Blog comments need a better PR firm

http://bowmanmarketing.com Scott Bowman

FIRST! <— I really dislike that.

Spot on about commenting and adding your voice to the conversation. When I stop to comment on a blog, it is usually because I want to be part of the conversation. Sometimes it seems people comment just to be seen.

As for the popular blogs and brands that only have 5 comments, I think that happens most on the ones that don't engage back. I've always thought that the host of the blog should be the number one commenter, bar none.

Engagement is a 2 way street. Otherwise it's just a broadcast.

Great Vlog. Thanks for sharing :)

Scott

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

FIRST!…um, reply? :)

“Otherwise it's just a broadcast.” <– spot on.

http://twitter.com/mikepetrucci Mike Petrucci

Great post!
http://twitter.com/mikepetrucci Mike Petrucci

Hahah, sorry, just had to get that out of the way!

But really, I agree with what you're saying completely. It also seems that whenever I get a comment on a blog post, it adds more “excitement” to my day than just a Twitter mention. Maybe it's because I know that you had to take an extra step and not just hit 'reply' and tweet back.

A lot of times a whole conversation can unfold and that's pretty cool. It's like the blog post is getting revised and updated with both input from readers and the authors response.

I don't mind a simple comment but totally love when there is some big long comment that is longer than my blog post! The comments section on blogs allow you to leave an incredible amount of text, why not use it!?

Thanks for spreading your thoughts on this. A lot of people (me included) can neglect and forget the value of a blog comment pretty quickly.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

LoL thanks, Mike. I did have a bit of fun wondering what type of comments I'd receive on a blog post about comments. :)

I like your idea about how the initial blog post gets revised and updated with comment input. Everything on the web is constantly changing – I love it.

http://twitter.com/itsaholliday Kiel Holliday

I agree with comments. Personally if I like an article I will comment with my take on the subject at hand.

Thought provoking and inspirational and so so true.

Comment and you would be surprised at who may connect with you later.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

Surprised indeed. I wonder how many folks keep track of how much of their new blog traffic comes from comments on other sites?

http://twitter.com/mikecarlucci Mike Carlucci

Especially with Disqus, which is practically a shadow social media site. It follows you around on tons of blogs!

(I tweeted the same comment and then facepalmed.) You're exactly right. The comments can be the most direct and on-point discussion between the author and readers about the topic at hand. And comments don't go away like tweets.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

“a shadow social media site” <– well said, sir!

I think the timing thing is important to note, too. Tweets are SO at-the-moment. If you miss them in the stream there's little chance that anyone will see them again. Comments could be around for months, if not years and years to come.

Thanks, as always, for your thoughts, Mike!

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http://duanehallock.com Duane Hallock

Thank you, Annie, for this insightful and provocative post. I'm new to your blog and will explore it more depth once I've joined the conversation with this comment. You touch on a topic that's so important yet often ignored. The 2.0 world we now live in is all about conversations, but too little of the social media content spawns conversations. That's the biggest problem I have with Twitter. Also, I've been “broadcasting” a personal blog for about a year and I'm now rethinking it because I've used it to push out information without successfully engaging people in a conversations.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

Thanks for joining the conversation, Duane, I appreciate it. :) Would love to hear your plans and see the results of your engagement!

http://LouMindar.me Lou Mindar

The blog post itself is just the beginning. So much more conversation can take place and so much more knowledge can be shared in the comments. I can't tell you the number of times I have been blown away by the comments to a blog post. The post may have been good, but the comments were great.

Unfortunately, as you pointed out, blog comments are not considered sexy any more (if they ever were). They don't have a cool name (like Twitter or Facebook) or their own logo. And yet, I find them extremely valuable.

I also want to piggyback on what Scott said below. Comments where the blog author stays engaged are the best. You do a great job of that, Annie!

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

“so much more knowledge can be shared in the comments” – great point, Lou. The blogger speaks with just the voice of one. All the commenters can add exponentially more knowledge to the topic at hand!

http://anothersamchan.com/ Sam

Nobody ever talks about disqus. I freaking l-o-v-e disqus. Why? Because it's a track record of where I've been. It's a fair representation that when I am commenting and people appreciate what I bring to the table, they can click 'like', and people can also see the comments from others that I appreciate.

I can make up quantity stats such as tons of worthless 'first' comments on every blog I know (regardless or whether or not I'm actually first) but what Disqus does is keep me accountable to keep quality comments coming.

Oh, and the free linkage to my site isn't bad either ;-)

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

Lots-o love for DISQUS! I'm glad you brought this up, though, Sam. I don't think I've ever clicked on my Disqus stats to view every blog I've commented on. I have to do that! Thanks. :)

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http://www.NewRichProject.com Sunny

Great observation… And lets be honest, when your post gets a comment, and someone actually cares enough to add a quality remark or further the thought you laid out, it really makes you feel good about taking the time to create unique and insightful blog posts…

When my email account lights up and shows me that someone made a thoughtful post on something I've just put up, I smile from ear to ear. When you do this you're building community, sharing your insightful thoughts, and furthering the positive energy so many of us bloggers are trying to cultivate.

Great stuff Annie, keep it coming.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

Sunny!! It is so interesting, I agree…you publish something out onto the web and even after you know, logicially, that there are readers out there, it's still such a pleasant and mildly shocking surprise when that first comment shows up. Like, “oh my gosh, they ARE reading!” :)

http://twitter.com/h2oCory Cory Alan Finley

Love it A, thank you so much for posting this; I am a living testimony to the power of commenting on blogs, it has helped grow my social entrepreneur circles immensely! Keep the good stuff rollin'.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

Glad to hear, Cory, keep on!

demetter

I actually think that people on Twitter are starving to have a discussion. One-way communication is so old school and no fun. Remember being in school and jotting around at the schoolbench? You had the most fun when you came back the next week and somebody jotted something next to it!

I think the amount of comments on your blog articles say more than any good design you put forward. Usually they go hand in hand when you want to optimize it all, but I was astounded by the amount of comments when I first saw this blog some minutes ago. Any blogger would be proud to have his or her own community, the one thing you can't control yourself.

DeMetter.com – minding your business

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

Thank you, Paul, for your kind words! I love my blog commenters and appreciate them so much – publishing in this space would not be the same without them!

Loving the memory of leaving notes in school…remember when big corporate conferences used to do that same type of thing?

http://www.demetter.com DeMetter.com

Hi Annie, I must say you might be surprised when some executive leaves his notes and you see what he scribbled down… or just drawed. It's getting harder and harder in the digital age, though :-)

Jackiehockett

I find myself wanting to comment all the time on blogs- but by the time I register my name, create an identity, confirm the e-mail…the moment of conversation is lost. Also, so many high traffic blogs these days do not post everyone's comments, or only highlight those who comment frequently. It then becomes a conversation among friends, and not a discourse! So no, commenting is not part of my day. But talking about it with my friends in person, and passing along the articles via e-mail and Facebook are indeed.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

I'd argue that talking about it in person and sharing via email/Facebook could be just as powerful! Thanks, Jackie!

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I just created my first blog and set it to only be viewed by my friends. Two of my friends have left a comment and told me it said it had to be approved by me.
http://coffeecupnews.org Jason Coffee

This is something given plenty of emphasis in SEO talk and Garyvee and others talk about leaving comments on blogs and forums all the time.

That said, I do agree that it is something that many people could give more focus to on a regular basis, I have many readers on my own blog that will comment to me about a story via twitter or facebook but won't leave a comment on the blog which would last forever. I think a lot of that mentality comes down to ease of use, it's so easy to do a quick reply on twitter, facebook or DB but takes more effort to post a comment on a blog. A little extra effort can go a long way to connecting with a greater audience if that is what you are trying to accomplish. Great video btw.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

I agree, Jason…I think it's the “little extra effort” piece that keeps folks from commenting. One of those situations where a little extra work produces proportionally more benefit!

http://digitaltraveller.org/ Chris Johnston

Blog comments used to be a big deal but then spammers took them over and the SEO gurus made them “nofollow” and people lost interest. In addition, before social media the conversations use to take place on blogs. People would not only comment they would respond to a blog post with another blog post and more conversation would take place in the comments of that response.

http://www.anniesorensen.com Annie Sorensen

Chris, loving your mention of going above and beyond responding with just comments with actual blog posts. Hmm… :)

Thank you so much for throwing in your 2 cents!

T-Rave

Good thoughts. I was thinking about comments in the last few days. Yeah, you may have tons of analytics that say you are getting viewers, but on the outside knows?
Also, good content should spur discussion.

Very well put ma'am.