I love comments. That is a statement that probably every blogger can get behind.
But are all comments created equal?
I enjoy comments that say thank you for review, and things like that. It is validation for my work that goes into the blog.
But I love comments that go the extra mile and comment on something specific about the book, or even better, about something that I said in my review.
But, should we expect that sort of response? Should we expect comments at all?
I know when I visit blogs, I am usually more of the "thanks for the review" and sometimes a bit about what I loved or didn't like about a book, and the occasional I haven't heard of this one.
What makes you comment on blogs? Do you go and visit the blogs of those who commented on yours? What kind of commenter are you?
I got to thinking about this because I am so behind on returning comments. I am just now finishing through May 3rd, so if you've commented from then until now, I love you, and I promise I will get to your blog and comment.
But are all comments created equal?
I enjoy comments that say thank you for review, and things like that. It is validation for my work that goes into the blog.
But I love comments that go the extra mile and comment on something specific about the book, or even better, about something that I said in my review.
But, should we expect that sort of response? Should we expect comments at all?
I know when I visit blogs, I am usually more of the "thanks for the review" and sometimes a bit about what I loved or didn't like about a book, and the occasional I haven't heard of this one.
What makes you comment on blogs? Do you go and visit the blogs of those who commented on yours? What kind of commenter are you?
I got to thinking about this because I am so behind on returning comments. I am just now finishing through May 3rd, so if you've commented from then until now, I love you, and I promise I will get to your blog and comment.
I'm more of a short and sweet commenter. I love comments as does anybody but I think sometimes it all comes down to time and getting to as many blogs as possible. Great question though.
ReplyDeleteI try to comment as often as I can whenever I read a post. I know personally, I love comments because they make me feel like people are actually reading my posts, even if it's to say something little like they like my review or they agree.
ReplyDeleteI tried to go read everyone who commented on my post's blog, but it's really hard and I don't want people to feel like they should comment just to get comments back.
If people leave a link in the comment, I probably will visit them back at some point. I do try to reply to most commentators on my blog.
I try to leave more thoughtful comments. This is actually a new goal of mine that I just started about a week ago. So far so good but we'll see how long it lasts. But before I was usually left "thanks for the review" type of comments.
ReplyDeleteI think that when you leave really thoughtful comments, you probably don't comment on as many blogs. I guess you just have to find a balance between commenting on a lot of different posts and leaving thoughtful comments.
I don't return comments as much as I should. Although, I need to start doing that more.
I'm from a fashion-blogging background where a large majority of comments revolve around "cute outfit follow me? kisses from milan xoxo." I love commenting on posts which ask for an opinion (such as this one).
ReplyDeleteThe Tall Blonde Artist
Since I returned from my hiatus, I'm trying to become more of a commenter who goes the extra mile. I like more in-depth comments on my posts so I think it's only fair if I return longer comments too. I used to do the whole 'Thanks for the review' thing but it doesn't really show whether you've read the review or not so I prefer to talk about some of the points made in the review :)
ReplyDeleteNice discussion! I really enjoy commenting, and I try to do it often. I try to write a unique, thought-out comment each time, but sometimes (often with memes) I find myself saying the same thing over and over. But with reviews, I definitely try to say something about what I liked about the book, or, preferably, what I liked about the review.
ReplyDeleteI visit everyone's blog who comments on my blog, and leave them a comment in return. But I do get behind occasionally. And I have a few blogs that I comment on all the time, regardless if they've commented on my blog recently or not. Then I read through my Google reader each day and if I find a post I want to comment on, but can't comment right then (since I prefer to comment from my computer and I usually read my Google reader on my phone) I save the post until later. But this makes me get really behind on commenting! I'm currently trying to catch up on that!
But I really appreciate comments, no matter how long or short, and it really is what keeps me going. I think this community and comments are a big part of why we all continue to do what we do.