Excuse me, I think you left off a name………..

My blog will be here for the rest of my life? I thought this was the internet and only a select few could see it.

There have been some bloggers that came highly recommended I tried to engage with but got little or no response. Excuse me; I don’t care how big you might think you are, I certainly hope it’s making you enough money it doesn’t matter who you neglect…………….I just don’t get it, what would be the point……..it is ‘social’ media, right?

Everybody has a different motive, but the whole social media thing did not come into focus for me until I started engaging and getting feedback. Personally, I think this is what it’s all about.

Even as anonymous as this can be, there is a certain percentage that is just not comfortable putting their name or comments out there.

It feels like you walked out the front door without your pants on at times, but isn’t that breeze invigorating?

Good to see you Mark; good one today.

Excuse me, I think you left off a name………..

My blog will be here for the rest of my life? I thought this was the internet and only a select few could see it.

There have been some bloggers that came highly recommended I tried to engage with but got little or no response. Excuse me; I don’t care how big you might think you are, I certainly hope it’s making you enough money it doesn’t matter who you neglect…………….I just don’t get it, what would be the point……..it is ‘social’ media, right?

Everybody has a different motive, but the whole social media thing did not come into focus for me until I started engaging and getting feedback. Personally, I think this is what it’s all about.

Even as anonymous as this can be, there is a certain percentage that is just not comfortable putting their name or comments out there.

It feels like you walked out the front door without your pants on at times, but isn’t that breeze invigorating?

Good to see you Mark; good one today.

Great piece Mark. I really appreciate how you gave your opinion (which is the same as mine) about this whole comment thing.
I directed my post about comments to newbies, simply because I get a lot of people saying “oh I can’t comment, I don’t know what to say”. Now I can simply refer them to my post

You bring up an idea which has been running around in my head for a while.
When do you trade off high follower numbers for lower engagement?

The more I think about it and the more people like Danny, Gini and Marcus inspire me. They have managed to keep a very deeply engaged community with a huge number of followers, comments and a busy schedule.

I agree you are right, there is a quiet revolution going on in blogging. Who we consider A-listers now, will not be as influential in a few years. Communities are developing quickly and talented bloggers are rising.
The names I mentioned previously are just starting their growth, if you think they are awesome now, I believe they are going to accomplish some amazing feats in the new few months.

Mark, I am really happy to be sharing this journey with you my friend.

I even think it’s OK to post one comment thanking several people for their comments at once…but let’s give some acknowledgement, at least. I’ll never understand blogs that are unresponsive if I comment on a post that only has several other comments. I’d like to think the writer appreciates the time I took to make that comment.

Thanks Mark!

Mark,

You bring up a point that I think really will hit home for many people. In the earliest days of my blog I didn’t understand the importance of replying to comments. Today I make a point to reply to all the comments that are there and it’s resulted in some pretty amazing things. The thing I would say about responding to comment is this. Attention is a form of currency on the social web and if people are spending theirs with you, give them what they’ve paid for. This is largely why I believe that emerging talent is the most undervalued asset of the blogosphere and when people embrace that mind set they will see really incredible things happen in their life.

Well, you know where I stand on this one but I also honor a decision to not respond. I’m in no position to tell anybody what is best for them. It makes sense to reward people for their comment, and it has worked for me, but there are plenty of different business models out there : ) Great post Mark !

LOL!

You make blogging so much fun Bill – LMAO!

It’s too bad for many of those bloggers. There are so many great people out there, like yourself, who contribute so much value.

Now you, you just make people LTAO – hehe and that’s valuable!

Just kidding, but your point is well taken Bill. Those blogs have missed out on a great contributor and many many others who were turned off and focused their attention on blogs that have a thriving community with feedback.

These blogs are alive… why visit or contribute to a dead blog?

Hi John – I’m with you all the way… you can see where the priorities are in regards those you mentioned above. Their communities are not an after-thought, they are driving their businesses with the social web.

Folks who build their business with an effective and thriving social web presence will be big winners in the coming months and years.

I think you’ll see some significant revenues generated and businesses built by tight knit communities like the one we’re part of.

Thanks for stopping by and adding a insightful comment here John ; )

Hey Joe, thanks for stopping by and dropping a piece of your mind here in the community, I appreciate that.

I hear you – jeez, a little acknowledgment and a little love goes a long way on the social web.

Being anti-social certainly won’t help you gain traction and build influence with your blogging efforts. I just scratch my head at times… then just move on like most everyone else.

Cheers to you Joe!

Holy Smokes Srini – I love this:

“Attention is a form of currency on the social web and if people are spending theirs with you, give them what they’ve paid for.”

And this:

“This is largely why I believe that emerging talent is the most undervalued asset of the blogosphere and when people embrace that mind set they will see really incredible things happen in their life.”

Yep, that sums it up!

One way to sustain comments when the readership expands is to foster relationships with commenters that means they feel comfortable replying to each other . Not instead of you necessarily, but it could be a way to encourage even more communication.

I’m still trying to feel out my blog and find my place in the world but mostly what I get is spam. There’s just no point in trying to engage when there doesn’t seem to be ‘real’ people leaving comments. And yes, I end with action lines and the real people respond to those, but it’s hard to practice responding to comments when most of what I wade through is spam. What words of wisdom do you have for the overly-spammed newbie blog?

Absolutely, Mark – commenting back to comments on your blog is a number one priority! The interaction is the whole point. You did make that point well, too!

I have wondered about your second question. ~smiling to imagine thousands of comments ~ , and I think I’ll have to just be on board on post days, available as much as possible. With Livefyre the comments are live and the flag takes you right to them, so it is easy to stay on top of it pretty much. I look forward to the day when I have that problem – keeping up with comments LOL

Breaking the ice isn’t easy – commenting for the first time – but patience and amazing posts will eventually MELT that ice, I think! But then I’m an eternal optimist! And still new – so maybe naive. I don’t know.

Thanks Mark!
Happy Easter Weekend!
Lori

Hi Mark,

Since I’m a new blogger, I learn a lot simply by reading other people’s blogs. I always comment when a post really connects with me. My goal is to comment on at least 5 blogs each day, but I don’t force it. I never comment just for the sake of commenting. Some days it’s 3, some 10…

On my own blog, 1 comment feels like a jackpot to me. I can’t imagine not responding, even if someday I reach the point of getting 100!

-Marianne

No I would not trade off engagement for more followers. Now toss in some cash or even a Klondike bar, we’ll talk.

Jokes aside, the anonymity thing is part of it.. certainly for personal blogs. I have a personal Twitter that’s about as far removed from my professional one as it gets.

I’m with you.. I see all this networking as being ‘social’ not just delivering sermons and a 5 part lecture series on why folks should do things my way. Though of course, they should.

Mack Collier did a post about blog focus and that not every post of a blog will have the goal of comments. Some are more to share expertise, some for SEO and some for discussion… all in line with the blog’s overall goals. Read my comments on Mitch’s smart post; he’s right.. everyone has their own strategies and style for a blog. I get that.

Just that the ‘no comment’ approach ain’t mine. Some folks get great value from Godin, fine. Maybe I just won’t call it a blog; it’s a daily article or whatever. And per Danny’s comments (Mitch’s post) about the blogger engagement, I still think that could be why someone doesn’t have a “Seth’s missing comments” site. B/c it’s too ‘fandom’ too much speculation of what he meant and since he won’t be around to discuss and clarify, there’s no point. IDK.

Mark, I feel you. No really. I’ve blogged it (rare time I’ll drop my own link http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/2011/02/blog-comments/ ). I’ll reply and engage as I see fit. I’ve dropped some bloggers from the reader and Twitter who don’t comment/reply yet others that do bring it in terms of quality, smart voices who keep me honest are still on my reading list. I flip-flop on the ‘wrongness’ of it. Comes down to the wrongness for ME. FWIW.

Agreed – those are amazing ideas!

I’m not sure why you’d bother having a blog with comments if you don’t plan to respond and interact. I wonder if maybe people are comfortable with their ideas to the point of carefully formulating & scripting them into an article, but then aren’t nimble enough to respond & discuss it further. That’s yet another level of potential intimidation.

The emerging talent is one of my favorite things about this whole scene. Seeing potential and watching someone grow is fun & energizing in itself.

Hey Mark, I love you point of view here. Until recently I had a text widget in my sidebar where I promised people to reply to their comments. I removed it only because some people are writing such short comments that I have nothing to reply to those. Again those people are real great bloggers so I can’t just not approve the comment.

I still reply to most of the comments on my blog and that is actually one of my favorite things about blogging

Wow Mark, this is my first time over at your blog, and I have to say your post, was like a breath of fresh air and a punch in the face at the same time. I loved it and totally agreed with everything you said.
I wish I could disagree as that would be ultimately more interesting and controversial. But the truth is, you eloquently put into words, the thoughts of many. I understand the blogger who has 300 comments per post, who occasionally lets 1 slip through the net, or only responds with “thanks for commenting” ( although that is also quite lame). The bloggers I don’t understand are the ones with 5 comments, who either don’t moderate or answer your comments, and your left thinking ” really, are you that popular that I don’t count”.
I made an active decision not to waste another moment over at parties to which I’m clearly not invited. This was great
Stacey

What a great post and I won’t nor do I want to sock you in the face!! I love that you said, “If you’re not famous like Seth Godin, you’ll have to do a lot more to gain the trust of others than he does – and that happens one subscriber or one follower at a time.BUT, there are many other – “blogging super stars” – right up there with the best of the best on the social web who do take the time to respond to those who add value to their blogs like Chris Brogan, Marcus Sheridan, Danny Brown, Gini Dietrich, and Mark Schaefer just to name a few.”

Those of us who blog, do get busy and do make mistakes but we must own up to our screw ups and we must show our readers that we value them. Above all, we must do all that we can to let them know how much we appreciate the time that they take to comment and give us input and perspective!!

Thanks again for the excellent post. Very thought provoking!!

Of course……………..

I blog w/ a mask on to remain anonymous…

Isn’t it so cool when value gets added in the comments?

Loving your community here. Top notch people follow and contribute to top notch bloggers like yourself.

Lovin’ it!

hI Good column but i must add the dialoque must be meaningful otherwise no sense in wasting time on cookie cutter impersonal comments
danpetrosini.wordpress.com

Mark, you’re right up there with the superstars mentioned…

Well, I’m with you Davina, awaiting your instructions : )

Nice to see you here BTW!

I knew it!!

Thanks for popping in and making my day Mark : )

BTW –I love the way you go about telling people how to do things Mark

I really appreciate the people who share a piece of their life with me… It’s priceless.

Thank you so much for a thoughtful comment Claudia, I would have to say that you pretty much ROCK ma’am : )

Have a wonderful weekend!

Margeaux, thank you for stopping by and sharing a piece of your mind here.

Unfortunately I am a neophyte when it comes to the question you pose about spam. I don’t receive any here, at least not yet. I use DISQUS for comments, maybe that has something to do with it??

I would bet that most of the folks in commenting here would absolutely have some suggestions for you too. Hopefully they will see this stream and add some helpful tips here for you : )

I’m excited for you and your new blogging endeavors. It’s not easy to get your feet under you. There’s much work and commitment to finding your groove so to speak. But if you keep plugging away, things will certainly happen for you.

I would highly recommend that you connect with people in this blog community. These are some great people do some amazing work and they understand the value of community and engaging. They can help you significantly.

I hope to see more of you and if I can help you, just let me know : )

Hi Ryah, thanks so much for this insight.

I see some of that happening on it’s own, but I’m suspecting that the more I jump in to comment streams, the more that will happen here..?

Not 100% sure, but learning as I go.

LOL!

Hi Stacey, thank you for taking the time to leave this awesome comment.

I love this: “I made an active decision not to waste another moment over at parties to which I’m clearly not invited.”

I wonder if these bloggers understand that this may be the impression they’re leaving people with who took the time out to admire their work?

I mean, if someone takes the time out to do this, they were obviously moved by your work, yes?

It would seem this is hurting them more then helping them. I wouldn’t imagine this is good for any business or individual who has a blog.

Thanks again for sharing here Stacey : )

I’m sure I’m a bit naive as well Lori… but I think this will serve us rather than hurt our efforts to be an active contributor to the blogosphere.

There are new chapters being written all the time in many different industries and blogging is no different. It’s morphing and changing into something different.

Don’t believe me? Mark this day down and revisit this statement just a few years from now and everything will have evolved and be different.

The trick is to be riding the edge of that wave when it comes so you can be part of the ride : )

Haha,sounds like something Srini would write : )

Thanks Steve, I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’ll need all of that and more to actually get there : )

Cheers to you Steve!!

I agree 100% Jazzy — you need to be thoughtful about what you’re putting out there; otherwise I think it’s better to comment at all.

I’ve made this mistake at times.

Thanks for stopping by : )

Hi Marianne, it sounds like you’re on fast track to blogging success : )

Seriously, keep making the rounds, keep sharing a piece of your mind with blogs you connect with, build relationships with those bloggers and you will gain some traction with your efforts.

Consistency is key.

Thanks for sharing here Marianne, I appreciate it very much : )

I’m just taking notes from bloggers like yourself Frank… I wish this stuff was as easy as some make it look.

It’s not easy to contribute value to a community like this one. There’s way too many super smart creative people in here.

It blows my mind sometimes!

I’ll just keep trying to do my best and I will improve over time.

Crap, half of the time I don’t make any sense

Hi Wendy, thank you for stopping by and sharing here today, I appreciate it.

I’m with you, when you connect with good people and see their hard work start to pay off it’s great to see them spread their wings and fly. That excites me too : )

As far as the commenting scenario goes, everybody is different. If you’re finding success in building a blog community without engaging, more power to you…

But, if you’re new to the game, in my opinion and from my experience, I would highly recommend engaging the community for best results.

Cheers Wendy : )

Hi Brankica, thanks for sharing some of your thoughts here : )

Sometimes folks leave short replies. I still thank them for it and appreciate those too.

Those usually get a short reply back from me because there’s really nothing to expand upon.

I really enjoy the thoughtful comments. I learn many things and see things differently based on the views and insights of the community.

The people are my favorite thing about blogging : )

I really love your style Davina, for lack of a better description, you’re a no-bullshit kind of gal and I really enjoy your replies.

I like surrounding myself with smart people I can learn from. You are definitely one of them, thank you : )

the real trick is doing the hard stuff that makes it look so easy.

This is something I have to re learn on a daily basis.

Mark – this is killer!

I highly value every comment I receive. I rarely get one-liners on my blog – but whenever I do, I see those as gifts along with the others.

I actually spend more time these days replying to my blog comments than I do commenting myself throughout the blogoshpere – and I have a pretty health footprint that I cover. I think it’s highly important to make strong connections with my readers…replying to comments gives me a personal platform to reach out to them directly, right within community grounds.

As I touched on earlier – I see every comment as gift. I understand that a lot of folks simply comment for the sole purpose of gaining recognition, but I would never throw everyone in that bucket because there are many great folks who are looking to form meaningful relationships…and that’s what I’m about.

When I comment, I look forward to a reply. I don’t write comments closed ended, I hope to spark further conversation and dive deeper into the subject at hand. This, for me is what makes the magic. This is why I consider the comments to be part 2 and the most important part of a post.

Great topic here Mark…you nailed it!
Can’t wait to read through the comments now to see what others are saying on this case.

PEACE

Well thank you Mark! A great blog post is the kind that I like to make comments on and this was the kind!

Amen Brother… haha!

Cheers to learning and getting better everyday Frank : )

Mark, I applaud your honesty and courage in writing this post. It takes a lot of cojones to stick your neck on the guillotine and say “I’m true to myself!”

Now, commenting. That topic which it seems everyone has had a say on (including me!). I believe it comes down to personal preference really. Jason Hughes recently wrote a post about blogging with inner peace, and I left a comment which reveals my take on how to achieve blogging success. I’ll send you an e-mail with the link Mark, but here’s a couple of quick additional points:

- I know a lot of people who don’t comment on other blogs and still do fine.

- I know that some big bloggers have stopped answering comments and they’re still doing fine.

Darren Rowse is probably a good example of the second point, he only occasionally answers comments now yet his success is still growing. He can afford to not ‘do’ comments so much, so he can focus on other efforts. Fair play to the guy, whatever works for him.

Another good example are those who have turned off comments on their blogs entirely: Leo Babauta, Seth Godin, Steve Pavlina, and Everett Bogue are four big names who immediately spring to mind. Again, it’s their choice, and I respect them for that.

In summary, I’ll say that blog commenting is a choice. Do you wish to not answer your own comments? I love answering but that’s your choice. And if you do decide to blog comment, how many blogs do you comment on? 5? 10? 20? Every day? Every other day?

There’s a lot of options with commenting, and I love to be flexible to keep it interesting. Rigidity sucks

Srini, wow, I’m with Mark, that comment was chock-full of some serious wisdom my friend. Thank you!

I second that Frank. As the old saying goes– Bloggers of a Feather Flock Together

What would you dooooo…..for a Klondike Bar??!!

Margeaux, I’ve got a few points as well, and thanks for asking such a great question:

What should you do?

1. Do what you’re doing here– start to become a part of other communities. If you’ve stumbled across Mark, you’ve hit gold. I’m not kidding. The guy is amazing. The people he has mentioned here (not including that dorky Lion fella) are as good as they come and will show you the perfect example of community if you just follow the lead.

2. Remember to talk about others and promote others more than you do yourself.

3. Write great stuff

4. Repeat Step #2

5. Repeat Step #2

6. Oh, and don’t forget, repeat Step #2

Good luck!!!

Mark, this was tremendous man, and love the topic, as it has been a hot one of late. And before I make my comment, I must also mention Ingrid from Nitty Griddy on your list of superstars. In fact, and although I’m flattered with your kindness, go ahead and replace my name with hers–as she’s the essence of dedication to community and comments.

When I was reading this article, I kept highlighting points you made because there was so much here that I was diggin— and I mean really diggin. Like this:

Those well known bloggers who don’t don’t believe commenting is important on their blogs and have ten’s or hundreds of thousands of subscribers remind me of those big corporations who suck at social media because of all the red tape, regulations, legal departments, etc. that take the social aspects out of social media. Many of these folks consult these big corporations too – its pretty ironic, eh..?

Hilarious, true, telling, —-all that Mark. Powerful bud.

Also, you mentioned the changes that were happening in the Bsphere. Again, this was right on. In fact, it’s bold and visionary thought process you have, and I completely agree and see it as well. Really amazing.

I could go on and on but thank you again for your incredibly kind mention. There is so much power in ‘community’. Most people will sadly never understand this. You do Mark. You reallllly do.

Thanks bud,

Marcus

Hi Marcus, do you possibly have any advice for Margeaux regarding here spam problems sir?

Thanks Claudia, you are too sweet : )

Just about anything… haha!

Along with normal spam filters, if you’re not using Disqus (which I’m not) I’d suggest the GASP plugin. That little baby gets rid of most the junk (it’s the click here if you’re human box)

Hi Jk, thanks for dropping this awesome comment here sir.

I don’t think I have ever read a comment from you that wasn’t thoughtful. You definitely have a way of taking a blog topic to another level. That’s very beneficial for the community. It’s all about them, and the better we can provide solid insight and answers to questions, the more effective and meaningful our work becomes.

Thanks Jk for always bringing a great attitude and some awesome contributions to the community.

My home is your home always bro!

Thank you sir : ) I hope she see’s your suggestion!

Well Marcus, I have a great person to learn from about community building – thank you BTW : )

Yes, I should have included Ingrid in the “blogging super stars” list! She is absolutely awesome. The one thing about these mentions is I always leave deserving folks (friends) out… I hate that!

Not worry, I will make it up to her and the others I didn’t mention in this post.

I think there’s a solid group of amazing people with the same ideas/ visions of what the blogoshere can be for themselves and their audience. We need to keep making progress with these ideals and take it to the next level.

We need to hop on a Skype call soon!

Srini happens to be here today with me, if you have time, ping me.

Skype: gacconsulting

Hey Stu, great to see you sir and thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment : )

I agree with you, it boils down to preference and not everybody is the same. There’s no wrong or right way, just preference and of course there’s opinion. I didn’t hold anything back on that.

However, I do see something significant developing here. I see opportunity. For some, as you well know, blogging is dead.

In my mind, the full potential of the blogosphere hasn’t even been scratched. The old will be replaced by the new… the blogosphere and social media as a whole will evolve. We haven’t seen anything yet.

The future is where my head is. Doing something amazing is my desire.

BTW, there are some amazing things that will revolutionize the social web as we know it in just the next few years. That’s an absolute.

The trick is identifying what that is and building incredible individuals and companies around a vision that contributes to the revolution.

I believe smaller tight-knit communities will drive some of these changes. The global social web is a big place and the brightest blogging superstars are just getting started, or are thinking of how to get started.

These are exciting times Stu and I’m very thankful I will have the opportunity to learn from good people like you.

Have a great weekend sir!

Just stop it……….we can hardly live with him now as it is anyway……….he’s going to start thinking he is somebody…….

You know we love ya bro; keep kickin’ it………

Happy Easter.

Thanks for your continued support Bill — LOL!

HAHA. Well that was straight from the preparation for my Blogworld
preso, so you’ll get to see my full take on this stuff in a few weeks.

HaHa! Happy Easter to the both of you….and thanks for always making this Lion smile Bill.

Thanks Mark and Marcus for your excellent suggestions and I think I’ll be hanging out here more often because of the care and support I’ve gotten already from one little comment questions. Love to see you walk your talk

Mark,
I’ve been blogging for a while now, and one thing that has always been important to me has been the interaction that takes place in the comments. So, I make every effort to reply back to visitors…and to make those replies meaningful, as well. Because, like you say, I value, very deeply, these people.

So, I’m loving what you shared here – and while I don’t need validation for what I do, I also do feel that validation (and it feels good).

My first time here, and I love your writing style and what you share!

Hi Mark,

Awesome post, and some really interesting links as well.

I have given this topic some thought as well. And especially about the well-known bloggers (the A-list) that are not commenting because they are too busy. I can understand this, I can. Because they are receiving more than 100 comments on a blog post, and it takes a lot of time to reply to each and every one. But, on the other hand, they don’t have to answer anything other than Thanks a lot for your support. It would be great just to get some attention.

I am not sure, but sometimes I believe that it’s better for the well-known bloggers who are not answering their comments to do as Seth Godin, and remove the comments. Because when it’s available, people expect to get a reply.

I always reply, but I have been troubled by the very short comments. The ones that say “Awesome post”, and that’s all. I have been thinking about adding them as spam, or just deleting them, or just do what I am doing right now, publishing them and adding a short reply “thanks a lot”

Anyway, not answering comments on a blog is lame. Every single visitor counts, and especially the ones that are engaging.. they’re just plain awesome.

- Jens

Hey Mark,

Well said! I’ve personally made it a habit to reply to every comment on my blog – because I know how it feels to spend so much time on a comment, only to never receive a reply (or even know if it was read!).

I’m a strong believer that your blog community (the people who read, comment, and share your stuff) is what makes a blog really come to life.

After all, without readers or a loyal following, your blog pretty much doesn’t exist. While you should write awesome content to attract people to your site, you should also give back to the community and care about the people who’ve taken the time to interact with you on your blog – and you show that you care by responding to comments.

Because there’s nothing more frustrating than pouring your heart and soul into a comment, only to have it seemingly never read. I understand most A-listers can’t respond to all of their comments (that would simply be impossible), but there are many who still do make the effort – and it shows. Your readers appreciate it, and so they’ll stick around.

Anyway, sorry for my little rant. This was a great read – it definitely gets a tweet from me. Thanks for being awesome, going the extra mile, and responding to those comments, Mark.

Christina

I failed to leave this page until leaving a comment.

Stopping by here is becoming a good habit for me Mark!

Since I am new to this blogging thingy I see it like as a bigger conversation. The closer you are to the person talking, or blogging, the more likely you are to say something in or about the conversation.

Having listened to your qualifying remarks about the “dogs of blog” as I respectfully call them, I agree. When it becomes logistically too hard to answer everyone, like Seth Godin your model might change to his.

Yet some of the “dogs…” always bark right back at you, and that is encouraging.

But I tell you this…

Comments on my “puppy dog blog” as I like to call it, and I am all over that. It is a rush to get comments. How can it not be?

When you took the time to comment on mine it meant the blogosphere to me I felt like I was being invited into the conversation, the same thing with Mark Shaefer from {Grow}.

But ain’t this blogging thingy just great?

Best wishes and keep it up. Answering comments will always be priority to me on my blog.

Billy

Yes sir, you hang around Mr Mark and he will take you places. If you are just getting started, Mark is a great one to model after. Not only is he doing all the right things, it’s genuine which makes him easy to follow.

Good luck in your journey.

If I can butt in……….that is certainly a pet peeve of mine too; if your britches are so big you can’t comment to everyone I certainly won’t come back if there is no engagement regardless of the content. @ginidietrich pulls it off so I know it can be done.

Well said; no rant.

Hi Bill, I’m with you sir. I like engaging with smart folks who can help me learn, gain insight and hopefully contribute content others can learn and gain insight from.

This is most effectively done through conversation; not being talked at or not being part of the conversation. This process expands a thought or topic and best of all, great relationships develop as a result.

Yes, blogging is a great communication tool.

Thanks for stopping by Bill, have yourself a great weekend : )

Thanks for the kind words Bill. I learn many things from you Bill, one of which is how to lighten up the conversation : )

I have a tendency to be a bit serious all of the time and that just blows! I like how you keep things light and add some fun to every conversation you jump in.

You are going to shake up the blogoshpere with that talent you’ve got. I have to work my butt off just to try to keep up with you guys.

Cheers to you sir, I really appreciate your support Bill, thank you!

: )

LOL, thanks Young!

The next time, it would be great to hear your thoughts on things ; )

But, I know you were here and I appreciate it sir.

Have a wonderful weekend Young!

P.S. I just visited and subscribe to your blog. A nice resource you have there Bill : )

Hi Christina!

I believe what defines an A List blogger is the contributions they make to other people’s lives.

While stellar information (content) is great, it’s the overall experience another person has while visiting your blog that counts as well.

The great content part is a given. If you don’t deliver information that sparks conversation and adds value to the community you’re dead. However, there’s an added element to great content that’s a must too and that’s the experience.

You don’t typically get emotionally involved in a one-way conversation. You don’t laugh, you don’t cry, and you’re not moved by information alone. Relationships and caring about the people in your community is what emotionally moves people.

That’s when an individual’s work becomes more important in my opinion and that’s when forward progress takes place and things start to happen for all who are participating in the conversation.

Conversations are progressive, they move people to do things and get things done.

My take anyhow Christina ; )

I really appreciate your continued support here Christina, you rock and roll ma’am!

Well if @ginidietrich can do it, anyone can do it – LOL

(She’s a machine, probably from another planet!)

Hi Jens!

I am weary of those short comments as well. In most cases, they are spam and I would treat them as such.

I very rarely get those type of comments. Even if they happen to be shorter, they’re on topic, or they mention something relevant to the conversation.

I’m with you — every visitor counts!

Thank you Jens for your continued support and great comments, I really appreciate you very much : )

Hi Lance, thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts here.

Thanks for the encouraging words as well, I appreciate it very much.

I can tell you care and you’re about providing value – yes, with just this one comment. I’m headed over to check out your blog and see where we can connect.

I hope we can learn and share together in the community Lance : )

I loved your thank you note for new subscribers to your blog : )

I think you covered most of the planet!

It’s great to have you along for the ride Margeaux… make sure you check out the blogs of those here in the community. There are some fabulous helpful folks in here!

Have a great weekend : )

Dang it, my head won’t fit through the door anymore..!

Happy Easter gentlemen, make it a great weekend : )

I’m getting a sneak peek at his presentation and it’s going to be awesome!

I’m getting a sneak peek at his presentation and it’s going to be awesome!

It is lame, and I just fade off after a while if there is no reciprocation. Although, I do love blogs that blog about blogging! They rock!

I couldn’t agree more… I just tweeted about your writing contest : )

Thanks.

Thanks

My goodness Mark. This was a great and very informative read. I value my comments more than my content because it is the people that make a blog what it is. I have been to sites where the material presented has not been grand but the conversation that existed in the comments caught my attention and hooked me in. Now I am a fan of their community even though I might not agree with all of their work. I think if someone takes the time to add to the conversation I owe them a response. Not because I am trying to build a fake connection but because a person took the time to encourage or correct me on my random thoughts.

What I have noticed is that a lot of larger blogs instead of having a comment section now have created forums where people discuss the posts and various other topics where the host might engage the audience if the general discussion is pertinent enough to grab their attention. I still think there is not a great excuse for ignoring the community who built you to who you are today.

Now to be honest I have been on both sides of the spectrum in this scenario because the only people who tend to comment on blogs are other bloggers. The people who are the vast majority of subscribers on the big sites are not bloggers. So it all comes down to what you want. You can have a outstanding community with great interactions or do we want readers who may not comment but support you in other ways like buying your products or whose lives are being changed by your content.

I will tell you this much. I am not smart enough to figure it out. For that reason I choose engagement, community, and personality. Mark great post.

Do you by chance have $10,000 I can borrow until the apocalypse?

Yo yo Frank, it’s good to see you sir. I hope you had a great weekend with the family : )

Comments and an engaged community only make a blog better. That’s where a thought or topic can be expanded upon, and connections and relationships can flourish.

I believe a blog, even with other bloggers commenting, is a big reason people will buy your offerings. The comment section can really give folks a sense of who a blogger is and what he stands for and significantly influence the buying decisions of a consumer.

I appreciate you dropping a thoughtful comment here Frank, you rock!

P.S. Funny, my daughter just called and asked for the exact same amount for a car! She starts college this year too! I will have two in college and another starting next year… YIKES!

So, at the moment, I’m tapped LOL!

You are right. If you don’t plan on interacting with others there is no point in having an option to comment. Blogging should be an exchange of thoughts and ideas- commenting is part and parcel of that.

Hey Jack, thanks for dropping by and weighing in on this topic. I’m obviously in agreement with you on the subject : )

I hope to see you more. I’ve been seeing you around the blogosphere and it’s time to go check what you’re up to… off to check you out : )

Cheers!

Mark Check out OwenGreaves.com He is a futurist consultant. He has a free ebook by a Gerd Leonhard http://owengreaves.com/the-end-of-control-by-gerd-leonhard/
Sorry I don’t know how to make this a link!

But it is a really insightful book on “attention is a form of currency”
and I am sure that you will find this a very compelling story about that.
Billy

I like your writing- I’ll be back.

[...] Not Commenting or Answering Comments on Blogs Is Lame – by Mark Harai, markharai.com [...]

Thanks for this Billy – the link came through when you published.

Appreciate this, I’ll definitely give her a read : )

Any media that has the potential for conversation and idea exchange is social media – blogs, sites like Twitter, forums, BBS (oh yeah old skool), etc. Bottom line here is that if you don’t want interaction don’t get involved, because if you do get involved your price of entry is responding.

Not replying to comments is lame, however I’ve seen some of the heavies (including Chris Brogan who is hella busy) respond to fewer comments the busier they get.

For me I respond to every comment I get on my blog, be it within minutes or days – they all get a response. I’m sure that this will slow down later on, but for now everyone gets a second helping.

Is it sustainable once you’re getting hundreds of comments on each post? No, and I don’t think you can expect it to be, unless you hire an assistant to answer. But then that voice wouldn’t be your own would it?

People shouldn’t stay away from blogging though because they think all their time will be responding to comments. I see many business blogs that get very few comments but do get a lot of social media shares.

Hey Robert, you bring up some great points here.

As far as Chris goes, the guy is a machine. And, I think most people understand his dilemma.

He is all about conversation and responding and people know that. That’s important. He does the best he can to keep up and people know that too. His processes will evolve as he continues to grow his business. It has to.

On scaling this process, I think you need to involve others in participating in your social presence as your organization grows. Zappos is an example of what I’m talking about. Everyone from the janitor to the C-level suite understands the culture, mindset and message they are part of. I say involve the whole dang company in the process.

It’s just not realistic to do everything yourself when you start to get ten’s of thousands or hundreds of thousands of peole in the communities you develop.

Having said that, the best way to start and build a blog is through engaging and commenting.

Cheers Robert!

I agree with your points on bringing in additional people from your organization to help. Using Chris as an example has has a number of companies and projects where other people are involved, but on his personal blog (that gets hundreds of daily comments) it’s just him.

What do you think people would think if someone else started replying to comments on his personal blog? What would you think?

This comment made me think Robert…

Even though it’s Chris’s personal blog/ brand here, it’s very focused and relevant to all things business/ social media.

If it was done in the spirit of being more attentive, helpful and serving the audience more effectively, it wouldn’t bother me so much.

As long as Chris was consistently hopping in, filling in gaps and kept a solid presence there, I think it would help his personal brand stay engaged more effectively with his readers.

My initial thoughts anyhoo Robert.

Makes a lot of sense Mark. One thing I would add too is to set the expectation and tell people that someone additional would be commenting back. Then making sure they have their own account so we would know the difference between a reply from Chris and one of his folks.

Yes, transparency would be key… If Chris was to do something in this fashion, I’m certain he wouldn’t have it any other way… and for those who do this, it needs to be done this way.

For one, most people can tell the difference and they are more apt to appreciate and support such expansion if it’s done right.

Cool Robert, again thanks for adding to the conversation here bro, I appreciate it!

Hi Mark, As the author of a fledgling blog, I am still doing the happy dance when I get a comment. My ratio of hits to comments is about 10 to 1, but I still appreciate the hits, even if 9/10 people don’t leave comments. But for those who do, well they have a special place in my heart. Except for spammers.

I especially loved this part of your post: “Your blog is the most important social media platform you should be
developing. It’s the one piece of the social web that you own and
control at all times. While third party apps are great, you don’t own
them. All of the work and effort you put into building a presence on
these platforms could be gone tomorrow. Your blog will be here for the
rest of your life”

Your words really touched me as they made me appreciate that my blog is my very own creation. Like my personal work of art. I hadn’t really stopped to consider how very cool that is. At first it was scary, but now, since it has been well-received, I should take a breath and appreciate my creation.

For seven years I was the leader of a message board for a big company. I followed their rules and enforced them with the commenters on the message board. Things were going well, I got a nice gift from them every year during the holidays. And then they were taken over by a bigger company who decided to go in a different direction. My message board was shuttered but they asked me to start a new message board. I did that and it was going well, it was even featured on their home page for a month. But the next month they shut down that message board and wanted me to start yet another one. I declined and never went back to the site.

I hated that I built communities twice only to have them snuffed out by TPTB. I won’t have to ever worry about that with my blog. How cool is that? Thank you for making me appreciate that aspect of my blog I hadn’t ever appreciated before!

Hi Carolyn, it’s so nice of you to stop by and share your joy! 

You must be a super individual – I say that because building forums like you have in the past and then a engaged community around your blog like you have. in my opinion, is all personality – just being you and your willingness to share a piece of you with others.

For many trying to figure this social media stuff out, it just isn’t the case. The social web is people, personalities and the relationship that develop as a result.

The awesomeness of social media is relationships with special people from all over the world that you would never have known if not for the social web.

You’re blog is a place to share with other’s for the rest of your life. You can see where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, how much you’ve grown and all of the experiences you’ve shared with old and new friends. 

It’s a place to share your voice with the others and make that piece of the world a great place to be.

I’m so happy and excited for you Carolyn!

I clicked on your DISQUS avatar/name to see where we could connect and it seems to be a broken link. I would love to connect and support your efforts. If you would like, let me know when that’s fixed or where I can find you and we can connect and share.

Thank you for this awesome comment Carolyn – you have brightened my day : )

 Wow, Mark, thanks so much for those words of encouragement. They mean a lot coming from one of the titans of blogging!

I’m hoping my Disqus is fixed now. I just started following you on Twitter, can’t believe I hadn’t been following you all along. That oversight is remedied now.

Again, thanks for the insightful post and the supportive comment.

Great, I am now sub’d up to your blog Carolyn and will be supporting your efforts.

I don’t mean to disappoint, but I’m no Titan of blogging, just a student like you – although there are many in this comment stream. I highly recommend you connect with them if you’re looking for top notch individuals who engage and rock the social web. 

Have a wonderful day Carolyn!

He’s not lying; he really isn’t a Titan. In fact, check the bottom of your shoes when you leave his house……….just sayin’………

With friends like this, who needs enemies, huh?

Who loves ya baby? 

I love you too @a76049f6a32a1e633a732b81bafb98c9:disqus  - it’s funny @wonderoftech:disqus I’ve seen all over the place today on other blogs. 

Griddy, Davina and I’m sure many more to come. I’m a little slow obviously.

You’ve probably already been warned about that Bill guy – be careful, just sayin

Hehe! 

[...] Smart folks like Mark Harai, John Falchetto, Ingrid Abboud and Marcus Sheridan are big on the benefits of commenting, the mentors and tribe you develop, the power of commenting, and and understand the time it takes [...]