[Bloggy Question]: Do you respond to your comments?

I've often asked: Why Do You Blog? I believe that part of the collective, deeper answer is to engage in conversation and build community. I mean even if your motive is monetarily driven, you still need an active community to deliver your message and sell it. Don't you agree?

So how do you do it? Where do we start? Instinctively you would think to start by engaging (i.e. commenting) in conversations that interest you; joining social networks, browsing blogs, etc. What happens next is that you drive some of that conversation back home, to your blog. We have a term for this in the blog-o-sphere, it's called "reciprocating comments." It's the common courtesy that a fellow blogger extends to you for visiting and sharing in the discussion. Pretty great huh??

BUT...what happens when you DON'T respond to your comments (the comments that visitors leave on your blog)? To me such a thing equates to staring & talking at a brick wall. There's nothing there but a sullen, lifeless, orangy-red lookin' pile of brick and who the heck would wanna converse with that? I know I don't!

So I ask you: Doesn't the process of building community involve engaging in the discussion (i.e. commenting)? When you leave a comment on someone else's blog, do you ever revisit to see if they responded? Do you reply to the comments left on your own blog? What is proper etiquette?

Fellow blogger Amy [author of My Friend Amy] kicks things off on proper etiquette with her "5 Tips for Being A Friendly Blogger"
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[Flickr Photo by: Viola Jen]

Stumble It!

Welcome to Bloggy Question! This is what I'll term a "Continuing Education Series" on the topic of blogging and social media. See, the thing is, the blog-o-sphere (much like society) is governed by it's own set of unique customs and rules. Some we're familiar with while others, not so much. Rather than pick up a book from some self-proclaimed expert, I thought I'd take the inquiry into the front-lines by asking you, citizen of the blog-o-sphere: "what do you think?",  "What have you tried?",  "What works and what doesn't?"

Oh, and just so you know, newbies are welcome to ask & answer too!

Comments

[Cath Lawson]

Hi Ricardo - Community is definitely important in blogging. I try to make sure I respond to all my commenters. They've taken the time to read what I should say, so it's only right that I do the same for them.

I do check back to see if my comment has been responded to - especially if I've asked a question. And it can be disappointing if they don't respond at all.

But I can understand why some of the heavily trafficked blogs such as Problogger don't always have time to respond to all their commenters.

I'm going on vacation quite soon and although I'm going to try to get Internet access, I'm really worried that I won't be able to respond to commenters so quickly while I'm away.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Cathy: Exactly! A response says "I appreciate you & your time..." It takes time to read, listen and give feedback in the form of a comment. So why not say thanks by writing back?

When someone doesn't respond to me, it's certainly disappointing. It also says "this conversation isn't worth it." I'm sorry but I actually grow negative and either move them to the bottom of my feedreader in last position or delete the feed all-together. It's discouraging talking at a brick wall.

Now like you I understand how bigger blogs (Problogger) can't possibly respond to each & every comment and that's "ok." Some comments get to be repetitive so Darren takes the time to respond to the group as a whole AND he's a naturally giving and sharing person. He engages with his readers by doing Q&A's and/or giving them some free publicity as he has in recent posts. A lot of bloggers don't do that! You'd think that a simple response to a comment would be nice.

Re: your vacation. Enjoy! And don't stress out about responding late to a comment. In fact, what you might do is acknowledge the fact that you're going on a little get-a-way and that you'll have limited access that way new readers aren't turned off to the fact that a response isn't coming for a couple of days (never-mind those of us who are already reading. We know..we'll understand :-p).

[meleah rebeccah]

I always ALWAYS always answer every single comment anyone leaves on my blog. Weather it be in an email, or directly back within the blog post.

I feel like if people took the time to read my words and write something thoughtful, they deserve the same effort back from me.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Meleah: Amen!

And if "you" can do it...we all can! I mean it's only the right thing to do. Like I said, it's like saying "thank you" for commenting.

[Davina]

Hi Ricardo.

Yes, yes, yes! I always respond to comments. I appreciate that people have taken the time to read the article, offer their advice or opinions, or share their stories.

I haven't had anyone not respond to my comments so far. But, I have had someone not approve one of my comments.

I had made a comment on one of their previous posts and made the mistake of addressing them with the wrong name. Ooops! I felt so embarrassed, but it was an honest mistake.

I made another comment to tell them how badly I felt and they didn't approve the comment. Hmmmm. Maybe it was an oversight on their part, but it still feels odd.

[Mike Goad]

I generally answer comments, but not always. There are times that I go into a blogging slump and produce few posts and garner few comments... not that I get that many anyway. However, I do save the e-mail notification of comments and often, though not always, reply after the fact.

One thing I do that most others don't is that when I reply to a comment, I make sure that the commenter gets an email. If they are not subscribed to the comments for that post to automatically get email for later comments, I make a little extra effort to send an e-mail with their comment and my reply.

[Natural]

Yes sir, I do respond to my comments. At first I didn't know you were supposed to, but I caught on. I do go back and read the response to the blogs that I comment on a regular. If I'm just passing by, then I leave my comment and keep it moving.

Will add you in my reader ;)

[Natural]

Dang, I think I added you yesterday and forgot. lol

[Barbara Swafford]

Ricardo,

YES!!! I answer all of my comments individually. I LOVE my comments, and my community of fellow bloggers. They drive me to keep going. I also try to reciprocate comments, but at times have missed one or two.

I do check to see if my comment has been answered, but sometimes they aren't. That's ok, as those are usually the times when I was late to the party and had the "last word".

I think it's proper etiquette to answer our comments, but some will beg to differ.

[Irene]

Hi Ricardo, yup I respond to every comment or email I receive, because I appreciate the time that people took to read my stuff and write back. A little thank-you reply or any form of acknowledgement is probably the least that I can do in return. :) I do love to read the replies to the comments I leave on other blogs too. It's just a nice feeling to know there's been a 2-way exchange. I guess for busier blogs, even a short reply to a group of comments is a nice way of knowing that the writer actually bothered to read the feedback!

[Amy]

Good people here! Thanks for the link Ricardo and for encouraging community in blogging! :)

[Davina]

Hi, I'm back again. That blogger whom hadn't approved my apology has now approved it. And I feel better now. Must have been an oversight, just as I thought. It really pays not to jump to conclusions.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Davina: You bring up an excellent discussion on the topic of "Approving" or "Deleting Comments" (a.k.a. not approving them)!

When do you delete or "un-approve" a comment? When it's profane or way off topic? Or do you find that you discriminate towards the author leaving the comment (for whatever the reason)?

I can see where the author might have been displeased at you forgetting their name but you gotta give a person some leeway when it comes to blogs; at least that's my opinion. When we're leaving a comment, there are so many other more names and comments that you can lose track of who's saying what (the blog author included. I think it's unfortunate even after you apologized...

@Mike: I love the idea of sending an introductory follow up comment via e-mail! The first time someone did that to me, it was awesome! It was personal, welcoming...and well, made me feel a part of the little community that existed on the blog. Since that moment I have to say that I frequented the blog. It's these personal touches that often help connect us and connected on-line is more difficult than connected in person (at least sometimes it is).

Great tip Mike! Anyone else doing this?

@Natural: I visit blogs that I frequent to see if the author left a follow up comment. Granted not "everything" I write merits a response (I should leave this at the bottom of my comment [NRN: No Reply Needed] Lol).

Anyway, do you think that responding to comments is "more" or "less" important when it comes to social networks? I've found that even then, people flock together in their own little clique and if you're not engaging back with them, their gonna kick you outta the group and find someone else.

PS. Thanks for the compliment of subscribing :-) Though I did foolishly change the address on my feed the other day without redirecting my subscribers so I would appreciate the re-subscribe so that you get the "active" feed.

@Barbara: Re: "They drive me to keep going." You're absolutely right! Comments ARE positive energy & motivate you to keep going. I guess that's why I appreciate them so much and why I put emphasis on taking the time to answer. It's a pet peeve of mine when people don't answer comments but as you said, "to each their own."

Now I don't "always" reciprocate comments because there are times when I don't know what to say. And rather than reverting to: "good job" or "Great post!" I don't say anything at all. If anything, I'll e-mail the person and interact in some other way; maybe friending them on FB or something to that effect.

@Irene: That two-way exchange is what social media is all about. I mean duh! That's why they call it "S-O-C-I-A-L" media right? Lol. The two-way exchange "has" to take place. Even if you're only blogging to try and make money...you need to get social and a two-way exchange has to take place. Otherwise you're sitting there all by yourself in the blog-o-sphere desert.

@Amy: Thanks for the compliment of stopping by! I enjoyed your tips and wanted to reference them here. It's great etiquette.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Davina: I'm glad he accepted your apology & approved your comment! Like I said earlier, in the midst of all the text and comments, I think it's easy to make an error and mistake someone's name. Anyway, publishing my comment sure would make me feel better towards visiting again.

[Chris Shouse]

Hi Ricardo,
Good question and yes I always answer my comments. I love comments and to see what people are thinking. However I do not recall going back to see if I got a response from my comment when I make a comment elsewhere. Good point and it might even spark more thoughts if you come back to read more.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Chris: Hiya! Thank you for making your way here :-p

Comments are a great way to engage in what people are thinking and their always good food for thought on new posts! I don't "always" revisit a blog post to see if a person responded; like I said, some comments have a NRN message implied [No Response Needed]. But I do visit if I left a question. I usually leave the author with a question if I'm lookin' to spart some conversation for an upcoming post.

[Al at 7P]

Hi Ricardo - commenting is a great part of blogging. I try to respond to comments with thoughtful answers, kinda like what you're doing in this thread :) .

[Glamorous Life of a Housewife]

I always wonder about these types of things too! I try to answer if people ask me questions and if they come to my site, I try to visit theirs too. Hmmm.. good thoughts - and thanks for stopping by my site! Your comment made me laugh. :)

[Skip Anderson]

Ricardo, excellent topic and something that's been on my mind. I don't always respond to comments, even though I intend to. Right now, I've probably got 3 weeks of comments that I need to respond to, but business gets busy and it ends up taking a back-burner. I need to do a better job!

[Maureen]

I always try to respond to each and every comment. But sometimes I have to do a bunch at a time. I wish Blogger would put a "reply" option at the end of each comment so I can reply individually. It would be so much easier for everyone to follow the questions and answers.

I am looking into plugins that will allow me to do that, instead of using the default Blogger commenting form...

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Al at 7P: it IS a great part of blogging! The conversation in the comments sometimes takes over the whole post... It's the discussion that makes it all so interesting. Then I suppose there are some who like the sound of their own voice...but like I said, to each their own.

@Glamorous Life of a Housewife: well it's true! I've experienced such awkward moments and they're quite discomforting let me tell ya... Anyway, it was fun visiting!

I guess that my biggest pet peeve in all of this is "asking a question" or "being asked a question", only for it to go unanswered by the author. Granted we get busy but even the busiest of bloggers put in the effort.

Thanks for visiting Whitney!

@Skip: I hear ya Skip! I do... But ya know, sometimes, the comments that we leave are of the "NRN" nature; "No Response Needed." Like when I'm simply agreeing with your post and adding no further discussion. But me, I'm a pain b/c I usually tend to leave a question...

@Maureen: Hiya Maureen! You know what you might do is answer comments much like I have been here; add this symbol when responding to someone "@" That might help distinguish who you are addressing your responses to in the meantime. I'm not sure that blogger has a plugin like Disqus or some other feature like that to track comments (but I might be wrong).

In any case, I don't think that there's anything wrong at all with responding to comments by addressing all in a bunch. Sometimes life gets in the way..but at least we've taken the time to say anything at all.

[mousewords]

Yes! I always appreciate the fact that someone stopped by, so I do my best to respond ASAP. I also subscribe to comments when I leave a note on another's blog, but I have a tendency to forget to hit that button sometimes, so I need to work on it.

I also felt valued when I received my first email reply from a blogger, so I try to do that often, even just to say thanks.

And *thanks* for your replies to comments here! :-)

[Ricardo Bueno]

@mousewords: Now [Subscribe to Comments] is one function I'm hesitant to opt-in for. I subscribed to comments once on a blog and later regretted it; e-mail after e-mail after e-mail. The post was fine and the discussion was "ok" I suppose. It just wasn't a discussion that I was THAT into participating on.

But getting an e-mail from a fellow blogger that has a hint of personal touch is certainly a big welcoming sign and merits a higher position on the feedreader (I guess I'm easily swayed right...Lol).

[Urban Panther]

Um, I hate to perhaps point out the obvious here, but aren't the responses to your question already pre-determined? The people who are going to leave a comment are generally the ones who read and respond to comments received on their own sites. *chuckle*

Okay, yes, I always respond to comments left on my site. I LOVE the interaction. And yes, I am disappointed if people do not respond to my comment. However, I am not hard on them. Except for maybe the blogging elite who actually live full time off their blogging income, we have to go to our steady paycheque jobs, come home, deal with the demands of daily living, and still find time to blog. I chose to put my time into the interaction, but that means something else slides. Just ask the Lion. He's had to go commando a couple of times because the laundry doesn't seem to get done!

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Urban Panther: Aaccttuaalllyy... I used to author an industry blog. I had some nice conversations with some frequent visitors (we interacted with one another. Full comment reciprocity and sometimes all out conversations). But I also had a mix of visitors who'd leave a comment, request some link-love, flatter me with "hey great post!" or "Good stuff. Thanks!", etc. They're all for leaving a comment and leaving that back-link to their site (some SEO genius told them it was good for their PR rating; "you'll go from a PR1 to a PR4 in no time" they said). These comments (and they commented often) had a different motive behind them: money (in the form of a sale or to drive traffic to their blog & their ads). Did they respond to comments when you visited their site and said something or posed a question? Nope. Never! Did I ever visit again? Nope. Not really... Never!

Even when your motive is monetarily driven and you could care less about the discussion (i.e. the comments)...all you care about is the hits...you still need to get a little "social." After all, that's why it's called social media. You can't sell a service or your ads if you're not going to respond.

Anyway... So YOU do the laundry huh? Why are you giving the Lion such a hard time on your post today? Hm? Hehe... I like the interaction too. It's fun! Yeah I'm a little jealous I don't make big money like the blogging elite (ProBlogger) but it's still fun! :-p

[chat blanc]

What a cowinky-dink! I just responded to you comment on my blog and came directly to your site!!! So I guess you know my answer! :)

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Chat Blanc: LOL! I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "cowinky-dink" before! :-p Thanks for that...

[Jennifer]

Hi Ricardo :-) Yes I do believe that commenting makes the whole blogsphere a better place. I don't know about others but I feel like I am being rude if I don't comment back.

I was worried that because I am returning comments on my blog that the people wouldn't see them but I was wrong. That's part of what makes them come back. I know it is what drives me back to blogs :-) Great write up!

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Jennifer: I share the same sentiment with you and so does everyone else here for that matter. If we can't comment back to everyone individually, a general acknowledgment of everyone's collective feedback is nice.

When I leave comments on someone else's blog, I usually revisit within the first couple of days to see if that person responds. If they do, I usually stick around for more return visits. If they don't, they're thrown to the bottom of my feedreader or deleted all-together.

Thanks for the visit!

[meleah rebeccah]

sometimes it is overwhelming and sometimes it feels like homework, but I've never looked forward to homework the way I look forward to comments and other blogs to read!

[Bill K.]

Another self-selecting respondent checking in. Yes, I comment to every post. I also visit each blog and sign up for the feed. Now, if I were writing posts that got 50 or so comments each, that might be problematic, but right now I think of it as sending out nerve signals in all directions and see what happens.

As for people commenting to me, I'm not so concerned about that unless it's clear that I've asked a question. I guess at some point I think of longer comment sections like message board threads rather than blog posts. Somebody has to get the thread kill.

The wordpress theme I use has an RSS subscribe option in the comment section for that particular post. That seems a lot better than email notifications. I've signed up for email on some blogs where I've left comments and had notifications pouring in for weeks. Never again.

[Bamboo Forest]

Indeed, I respond to every comment. I like when I'm responded to - and I want to create a welcoming environment. So, naturally, I will do unto the commenters what I would want done unto me. (:

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Meleah: I can tell that you TOTALLY have fun with your blog & all of your readers! It's a party over there...

Ya know, when we start to look at blogging as a chore...like it's homework that needs to get done..maybe it's time we rethink our blog & direction. No?

@Bill K.: I respond to every comment and visit every individuals' blog but I don't subscribe to everyones' feed (I'm sorry to admit). It's just that some blogs, some topics, I just can't find anything "real" to contribute. And I really don't want to say "Great post!" or "Good stuff. Thanks!"

With respect to the "Subscribe to Comments" section...LOL...you can I had the same experience!!! I don't think I need to say more...

@Bamboo Forest: That's the rule of the blog-o-sphere with respect to reading and building community --> "Do unto commentators as you would want done unto you".

[Bill K.]

@ Ricardo - Yes, I agree that posting generic comments like "great post" isn't worth it. I subscribe just to keep tabs on what others write about and comment only when I feel I have something to add.

[Sunil Pathak]

To me Comments and Commenters are as important as my blog content I never miss an opportunity to reply or acknowledge the bit of information they share with my and other readers of my blog . for me blogging is all about meeting people across the world and interact with them, and I grab every chance I get to do so

[Dube]

Great post. When I first started this blog, I never responded to comments. I don't know why, I just didn't. But now I certainly try to do so. I notice that when I do, we end up having great discussions that cover far more ground than if I'm silent.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Dube: I think that maybe we don't respond to comments initially because we weren't expecting to receive any in the first place. Sharing in the conversation certainly does allow for bigger discussions. Heck, some of the best discussion & points are made in the comment section of post!

Good to meet you Dube!

@Sunil: I value my readers more than my content. If it wasn't for my readers and their comments, my content wouldn't matter!

I agree that we make the best of it when we engage with other blogging members.

@Bill K.: You know what I find I do quite often too, there are certain blogs that I frequent but never leave a comment on...sometimes I just can't find the words to say... But I'm still reading along.

[Tammy Warren]

Hey! So glad I found you! I am eager to learn the proper manners in the blogging world. I went back and made a comment on each person that gave me a comment. At first, I thought it was proper to send a email with a thank you. I guess I had no idea to post a thank you on my blog. My thought was who would come back and read the same post again. I have shared your site on other groups to which I belong. I am sure we will send you some questions to help us out with.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Tammy: Thank you very much for the dedicated post & reference back here! The whole point of this series is to share in an on-going discussion on social media and how we can use it to connect with others (whether it's for commercialized reasons or simply for fun).

I don't think that there's anything wrong with sending out an initial "Thank You" & "welcome" e-mail. When someone first did that for me, I was very honored and I became such a loyal reader as a result. There's something warming and personal that goes into something like that and I certainly appreciated it (of course I prefer personalized messages as opposed to automated ones).

Anyway, thanks again for visiting and sharing! If you have any questions, you can always e-mail me and/or post your question on the Skribit widget on my sidebar.

See you soon!

[Celeste]

I consider each comment a gift so I always try to respond to each one. I didn't one day and I think I'm paying for it now. What I need to work on is checking back to see if anyone has responded to a comment that I have left on their site.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Celeste: I've always thought that readers are what make our content matter. That's why I take the time to respond to each comment. If it wasn't for you all, I'd be lost in cyberspace; nothing more but an empty thought.

[Peter McCartney]

Hi! Engaging people by replying to comments helps me see outside my square. I value their opinion and feedback and to tell you the truth, it keeps me going. Take Care - Peter.

[Ricardo Bueno]

@Peter: I agree! When a reader engages with us it's excellent fuel for us to keep going. I know that that's what motivates me :-)

Thanks for the visit Peter!