When I first started blogging, I was very into blog commenting. Not just for traffic (although that was nice) but really just to get to know other bloggers.
For the last several months in 2009, however, I have had a heavy workload, including more responsibility at my main job, managing multiple blogs, and doing various freelance projects. I had to make a choice between continuing to comment on a lot of sites, or spend that time focusing on the content I put on my site. I chose the latter, and hoped to give back to the bloggers who have been very supportive of me with lots of social media shares on Stumble & Twitter, plus link love and resources in my Fetching Friday posts.
In mid-December, I was able to make time for blog commenting again. I forgot just how much I enjoyed visiting my reader’s blogs and responding to their posts, as opposed to just reading through and sharing socially. Commenting again has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and has proven very beneficial in the several ways.
Increase in Blog Mentions
Blog commenting is a well known way of link building. But more important than the links you drop in the comments is the links you get from other bloggers in their posts. I have noticed a definite increase in the number of times Kikolani has been mentioned on other sites, and it is greatly appreciated!
Increase in Social Sharing
Along with an increase in blog mentions, I have also noticed an increase in social sharing of posts by some of the bloggers whose sites I have commented on recently, another sign that blog commenting definitely helps build community amongst bloggers.
Increase in Traffic
This could go hand in hand with the additional blog mentions and social shares, but I have also noticed an increase in traffic. Especially on my portfolio site, as I have also done a lot of commenting on other freelance blogs. And it hasn’t been just bounce traffic either. My bounce rate has actually decreased since beginning blog commenting again, meaning that the referrals and mentions has brought in quality traffic, as opposed to just more hits.
Increase in Comments
Although the total number of comments I have received has only increased slightly, the number of quality comments I have received has increased by a lot. So less spammers and more people who are actually reading and responding to posts with in-depth comments.
Increase in Blogging Inspiration
There have been some posts that I have run across that have inspired me to not only respond in the comments, but to also create a post in response as well. For example, I was commenting on a post on whether to go with comment moderation or closing comments, and when I saw my comment was not just sentences but paragraphs, I turned it into a post on whether closing blog comments is a good idea.
The big thing to remember when turning a comment response in to a post is to give credit to the blogger that gave you the inspiration. This way no one can falsely accuse you of copying their article.
Commenting Pet Peeves
While going on my commenting sprees, I ran into a few technologies that drove me a little bananas, as they kind of slow down the commenting process (or stop it altogether). These quirks include…
- Registration. If I know I’ll be coming back again and again to a site, I don’t mind registering. But sometimes, I know it is going to be a one stop deal, and it doesn’t merit taking the time to go through a registration process and confirmation via email just to add a comment.
- The JSkit comment system. This one is somewhat confusing to me. When I comment using my Google profile, my photo never shows up, even though I can see my picture when I click on my profile. And I don’t want to use Facebook because I don’t know what kind of access I am granting the blog to my profile. I certainly don’t need another Facebook application posting to my wall.
- The Disqus commenting system. It always pops up and ask if I want to register, claim my comment, post as a guest, etc. I’m sure I registered at some point, but I don’t want to take the time to login. Plus I don’t always want to automatically subscribe to future comments. Too many extra things to change after adding the comment.
- Captchas. I’m ok with simple addition captchas, or ones that have an easy to read block of letters, numbers, or words. But I ran into some that were extremely difficult to read that I had to input two or three times before I got them right. Probably the strangest, most time consuming one of all was one that had you rotate four different shapes to match each other – there were no directions, so it took a moment to figure out what the point of the four images was.
- Blogspot captchas. I realize they are a necessary evil to help fight comment spam, and my beef isn’t with the bloggers that use it, but Blogger itself. They should put the captcha in the same form as the main comment form, instead of having it pop up after you submit your comment. I inadvertently missed one, as I saw it pop up right before my browser took me to another link I had clicked on, and I had to go back and do the comment again.
Your Pros and Cons of Commenting
Are you a regular commenter on a number of blogs? What are the benefits you have noticed when commenting? Any additional pet peeves?
This post brought to you by Kristi Hines
Kristi Hines is creator of Kikolani which focuses on blogging tips and social networking. Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Kristi has written 300 awesome article(s) for Kikolani.
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{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you’ve provided a great summary of some common reasons why people don’t comment on blogs. It’s interesting that you list Disqus as a turn-off. That’s the commenting system I use on my blog and I’ve often wondered if it’s been turning people off.
Great points in your post overall.
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I would say Disqus is a turn off for sure. Try turning it off for a month and see if your comments increase….
I have been commenting on blogs for about two years now, I comment more than I share actually. This usually happens because I write longer comments than most, and I usually just forget to share. Something I am trying to change, especially since becoming a part of Blogger Luv.
Comments to me have so much value, it is what I like to think of is macro-blogging (between micro-blogging and blogging). The link you leave behind is more advertising than it is anything else (I really don’t think blog commenting should be as important when link building, but that is just my opinion), but the footprint you leave, can inspire others, compel them to click to your site, and I really think the content links you get by leaving quality comments on other blogs will be more likely.
Excellent write up, as usual!
New from Keith@ Need Information Add Multiple Feeds to Facebook Fan Page
Thanks for inspiring me (along with Kristi’s thoughts above) to delete my Disqus and Intensedebate profiles, two actions I just did. If 2010 is to be my year of social media strategies, I await to see if I’ll recreate those profiles.
New from Ari Herzog Reflecting on My Twitter Sabbatical, 1 Week In
That’s great Ari! I like they way you are so willing to take chances and do things to try to improve you and your site (ie: Twitter article you wrote) and hey, if it works great, if not change back. This is why we test different things all the time…
New from Keith@ Need Information Social Media – An Addiction
Ari, I’m interested in how your thoughts run in this direction. I’m cool with disqus, not so much with intense debate.
My hunch is that these systems could provide a lot of long term value. But we can’t see that yet. Just a hunch, and a reason to revisit this topic in the future.
New from Dave Doolin @ Website In A Weekend No Blog Post Today. Busy. Don’t Feel Like Writing
The longer, more thought out your comment is, the more you should share the post…your name/comment goes viral right along with it.
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I agree with all your commenting turn offs. I wish people would just use the standard Wordpress comments that comes with their blog.
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It’s a pleasure to read your blog posts – refreshing and informative.
Your critic on several commenting system is fair as well. I also don’t like to log in with Disqus and comment usually just as guest.
The Captchas can be difficult to read – one of the reasons why i turned them off on my blogs instead of this i started comment moderation. Not sure if moderation lowers comment activity, too but it’s better to stop spam before it’s published on my blog (during my offline times).
It’s always great to get some extra traffic for comments (especially when the blog post is a topic you are really interested in, it’s easy to comment on).
Have a great time in preparing your next interesting blog post
New from Martin@Cornyman’s Money-Blog Adgitize: AdgiScore Statistics getting colorful!
I’ve been commenting on blogs for some time. As of lately I see an increase in bloggers using The Disqus commenting system. That is a pet peeve of mine too. It’s an annoyance. I still comment though because their blog interests me.
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Hi Rose,
I am left using Discuss and now switched to IntenseDebate. Hope this will relief the readers and would inspire to comment on the posts.
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It sure makes a deference and not only on dofollow blogs, but all blogs. If you comment on blogs in your niche, it even adds more value as you know the subject matter.
New from Frank Jovine Canseco Calls Out McGwire
As my main job has heated up, then with Christmas craziness and all that, my blog commenting has fallen ‘way off. Yet when someone comments on my own blog I appreciate and enjoy it so much – so I’m going to build some commenting time back into my schedule! I also hate anything that is an obstacle to commenting – especially when I goof up with previewing Blogspot comment and lose my comment entirely!
New from Christie Introvert needs are positive and healthy
I am a frequent commentator on blog as well and I am quite surprised actually to see that Disqus is actually a turnoff for a lot of people. The reason why I installed Disqus on my blog is because of the Facebook Connect and Twitter OAuth feature. I’ll give it some time to see how it goes. There are other things that I am testing out with my blog too.
New from Wayne Liew 30 New Year Resolutions of Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs for 2010
I always try not to forget to give credit bloggers who inspire me by their ideas, it’s a way to get respect of the readers and makes everybody happy with that! even though once I credited a friend for a tip and I was sharing it with my readers and he commented “you stealing my ideas!”
I have registered to Disqus to rest my mind!
I agree with you that hard captchas is pain, I hate Blogger captcha and I run from commenting on their blogs, I signed up with
It’s a good point, I will change the captchas on our MMo social network, to something more easy like 1+1=2 I like this kind of captcha, specially when the smart browser save it and you don’t even have to type it when you visit latter to comment!
There is some people delete their cookies maybe once everyday, and their comment destiny is ends in my blog spam section! I wonder why they delete thier browser cookies, I don’t remember when was the last time I have deleted it!
New from Hesham @ FamousBloggers Why You Should Socially Promote Articles You Comment On
I am glad that almost everyone I know has been busy – otherwise, there are those who are yearning to be busy and support themselves.
I don’t like blogger captchas and especially facebook captchas because sometime, I just can’t read them – so I close the window – why bother ?
There are better captcha generators out there – for example Mollom that have very readable text and also have clear audio captchas for those who need them.
I have thought of using Disqus for my blog as well but I just can’t live with the fact that comments will be stored elsewhere –
Only Disqus on Wordpress I believe syncs comments with your database.
But after reading your review – I am convinced not to use them. 1 person having trouble is too many for me !
New from Jaffer Monday for meeting… tuesday for talking…
Hi Kristi, I know that comments on my blog get quite a few outgoing clicks, both from the blogger’s name at the top and the commenLuv link. The recent comments widget also gets it’s share of clicks.
It’s a little harder to monitor how many come to my blog via my comments on other blogs, but it’s a substantial number. I have the same peeves about some of the commenting technologies. If trying to leave a comment takes to much time I just blow it off.
My rule is: Encourage others to comment, then make it easy for them. I also like to interact in the comments as much as possible, as in conversation!
New from Jonathan – Advanced Life Skills Personal Excellence with Advanced Life Skills
Even though this feels like the oldest trick in the book I still believes blog commenting and guest posts are the best methods to get noticed by other bloggers. Sure, 500 search engine visitors are great but it’s much better to get noticed by 1 or 2 big bloggers. You will get more out of it in the long run.
New from Stefan Developing a Thesis Magazine Skin
I noticed a big difference in the community on my blog when I started doing more commenting. The quality of the interactions were great
Hi Kristi,
I’ve come across some very interesting blogs like yours because of commenting.
While commenting on a blog and reading other peoples’ comments new bloggers and their blogs can be discovered. It’s stimulating to participate through commenting.
Getting links is a great bonus.
Your list of pet peeves resonates with me on most points. The Capcha actually can, when it doesn’t work as intended, ( I’ve witnessed it so far on two blogs and have alerted the blog owners who got rid of the plug in) prevent people from posting the comment after they type it in. The comment thus is lost.
That is the most frustrating experience.
I don’t mind Disqus that much anymore since I have an account but before that it was turning me off commenting on blogs that used it.
Vance
New from Vance@Increase Blog Traffic by Commenting Get Blog Traffic Increase With Blog Comments
I have found many new friends just by blog commenting , you also get to see the same people commenting on the same sites you do and will tend to form a bond with these people.
New from Dan @ Tampa New Homes Tampa 2010 Real Estate Forecast
I find it hard at times to browse around other blogs and comment on them (time). But you can’t have the time if you don’t allocate for one, right? Year 2010 is the time for me to start commenting and showing my face everywhere again lol
New from Michael Aulia @CravingTech Norton 360 Review
It took me a good year before I even responded to a comment that was left on my blog or even considered commenting on other blogs…. that was until I started reading John Sullivan’s blog which connected me to your blog. Ever since than I have been hooked on everything blogging related.
New from Extreme John 5 Reasons Google Page Rank Drops
I read blogs for several years before I started blogging and commenting. My first blogging experience was on a site for my industry and commenting is a big part of the site – you actually get “points” for comments so your posts get loads of comments and it builds a real community. In fact, sometimes my own blog can feel pretty quiet by comparison.
I can certainly relate to your pet peeves – in particular registration required and Disqus – I can’t even figure out exactly how Disqus works. Not sure what JSkit is but I bet if I’ve come across it it was a turnoff.
All in all I love going through my bookmarked blogs and commenting when something strikes a chord. No question about it though – you have to pick your battles – and all the other to-dos can leave little time for commenting. I tend to do it later in the evening when I’m too tired to do anything else – somehow I can find it in me to comment even though I’m wiped out to blog.
Great post!
Liz
New from Liz Bolton@Cambridge Homes Cambridge Home Sales in 2009 and 2008
Thanks for sharing this post – I would also say that one of the biggest turn offs in regular blogs is moderated comments. I dislike the idea of moderated comments and it prevents me from posting a comment on that blog again, or returning to see any responses.
Great post as always, thanks!
Another thing I hate about Discus etcetera from a bloggers point of view is that it keeps your comments in its own database instead of in your own database. And I would like to keep them myself
Anyways, you’ve provided a great list of reasons to comment, and reasons why you sometimes don’t comment, and I agree with them.
Oh, and the blogger thing, I hate it where it automatically signs you in with your Google account.
New from Bjorn | iCan’t Internet 6 non-writing tips to make people want to link to you
I think two three things the piss me off about Disqus are:
1. It slows down a blogs page loading speed, sometimes I’m waiting over 15 seconds for Disqus to load on a page. That’s ridiculous.
2. When I subscribed to it, it automatically started sending me email updates of every single comment reaction. Shouldn’t I have had a choice to opt in to that?
3. It’s not uncommon for it to load wrong with a Tweet this or an advertisement in the comment window, which means I have to reload the page until the window clears.
New from Gordie@Lifestyle Design For You. 7 Personal Characteristics for Effective Lifestyle Design.
If not because of being through the wonderful outcomes of quality commenting on blogs I wouldn’t know the difference. Commenting is just like making a conversation, people know when you’re trying to build relationship or simply link-dropping. Therefore, always make an effort to say what’s in your mind about the post.
Disqus is ok but my favorite commenting system still goes to WP. It’s user friendly, easy to navigate and pleasant to the eyes.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
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yes good post on Blog commenting i think it’s different from SEO (If you’re talking about rankings in website). For me blogging is just posting what is your thoughts, want to share ideas, and tell some experiences and without using SEO. You just only blog.
Good insights on blog commenting. I second all of your Pet Peeves. If you want people to take the time to leave a comment on your blog you need to minimize the barriers for them to do so.
Of course you need to take measures to avoid spam but there is a balance that can be achieved to satisfy everyone’s needs.
New from Mike @ Computer Tips Norton Product Updates – Windows 7 Compatibility
I’m new to SEO and blog commenting in general, but I have already learned a few important things. Instead of putting your targeted keyword as your name, try using your real name/online nickname. It’s much easier to hold a conversation this way instead of talking back and forth with “Free Spas and Tubs”
You’ll still get hits through your name anyways, so why not be polite to the person’s blog you’re commenting on? Also I’ve went from simply searching out blogs to comment on to try and get links to searching out blogs that actually interest me and I bookmark and come back to and use regularly. I also tweet posts that I find interesting or digg them, all in an effort to spread the love around. If anyone has any other good tips please share them, this is just what I’ve learned so far. Good post, thanks for writing it!
Minimizing the barriers to make comments is needed the most, the amount of times people have told me my anti spam math question has not let them post even though they know its the correct answer!
Must lose me a lot of comments which is a shame
New from Jeff Awesome@Generally Speaking Paris – The Designer Capital
Kristi, Another awesome post! Love the info here..and i agree with you completely. When i began blogging the only thing i knew how to do was write a post and comment on the blogs i liked. Believe me thats the only thing that helped my blog get out there. Well, then i learned stumble and twitter and facebook…etc etc…and ofcourse SEO…and that helped further. But still most of the traffic i get is actually from comments.
Comments YAY!
Thank you fro this informative and truly helpful post
Much Love~
Z
New from Zeenat{Positive Provocations} Recurring Patterns
Hi Kikolani,
I love how comment friendly your site is. I’m going to take a look at mine to make sure I’m not “accidentally” turning people off from leaving comments. I just submitted this post to digg. I chose the “offbeat” section because I couldn’t figure out where else to put it. Do you have a place where you prefer to have your posts listed? I stumbled it to. Stumble is so much easier to deal with than digg. Along with easy commenting, easy social networking is also a plus.
New from Cheryl from thatgirlisfunny Sins of the Past – What Do Yours Say About You?
I always have trouble finding time to read all the comments on interesting blog posts.
I”m cool with disqus, but not jskit. Sometimes, intense debate but usually not.
I hardly ever comment on anything other than WordPress blogs which are unmoderated. The blog world is now big enough I’m willing to “lose” non-WordPress readers. It’s just too time consuming otherwise.
This article is important for me as well, because I am going to need to choose between commenting and creating content for blog.
New from Dave Doolin Website In A Weekend: Thursday evening – Get into the gate
I enjoy reading posts of other blogers and those are the posts that shapes the posts I will be posting on my blog. After reading posts of other bloggers, I start struggling on topics, my reactions that would produce a new article to offer my readers. This way it is very beneficial to go through fellow bloggers and I love it.
New from shkhanal@promote blogs I Write for Those Ugly Ads
I was wondering what happened to you for a while there. lol
The benefits for me have been tremendous. Up to this point commenting is my #1 traffic source, I have met numerous other bloggers and now friends, and the list goes on.
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Captcha’s aren’t needed at all, they really aren’t. The only comments they deter are human ones; the ones you want. Akismet is all that’s needed.
I don’t see all the issues with Discus though…I registered once, and now comment freely as with any other blog.
New from Dennis Edell 4 DAYS LEFT!- ProBloggers-31 Days To Build A Better Blog- + 3 Awesome Bonuses!
Hi Kristi – If I have to register, I probably won’t leave a comment. And captchas really get to me – I think I’m getting old because I’m having a harder time reading them
I haven’t had much time for commenting over the last couple of months either and like you I had to decide what my priorities were. I’ve noticed a big drop off on the comments that I get. But site traffic is good and I’m getting requests for work so I think I’ve focused my attention in the right direction.
I do, however, miss the sense of community and am hoping to make more time for leaving comments again.
New from Kim Woodbridge Me in the 1980’s
Leaving comments on blogs is crucial, in my opinion. There’s always a niche category that your site/blog fits into. If you can network with those same sites, then you will be better off in the long run, as you can help each other out how you like.
Great post.
New from Jeff Flowers Neil Young singing the ‘Fresh Prince’ theme song
Commenting if done in the right away can become a great source of backlinks and traffic for your blog. And becoming a DoFollow blog certainly helps to get your blog name mentioned on other blogs.
Great points
New from TechChunks@Technology Tips & Tricks Blogger’s Day Out: A Day in ‘The Internet’
There is countless benefit to leave comments in other blogs. I’ve bookmarked a list of blogs that I left my comment regularly, so I’ll visit them almost daily to check whether there is new blog post for me to read and leave comment. I could get a backlink, but the important thing is to build relationship with the blog owner, and make new friends on the blogosphere.
Kristi, your blog is under my bookmark list. So you might see me here more often in the coming days.
Best Regards,
Lee
I was using Discus and had to turn it off and switch to IntenseDebate. The primary reason for this switch was not because of comments I am getting but it is only IntenseDebate that supports CommentLuv for blogger blogs.
I hope IntenseDebate will be OK for bloggers according to your views? I found it no difference from those Wordpress comment system. It looked similar and functioned same as them.
New from shkhanal@promote blogs How a New Blogger Should Start? David Risley’s Suggestions!
Thanks for another informative and insightful article – I always enjoy reading. As a fairly new blogger (Heroin and Cornflakes) I need all the advice and tips I can get!
New from Heroin and Cornflakes Autism: Hidden Truths?
Hi Kristi,
Recently I’ve been more into commenting on blogs of those bloggers that I enjoy reading. I want to learn something and I want to grow in some way when I read a blog post. Also, the responsive bloggers definitely motivate me to comment.
Amazingly your pet peeves are mine too and I just don’t have the time to waste jumping through so many loopholes just to post a comment.
My biggest take away are the friendships that I’ve formed.
Blessings,
Eren
New from Eren Mckay Top 20 Beautiful Free Printable Calendars for 2010
Blog commenting has been one of the easiest way of gaining credibility in the blogosphere. It was extremely valuable in link building as well but off-late blogs have the “no-follow” tag which has stopped the flow of links. Thanks to plugins like keywordluv and blogs like kikolani, at least some link building can also be done.
What is annoying at times with blog commenting is the “Nice post” kind of comments that adds no value to the post. It is important for every commentator to ensure that there approach is not just to get a link. Instead it should be to add value to a post. Valuable comments that can add to the post or, give something extra and more to the readers of the blogs is something that will get attention and will in the long run ensure that you are credible in the blogosphere.
New from R Kumar@earn money online blogging Online Profits opens its door again
Amen! Just make commenting easy. There are plugins to deal with spam so don’t make me jump through hoops to reply to your blog post. I’ve finally registered for Disquis just to make it stop annoying me
I do enjoy visiting blogs and letting the writer know that their post impacted me in some way through a comment. I used to reply to everyone of my comments but I need more time in the day to do that now. As a product review writer I’m so busy meeting deadlines that I just don’t have the time to be as polite as I’d like to be.
commenting is golden…you makes friends,build links and build relationships…it is highly encouraged
New from mk akan 6 Reasons Why You Need To Take Blog Commenting Seriously
I guess I need to comment more on other sites. My blog has been up for a while but I haven’t done that much with it. I guess I’m a little shy about my poetry. I did recently make it dofollow (I had some help setting it up) and I started getting more traffic and some comments, some good, some really generic.
Those generic comments must come from some program since it’s obvious that they haven’t read my posts. I suppose it’s a big thing to use to blog commenting to promote your products and such as well as just socializing. I don’t really mind if they post a link to their product site as long as they aren’t selling ‘naughty’ stuff and seem to have actually taken the time to read what I’ve written.
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Some is automated, others simply cut/paste the same message on 100 blogs.
New from Dennis Edell Blog Move Is Imminent ! I’m Looking For Launch Partners…
Sometimes, taking a step back and looking at it from these angles definitely helps provide a newer/better outlook. Speaking of the Disquis comment system, I can’t find anything wrong with it. :-\
Till then,
Jean
It’s nice sharing your experience with blog commenting. When I first started blogging, I did comment on some big name bloggers sites but I didn’t feel like I was part of the discussion even though I added to the discussion. Now that I have started back commenting, I am focusing on blogs related to my niche and those who actually take time to respond to their comments and interact with the people that visit their blog. I have commented on a few bloggers sites and I like it. Soon you know familiar faces and content. I think commenting is so beneficial as long as you go about it the right way.
New from meka@earning money online Is Earning Money Online Distracting You From Earning Money Online?
Very well said Meka. Most know I am an AVID advocate for blog commenting; giving and replying and the first message I send is, don’t even bother on top blogs, no one is listening…now I’m off to check you out.
New from Dennis Edell Welcome Aboard Part 2! All The Info You’ve Been Waiting For…
The addition captcha is a real pain, it rarely works first time and is just a reason not to comment in my opinion. Registering does make comments a pain and I would only recommend it once a stron following has been gained.
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I’d have to say that the registration requirement for commenting is my biggest turn-off when it comes to commenting. If I can’t just enter my info below a post, but need to fill out a registration form, I’m outa there. I also remove these sites from my feed-reader, as it tells me that the author has no interest in having a conversation, but simply wants to talk. Thanks for the great article with some fantastic points about getting out there and commenting!
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