By Taylor Davies
This is the eighth post in a very exciting series we’re bringing to you on IFB in anticipation of the upcoming #IFBcon. Each day in the month of August, we’ll have a different post designed to help your blog become – you guessed it – bigger, better and bolder.
Love the post! Follow me back! – www.myblogrules.wordpress.com
Cool Shoes! Check out my blog! – www.imannoying.blogspot.com
Are you cringing yet? We all get a little peeved of comments like these on our blogs, but why do we keep seeing them!? It’s time we came together as a community and made a pact to stop the lame comments!
Though we posted earlier today about Commenting Karma, we thought it would be prudent to revisit some of the basic points of etiquette and effectiveness when it comes to leaving comments on other blogs. Like so many of the topics we cover, from social media to posting formats, pages, widgets and design, there are no hard and fast rules. We can only use our common sense, personal preferences and previous examples of success to guide us.
On that note, lets swirl those three ideas together and try to hash out some guidelines for leaving comments.
- Read the entire post. We can’t tell you how many comments we’ve read (here and beyond) that make it so blatantly clear that the person didn’t bother to digest the whole article. When you jump the gun like this, you can end up making an irrelevant remark that doesn’t make sense and can make you look foolish.
- Use full sentences. If you can read them, you can write them. (Right?) A full sentence (or more!) shows consideration, thoughtfulness and that you are not a spammy robot.
- Make a point. It sounds simplistic, but hear us out. When you leave a comment, even if it’s to let a personal style blogger know that you really love a particular outfit – round out your appreciation with a little why. Why do you like this outfit? Why does this post resonate with you? Why do you agree or disagree with the blogger?
- Length = strength. Not too long and not too short, but how do you know what that looks like? Say everything you want to say, but don’t write a novel. Your comment is more likely to be read and appreciated if it’s in a digestible format. If you have more than a paragraph or two to say, why not write an entire post on your own site? That’s a sure sign you have a passionate opinion on the topic at hand.
- Be genuine for the win. Whether you agree or disagree, like or dislike the post you’re commenting on, be real.
- Be constructive, not destructive. Speaking of being genuine, please use your best judgement. If you have a strongly dissenting opinion, either keep it to yourself, or share it in a way that’s thoughtful and respectful. There’s nothing to be gained from being rude, mean, insensitive, patronizing or just incredibly offensive.
- If you’re going to leave your blog URL, have a reason. Leaving your URL is a touchy subject when it comes to commenting. It can be a huge turn-off, but if done right, like in Jessie’s case with The Wall Street Journal, it’s a great way to attract new readers. Perhaps you have written a similar (or opposing) post on your blog you can link to.
- Read your comment before sharing it. It can’t hurt. Check for spelling, grammar and type-os.
It should be noted that the comments left on the “Commenting Karma” post are some of the most well-written and thoughtful ones we’ve seen on IFB in a while – go figure!
What’s your commenting style? How do you leave your URL without seeming like you’re fishing for traffic? Leave your best tips in the comments (with thoughtful, full sentences of course)!
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Corporate/Non-IFB Member Tickets: $600
Thanks!
Excellent points, all of them! I especially like the point about reading the entire article. And your point about explaining why you like a certain outfit or post is great. I admit, I’ve been guilty of just saying I like something but not saying why. I’m going to work on that!
As for leaving the blog URL, don’t most comment forms have a space for it? That’s where I always put mine instead of in the body of the comment itself.