Most bloggers crave comments. It at least shows someone is reading your blog.
It is day 14 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I visited new blogs and other bloggers have visited mine.
Keep it Simple
Here are a few suggestions for bloggers who want to keep those comments coming.
Make it easy to comment – some marketers suggest you use the first time a person comments on your blog to register for your site. Please don’t do that. All you are going to do is chase most readers away.
Respond to comments – I venture to guess that most of us in the Ultimate Blog Challenge are not so bogged down with comments on our posts that we need to hire someone just to respond. A simple thank-you for visiting your blog is welcomed. It helps build relationships.
Respond in a timely manner – Make sure you are notified when someone comments and then be sure to respond in a timely way. My rule of thumb is within 24 hours, but I usually do it more quickly. Then again, I am not the one needing to hire someone for the volume of comments.
In WordPress, you can set your preference under Settings – Discussion. I check these boxes:
Email me when:
- Anyone posts a comment
- A comment is held for moderation
- Comment author must have a previously approved comment
I only hold a comment in moderation when a person leaves their first comment. It does not prevent them from commenting, but allows me the opportunity to make sure it’s not spam.
Once a person is approved for a comment, future comments by that person are not held. So far, it’s worked well for me.
Let them hear back – When I leave a comment, I would like to know if someone responds to my comment. I may also like to follow the discussion and read other comments.
If you are like me, you don’t always subscribe to every blog, just because you left a comment. The Subscribe to Comment plug-in allows readers who leave a comment to check a box that sends an email notification when someone adds a comment to the post.
You want readers coming back. If they don’t remember where they posted the comment, they probably aren’t going to hunt for it. This plug-in solves that problem.
If the post is wildly successful and your email is buried in “There’s another comment,” you can click on a link that allows you to unsubscribe to any further comment notifications for that post.
That’s my two cents. What simple blog comments solutions do you have?
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This is Day 14 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.
i-Stock Photo Credit: porcorex
Great ideas Cathy. I think I do things the same way and it has worked for me too.
.-= Jen Turi´s last blog ..Walking the Talk – Numbers Don’t Lie =-.
That’s what I’d expect from such a great mind. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Jen.
Hello Cathy. I’ve been reading some of your posts and I just wanted to thank you for the tip of the Subscribe to Comment plug-in. I’ll want to use that in my blog too.
.-= Jeannette Koczela´s last blog ..The Science of Getting Rich-Quote3 =-.
Hi Jeannette:
I am glad you found a helpful tip. There are so many great plug-ins and tools, and I found out about many of the ones I use from people sharing their opinion.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again in Comment land. 🙂
I don’t know how hard it is on my blog to comment. I think I have it open, but I’ve been hit with so much spam lately. Can’t remember if I still have the controls turned off or if I’ve reinstated them. Let me know! I don’t want to shut anyone out with too many steps.
Your blog is easy to respond to, Lori. It used to have the CAPTCHA, but it doesn’t have it anymore. It is very easy to comment now, as demonstrated by your number of comments. Something for me to strive for. 🙂
Thanks for dropping by, Lori.