Ten Commandments Of Blog Commenting

Posted by Chaidir

on Monday, June 14, 2010

Most of us visit a lot of blogs everyday and leave comments on the ones we like. Some people leave comments on other blogs hoping to get noticed and possibly gain more traffic. Others leave comments because they want to participate and make new friends.

Both reasons are perfectly valid. What a lot of people tend to forget, however, is that there are best practices for everything, including blog commenting.
Here are the Ten Commandments Of Blog Commenting:

1. Read before you write - Before writing your comment, make sure that you have read and understood the post. Firing off a quick comment only to realize that it was totally unrelated to the post won’t get you any new visitors. Be sure to read your comment before submitting. I’ve made a lot of embarrassing typos just because I was in a hurry to submit my comment.

2. Be Polite - Good manners are essential when commenting on other blogs. You wouldn’t go to another house and behave inappropriately right? It’s the same thing with blogs. Just because you’re not interacting face to face doesn’t mean you can act like an idiot. If you’re polite and well-behaved, you’ll find that it will be easy to forge new relationships with other bloggers.

3. Smile - Emoticons are great for adding a little oomph to your comment. A smile can make a huge difference. If you’re giving the author a compliment, smile. If you’re voicing a different opinion, smile. A smiley gives off a friendly vibe. Trust me .

4. Contribute - As much as possible, try leaving a comment that adds value to the discussion. Comments like, “Me too!”, or “Wow nice!” are generally frowned upon and give the impression that your opinions are not worth reading. Personally, I don’t mind comments like these since I’m an off-topic kind of guy heh, but for other blogs, it’s better to leave comments with value.

5. Don’t be condescending - When pointing out errors in the post, or disagreeing with the author’s opinion, do it in a nice way. You may be the world’s smartest person but you don’t have to rub it in everyone else’s face. Voice your opinions in a friendly manner and you’ll be sure to make new friends. Remember, the really good ones don’t need to brag.

6. When in doubt, ask - Anytime you come across a post that you would like to comment on but can’t because you don’t fully understand it, go ahead and ask for clarification. Most authors would be happy to expound on their original post. Most blog authors appreciate it when their readers show interest in the article by asking questions.

7. Make a good impression - Commenting on other blogs is another way of marketing yourself and your blog. If the majority of your comments are obvious hit and run comments to gain backlinks or to get into the Top Commentators list, you’re not painting a good picture of yourself. Writing meaningful replies and responding to other commenters are good ways of leaving a good impression on the blog author and his readers.

8. Never flame - If you feel the need to comment on a post that you don’t like or an article that you completely disagree with, don’t start a flame war. Insults, name-calling, and sarcastic comments won’t give you new readers nor friends. If you can’t help but feel antagonistic towards the author, don’t waste your time and energy. Just leave. There are thousands of other blogs that you can visit.

9. Humor goes a long way - Everyone loves a good laugh. Try injecting some of your comments with a little humor. If you can make the author and the other commenters laugh, there’s a good chance that they’ll visit your blog and become regular readers.

10. Come back - You’ve done all the things listed here. What’s next? You have to try and go back to the blogs you visited and continue to contribute. That is the best way to get noticed. Most blog authors notice people who regularly leave comments, and usually become a regular commenter on their blogs as well.


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