyone generally, but with the way my life is right now, that’s almost impossible. So, I would hope that by visiting anyone who has commented, they know that I’ve read their words and am appreciative in return.
Sometimes I’m tempted to pull the plug on the whole thing, honestly. I remember those simple days when I wasn’t rushing to plug in my laptop first thing in the morning, or struggling to find something witty to say, or create a poem to live up to my “reputation” as a poet. I remember what it was like to just live a normal life and not be dependent on the faceless entities who say nice things about me. Those were the days!
I know I’ll never do it. I’m too hooked on that rush of satisfaction when I’ve touched someone or made them laugh, or given them something to think about.
Having said all that, Valerie I’m sorry I haven’t been around here lately – but I always make my way back eventually.
Kat
poetikat´s last blog post..Hallowe’en Horrors on Film
on October 29, 2008 at 12:55 pm
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I do read all my comments and respond to some. Sometimes I respond on the blog and other times directly to the sender.
Alicia´s last blog post..Fashiona gives you the Read on Red
on October 29, 2008 at 1:41 pm
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I read several hundred blogs a day, and usually only leave comments on a few. I don’t get a lot of comments on my blog, so I’m more likely to reply to them. However, a lot of them just don’t make a lot of sense to reply to.
For example, today is Wednesday, so I have a Wordless Wednesday picture up. People leave comments like “That’s a nice picture”. I’m not going to fill up the comments with a comment like “Thanks”.
That said, there are times when people offer really valuable comments. Typically, what I like to do with them is save them up and wrap them into new blog posts. There are a few blog posts in the offing that I need to do that with.
I suspect some of this also relates to the type of blogging you are doing. If you are doing a very social type of blogging, SAHM, WAHM, Pet blogs, etc., it is probably much more important to respond to comments.
If you are doing a political blog, it is important to respond, if you are furthering the thinking about politics along, but simply saying “thanks” doesn’t really help.
My blog is very eclectic, so it depends much more on the individual post.
Enough of my thoughts for right now.
aldon @ orient lodge´s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday
on October 29, 2008 at 4:56 pm
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Hi Natural: I always try to answer all of my comments and have been successful at this about 98% of the time. On Monday I was really busy and got a lot of comment I wasn’t able to respond to, but on Tuesday I made sure to answer every single one. Like I said in one of Barbara’s posts, when someone leaves a comment at my blog I feel like they’re talking to me, and I feel that the polite thing to do is to respond. If I gave a speech and someone raised their hand and asked a question or made a comment about my speech, I wouldn’t ignore them, so why would I ignore my commentors. I guess for the big blogs a lot of people aren’t really talking to the author of the post, they’re talking to the community at large, so it’s different.
Marelisa´s last blog post..How to Enter the “Flow State”
on October 29, 2008 at 6:39 pm
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It’s all about the interation, baby. There is only 2 sites I continue to comment on, even though I know they won’t respond. That’s because they are very faithful about interacting on my site. On another one of my favourite sites, I know they don’t respond to each and every comment, but they do respond to direct questions, and thought provoking comments. They also encourage a lot of interaction amongst their commenters. That counts!
Urban Panther´s last blog post..Jumping to the Island of Conclusions
on October 30, 2008 at 12:04 am
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I try my best to answer every comments, especially if the comment involves a question the person want an answer to. As of now, I’m still able to reply to every comments but I’m not too sure if the number of comments increase. Maybe by then, I’ll only answer to comments that are of significance. For example, if someone leaves me a comment like, “Nice post!” or “Nice blog!” I think I will not reply to that, though I do appreciate them. I doubt these people will return to see my reply anyway.
I dislike posting comments on blogs that do not reply to my comments. Well, I can understand if it’s done once in a while or if I can see they have hundreds of comments to reply to, or if my comments don’t really need any reply. But if I wrote a lengthy comment and they don’t even bother to respond, then I normally stop commenting after a few rounds.
foongpc´s last blog post..My Very First Laptop
on October 30, 2008 at 12:42 am
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I’m a bad blogger. I try to respond, particularly when a question is asked. But with two teenagers in the house, and my being the only parent here, I don’t have much time to post, much less comment. I also have a full time job. I do try to comment on the blogs of those who comment on my blog.
Lisa´s last blog post..Work from Home as Writer/Editor for MomsOutLoud.com
on October 30, 2008 at 6:41 am
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It’s funny, but recently a blogger you, Natural, and I both know and love turned off the comments on a short post that REALLY did NOT need comments, and I felt a jolt of disappointment at not being able to interact with it!
Robin´s last blog post..How A Lot Of Wind Changed My Plans
on October 30, 2008 at 4:46 pm
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I try to answer them all. As others commenters have said, if someone comments, I feel I need to pay them the courtesy of responding.
And as others have said, if I visit a blog regularly and post comments only to be ignored, it’s unlikely I’ll stay. It’s one of the top reasons for me to unsubscribe from a blog. Another is if I comment on a blog and they never comment on mine – it’s true, there are very few blogs that I’d continue reading under those circumstances although there are one or two.
I get somewhere between 20 and 30 comments on average. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It’s a comfortable number to manage. I don’t know what the upper limit would be for me, but before I stopped answering comments, I’d try other things like posting less often, or closing the comments after I’d had enough.
on October 30, 2008 at 5:16 pm
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i am guilty on this…it is the manner to reciprocate the comment however i have my own reason if and when i forgot to leave a comment it might be my internet connection is so slow ( oh what is the connection of the connection to leave a comment?) it took a lot of time to me to open the sites and i can’t afford to spend more time waiting to open. when i am there, i am out of word to utter. I enjoyed so much reading the conversation yet if i do the rounds, i read from the very first commenter to the last.
fit4all´s last blog post..A Taste of Blogging
on October 30, 2008 at 7:17 pm
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When I first started to blog I wouldn’t respond to comments. Instead I would just visit that persons blog and leave a comment there. Now I try to respond to the comments I receive on my blog since I’m not always commenting on blogs I visit. For the most part if you have the time to respond (and want to) then do it. I see it more as a personal choice and not a obligation.
ImitationAngel´s last blog post..Friday Is Not My Day
on October 30, 2008 at 8:11 pm
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I have to admit it bugs me if my comments are left unacknowledged. It says to me the blog author isn’t interested in feedback or communicating with his or her readers.
I answer every one of my comments. They’re my bread and butter. Like others here, I love when commenters engage with each other. It means I have a community of people who are comfortable chatting up a topic and having fun doing it. Half the fun of blogging is seeing what develops in the comments section.
I’m a fan of JD’s blog (I Do Things) because her responses to comments are hilarious and when I go back to read them as they collect, it’s like getting a second post!
Kathy´s last blog post..How to Make a Grown Woman Cry
on October 30, 2008 at 10:09 pm
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I welcome comments on all posts at all times and when it comes to responding, I try my best. Sometimes it becomes an issue when you get several good comments in a row, so instead of having to do the usual “@comment #1… @comment 2….” reply, I added a plug-on so I could reply directly to each comment (and so my readers could as well).
I usually reply to the comments that have a question or some feedback but when a post get a few short comments, I’ll usually add a reply thanking them all together.
Dot Com Dud´s last blog post..How I Promoted My First Blog Contest
on October 30, 2008 at 10:16 pm
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Hey, I’ve started to answer all of my comments now, just like I said I would earlier and I am glad I did. I like doing it and it makes blogging more enjoyable. I feel I am communicating better with the people who read my blog. One of the reasons I like the Junk Drawer Blog is because Kathy responds to all comments. And now I do too! Yay!
Preston´s last blog post..Obama, Flatulence, and the Philadelphia Philles 2008 World Series Champions
on October 30, 2008 at 11:10 pm
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Of course you want to receive a comment on your blog. It’s just polite to leave a comment after you’ve been on someone’s site—otherwise you’re just a spy. However, if someone (like you, Valerie) is receiving a lot of comments, it’s hard to respond to every, single one. We all have to understand that while we’re blogging our hearts out, there are still many other things that need our attention: work (the kind that pays money); family; in-person-friends; pets; errands; life! You have to do the best you can and let it go.
Which brings me to a question…How do you know when it’s okay to end the string of communication? For instance: You blog—someone comments—you respond to their comment—they respond to your response—you write back—they write back—you write back—they write back–and so on. Life is tough, I tell ya’. It’s all a delicate balance.
on October 31, 2008 at 5:07 am
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To Colleen: I think after the first couple of replies, it’s best to email them instead.
Dot Com Dud´s last blog post..How I Promoted My First Blog Contest
on October 31, 2008 at 5:08 am
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Another voice among the many — I generally answer comments. I think the only time I didn’t was when the comment was brief and totally irrelevant. The exchange is part of the whole point of blogging for me. I sometimes batch my replies when I get a lot of comments, though things have been slowing down lately, which makes it easier.
Jennifer´s last blog post..People stop and stare
on October 31, 2008 at 12:00 pm
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Not responding to all my comments was a huge mistake I made in the beginning but came to realize it is one the most important things you should do. The whole concepts of a blog is to interact with your audience and keep a conversation going and that’s what makes blogs so great.
Everything Blogs´s last blog post..Benefits of Do Follow Blogs
on October 31, 2008 at 1:35 pm
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Yes, bloggers do love to receive comments, don’t we? I love giving my opinion on subjects, so I equally love leaving comments. It is time-consuming, but fun. I wouldn’t do it if it felt more like a chore.
on October 31, 2008 at 2:31 pm
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I prefer when a blogger responds to my comments, but don’t demand it.
If I really enjoy the content I can certainly overlook the comments not being responded.
Bamboo Forest´s last blog post..Make This Halloween a Ghost Dad Halloween