Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

December 4, 2005

Blogging Hypothetical Question 3

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 6:53 pm

muddy teal strip A

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week, I offer this Blogging Hypothetical Question.

Here you go. . . .

A friend in your blogging niche has 700-800 visitors a day. (Don’t we all wish?) But she gets no comments.
She asks:
Is this a bad thing? Is it my writing? What should I do? Should I do anything?

What’s your response?

Besides, of course, “Send them to me, and I’ll ask them.”

–ME “Liz” Strauss


Filed under Bloggy Questions, Business Life, Comments, Community, Successful Blog |



C'mon. Let's talk!

40 Comments to “Blogging Hypothetical Question 3”

  1. December 4th, 2005 at 7:29 pm
    Melissa said

    try ending an entry with a question.

    or… beg. haha

  2. December 4th, 2005 at 7:38 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Melissa,
    Good to see you!
    Begging has worked for me in the past–no kidding! It’s nice what people will do for a poor homeless, little orphan waif like me.
    Liz

  3. December 4th, 2005 at 8:34 pm
    Mike said

    Number one for me would be to look at her CMS and see if it’s user friendly and (should I dare say it) simple.

    If you have to register, log in each visit, and have no options like Trackbacks and a place to link using your URL, I’d tell her it’s a wreck and fix it now, not later.

    Even bad bloggers can get comments if their CMS makes it simple to do so. I’m a living example.

    If, in the past, she got a comment that she didn’t like and blasted the poor commenter into oblivion….well, I ain’t gonna chance it and see if she’s grown up any.

    Other than those scenario’s, there’s no reason for her not to get a comment from that size of a following.

    Yep, no other. None. Nada. Zip. I’ve solved the riddle.

    Next question.

  4. December 4th, 2005 at 8:38 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mike,
    Good to hear from you. Good points. If it’s hard to comment, people won’t even try. If someone’s been put down, they’re not going to risk getting the same. I hadn’t thought of either issue.

    I’ve read your blog. You’re far from a bad blogger. You make the blogosphere smarter. :)
    Liz

  5. December 4th, 2005 at 8:53 pm
    Mark (the serious carpenter) said

    Seriously (hmmmm) I agree - ask for them. Of course if you keep writing they will come.

    I’m feeling waaaay too serious… :-)

    7-800 daily visitors came and went yet a while ago yet, relatively speaking, compared to you or JOAB, or Scrivs, for ex., I get very few comments. But my focus is to “keep on keepin’ on,” add content, get indexed, spidered, linked etc. I know the comments will come eventually.

    Content, content, content…

    Interaction, communication, promotion…

    The comments will come. And if they don’t, check your sales or downloads - those can be comments enough!

    The number of visitors doesn’t relate to whether you’re a success or not (IMHO).

    Mark

  6. December 4th, 2005 at 8:57 pm
    Mike said

    Can’t be too smart or I wouldn’t have been dissin’ Uber-blogger Seth Godin.

    What the heck was I drinkin’ ?

    Thankfully he was very professional, mature and giving with my idiot butt.

    Lesson learned. Read your posts…um, 7 times before you hit publish.

    You can say what needs to be said without criticism and snarkiness.

  7. December 4th, 2005 at 9:05 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mark,
    You’re never too serious. That’s a point. People have more than one way of showing support, i.e. commenting–downloads, sales, subscriptions, even just showing up are all signs that something you’re doing is right. But if you long for community, that may not be enough . . .
    Liz

  8. December 4th, 2005 at 9:07 pm
    ME Strauss said

    That’s the sign of a Successful Blogger, Mike.
    Not that you don’t make mistakes, but that you know ‘em and own ‘em when they happen. Then respond to them with a learner’s mind not with a baseball bat. Sounds like you’re doing that to me. :)
    Liz

  9. December 4th, 2005 at 9:40 pm
    Martin said

    From my experience, the comments will eventually come.

    My own conclusion (it’s not rocket science) is it all comes down to how you converse with the reader in your posts.

    If you write in a way that says it’s my way or the highway then people will be too timid to have a say … although Cowboy Jack (JOAB) may be the exception ;-)

    If, on the other hand, you show a human side in your writing - don’t preach, don’t shout people down, fess up to any mistakes, take on board all comments, then there should be no barriers for a person to comment.

    And my first rule: reply to every comment. The reader has made an effort to converse with you - it’s the least you can do … and heck, a good portion of my blogging moves in the direction via some of the comments made. Sometimes there’s gold in them comments that makes the original post look lame :-)

  10. December 4th, 2005 at 9:45 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Martin,
    I think even Jack has an implicit message that says “go ahead, it’s okay to tell me I’m wrong.” I like how you say that no barriers for a person to comment.

    You know I agree with your first rule to reply to every comment. How can you want or invite conversation and then leave someone talking alone? Yeah, as HART said, “The shows in the comments not in the post.” The conversation the other night went well beyond the post to cover new ground–as your comment conversations often do.

    Liz

  11. December 4th, 2005 at 11:01 pm
    Shirley George Frazier said

    Not everyone knows how to participate on a blog, so I created a “how to comment on this blog” page just in case someone wants to post but doesn’t know where or how.

    I always remind myself that not everyone knows what I know, and how to post on a blog may be something the reader truly does not know.

    I also don’t have many participants, but I hope that whoever is reading is able to use the information to build a great business.

  12. December 4th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
    Martin said

    I think the Cowboy comes from a different planet and doesn’t play by any set rules ;-)

    Yeah, sometimes I go through a well-commented post of mine and then take a look at the post that ignited it and cringe…

    Shirley - good point, sometimes we just expect everyone to know what to do.

    Sounds like a good post topic: “How to comment on a blog” … a simple “how to” article like this might get linked to by so many … hmmm

  13. December 4th, 2005 at 11:19 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Shirley,
    That should be a poster:

    I always remind myself that not everyone knows what I know, and how to post on a blog may be something the reader truly does not know.

    What a great idea to make a How to Comment on My Blog page!
    Liz

  14. December 4th, 2005 at 11:21 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Martin,
    You know that by tomorrow it will be “How NOT to Comment on a Blog.” :)
    Liz

  15. December 4th, 2005 at 11:30 pm
    Monday Morning Roundup » Fine Fools Community said

    [...] I commented on why some people comment and others dont. It doesn’t seem to be based on the amount of traffic in my opinion. [...]

  16. December 4th, 2005 at 11:32 pm
    Mike said

    OMG ! Are you telling me that everyone who reads my blog may not know how to comment ?

    Pretty dang simple ( I like that word )…too bad I was too simple to figure that out myself and tell them it’s okay to speak up.

    Now I’ve gotta go figure out how to tell ‘em it’s okay to speak up.

    Thanks y’all !

  17. December 4th, 2005 at 11:35 pm
    Back to the office. » Fine Fools Community said

    [...] I commented on why some people comment and others dont. It doesn’t seem to be based on the amount of traffic in my opinion. [...]

  18. December 4th, 2005 at 11:50 pm
    Aakash said

    For various reason, I have never - since it began during the Fall 2002 semester - had comments on my blog.

    I was told by Pieter that having comments on one’s blog is a key factor that raises the hit total. This is probably true… but at least I can console myself by noting that some of the most popular weblogs on the net (InstaPundit, Michelle Malkin, Sully, PowerLine…) don’t have a comments feature.

  19. December 4th, 2005 at 11:50 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Mike,
    It is possible that lots of people who read your blog don’t know how or feel they have the right to comment. Yeah that’s possible. Glad you’re going to tell them to speak up. :P
    Liz

  20. December 4th, 2005 at 11:52 pm
    Simplenomics » Blog Archive » Does Everyone Know How To Comment On Blogs said

    [...] While I’m chewing on this revelation, feel free to join in on the conversation over at Successful Blog. [...]

  21. December 4th, 2005 at 11:55 pm
    Mike said

    Done deal.

    You’re the star, of course, of another post on a simple blog.

    Link love at it’s best.

  22. December 4th, 2005 at 11:59 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hello Aakash,
    Nice to hear from you. I wonder whether your topic is one that draws mostly readers who subscribe through feeds? I’ve also noticed that certain topics–highly informational ones such as health blogs–don’t draw comments either.

    Javier today discovered it was where his comment link was located–above the post rather than after it. When he moved it the comments started coming.

    Do any of these sound familiar?
    Liz

  23. December 5th, 2005 at 12:01 am
    ME Strauss said

    Oh Mike,
    Darn if you aren’t my hero.
    Liz

  24. December 5th, 2005 at 12:57 am
    mel said

    wow this one sure got a lot of comments.

  25. December 5th, 2005 at 1:01 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mel,
    So maybe the advice should be to pose a hypothetical question. :)
    Liz

  26. December 5th, 2005 at 8:35 am
    Sabine said

    Liz, another great post. And I also had a lightbulb moment with Shirley’s suggestion.

    Commenting todos:
    –make sure readers understand that I want comments
    –make sure it’s easy to add a comment
    –have instructions for those who need extra help
    –beg more often ;-)

  27. December 5th, 2005 at 9:14 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Sabine!
    Great set of advice.
    I especially like number three. Might I add that if begging doesn’t work, go ahead and move on to complete and all out guilt. :)
    smiles,
    Liz

  28. December 5th, 2005 at 10:18 am
    Gary Miller said

    I think Shirley is spot on with readers not knowing how or possibly being aware that they CAN comment on a post.

    I know that the readers of my [now defunct] fly fishing blog rarely if ever commented. These folks came from a BB/forum mentality where discussion (what we bloggers refer to as comments) is the way things are done. Threads on bulletin boards can become quite lengthy and even resurface after time. Blog posts, on the other hand, can tend to appear as the announcement of a final word on the matter if not left open ended with an invitation for readers to share their opinions.

  29. December 5th, 2005 at 10:23 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Gary,
    That’s another new point. That folks from the world of BBS and forums view the comment box differently and have different expectations about it. They might very well see it as more of a commitment. I know that I’m shy about my first comment in places where I don’t know anyone. I feel like they’re going to be looking at me as an intruder, so I’m careful that I have something to contribute and that my wording is just right–not too pushy or overconfident–doing that takes time. Sometimes it’s time that I don’t have.
    Liz

  30. December 5th, 2005 at 11:12 am
    Javier Cabrera (ClearYourMind) said

    If only knew the answer! ;-)

  31. December 5th, 2005 at 11:18 am
    ME Strauss said

    I’m coming over there right now to leave a comment and show them how.

    (rubs hands together) There. Now I feel better. Anyone else want to visit Javier’s blog and leave a comment?
    It’s a highly passionate blog about marketing called Clear Your Mind. It’s well worth visiting.

    Nice design, too Javier.

    Liz :P

  32. December 6th, 2005 at 8:18 am
    CT Biz Blogs » Blog Archive » Commenting on CTBizBlogs said

    [...] A post a few days ago on Successful Blog, about comments on posts, prompted Shirley Frazier to make the comment that bloggers shouldn’t make the assumption that readers know about the comments, and know how to comment.  So, I wanted to make sure that my readers know that comments are most welcome! [...]

  33. December 6th, 2005 at 10:09 am
    ME Strauss said

    Thanks Sabine!

  34. December 6th, 2005 at 11:20 am
    Blog Marketing, Blog Promotion for Newbies » Blog Archive » No - The Customer Isn’t Always Right! said

    [...] Though the original post was asking the question “How To Get More Comments” which, I imagine, ought to appear self-motivated (at least it does to me), the comments themselves evolved into a discussion about how to let your readers know what your comments philosophy is. Why? So your readers know! [...]

  35. December 6th, 2005 at 11:59 am
    ME Strauss said

    Thanks, Mark!

  36. December 6th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
    Mark Wade said

    Anytime, my friend.

    Always a pleasure! Especially for the Prez :-)

  37. December 6th, 2005 at 12:48 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Mark,
    You say the coolest things.
    Liz

  38. December 9th, 2005 at 12:08 pm
    tanya said

    I am in the exact same position - my blog is on ‘food product reviews.’ I have long since stopped measuring ’success’ at my site in terms of comments. If you have hundreds of visitors to your site daily, and you’re ranked highly for some search terms, then that equals success to me, or at least lets you know that other people do like what you’re doing. For my site, even though it’s a blog style - it’s more for information, as is the case with many niche blogs, and so lots of people read … hopefully more than one page … click a few ads and move on.

  39. December 9th, 2005 at 2:53 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Tanya,
    I know what you mean, Tanya. Some information posts just don’t lead naturally to comments. We really don’t want to make our readers to work to write something either I don’t think. I applaud your attitude. I think you’re right. Success is measured lots of ways. That’s the philosophy of this whole blog.
    Hope you’ll hang around. Your insights would add a lot to our discussions here.
    Liz

  40. January 15th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
    Does Everyone Know How To Comment On Blogs ? said

    [...] While I’m chewing on this revelation, feel free to join in on the conversation over at Successful Blog. [...]

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

C'mon Let's Talk!