Remember the good old days when we used to actually comment on blogs? OK, that might be a tad dramatic, but commenting has taken a hit with so many points of interaction on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and so on. It is also a time factor, and with so much sparkle online it is easy to get distracted. I love that two bloggers, Melissa @rockdrool and Jessica @foundthemarbles are working to revive blog commenting with a new site they just launched: Blogger Comment Club. That new site has bloggers talking (literally), so I thought it was perfect to highlight this week.
Also last week:
- Kelly Whalen @centsiblelife shared about the Strut Mom Fashion Show, a first for New York Fashion Week.
- Heather Solos @heathersolos shared her Sunday Confessional (and boy, can I relate!).
- Andy @howtobeadad warns of the hazards of baseball bat-wielding children.
- Caz shares Eight Goals You Should Set for Your Social Media Plan at SITSGirls.
- Gigi @kludgymom discusses How and Where to Promote Your Blog Posts.
So what did I miss? Be sure to share a link to your post from this week. The only requirements are:
- You should be a parent who blogs
- The post must have been published between Februiary 13-19, 2012
- You MUST use the permalink to the post itself, not your blog’s homepage URL
Add your post below (and feel free to grab the code to place the linky on your site if you would like):
Photo © Andy Dean – Fotolia.com (affiliate link)
Kelby Carr is the founder and publisher of Type-A Parent. She also is the organizer of the Type-A Parent Conference. She is the author of Pinterest For Dummies and Pinterest Marketing For Dummies. You can follow her on Twitter at @typeamom and circle her on Google+.
gigi
Thanks for the shout-out, Kelby!!! Interestingly, I wrote a piece in January about how to build a blog community other than thru commenting. I won’t link it up here because it’s not within the timeframe, but if readers are interested, they can stop by! I also did a piece this past week that was part of a tandem posting series with 8 other bloggers on lifting the veil on making money in blogging. I will link that one up!
Kelby Carr
How about linking it here in the comments since it is related?
melissa
thank you so much kelby!! we are really hoping to get the comments rolling again. that’s such an important part of the whole blogging thing!
Kelby Carr
Yes, I agree!
Melanie @ Mel, A Dramatic Mommy
A lot of people tell me, if they don’t see a post go by on their Facebook timeline, they won’t seek out a blog anymore. Personally I feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with all the channels.
Michele
I don’t want to rain on the blog-love parade, but isn’t anyone else a little offput by the “you rub mine, I’ll rub yours” philosophy of blogging? There’s no denying that it used to be like that. When I blogged a few years ago there was a definite quid pro quo system going on and people were actually offended if they commented on your post and you didn’t comment on theirs.
That largely unspoken commenting rule led to the seeming popularity of some bloggers, who used # of comments as a marketing tool. They rose and as they rose, quit commenting. People still commented on their blogs though because now they were “popular”. Talent and quality didn’t seem to play into the equation at all.
And with this “comment club” it seems that some want to bring that system back into full swing, as if blog comments = popularity = worthiness. Where’s the talent in that? Where’s the real value?
Comments should be made because people care to comment and because something about a post compelled them to respond, not because they’re hoping that enough quid pro quo comments will help make them look popular.
My feeling is that comments had by this system should come, at the least, with an honest disclaimer such as “I’m a member of the Blogging Comment Club.” We expect that kind of honesty from people who are being sponsored to write a post, and this isn’t much different.
Kelby Carr
I also commented below, but specifically to your point that people might beef up comments for opportunities. I know some pretty sharp people in PR and marketing, and I can’t imagine any of them would be fooled by inflated comments. Anyone in that business should know better than to judge a blogger’s reach by one method alone. So sure, people can game the system (they do it with Klout), but a smart firm’s rep will spot it from a mile away. An even smarter rep will personally know enough bloggers to know who is gaming and who is not.
Jessica @FoundtheMarbles
Thanks so much for mentioning the site, Kelby! We really appreciate it.
I’d like to take a moment to respond to Michele’s comment above. Her points are completely valid regarding the blogging philosophy. Our take on it is that the site can help you find some new blogs to love and provide genuine conversation. That’s why we don’t require participants to comment on all of the blogs (just ten) and why we feature a site rather than a post. We are looking for a give and take, for sure, but the site was created because we want authenticity and conversation to come back to blogging. Ultimately we are a a community and we want to show support for one another in a more genuine way.
I hope that answers any questions! Thanks again, Kelby.
melissa
michele, i’d like to address what you are saying. we started blogger comment club as nothing more than a way to bring back the comments we all used to love receiving. period. we heard what many of our blogger friends were saying and we took that into consideration…they miss the comments. not as a tool to gain popularity or self worth, more because of the friendship and conversations that grow out of the comments. In the past, comments were a way to support, lift, laugh, cry and whatever other action/emotion comes to mind, with the blogger who wrote. Sure, some bloggers gained popularity due to the comments the received but not that many in comparison to how many blogs there are out there.
We feature 30 bloggers a week because then you are bound to find at least 10 blogs you feel compelled to comment on. If you don’t, then you don’t. No big deal. We aren’t ever going to be the comment police.
I’m sorry you are looking deeper into the meaning of the Blogger Comment Club than what is really there. For many other bloggers however, they are excited about the prospect of the comments coming back to their blogs because that is part of why they began blogging in the first place. Whether they are going to use that as leverage to gain popularity or somehow some monetary gain, we wouldn’t know and that’s their business. Our reasoning behind Blogger Comment Club is simple. We want to bring back the commenting part of blogging. Period.
Hope that addresses your concerns. Thanks!
Sara O'Flaherty
I was kind of interested in the whole Blog Commenting Club idea until I realized upon starting to register how complicated the whole idea was. Sure, I’d be happy to leave a comment on x number of posts a week, but it was the whole ‘then come back here and tell us you commented’ part that I said forget it and abandoned the registration process. It was just a step too many for me. I realize that for the project to work you kind of have to keep track, but for me it was just too much to do on the user end.
One of the biggest things to remember, ever, is that people are inherently lazy. The easier you make the process, the more return you are likely to get. I am the co-founder of the ScrwMedia network of sites (Urlybits.com, Geekisawesome.com, et al) and I can tell you even on a high traffic site, comments were fairly rare until we brought on Facebook comments, and then it took off. Why? because most people have a Facebook, so they are already logged into comment when they hit your site. There are downsides to this, but for us it was worth the tradeoff.
Michele
Thanks for your reply, Melissa. Don’t you think though that there are less quid pro quo means to achieve more comments? How about just encouraging others to comment? Or asking them to share the comments they’ve made on blog posts that really touched them?
And I ask, in all sincerity, don’t you think these comments should come with the disclaimer that they’re being made as part of a group/club effort?
I am not purposely trying to poke you and the club in the eye, but I think I’m not the only one who was turned off a long time ago by the quid pro quo system. It seemed to lead to a lot of mediocre posts getting comments for the sake of comments, and so many of them were obviously just a rush “okay, you went to mine so now I have to go to yours” kind of message.
Anyway, those are my thoughts, and people are entitled to do whatever makes them happy. I just think this kind of thing leads people to blogging and posting comments for reasons that might not be apparent to the casual reader, which is where a disclaimer would come in handy.
Kelby Carr
I don’t disclose when I found something on Facebook, or every time I share on Twitter and I am friends with the person. I don’t disclose when I comment and found a post via the numerous other methods. I feel disclosure is when there is a bias (like paid content), but disclosing in comments that you found the blog via a particular site seems odd. I don’t see where their site requires anyone to participate, or even dictates which of the 30 blogs to comment on or which posts to comment on. I know you didn’t link one, so I have to ask. Are you a blogger? I simply ask because what they are doing seems very much in line of the blogging community supporting one another. I can’t imagine people are going to comment with nothing to say just because this site exists, but the site is a wonderful reminder to get back to the back and forth we used to have more often on blog posts.
Michele
Hi Kelby,
No, I don’t blog anymore, but I am on FB and Twitter. I think my issue with this club (and disclaimers) is that unlike links posted on those sites, usually for the sole purpose of truly stumbling upon something worthwhile, there’s a contrivance here that’s based upon reciprocity. The whole purpose of the club being to gain comments by way of commenting, and the fact that such a club exists, seems just a tad disingenuous and not unlike a pyramid scheme, except in this case the currency is comments instead of money.
(And actually, there could be a financial benefit for the bloggers if all the PR companies aren’t as savvy as you suggest, but that’s another topic).
I simply think readers (not just blogger-readers or PR firms) should be informed when the comments being made are as part of a group/club effort. I wouldn’t feel any differently if it was an internet newspaper that had formed a club of editors to go comment on each others articles.
It’s about transparency. Apparently, you and others disagree, and that’s quite alright, but for me personally it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I won’t be reading the blogs that are participating in what I see as a stealth effort to boost popularity by rather shady means.
melissa
Michele, I suppose that if we were paying bloggers to leave comments, then a disclosure would probably be necessary. But, we aren’t. So, it’s not really necessary. As a blogger myself, and not a high traffic one at that, I am always grateful for comments no matter where they are coming from.
I’m not quite certain why the comments and where they are coming from seem to be a bit of an issue for you because based on the response that Blogger Comment Club is getting, bloggers are very excited about the prospect of getting back to the real nuances of blogging.
I totally and completely respect your opinion and I say that honestly. I’m just really confused about why this seems to be an issue.
Jessica @FoundtheMarbles
Thanks again, Michele. Interestingly, we were trying to stay away from the disclaimer in part because we are trying to go against comments such as, “Found you on the XYZ hop, now please follow me back.” It was also because the purpose is to find sites that one might revisit, bookmark, etc. in the future and not just a one-off type of deal. I see your point though! Thanks!
Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting
I have never been the type to worry about whether folks whose blogs I’d visit and comment on would reciprocate. I would love the visitors and the company, but to me, it’s about the conversation and the interaction. I am excited to see what Jessica and Melissa are doing, encouraging folks to be more mindful commenters instead of the good ‘ol drive-by readers. I will readily admit I used to be such a better blog commenter and reader before the Facebook pages and Twitter updates and Google+ posts, etc. I could use a little remindin’ like what they’re offering.
Tonia @TheGunnySack
I am really excited about this new club! It seems that people often forget that there is a person behind the blog that took time to create the content and post about it. According to my Blogger stats, I received 14,223 pageviews yesterday (2/20), of those pageviews I received 25 comments and most of them were thanking me for my link party. I want to be part of a group who is committed to taking a little time, when checking out a blog, to say, “Hey there, I stopped by your site and I like this post.” Do I expect even 1% of the pageviewers to comment? No, but it would be nice if a few more of them said hello!
Christina S.
Commenting on blog posts has become a lost art. I’ll receive more comments regarding a post on Facebook than on the actual post itself. While I appreciate the feedback on Facebook, I do wish more people would comment on the blog post itself. Not because I care what other people think about the number of comments on the post, but because I’d love to see interaction between the people that read the post. Through Facebook, it’s only my friends that can connect with each other, while on a blog post, they are introduced to new people.
I think this is a great idea and a appreciate the little “nudge” it gives me to find new blogs to add to my reader.
trina O'Boyle
I agree Christina! I have many people leave comments on FB and twitter but hardly ever on the blog. I think The Blogger Comment Club is a great opportunity for others to interact with new found blogs.
Dr. G
You are so right to highlight this effort Kelby! And to all who are looking for more true interaction, I am amazed at the depth of the comments I’m seeing and the real connections being made. It is a terrific idea with excellent execution!