Comments on MotherReader: Comment Challenge: Final Check-In

Thank you, thank you for the extra five days! I ma...

2008-12-05T09:01:14.448-05:00

Thank you, thank you for the extra five days! I managed to hop back on the wagon and reached my goal of 100 (+ actually). When life's not so nuts, it's easier to blog... :)

I was at about 100 over the time and have been bad...

2008-12-05T08:17:04.537-05:00

I was at about 100 over the time and have been bad this week with commenting.

I am as certain that I commented more than 100 tim...

2008-12-03T10:14:37.482-05:00

I am as certain that I commented more than 100 times, because I tried to do five a day, and some days I did more, to make up for the days on which I did less!

Thanks so much for organizing this!

Ok, I joined a little late and slacked off some to...

2008-12-02T13:48:09.827-05:00

Ok, I joined a little late and slacked off some toward the end. I probably did roughly 50 comments.

The good thing is I am still trying to do 4 or 5 every couple of days and will be able to sustain that amount.

I was doing really well. Then my parents came to ...

2008-12-01T13:53:23.194-05:00

I was doing really well. Then my parents came to visit around the middle of the month, and I went down in a big ball of flames. The rest of the month just zipped by.

I didn't keep very good track, but I am a lot more comfortable commenting now. It IS only the beginning!

I know I'm fully past deadline here, but I want to...

2008-12-01T10:31:31.164-05:00

I know I'm fully past deadline here, but I want to report in anyway. I loved this challenge.

Of course, I realized to my HORROR that somehow my week two challenge report didn't post. I did write one. Something about the computer system at work is making posting comments to blogs a nightmare (I can only assume this is because the computer system hates me), so I'm blaming that. Anyway, I'll repost (good thing I saved my post-its):

Week One: 33 comments
Week Two: 34 comments
Week Three: 27 comments
Total comments: 94 comments

I was SO CLOSE to my goal. I would have made my time up on Wednesday except for the part where I spent the entire day cooking to get ready for Thanksgiving. Still, it feels like an accomplishment, and I think I'm in a better commenting habit. So YAY to that. Thanks for doing this, Pam and Lee!

Well, I didn't make it to anywhere near 5 a day, b...

2008-11-29T21:38:02.572-05:00

Well, I didn't make it to anywhere near 5 a day, but I did increase my commenting a whole lot. In the end I think I had about 79 comments, which is at least 50 more than I'd usually have done in that period. And I've found some new blogs, and some new blogs found me, so that was exciting, too. Thanks for the kick in the pants!

Yes, for me it is a beginning. I know now that I ...

2008-11-28T21:21:03.819-05:00

Yes, for me it is a beginning. I know now that I don't want to just be a silent lurker on other's blog-it is great to get comments so the flip side it to comment for others and not just "lurk".

This was a great way to stay connected in a month ...

2008-11-28T18:19:11.769-05:00

This was a great way to stay connected in a month that I otherwise would have felt pretty isolated - plus, I ended up being far more productive because Jolie, Kim, Vivian, Jaime, and others spurred me on and cracked the whip - ended up writing 30K on my WIP, which is more than I've ever written in one month in my life (including grad school). Thank you for inspiring us to be connected in a tangible, encouraging way.

My sister and I got off to a late start but betwee...

2008-11-28T17:19:03.961-05:00

My sister and I got off to a late start but between the 2 of us we counted 120 comments. I really enjoyed making some new friends and I also found some wonderful blogs that I will follow. We especially loved receiving comments and watching the traffic on our blog increase.
What a wonderful community we have and a great experience this has been. Let's keep comments a habit!

I ended up with 130 during the challenge time peri...

2008-11-28T14:38:43.962-05:00

I ended up with 130 during the challenge time period. I started out strong, but I only had 4 comments during the whole last week. That's because I took some time off from the computer, though. Today I was reading blogs from the past few days, and even without feeling like I was still doing the challenge, I found myself commenting more (and ended up with 5 comments just from general blog reading). So, I do think it will stick, in terms of commenting more, even though the "have to do 5 every day" concept got a little wearing for me.

My comments received have definitely been higher, too. Thanks!!

I think I ended up making less than 100 comments, ...

2008-11-28T11:24:05.651-05:00

I think I ended up making less than 100 comments, but that was a 100% improvement. And, I found a lot of new bloggers that I'll follow now...except when I'm writing, in which case I now have to shut all Internet windows to get any work done!

And I loved getting comments on my site from new friends..it definitely helps keep the blogging juices flowing. Thanks guys, for hosting the challenge!

I didn't count my comments, but I never intended t...

2008-11-28T00:21:33.088-05:00

I didn't count my comments, but I never intended to keep track - I only wanted to reach out.

The number of comments I post has always been quite a bit higher than the number of comments I receive. Look at my LiveJournal stats alone:

9,705 comments received
19,639 comments posted

That only counts LJ comments, not blogspot, MySpace, or otherwhere. Can you imagine if it did?

I talk. I communicate. I listen and respond. I share my opinion. It's what I do.

I crave feedback. I don't get a lot.

Thanks for all your encouragement, MotherReader. W...

2008-11-27T17:22:30.688-05:00

Thanks for all your encouragement, MotherReader. While I've not participated officially, I have made more of an effort to let people know I'm reading their blogs. I go in spurts-- one day I'll write 10 comments, another day 5, another day none.

I started late, but I still made 101 comments. I'm...

2008-11-26T19:42:43.529-05:00

I started late, but I still made 101 comments. I'm so glad that I participated. I was always scared to comment on blogs before this. I thought only people who knew each other commented to each other. This has been an eye-opening experience and I've met some amazing new people. Thanks for the inspiration!

Not having internet access at NCTE killed me. I w...

2008-11-26T18:16:10.090-05:00

Not having internet access at NCTE killed me. I was trucking along with an average of just about 5 a day, but I only made it to 78 total because I missed the last 5 days.

I think I'll try to continue, but shoot for 3 a day. I liked being caught up on blog reading almost as much as sending and receiving comments!

I kept track on a virtual sticky note on my computer desktop.

Ended up with 123 comments that I actually wrote d...

2008-11-26T18:13:48.600-05:00

Ended up with 123 comments that I actually wrote down, but I think it may have been more. I really got into it after awhile and it has focused me on the importance of doing it. No matter what your traffic numbers are, it always means more to get a comment. I'll be keeping that in mind and keep trying to comment more. I also liked how it started discussions on "keeping a balance" and how we read blogs. It was a great experience, thanks so much.

I ended up with 56 comments, which is about 50 mor...

2008-11-26T17:00:40.978-05:00

I ended up with 56 comments, which is about 50 more than I normally would have made over three weeks. Now I just have to keep it up! (Kind of like my exercise bike.)

I made a conscious effort to comment 5-10 times a ...

2008-11-26T16:14:38.873-05:00

I made a conscious effort to comment 5-10 times a day, a few days less than that. My total comes to 146! Thanks for doing this, I discovered some great blogs!

Even though I didn't get near a computer every day...

2008-11-26T16:02:22.996-05:00

Even though I didn't get near a computer every day, I tried to average it out, and ended up with 120 comments. This really did increase the number of comments on my blog! Tried to get as many new and different sites as I could, and it was helpful to see different layouts, books, and posting styles. Found a lot of new YA sites, so will have to update my blog roll. Thanks for another great challenge!

I agree! It is the beginning. I have to admit, I w...

2008-11-26T15:00:42.229-05:00

I agree! It is the beginning. I have to admit, I was horrible at tracking the number of comments made. But I know it's the beginning of new friendships made and more to come. Thank you!

I have been a pathetic comment challenge participa...

2008-11-26T13:54:31.373-05:00

I have been a pathetic comment challenge participant, but I'm glad to have tried anyway-- maybe next time I'll get more up to speed. And I really liked the encouraging posts you've written about this; they've made me think about commenting in a different way (even if I mostly didn't act on it this time around).

109 posted comments as of yesterday...Timing of th...

2008-11-26T13:19:04.830-05:00

109 posted comments as of yesterday...

Timing of this challenge was sublime... It kicked off two days after we launched our family review blog - and without it there's no way we would have seen the kind of traffic we did. Thanks much for starting it! And nice to meet so many of you!

We also discovered many other wonderful sites, sites we'll continue to visit and comment on. It's been a great experience all around...

Z-Dad

Ooh, not the END but the BEGINNING...I like the so...

2008-11-26T12:47:50.168-05:00

Ooh, not the END but the BEGINNING...

I like the sound of that!

It's also great to read about all the commenters over here who participated - some impressive totals!

And most of all, a new habit and a new perspective on commenting as a way of BEING part of this community for all of us!

Thanks Mother Reader! What a joy to make this happen with you - it made my November much sunnier!

Namaste and a HUG,

Lee

All right, I'm calling it for me with 150 comments...

2008-11-26T11:23:38.973-05:00

All right, I'm calling it for me with 150 comments, average 7 a day. I found that I am more of a binge commenter. I'd rather skip blog-reading for a day or two, and then devote a chunk of time to it and leave like ten comments.

I've been aware of this level of balance for a while, but what tends to happen to me is two days of not reading turn into 3..4..5... and then it's hard to catch-up or feel relevant reading or commenting.

The thing the challenge did for me personally, was to force me to get myself back on track if I was off blogs for a day or two. I also finally used Google Reader, but only to keep track of the participants. I figured that these are the people that care the most about comments, so I can return the love. That doesn't mean I feel the need to comment on every blog or certainly not every post, but using the reader puts commenting in the front of my mind.