Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Love's Comments and Sparkles

Day Two of this fabulous Trifecta! Make sure to stop by Elana Johnson, Alex Cavanaugh blogs for their point of views!!! (Alex will post tomorrow)

Today's topic...

Comments, and how to get them.

Whether you are new to the blogging world, or have been around for quite sometime, we all love comments.

You know that special time of day, you open up your inbox, ready for a Squee worthy moment, the sun radiating off the page, it hurts your eyes, you shy away (for just a moment) ready to celebrate the number of comments you received for that day, and when you finally adjust your eyes you see that trusty, oh.so.special number...

ZERO.

YOU.HAVE.NO.COMMENTS

Wait, what?? What did I do wrong? Am I not good enough? Do they not like me? Did my mom forget to make her special brownies again?

Okay, okay, so this isn't ALL of you, some of you get several comments, some of you are perfectly happy with the number you receive, but just incase you're a little low for the liking I'll give you the best tips I know on how to snag those extra few comments.

1. Active Blogging - Structure is important in the blogging world. Your followers need to know when you'll stop by. If you only blog M-W-F then you want to let your followers know. Create a button that says how often you blog. I'm an every day (M-F) blogger (for those who are unsure!)
2. Fun & Interesting (with questions) - People don't always know what to say so it's easier to keep the conversation light but also leave a question so they have something to comment on. Unless you are a fan of "That's a great post" then keep doing what you're doing.
4. Comment - If you don't comment on their's, they won't visit. Make sure they are meaningful and heartfelt, the shorter and more universal, the less likely they'll believe you actually read their blog post.
5. Be Nice - both on your blog and on those you take time to comment. If you're rude no one will want to visit. Even while critiquing one's work, be respectful.
6. A little extra - For me personally I like when I can have people comment on my blog and in return I can send them a response back via email, to ensure they got it. Not everyone who comments on my blog has an email attached. That is just a little extra of mine, it's a nicer way to connect with someone and in the end they could become your follower. Something to think about it. I know it helps me know who to follow!

PS, after you've been blogging for awhile you'll realize the more comments you have the more overwhelmed you feel. Not everyday can I reach all of those who comment on my blog, but they're the first place I go to, it's important that they know I was there, I read and I enjoyed! I do my best not to feel guilty, some days it's just to big to conquer.

And there are a few of you who take a different approach, for instance Candyland has her blog drugged (no, seriously) there is something in her blog that makes you drawn to it. I personally prefer a more legal approach, I leave sparkle dust on all my comments and it brings you back to me :) Muahahaha!!!

Let's hope the next time you see your inbox it's filled with more love!!!

92 comments:

Connie Keller said...

Okay, I'm totally going to try sparkle dust!

Anonymous said...

Oh this is a comment to your hints on how to get people to comment :-) Oh wait isn't commenting on a commenting post refered to as double commenting? Is that permitted?

Thanks for the tips..they are coming in handy for a new blogger like me !

Diana Mieczan said...

hhahahha....I love those posts..You truly make each morning so fun for me:)...I agree with all the tips...Its so important that you comment on other blogs and that you are nice.....I really like the email part...It makes it more personal:)
Hugs and kisses,sweetie
Have a sunny Tuesday....its cold here today...grrr

Bish Denham said...

Sparkle dust...so that's your secret! Great post.

Aubrie said...

Great advice on commenting! The question at the end of the post really helps me, because sometimes I read through a post and can't think of what I want to say....until I get to that question!

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

That's for the tips. You're definitely right about the regular structure. It certainly helps me keep track of the blogs I enjoy to know their posting schedule.

Jessica Bell said...

LOL. Sparkle dust me please! Jen, jen, jen, meaningful and heartfelt sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day! Sometimes I just want them to know that, yes, I was there, I read, I liked, and I think that's better than nothing, right?

I think everyone needs to understand too, that a lot of us have a LOT on our plates, and just because we don't comment on one hundred blogs a day, doesn't mean we aren't interested. Don't you agree? I think you should mention something like that tomorrow. Whatcha reckon?

Kelly Polark said...

Great advice, Jen! (sparkle, sparkle)

Vicki Rocho said...

Love the sparkle dust...it goes with everything!

Terry Stonecrop said...

Lots of great sparkle here!

I try to comment but, like Jessica, I have a lot on my plate so I find I can't comment every day. I only blog once a week, so people have plenty of time to get to me and I like it that way.

Right now, I'm working on organizing myself to be sure I hit everyone's blog, who visits mine, once or twice a week.

M. said...

My only wish is to someday be as awesome as you :) No. Really. I enjoy your blogs for tons of reasons. Thanks for the secret tips. :)

Bidisha said...

Ooh, Jen. This sparkle dust works like..magic :P
I always say, Give Back the Love, so I make sure I visit everyone who visits me, before I get on to any other thing.
This Trifecta's very cool. Thanks for sharing <333!

Summer Ross said...

I read candyland this morning- I'm fully inclined to believe that fairies took her sock :) See so its a running theme- The fairies stole her sock and left sparkle dust for you on there way somewhere else...I'm on their trail don't worry. :) Thanks for the pointers Jen.

Talei said...

Oh Jen, you know I'm a huge sparkle dust fan! ;)

And I quite agree, being nice to everyone is a good rule. My little one came home from his first day at school - and he said they were given one rule. I asked, "whats that dear?" His reply "Rule number one is - Be nice to everyone."
I asked what rule number two was. He said. "There is no rule number two."
He's quite an old man for a 4year old.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips! x

Samantha VĂ©rant said...

Sparkle dust! Sparkly Vampires! Wait. Do I really want blog comments? I can't remember. Was it something about shoes? Yes, sparkly shoes.

On a serious note: thanks for the recap.

Lindsay said...

I always feel bathed in sparkle dust from you, Jen :)

It's so important to be nice, and respectful. Replying by email wasn't something I did, but I lovedoing it now. You can get a conversation going with people that way :)

Plus, Candyland's blog is like a drug. :)

Anne Gallagher said...

I wasn't involved in the trifecta, I just happened to be open to the universal mind I guess.

Commenting is personal to me. I like to have that connection. Like a little conversation between us although 19 other people have said things as well.

Sangu Mandanna said...

Love these points, Jen, it's amazing how simple they are to do and yet so incredibly effective!

Crystal Cook said...

Jen you are just an awesome blogger :) One of my favorite things about your blog is that it's a quick, fun read where I feel like I have a connection with you, along with those seven hundred other people over there ;) But you're right about the commenting tips, very good ones. :):)

Elana Johnson said...

Dude, you were inside my head. We, like, have the exact same post! That's too funny (and there goes my blogging experiment #dangitall). But hey, it's great advice, and it shows that there's no magic formula. Just hard work, right? Right.

:)

Jenna Wallace said...

Good advice, although I find some of it hard to do without foresaking all of my writing time. And now I'm going to go get the vacuum because there are now sparkles all over my floor!

Theresa Milstein said...

You and Elana do have similar posts. Although Elana doesn't accuse Candyland of drugging her readers!

It's true, we need to comment on other people's blogs to receive comments back on our blog.

I always put comment responses on my blog instead of e-mail because I like the conversation aspect of it, but I figure most people won't come back. I've considered doing it on my blog and e-mail, but I don't have that kind of time!

Erica Mitchell said...

(((hugs))) you're awesome! Boiled right down to it, it just takes some consitancy (for which I can't spell today) effort and interaction...all things you have perfected. Sneezing a bit from the sparkly dust. It just blows off your page ;) Fantastic Trifecta!

Ishta Mercurio said...

Thanks for the post! You and Elana both said to have my email linked to Blogger so people whose blogs I comment on can email me back. I guess I'd better do that! (And get on emailing people back who comment on my blog.)

Renae said...

Thanks for the great advice Jen! It does take a lot of hard work, but is so worth it in the end!

And you're so right, I don't know what Candace puts on her blog, but you can't not visit it!

Beth Fred said...

Jen, thanks for the post. Maybe, I can get more comments/followers. I think I'm going to start trying to conclude posts w/ a ?

But what do you do when you don't know how often you can blog? How do you get traffic when even you don't know your schedule? Should the blog come before the manuscript? (I felt the manuscript was more important, so I've been editing more and blogging less).

Unknown said...

Beth, visit Thursday & Friday for more information as far as how often to blog, how to keep a proper structure and more!!!

Ask yourself why you first started the blog, if it's to help you improve your writing, than your manuscript comes first!!! Continue editing!!! Kick butt!!!

PS Beth I'm not able to find your blog, send me the link so I can follow. For some reason your name isn't linked properly!

JB said...

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a nice comment. I appreciate the support as I take on this writing adventure seriusly. ;) I appreciate your tips here. I will do as much as I can as long as I am still actively working on my WIPs. ;) Have a great week!! Janelle

Dorraine said...

Great advice, Jen! And thanks so much for the follow!

Beth Fred said...

Jen, you already follow me! I don't know what is wrong with this thing! LOL. I'll be back Thursday and Friday (though I pretty much read u every day anyhow:)).

Thanks. I will keep editing.
beth-project52.blogspot.com
:D

Southpaw said...

I think the biggest key is the post itself. I follow several bloggers that don’t follow me but their content is fantastic I go there anyway – and comment. I wish I could break down the analyze what makes them so appealing.

Colene Murphy said...

Great advice! I didn't even THINK to mention how often I intended to blog till now! *facepalm*

Amy Saia said...

Great tips! It's amazing how you manage to keep up and be so heartfelt with your comments, along with writing the blog itself, and interviews, etc. Amazing Jen! You really do sparkle!

Anonymous said...

Ahh..the magical sparkle dust! That is how you keep up so well with all your followers! Thanks for coming by mine as often as you do. You keep me sparkling!

Anonymous said...

Nice blog--love this post! :D

Serena said...

great sparkly post as usual jen, I havent decided when i will definatly post on a regular frequent basis ie always posting on the same day because i post when i feel that i have something to share. and that may not be every day, but it may not always be on just a wedensday? perhaps i need to work on that! Thank you for being your sparkly and brownie giveing self :)

Lisa Galek said...

I'm always surprised when I get comments. It's my "you like me, you really like me" moment each time I open the inbox and see that someone has read what I wrote and felt compelled to say something back to me. Even after all these years, I'm still shocked when someone says they like my writing!

Candyland said...

*drugs readers of this comment*
I do no such thing. Now here, take a sip of my blog. There's nothing in it. Promise...

Talli Roland said...

I'm pretty sure Candyland serves up crack on her blog! :)

Comments are great! I really appreciate the time you take to comment on my blog. *sprinkles*

Great tips, Jen. And thank you so much for signing up to my Take on Amazon Blogsplash. Really appreciate all your support! :)

Tamika: said...

You nailed it:) The more you invest in others the more you see the same return. With every relationship you have to build over time, with consistant care.

It helps anyway:)

Jared Larson said...

Holy Blog Central! I had no idea blogging could be so fast paced. Great post Jen. Awesome information. I can't wait to read more.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Great ideas. I can't believe how many people think there's no work involved in blogging. This trifecta should show them how it really is --fun but definitely work.

Stina said...

I'm with you, Jen. I love the comments in my inbox. They drown out the rejections. Not that I've starting querying let. But when I do . . . .

How can you feel bad when you're getting a lot of blogging love? :D

Melissa said...

Way to go Jen! You totally nailed this, I think. The more you invest in the blogosphere the more people will invest in you in turn.

I know your advice is good advice because look at your sidebar! 715 followers!


That's crazy! Congratulations girl, you totally deserve it. And I really appreciate the advice.

Manzanita said...

Jen, First, I thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a cheerful, comment. Even if the BBQ is over, it's never too late to meet a new friend!

I read your post with much interest. I'm fairly new to blogging and I'm just beginning to wonder how you keep up and give personal attention to comments when they begin to overwhelm you. I always feel a personal attachment to followers and they seem like friends that I don't want to disappoint.

Your post was helpful and thank you.
Your new follower
Manzanita
Wanna buy a duck

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Great tips, Jen. There's no room in blogging world for rudeness. (Although there is a corner for snarking.)

Anonymous said...

E-mailing responses to comments is a good idea, I'm going to check in to that.

Thanks for another informative post, Jen!

Anonymous said...

I think I need to add some sparkle dst to my blog, cos some days I don't hear a peep outta anyone. Sometimes I think the zippy title and the length of the blog also influence who will take time to read it.

Matthew MacNish said...

This is a great series, especially since I heart all three of you (well except Alex, I enjoy his blog in a much more manly way). This is also a great question/topic. You're one of the best examples out there Jen of how to build a follow through being genuine and true to yourself.

I've written many comments on this topic today so I'll just say for me it boils down to one thing: You get out of it what you put into it.

Thanks!

Arlee Bird said...

These are great tips that when combined should guarentee not just comments, but quality comments. Once I get readers to my site I hope that my content has been engaging enough to get them involved and then I ask questions that will encourage them to voice their thoughts on the matter. It has been a very long time since I have had a blog post that has had zero comments.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Jillian said...

Jen!!!! You are truly the comment queen!!!! You are always so genuine with your responses on everyones blogs, naturally it makes us want to visit you. I am always siked when I see a comment from you or any of my readers!!!! Great advice. Love the sparkles hahaha.

BK Mattingly said...

Thanks for the advice! I was out of the blogging world for the summer and I felt so out of the loop once I got back into the swing of things here. I feel like I'm only just now getting things set up again where I can figure out times to go visit other blogs and such.

Ellie Garratt said...

Sparkle dust?! Must get me some of that. Wait. You've already given me some. LOL.

Great post and thanks for the advice x

Unknown said...

You obviously know what you're talking about, look at how many comments you have!

CD

Joanna St. James said...

is it weird that I comment on everyone's blog? I cant write during the day cos my head is busy so I comment and read blogs instead.

Anita Saxena said...

Hey Jen! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. It does seem that we have similar blog buddies. happy writing!

Tiana Smith said...

I agree (and now I'm worried that you'll think I didn't read your whole post since I'm writing a generic response ... oh no! lol) But I definitely like to email responses back to people and I get sad when they don't have it set up :(

The biggest thing I think though is to put up good content. If you just blog daily about how you wrote 500 words last night (and you post that everyday) then I'll stop paying attention. If you give your readers something that they find worthwhile, then they're more likely to comment.

RaShelle Workman said...

Hi Jen - All of your points are great, especially "be nice". You use sparkles. Mine is all about the love. Or something. LOL

Anonymous said...

Oh, this is so true. I have experienced the first one. I blogged everyday, when I first started. I had many followers in no time. Now, that I blog once a week or so(due to school, and work:(), I have a new follower like every 3 weeks. haha
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments.
All my love.



LOVE!

Tessa Quin said...

I have to limit time in the blogging world, but I use WAY too much time on it as it is. It's just so much fun.

My blogs often start out as just rambling, then I have to revise them a few times until they look like something readable. That means that writing a one, tight blog can take me up to two hours!

I guess I should do what some do, make a list of things to blog about for the month.

Anyway, rambling! I try to comment on a few blogs each day. Some to my oldest blogging buddies, and some to my new ones.

Sara B. Larson said...

Where do you get that sparkle dust?? Ha ha. These are some great ideas and points. THank for sharing!

Susan Kaye Quinn said...

Fantastic idea - and I like the idea of emailing back to commenters, but I haven't done it on a regular basis. Mostly because I like the "public" conversation, I guess. :)

DL Hammons said...

My commenting has taken a dramatic drop over the past several weeks as my workload increased and revisions to my WIP peaked. I still manage to read all my favorite blogs, just don't have the time to leave a worthy comment. I'm still here though. :)

Nicole Zoltack said...

Just gonna take some sparkle dust, don't worry, I'm only take a little bit... whoops! sorry! didn't mean to spill it everywhere. *runs and hides*

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Posting something outrageous helps! I got a ton of comments when I blogged about using cleavage to avoid being trampled by crowds at Disney (with picture evidence).

Of course, participating in an awesome blog fest like Guess My Character helps, too! :D

jenny wilson said...

very useful advice thanksx

Lenny Lee said...

hi miss jen! i dare you to try to answer all the comments you got today. ha ha. you see how much people love what you say. hmm maybe its just that neat sparkle dust. ha ha. could you send me just a little bag please. for me i mostly post one time a week but i do comments mostly every day for as many friends i could get to. i got some like you that real special to me and got real cool blogs. i try to visit new ones when i got more time. i love blogging!
...smiles from lenny

Gardner West, private eye said...

So that's where I'm going wrong. I need a schedule and to comment more on other blogs.

Thanks! Here's some magic sparkle back at you.

Jai Joshi said...

So where do you buy your sparkle dust? Borders had got a pretty good deal on that stuff over the Labor Day weekend?

Jai

The Words Crafter said...

I agree-it's just good etiquette to return/comment. It's also overwhelming for people with tons of followers/commenters to reach every single one every single day. I think some people rotate their comments, which is fine. No more followers than I have, it usually takes me two hours to read, comment, and reply. Now that I'm back in school, in addition to the day job, trying to get a little something written, and housework...I check my dashboard once when I come home, and that's it. If I get everything done, I'll go back and catch the late posters.

Great tips!

Amanda C. said...

Thanks so much for the comment and new add! I love your writing style. Will definitely be a repeat visiter. ...might be the fairy dust. :)

Kimberly Franklin said...

You mean we really have to be nice? What?? ;)

Love your info! I couldn't agree more with everything you said--even if I don't really have a schedule of my own, per say. Especially lately. You're so awesome, Jen!

Bess Weatherby said...

Thank you so much for the sweet comment, Jen! I'm glad that you like my voice, even when I am feeling a little blue. Yes, the closet is tight. Not quite Dursley-worthy, but I'm happy for anything that compares me to Harry Potter.

I love your blog. Your advice is great, and your cheerfulness is making me feel quite encouraged! Will definitely be following you, and looking forward to more Trifecta updates :)

I'm also about to make the rounds at the BBQ. I think I was a little more than fashionably late, but I'm just gonna blame Manhattan for that . . .

Roxy said...

Great post, Jen! Blogging has been a wonderful discovery for me. It is awesome to meet so many amazing people.

Alissa Grosso said...

Well, how can I not leave a comment on a post like this? Great advice, but please don't feel overwhelmed by my comment!

Jemi Fraser said...

Love it!

Spreading sparkly dust is such a good idea! I'll have to try it :)

Unknown said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your's!

Love your writing too!

Carolyn V. said...

Great advice! It's good to hear everyone's opinion on the right way to blog. =)

ali cross said...

Yes! I think the personal touch is the ticket ~ at least for me. I really love it when my commenters have an email attached to their profile so I can extend my hand of greeting in a more personal way. And sometimes I SO want to have a conversation with a commenter and it makes me sad, sad to see that "noreply" thing. Darnitall!

Karen Lange said...

Loving this series! Great info! Thanks:)

justJoan said...

Thanks for the great tips!

Angie Ledbetter said...

Couldn't agree more! I try to give my readers some lagniappe whenever I can -- linky love, little contests, social networking horn-tooting, etc. Makes me happy, makes them happy; win/win. :D

You should consider bottling & selling your magic blog dust.

Ashley Stone said...

great tips!

Krispy said...

Love the opening to this. :D Yay for more blogging advice, and thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment too. Where can one procure some sparkle dust, by the way?

I also found you through Elana!

Laura Lofgreen said...

Super ideas. I just wish there was more time in the day to read. Blogs are the new magazine. I don't subscribe anymore because I'd rather spend my time reading blogs. I'm at www.mydeartrash.com.

Meredith said...

I love this advice! Comments are such happy, sparkling things, and getting even more of them would be amazing. And, yes, if you have any extra sparkle dust, I want some!

Toni Wi said...

Wooo! Loving all this blog advice. I never get comments but that doesn't bother me too much. Will keep all this in mind though from now on. Blog Trifecta is awesum :D

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I don't know how you maintain so many comments/visits. Very impressive. Great comment tips too :)

Dayana Stockdale said...

Don't you just hate all that 'great post' and 'thanks for stopping by' crud. I think that if you don't have anything interesting to say, don't say anything at all. Oh no! I better think of something interesting. Ummm... your blog background makes me want to get some stencils...real bad.

Helen Ginger said...

I do all that you suggest, except the response via email. I haven't tried that yet. Thanks.

Mary Grace said...

Nice post. Very informative. I have been blogging for 2 months now, I just decided recently that I will be serious with blogging. And sometimes it's irritating and frustrating but receiving comments from fellow bloggers do make me smile. :) I am a follower! :)

gail said...

Love this one to....will do.