How Many Blog Comments Should You Reply To?
By Matt Jones on Oct 7, 2007 in Creative Blogging
In the very early stages of a blogs life this isn’t so much of an issue. 2-3 months ago I would make sure I replied to as many comments as possible to inflate their numbers in an attempt to take away the shiny new smell that Blogging Fingers reeked of.
At the other end of the scale this isn’t so much of an issue either. If you have so many comments you can’t possibly reply to them then your blog is successful enough that replying to every person who leaves a comment is way down on the priority list.
It’s when a blog is middle aged that this comes into question. Blogging Fingers is mature for its age and so although it is only 3 months old, its reach in its niche is that of a middle-aged blog and it has the comments to match.
The Predicament, On The One Hand
- I really appreciate comments and I want to show that by replying to them so that you keep doing it!
- It helps build the sense of community so that all commenters are welcomed into the fold.
- On some posts where I ask a question (like this post) I want to show that I have read and paid attention to your comment (which I always do) even more so than if it were a comment on another post.
- Making the effort to reply to every single comment is something few bloggers who have a middle aged or mature blog do and so it is a potential branding method. I.e. To become known as the blogger who gets a zillion comments and actually replies to them all.
But Then Again…
- If I average e.g. 10 comments per post, it looks like I am trying too hard to artificially inflate comment numbers by replying to them all
- There is always something else to do when blogging.
- Perhaps I should focus on the content and marketing more than community building?
- Sometimes there simply isn’t always something to say in response even if the original comment was a good one. I may simply agree with what the person said and so there would be nothing left to say other than “good point”, which definitely looks like a pathetic attempt to increase comment numbers.
- Some comments left are not quite spam and not quite good comments. Something like “nice points, I’ll be looking into these” is in the twilight zone of blog comments. It’s not worth replying to, but just about worth approving.
- Some bloggers don’t check back for replies to their comments or use services like coComment
Where I Stand
Up until now my policy for replying to comments has been to reply to a comment if I have something to say. If the comments are abnormally low or high I may be ‘forced’ to compensate by replying strategically. If I know that blogger particularly well I often feel obligated to reply out of respect.
How do you operate when replying to your comments? Do you have advice about this?
P.S I will be replying to every comment for this post.
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I reply to every comment made on my personal blog. Even though it’s a “casual” atmosphere, I’d feel like I’m ignoring friends if I didn’t respond with something. As far as my money blog, I reply to every question or comment with concern. I know how it feels to ask a question and never get a reply and I DON’T want my readers to have that “I guess that’s a stupid question and isn’t worth their time” kind of feeling. I don’t usually reply to general statements. I always reply to a new reader who has left a comment for the first time. It’s my way of saying thank you for reading my blog and taking the time to comment.
Lori that is a very fair and welcoming policy.
None of my blogs have reached that middle-age yet, so it’s still pretty easy for me to reply to all of the comments. I know that as a reader, I really like it when a blog author replies to my comment.
In that case I will make extra effort to reply to your comments
When I started my blog, I wasn’t so worried about replying comments. What’s worse, I’m very shy, so if I got a comment from an important blogger normally I wouldn’t be able to reply because I was afraid any response of mine would sound too stupid. On another blog of mine (the one I plan to compile into an e-Book) I used to make a bigger mistake: sometimes I wouldn’t reply to comments due to pure laziness. Besides, I never really encouraged comments over there.
Of course, nowadays I take a different approach on the subject. I try to reply to most comments, but like you said, sometimes the comments left by certain visitors simply aren’t good enough to inspire a reply. I’ve also seen a case where a commenter misinterpreted some things said by me and by other commenters; he end up leaving a pretty silly response to us. I decided not to reply, because if I did he might think either I wanted to ridicule him or start an argument.
As comments in my own blog gradually increase, I’m still learning how to manage them. I try at the very least to thank all commenters. Sometimes we engage in interesting conversations, but of course those have to come to an end at a given point. Normally I leave it to the commenter to realise there’s nothing else to be said.
Your current policy for replying to comments seems to be very appropriate to yours and most blogs. If you just keep on doing things this way, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble to manage your comments.
Karen it’s great to see you are not so shy any more… look at that whopping big comment!
btw let me know how that e-Book compiling goes, I’m very interested.
Yes, that was a big comment. O_O The truth is that I easily get inspired by the blog posts I read, thus the long comments. I’d be able to turn most of my comments into new articles for my own blogs. In fact, I’ve tried it once or twice, and I’m really tempted to do it more often.
As for the e-Book compiling, I’m not sure it’d really interest you, as it’s going to be a collection of writing prompts for fiction writers and poets. But if you’re into these subjects, it may be of some use to you when it’s finished.
*At least this comment wasn’t as long as my previous one…*
I reply to all of my comment most of the time. I wonder why you think it is a lot of work
Only take a minute to reply to 10 comments with short answer and suggestion.
TAke care, Sean.
True, it doesn’t take that long, but then there is always something else to do with that time.
It all depends on the individual blog author and their choice and decision as to what form of open lines of communication there are. If a blog author chooses to use the comments section as the main line connection of communication with their readers, then responding to as many as possible would be in their best interest.
If you format your blog to channel direct communications with the public via your contact page or email address, then you will find a trend of people placing comments on your posts that say things like, “Hey nice work…” or “wow, excellent post”. Comments like that don’t really have to be responded to.
I never really considered responding to comments as a way of inflating numbers. There is one thing for sure… its a big numbers game. I try to separate myself from that. Meaning, if I find a great page or article on a free GeoCities page, I treat the no different than I would reading that article if it was published on a popular blog. All in all, if I have something to say, I say it… regardless if it is on a blog that is one day old or Matt Cutt’s blog.
I like the consistency of how you manage things Garry. I suppose a man with over 100 blogs needs some ground rules!
I reply to every comment left unless a good conversation is going between visitors and then I let them have their fun and just speak when I have something to add.
Nice idea, just start a debate and watch the comments roll in
Thanks for mentioning cocomment. I personally find it very useful tool to keep my blog replies up to date and on time. And like some of you: should I spend time in marketing or community building? cocomment helps bloggers build a wider audience by shearing comments with the their community.
If you have any questions or suggestions please fell free to contact me at
joaquin@cocomment.com
Thanks!
Joaquin
Thanks for dropping by joaquin. I use coComment when I’m using Firefox but most of my time I am in Safari and sadly it doesn’t work there.
nice points, I’ll be looking into these…
but seriously, I try to reply to every comment.
Haha Adam, glad to see you are making use of my “twilight zone” comment
I reply as the comment is needed. I will visit the commentator blog and comment at their blog instead of replying something that need no reply on my blog.
That is an interesting tactic… do you find it lures them into becoming a regular commenter?
I reply to all and generally visit the blog of the commenter and comment. I don’t get huge comment traffic tho’ as I only recently started promoting my blog.
re Cocomment, it’s great but it slows me down big time, when leaving comments so I disabled it.
Yeah coComment can be a bit cumbersome, I only use it part time - when I’m in Firefox.
Some bloggers see comments as being a conversation, and in that case I am happy to jump in myself and add to the discussion.
I take your point about inflating the comment count though, so rather than respond to each comment separately I try and reply to two or three comments with a “group” comment.
Of course the other point is I can’t always be sure if a commenter returns to see my follow up, but if someone has made a good point (or maybe a bad point) I do try and acknowledge it
Yes replying in a group is a possibility, that’s what I used to do but now that threaded comments are installed it wouldn’t look smart.
Hmm, yes, I could see that being a little difficult!
top post, i can agree with your statements. I try reply where possible but again it does depend how many comments you receive.
As i have relatively small amount of comments i can comment where possible
Top comment, lol. Do you think your ‘policy’ will change when you get more comments?
Matt,
I almost always reply to comments individually, because I feel it’s a sign of respect to those who have taken the time to leave feedback on my posts. (We all know how easy it is to click away to the next blog without commenting even when we’ve enjoyed a post! So, I try to recognize everyone for their input.)
If several comments would basically receive the same reply from me–as when I’ve asked for advice about a topic and would basically be thanking people for similar comments and saying that I’ll try out their suggestions–I will sometimes combine them into one shared response, as I did today with three bloggers I know well. (I rarely do this, though.)
However, even in combined responses, I’m always careful to use the commenters’ names in my reply, because I feel it’s very important to recognize their contribution to the conversation and would never want to make anyone feel ignored, as I myself have felt at various times. (In fact, in today’s reply to my three “blogging buddies”–each of whom I highly respect–I used each of their names not only in the “greeting” but also within the reply itself, mentioning something unique that each had stated in the original comment.) My commenters are very important to me!
It’s true that I don’t receive a large number of comments and that, if I did, I might have to alter my method of replying to comments somewhat. But, even if my comments should grow, I’ll always do my best to reply in the most personal manner possible.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post!
Jeanne
Jeanne, using names is a good way to show respect. Looking back across my replies I see I sometimes do that, but not every time.
I think admin of the blog should reply to every comment bcoz this would increase his readership and also readers will encourage by this.
i try to respond if the comment requires a response, but my blog is fairly new so i want to try and connect with new readers and hopefully keep them interested in further posts if they see that i respond and actually interact with them
Good plan doug, I hope it works out for you
I do the same. Or try to. Otherwise I just respond to them through email.
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Now if I could just get some comments …