Musicians Play for Tips- The Importance of Comments

July 14, 2008 · Comments

tip jar This is not a plea for comments for THIS blog. This is a post thinking about how comments matter to bloggers in general. I use my blog only as a reference point. Instead, this is a reminder that commenting is good, and that if you can’t comment, you can still help out bloggers that you like.

At the time of this blog posting, over 5,300 people receive this blog in their RSS reader (or via email). Another 2,000 – 4,000 come to the site directly, depending on the day and the post. Add those up, and let’s say that around 7,500 people come here daily to read my stuff.

If 1% of you commented, that’d be 75. (I’m bad at math. Did I do that right?) The average post on here gets a respectable 20 or so comments, but that’s about 1/4 of 1% then, of the folks who get a copy of each post. This got me thinking about other great blogs that I love.

I read several hundred blog posts a day. I comment on maybe five or six. So I’m in there with you. I’m not commenting much, either. And yet, if I’m able to leave a decent and thoughtful comment, I know that the other person will appreciate it. Sometimes, it’s a matter of time. If it’s that, here’s some other ways to help:

If You Don’t Have Time to Comment

  • Bookmark the post in a social bookmarking site (so others might find it).
  • Share it in Google Reader.
  • “Like” it in FriendFeed.
  • Stumble it in StumbleUpon.
  • If it’s *really* good, Digg it.
  • Note it on Facebook.

You get the picture. If you enjoy something, but don’t have the chance to comment due to time, another great way to be helpful is to move it along to others in your network. That’s why there are social software tools to begin with: to facilitate that very experience.

I could probably list 100 blogs that deserve more comments without breaking a sweat. You probably could, too. One might even be yours. If you want to talk about your blog in the comments section here, what it’s about, and why someone might want to come by and comment, that might be fun. Want to?

And now that I think about this, because he has comments turned off (for his own reasons), how does Seth Godin know when he’s hit one out of the park? Del.icio.us? Links? Hmm. I love my comments. It’s often better than the post, and it usually tells me when I’ve hit a mark.

—

The Social Media 100 is a project by Chris Brogan dedicated to writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Swing by [chrisbrogan.com] for more posts in the series, and if you have topic ideas, feel free to share them, as this is a group project, and your opinion matters.

Get the entire series by subscribing to this blog, and subscribe to my free newsletter here.

Photo credit, kingnixon


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  • Interesting -- 20 or so comments for 7,500 readers. So much for the "1% leave comments" rule of thumb on Web interaction. Maybe it's "1% leave comments sometimes."

    I'll take the bait. I think my new site, MarkTzk.com, might be worth leaving comments on because I don't know everything about the topics I write about. I have tips, ideas, advice, some of which I hope is helpful to some readers. But I'm pretty sure there are readers who have additional, or better, ideas that they could contribute in the comments. And that helps create a better site (dare I say community? my site doesn't have that yet) for everyone.

    I'll also add two more suggestions to your list of ways people who don't leave comments could help spread the word:

    1. Email the post's permalink to friends/colleagues.
    2. If you blog, link to the post in a links round-up or in a longer post you might be writing that touches on the subject.
  • Chris, actually I'm not sure it's only the matter of time. I tend to think that I should only comment if I actually have something useful to add to conversation - simply typing "Great post, keep up the great work" does not seem like a good option and I don't think any blogger actually enjoys this type of comments. So I may well have time to leave a comment but I don't feel there's something actually useful to say - especially when I agree with the author (I think people almost invariably comment when they notice and error). But this is exactly when I choose to share the post on SU, FriendFeed, Facebook - it shows appreciation to the blogger and does not require thinking up something to say when you actually 100% agree.
  • @Svetlana - good point. Sometimes that's what stops lots of people. It doesn't feel valuable to pat someone's back and move on. I don't disagree.
  • Great post, Chris.

    I know I've written a good post when readers send me thoughtful email! I don't know what I'd do if I got as many emails as you get comments, though.
  • I've been thinking about this issue myself as I'm getting ready to teach a social media class and how to use it in the classroom for the faculty at my college. I'm still not quite sure how to approach the etiquette of comments or how to encourage students to leave them. Thanks for a thought provoking article.

    On the flipside, I have a blog that I co-author with my teen son, may not have a huge interest base but would love to see some comments on ways to improve it. We're at http://tennis-misfitmom.blogspot.com
  • A lot of times, people will say something on Twitter about a post of mine, but not leave any comment on my blog.

    I'm sure that's the norm now, but it would be great if they would take the extra 2 minutes to leave the comment along with the original post.
  • Tim Sunderland
    I know nothing about Twitter (I know, I gotta find out about it) but I am surprised that there is not some way if a person responds to you blog on Twitter that it does not automatically post as a response to your blog.

    But as I write this I can see issues. But there has to be someone out there you can figure out a solution and allow those Twitter replies to appear.

    By the way, check me out at www.gonzoblogging.com
  • Regarding Svetlana's comment about not wanting to just pat someone's back: I saw this discussion already going on at flickr: is just patting one's back ok or does it have to be a more detailed comment? Well, speaking for myself, I can say that I like being patted on my back. I'm happy about getting more detailed comments, but being patted is ok too. Regarding commenting myself, I try to do it in a more detailed way. Just a few months ago I wasn't sure if my comments had the necessary "level" of thought (being not a native speaker of English), but in the meantime I write and hope to make myself understood.
  • Great post Chris. I think this holds especially true, and if anyone can make a difference on the blogging environment, it's you. When you had the "Read a Blog" Day. The hits on my blog rocketed. So if you call for people to comment more I believe that you will see results almost instantly.
    Yes, Comments help, they allow people to realize what needs to be done in their blogs, and what can be done even better. Thanks for the great post!
  • @Ulla: You yourself mention that you prefer to leave more detailed comments - even though I insist that you like simple patting on your back. So don't you think it's just logical that other readers prefer to only say something when they have something to say as well?

    Good point about hesitating to comment as a not native English speaker. I am not one myself and this used to be one of my major concerns - until I realized that some bloggers actually prefer to receive a comment with a couple of linguistic defects than no comment at all.
  • Oops, just noticed that I used the wrong url in my last comment - blogspot will be continued as a purely german blog, whereas wordpress will be continued in English.
  • If it's all about numbers, then here you go, another comment to add to the list.
  • Great post - I was really surprised when I wet to Blogher Business to discover that their recent survey showed that 1/4 of all bloggers cited a primary reason for blogging was to receive feedback... As someone who teaches musicians to leave feedback I am not surprised at the less than 1% ... Now I'm off to bookmark you .
  • Chris:

    This post greeted me this morning and perked up my half closed eyelids (I'm a morning person but for some reason am getting off to a slow start).

    Comments. Hmm....

    Here's what I've learned in the year and a half of blogging, almost two years:

    1. If you write with the mindset of encouraging comments, you will attract them if you leave open-ended questions for the readers to ponder

    2. Sometimes you elicit an avalanche of responses and not really know why except that whatever you wrote touched a chord inside the readers

    3. I try not to cover all the bases in my articles to leave room for comments b/c if you do (cover everything), your readers won't have anything to left to say

    4. most of those who comment are usually your hard core fans - the rest of them don't bother b/c like you said, they're too busy (or don't feel compelled enough to stop and write a comment

    5. and finally, those who don't leave a comment can very well be "shy" about airing their thoughts - I've had a handful of loyal subscribers who took forever to come out of hiding and finally leave a comment - it took some coaxing.

    One more thing Chris - I've had several people send me private emails telling me how much my articles inspired them and in turn I would ask them if they wouldn't mind cutting and pasting that email to the comment section. Several of them did so with a little bit of encouragement from me. Others didn't.

    Hope this was helpful.
  • Chris, I really appreciate your post this morning. I value comments because I believe strongly in the value of conversation versus just conveying my thoughts in a format where they can't be challenged.

    Today is my 100th post since my return to blogging in late March, and I'm having more fun at it than ever. I think Client Service Insights...(CSI/Season 2) is worth reading because through its content and conversation, it offers a broad range of perspective regarding how we can better serve our clients and how we can better select clients that are a good fit for all of us and our respective firms. It's both serious and humorous at times; academic as well as practical, and it looks outside the PR business for best practices. We've got special guests, contests, polls, videos, you name it.

    I know I put a great deal of myself into each and every post, but for me it also helps to know that bloggers whom I respect are regular readers and contributors. It's who, not how many - although I'd love to have more readers. The people who do come to CSI enjoy the content, and I enjoy and engage their comments. The "insights" are everyone's, not just mine.
  • Comment quality matters, too. I recently got a tip about an impending bank failure via a comment. I'd rather one GREAT comment than 100 ones that aren't as helpful.
  • In my opinion, comments aren't just about the blogger. Sure, it's a great boost to the writer of the post if it generates a lot of comments, but for me as a blog reader, it's usually the conversations within the comments that are of most value to me.

    In fact, comments on other peoples' blogs are one of the most common ways for me to discover new people and new blogs.

    For me, as a blogger, it's not about how MANY comments I get - it's about what people say.
  • Chris, I just posted a comment after yours at the Digital Influence Mapping Project blog so I guess I'm eating your dog food ;o)

    As one who blogs from the UK I have to say there is evidence that a lot more people in the US comment on blogs.

    In the UK, people seem to visit a blog, consume what they want and move on.

    For that reason, I don’t read too much into the number of comments a blog receives. It’s more about the quality of the comments.

    Having said that, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by those who tell me they enjoy my company blog. In person.

    Good content is good content whether or not people comment.
  • Ann Kingman
    I try to leave comments when I can, but I realize that my use of a feed reader often requires taking the extra step to click through to the actual post in order to comment. And sometimes I don't do that. So I will try to be more mindful of that.

    It also occurs to me that though I read your blog in a reader, I almost always click through to *read* the comments -- the comments that you manage to garner are always high quality adn thought provoking in themselves, and that's also something to strive for.

    I wrote a post last night and this morning woke up to my most-ever overnight comments. It's a good and useful post, I think, and hopefully means that I'm getting better at reaching my audience.

    And if the rest of you want to come over and add your comments, it would be much appreciated :) We write about books and reading, and try to talk about books in interesting ways rather than just reviewing. We both work for a major book publisher (in the interest of transparency) but this is an independent project and we talk about books we love no matter who publishes them.

    I'm now going to go comment on some of the blogs listed here.
  • Amy
    1x I commented (on another blog), and ppl jumped all over my comment.. and now I'm gun-shy.
  • Something occurred to me at the end of my comment that I thought I'd bump up to the top (using this site as an example): I'd love to see a feed of comments that you have made on other people's posts. Something like "Chris' comments" that would point me towards interesting conversations you've decided to join... if a lot of people started doing that it could really get the blogosphere humming and encourage more comments and conversations.

    Now back to the original start of my comment. I wonder if there's a way to look at the comments issue as a simple function of time available in the day.

    I find myself reading more and more blogs, news feeds, etc. Each new thing I add to my regular reading list takes additional time from my day, and since time is of course finite, I must allocate that time from somewhere else. Given that I'm already sleep deprived, comments are one of the few areas that can easily be scaled back on.

    Further on that note, just like a good blog post takes longer than what many people might expect, so does a good comment. A "keep up the great work" comment is easy, and quick, but doesn't really add anything to the conversation - as noted above. Providing insightful comments on multiple posts on any given day can eat up a lot of time.

    (this led me to the thought I bumped up to the top)
  • Denis - Fascinating. I like that idea a great deal. See where I've roamed and commented (or anyone) and learn from it.

    I think that's what CoComments was trying to accomplish, but did they get it? Not sure.
  • Chris,

    Thanks for the heads up on Cocomments... I hadn't heard of it. While I've only played around with it a bit it does seem to enable what I was talking about. Guess I should spend some testing out the user comment widget!
  • Just Mixxed this.

    I find it very useful to have reader comments. Otherwise I feel like I am just talking to myself. Along with analytics I can tell what interest people have in different topics. Also, my blog posts are often questions that I am hoping readers will take the time to answer.
  • @Denis - it's not perfect. It's just what's out there now.
  • I'd say blogging is pretty much about comments, not necessarily to make the blogger feel good, but to make the wheels spin even further so that an idea could be even more developed and conceptualised. After all its much about communication, no?

    In such way I suppose that I side with Svetlana above (it would be great to be able to anchor link her comment in this case). Although I'd like to vouch for a good post I also would like to contribute to the idea myself. Else I could spare pixels, energy and readers time by simply reading.

    I await the coming of "blogs 2.0" (with fangs) featuring enhanced possibilities to communicate and share ideas starting with a blog post; that the blog format itself would support the building of micro communities around one single topic. Perhaps that functionality is already out there and I havent seen it. If so perhaps someone could kindly point me in the right direction.

    Btw I really enjoy you entries Chris.
  • I must agree that reader comments are very useful and rewarding. I have currently been blogging under Wolfstar, a social media and PR company I have been working for over the last couple of months. As someone fairly new to blogging it was very encouraging to see peoples comments and know that people are enjoying my work.
    I plan to set up my own social media blog very soon (currently I am operating my personal blog which focuses on traveling). So I wanted to add that for people new to the blogoshpere commenting is useful not only for the blogger but also for the 'commentee' in terms of networking. I plan to comment on any blogs I find of interest to me to help establish myself and my blog - and after all the blogoshere is a place for conversation is it not?
  • Maybe we don't comment because we are horading information :-).

    --MT
  • "I can live for two months on a good compliment." -- Mark Twain http://is.gd/T9N

    Similarly, feedback gives me a reason to keep on writing and producing additional content.

    I've noticed lately that it's easier for me to comment on other people's blogs than write posts myself. It's actually a great way to blog without blogging, ;).
  • If companies encourage employees to comment on things they are reading, the will end up creating a great deal more exposure. You'd think every organization would send out an email letting people know how and when to comment on blogger's blogs.
  • Great post Chris,

    My site has been up for close to nine months now and has been a great for me. I started the blog to keep people up to date with my thinking, and then *hopefully* write enough interesting stuff to have them comment back. I am really keen to build a bit more of a vocational community, and I saw the blog as a way to do that.

    I agree with @stephen hopson - I find my posts have been a bit to constructed, and so don't leave enough room for people to comment back with thier own thoughts...but this in itself is great. It is helping teach me how to actually draw feedback and questions out from people regarding my thoughts and ideas.

    www.thesquigglyline.com/blog if you're interested :)
  • I think Seth Godin knows he has a hit before he even hits publish (half-kidding). The effect of turning trackbacks off for Seth is that people link to his blog, email his post and otherwise share and discuss his material around the web. Before FriendFeed was Godin. Google alerts probably help him track his success too, if he's interested. His idea viruses probably get sneezed more rapidly this way--in the wild versus in his blog. Whether or not that's his intent, I don't know and can't say.

    I'm not sure musicians always play for tips. Sometimes they just play for the music. Doesn't blogging work the same way? Commenting to? Sometimes a blog hits the right notes and people love to just sit back an listen as @Stephen Hopson said. Other times a blog hits other notes, or misses others, and that's when people want to play along.

    Sorry for the mixed metaphors.

    As for my blog, well it's only a few months young, and it's still tuning its fork. Comments would certainly help my tuning, but I know it can take 3-5 years to get that tune set down in the right key; and even then, I hope it's more like Jazz or Rock than Muzak.
  • Stephanie
    Hi Chris,

    I must be special, I made it into the 1%.

    I find that I am more inclined to post comments on blogs where the blogger truly engages in conversations with their readers. I understand that some bloggers simply can't respond to everyone individually. With that said, I tend to prefer less popular blogs for that more personal attention. Compliments work both ways. Do what you can to thank your readers for participating, they will continue returning the favor.
  • I come from brazil and i read your blog by rss. Sometimes i want to comment but my english are too bad for to do it ;))
    It´s very interesting today to read about statistics of "readers X comments", and realy I find that exists a virtual timidity ;))
    in my blog the visitors do comments when the post is more about my work or my experience in fashion. Another my day brother sent me a link that I was stayed very impressed in 24 hours had more then 2000 comments in an ONLY post, is a Cuban blog that speaks about the difficulties that they should live in Cuba... well curious... http://desdecuba.com/generaciony/
  • Comments are good. In my view, pingbacks are better - as it shows something I've said has stimulated another idea. I have to admit, I tend to stumble more than digg, but I comment more than I pingback.

    if any readers are hesitant, by the way, you tend to draw loads more traffic, if you comment...
  • Ha - as it happens I just posted about the same topic! http://www.diaryofareluctantblogger.com/2008/07...

    Commenting is an integral part of joining the conversation, but the other side of the coins is that it's ok if you don't get too many comments on your own blog - you may have a more passive audience than others - but it doesn't mean they aren't there, reading your stuff!
  • I am going to keep this list by my side and post it on my "donations" page. Thank you.
  • Chris,

    Bravos on another fine post. Count me among the guilty. You're in my reader, enjoy your posts but have never offered a comment until now. An old school rule of thumb from broadcast states popularity is the inverse of unsolicited response. Happy viewers watch but don't take the time to reach out and say "Thanks, love your show." We witness this phenom when a show is canceled and the crowd of fans suddenly appear to protest. My thought is you are probably getting read by far more people than your stats suggest. Keep up the good work.
  • fd
    An old school rule of thumb from broadcast states popularity is the inverse of unsolicited response. Happy viewers watch but don’t take the time to reach out and say “Thanks, love your show.” We witness this phenom when a show is canceled and the crowd of fans suddenly appear to protest. My thought is you are probably getting read by far more people than your stats suggest. Keep up the good work.
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