A community isn’t built or befriended,
it’s connected by offering and accepting.
Community is affinity, identity, and kinship
that make room for ideas, thoughts, and solutions.
Wherever a community gathers, we aspire and inspire each other intentionally . . . And our words shine with authenticity.
Getting Folks to Follow You Home
When new bloggers ask how to get more readers, one of the first answers offered is usually to comment on other blogs. Connecting with like-minded thinkers with a thoughtful response to what they write is a strong way to let folk know who we are. The key is in the quality of the comments we write.
Here’s what Tony said . . .
I donât think I like the idea of commenting on every post.
If you are really adding something worthwhile, fine. But how many of us have something useful to add on each and every post? And if it IS that useful, Iâm probably going to blog about it myself and include a link back to my inspiration rather than leaving a comment. Of course that does zilch for building traffic links, but if Iâm really saying something important, it may be better for me long term.
In fact, whenever I start writing a comment and it gets over a paragraph or two I start thinking âShouldnât this be a post?â
This comment qualifies, but Iâll leave it here just this once
I also donât necessarily like putting links in my comments. If I honestly feel that I have something you really have to read, I might, but Iâm more apt to just say âI do have a post on this at my siteâ or (most often) say nothing at all. I just donât like using other peopleâs comments to promote myself.
When someone comments on one of my sites for no apparent reason than to get a link, I delete their comment entirely. If they have added something at least marginally useful, Iâll leave it be. Iâm not draconian, but Iâm not going to be spammed.
If somebody asked a question and I have a good answer on one of my sites, yes, of course Iâll link to it. But sometimes, and particularly if the post at my site is short, Iâll just cut and paste from the post instead of linking.
Iâm probably too conservative in that regard.
A successful and outstanding blogger said that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
