- You’re setting the bar too high. If you need a reality check, read the comments on any YouTube video or Yahoo article. These people don’t spend time concerned with whether their comment is “witty” or “insightful” or “makes sense.” Seriously, you are in the top ten percent of commenters merely by paying minimal attention to basic spelling and verb/noun agreement.
- You’re over-thinking your comments. We know this social media stuff, but can make the wrong leaps to how comments help in the process. It’s not like someone will read your witty, insightful comment and give you a book deal. It’s more like being at a book event and you’re talking to this woman about how much you like zombies, and she asks what you do, and you say you write picture books, and she says that she was at this session earlier where the editor was talking about the sad lack of zombie picture books. Score! And all this from your witty, insightful comment “Great necklace! I love zombie jewelry too!”
- You’re reading blog posts like articles. This is understandable, because they are articles, but they are also conversations. A comment isn’t crafting a letter to the editor. It’s closer to your response after listening to someone excitedly tell you about this great novel they just read. After they finish talking, would you simply walk away? No, you’d say something like, “I’ll have to find that book, especially because I love zombie romance stories,” and you wouldn’t worry that you weren’t adding enough value to the conversation. Other times you’d have more to say. Who knows? You might even be witty and insightful about it. But it’s not a requirement.
Showing posts with label Comments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comments. Show all posts
The just-past Comment Challenge — and particularly this perfect, funny post at Jumping the Candlestick — helped me define some commenting barriers. Take a moment to see, if indeed, these are three things you’re doing wrong in (not) commenting.
How’s it going? Head over and tell Lee. He’s sharing last week’s prize winner, and will pick a new winner from today’s Comment Challenge Check-In to receive a 2011 KidLit/YA book.
Here I’m going to respond to questions from my own comments:
Step two. When I read I turn a mental ear towards my own internal dialogue, noting my reactions and thoughts. When I get to the comments, I pretty much know what I want to say, but just have to take an extra two minutes to shape the words. Sometimes I have no real internal reaction or it’s just meh. Because yeah, there’s still a difference between “Hmm. That’s interesting,” and “Wow! That’s interesting!” Then I don’t comment, and I move on. The intent to comment doesn’t mean that I’ll comment on every single post I read, but that I’ve selected the post to read actively and that I’ll pay attention to my own thoughts with an idea to share them.
Now, what do I think about responding to comments on your own blog and what do I do? Well, I rarely respond to comments in my blog, and then generally, only if it’s a direct question or clarification. I feel that I’ve put my thoughts in the post, and it’s your turn to contribute if you choose. But more important to me is that I want that commenting energy to go outward to the community, not inward to keeping the conversation on my blog. I only have so much time, and suspect that if I were spending it coming up with things to say on every comment on this blog, I wouldn’t also be going out and commenting on other blogs. I get the argument that commenting on your own blog builds dialogue there, but it seems to me that the people who reply to every comment rarely comment other places. I may be wrong, and maybe somebody will tell me so, but that’s my impression.
Just like the original questioner, I put this to all of you for your thoughts as well. But I’ll tell you now that I reserve the right not to spend time defending my opinion in responding to the comments, because I know I feel differently about this than many.
Here I’m going to respond to questions from my own comments:
Reading with an intent to comment... I’ll have to think about that. I intend to engage, to read more slowly and thoughtfully, but always to comment? Sometimes I can’t even find anything useful to say on my own blog, much less someone else’s.There are two parts to my concept of reading with intent to comment. The first part is the mental commitment. I’ve already decided that I’m going to read actively, not passively, and that’s a big step right there. Now, I don’t decide that for every single post I read. In fact, I’ve become more discriminating about the posts I read. Everyone’s choices will be different here based on taste and interest, but as examples I don’t read In My Mailbox or Library Loot memes, or posts about upcoming books. I don’t read posts about fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi teen books, and since that genre has taken over Young Adult literature, I’m skimming a lot of YA blogs these days for books I would like. There are exceptions, always exceptions, but I’ve already narrowed my selection of posts I’ll be reading with an active participation.
What do you all think about responding to comments left on your blog? Do you always respond, sometimes, almost never?
Step two. When I read I turn a mental ear towards my own internal dialogue, noting my reactions and thoughts. When I get to the comments, I pretty much know what I want to say, but just have to take an extra two minutes to shape the words. Sometimes I have no real internal reaction or it’s just meh. Because yeah, there’s still a difference between “Hmm. That’s interesting,” and “Wow! That’s interesting!” Then I don’t comment, and I move on. The intent to comment doesn’t mean that I’ll comment on every single post I read, but that I’ve selected the post to read actively and that I’ll pay attention to my own thoughts with an idea to share them.
Now, what do I think about responding to comments on your own blog and what do I do? Well, I rarely respond to comments in my blog, and then generally, only if it’s a direct question or clarification. I feel that I’ve put my thoughts in the post, and it’s your turn to contribute if you choose. But more important to me is that I want that commenting energy to go outward to the community, not inward to keeping the conversation on my blog. I only have so much time, and suspect that if I were spending it coming up with things to say on every comment on this blog, I wouldn’t also be going out and commenting on other blogs. I get the argument that commenting on your own blog builds dialogue there, but it seems to me that the people who reply to every comment rarely comment other places. I may be wrong, and maybe somebody will tell me so, but that’s my impression.
Just like the original questioner, I put this to all of you for your thoughts as well. But I’ll tell you now that I reserve the right not to spend time defending my opinion in responding to the comments, because I know I feel differently about this than many.
I can’t say that I love Twitter, but I’m beginning to use it better and see some applications in my Online Social Media Approach (OSMA). However, I do see that Twitter appears to be sucking the blog commenting right out of us, and that’s a shame. It is definitely easier to reply on Twitter, where brevity is a virtue. Commenting on a blog post can feel daunting, with its space to write using as many characters as you want and its chance to add something of value to the conversation. But people, we — and by we, I mean you — are missing out on some incredible opportunities to network by commenting.
For the past few months, I’ve been writing at Booklights, which is a blog at PBS. Every time I put up a post there, I mention it here. Jen Robinson does the same with her posts. Sometimes we get a fair number of comments. Occasionally we really strike a chord, like with Susan’s First Time Reads post about the children’s books you wish you could read for the first time. We certainly like it when we get comments, but this isn’t about us. It’s not even about me (as surprising as that may seem to those of you who know me best).
This is about you. Because you have the opportunity to write a comment on a blog at PBS where other thoughtful people might read it and take a look at where you blog, who you are, and what you’ve written. Maybe the PBS blog will need guest bloggers and look in the comments for bloggers who’ve shown interest in the blog and topic areas. Maybe parents or teachers or librarians are reading the comments after a post and might see your insightful addition — perhaps to Back to School picture books that I’ve posted about today — and then might follow the link back to your blog for other ideas.
Yesterday, I posted at ForeWord about summer reading programs, reading lists, and prizes. I know book bloggers have opinions about these topics. It seems like a good idea to share some of those thoughts in the comments of a respected online journal. One that obviously employs — and by “employs” I mean “gives money to” — guest bloggers, one of whom you could be if ForeWord knew about you. I’m just sayin’.
I don’t want to come off as angry or peevish, and I hope that those of you who follow me understand that. I do think commenting is important and is something that we are losing in our community to the detriment of all. Lee Wind and I even ran a Comment Challenge to that effect in November. Certainly, we’d all like more comments. But my point here is for the bloggers who wonder how to get their blog noticed, how to get it to the next level... well, sometimes opportunity isn’t tweeting.
Of course, if you’re busy twittering about how hot it is in August — clearly an underreported topic — well, I don’t want to interrupt you.
For the past few months, I’ve been writing at Booklights, which is a blog at PBS. Every time I put up a post there, I mention it here. Jen Robinson does the same with her posts. Sometimes we get a fair number of comments. Occasionally we really strike a chord, like with Susan’s First Time Reads post about the children’s books you wish you could read for the first time. We certainly like it when we get comments, but this isn’t about us. It’s not even about me (as surprising as that may seem to those of you who know me best).
This is about you. Because you have the opportunity to write a comment on a blog at PBS where other thoughtful people might read it and take a look at where you blog, who you are, and what you’ve written. Maybe the PBS blog will need guest bloggers and look in the comments for bloggers who’ve shown interest in the blog and topic areas. Maybe parents or teachers or librarians are reading the comments after a post and might see your insightful addition — perhaps to Back to School picture books that I’ve posted about today — and then might follow the link back to your blog for other ideas.
Yesterday, I posted at ForeWord about summer reading programs, reading lists, and prizes. I know book bloggers have opinions about these topics. It seems like a good idea to share some of those thoughts in the comments of a respected online journal. One that obviously employs — and by “employs” I mean “gives money to” — guest bloggers, one of whom you could be if ForeWord knew about you. I’m just sayin’.
I don’t want to come off as angry or peevish, and I hope that those of you who follow me understand that. I do think commenting is important and is something that we are losing in our community to the detriment of all. Lee Wind and I even ran a Comment Challenge to that effect in November. Certainly, we’d all like more comments. But my point here is for the bloggers who wonder how to get their blog noticed, how to get it to the next level... well, sometimes opportunity isn’t tweeting.
Of course, if you’re busy twittering about how hot it is in August — clearly an underreported topic — well, I don’t want to interrupt you.
It seems that National Delurking Week caught everyone off guard, and that’s a shame because it’s a great chance to meet some of your less comment-prone readers. So I’m extending it to this week. Yeah, who’s going to stop me? The Delurking Police? I think not. Once again, I’m using the graphic I got from Paper Napkin in 2007, but there are plenty more out there through Google or Yahoo images. Go find your favorite and encourage folks to delurk on your blog, too. There’s such fun in finding a quiet but dedicated reader. Sometimes you find a new blog or even get a compliment — or a pony! Okay, maybe not the pony.
I hope my readers will continue to delurk at MotherReader, because I need far more external validation than you would ever guess. In fact, if I don’t reach my magic number by the end of the week, I’m shutting the whole blog down and taking up water polo. People say it’s the new golf.
Category:
Comments,
Delurking,
In Cyberspace No One Can Hear You Read,
National Delurking Week
20
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Hey people, apparently it’s National Delurking Week!!! I know, I also thought it was next week. That will teach me to pay attention, because first it’s National Delurking Week, and next thing you know it’s Get to Know Your Customer Day and then the month is practically shot.I’m using the graphic I got from Paper Napkin in 2007. It is one of my favorite things ever. There are plenty more out there through Google or Yahoo images. Go find your favorite and encourage folks to delurk on your blog too.
But back to me. Take a minute to say hello. Let me know you’re out there reading this time-sucking distraction I affectionately call my blog. If you are stuck on what to say and extolling my fantasticness seems awkward, you can use this easy topic: Name one of your favorite children’s or teen books of 2008.
Category:
Comments,
Delurking,
In Cyberspace No One Can Hear You Read,
National Delurking Week
40
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What if I told you that for the cost of a few extra minutes a day, you can boost your blog readership, foster a feeling of connection, and make someone’s day? I’m talking about commenting. (Wow, with all the boosting, connecting, and making someone’s day, it’s like Viagra for blogs.)
At the KidLit Bloggers Conference, my-new-best-friend Lee Wind and I came up with an idea to get the community moving and grooving with a Comment Challenge. We held off to give you time to participate in the Cybils, to obsess about the election, and to Blog the Vote. But now it’s time to join us in The Comment Challenge.
Since it is said that it takes twenty-one days to form a new habit, we’re going to run the Comment Challenge for the next three weeks — from today, Thursday, November 6, through Wednesday, November 26, 2008. The goal is to comment on at least five kidlitosphere blogs a day. Keep track of your numbers, and report in on Wednesdays with me or Lee. We’ll tell each other how we’re doing and keep each other fired up. On Wednesday, November 26, we’ll have a final check-in post for the Comment Challenge. (Actually, it will go up on Tuesday night to catch all you Thanksgiving travelers.) I’m thinking that a prize package will be involved. Perhaps awarded by drawing from the bloggers who reached the 100 Comment Mark (five comments a day for twenty-one days with one day free of comment charge).
Seriously, this is the perfect time to make commenting a habit. Think about it. We have all this free time now that we’re not following CNN. We have writer friends doing National Novel Writing Month that could use our support. Maybe we are writers doing National Novel Writing Month who could benefit from supporting others. We have a series of author interviews coming up during the Winter Blog Blast Tour. Oh, and there were some amazing posts written for Blog the Vote that still deserve your attention.
Every comment doesn’t have to be insightful and intellectual. I know sometimes it’s hard to think of something to say. But what I’ve found is that when I’m in the habit of commenting, the words do come easier. I find myself reading posts with a bit more focus because I’m thinking about what is connecting with me.
Also, when you make yourself heard, that blogger may check out your blog. Can’t hurt your stats. Plus, you’ve made that blogger’s day a little bit brighter. Maybe you’ll make a new BFF — Blog Friend Forever.
I know, the whole thing sounds awesome. Ready to join us? Then get started by commenting on this post. And tell all your friends, because that’s kind of, like, the point.
At the KidLit Bloggers Conference, my-new-best-friend Lee Wind and I came up with an idea to get the community moving and grooving with a Comment Challenge. We held off to give you time to participate in the Cybils, to obsess about the election, and to Blog the Vote. But now it’s time to join us in The Comment Challenge.
Since it is said that it takes twenty-one days to form a new habit, we’re going to run the Comment Challenge for the next three weeks — from today, Thursday, November 6, through Wednesday, November 26, 2008. The goal is to comment on at least five kidlitosphere blogs a day. Keep track of your numbers, and report in on Wednesdays with me or Lee. We’ll tell each other how we’re doing and keep each other fired up. On Wednesday, November 26, we’ll have a final check-in post for the Comment Challenge. (Actually, it will go up on Tuesday night to catch all you Thanksgiving travelers.) I’m thinking that a prize package will be involved. Perhaps awarded by drawing from the bloggers who reached the 100 Comment Mark (five comments a day for twenty-one days with one day free of comment charge).
Seriously, this is the perfect time to make commenting a habit. Think about it. We have all this free time now that we’re not following CNN. We have writer friends doing National Novel Writing Month that could use our support. Maybe we are writers doing National Novel Writing Month who could benefit from supporting others. We have a series of author interviews coming up during the Winter Blog Blast Tour. Oh, and there were some amazing posts written for Blog the Vote that still deserve your attention.
Every comment doesn’t have to be insightful and intellectual. I know sometimes it’s hard to think of something to say. But what I’ve found is that when I’m in the habit of commenting, the words do come easier. I find myself reading posts with a bit more focus because I’m thinking about what is connecting with me.
Also, when you make yourself heard, that blogger may check out your blog. Can’t hurt your stats. Plus, you’ve made that blogger’s day a little bit brighter. Maybe you’ll make a new BFF — Blog Friend Forever.
I know, the whole thing sounds awesome. Ready to join us? Then get started by commenting on this post. And tell all your friends, because that’s kind of, like, the point.
The March 2007 issue of The Edge of the Forest is now up, featuring interviews with Newbery Honoree Kirby Larson and with the hilarious Jenny Han. There are also reviews in all categories — from Picture Book to Young Adult. (Don’t miss Brian Farrey’s “Open Letter to Adam Selzer.”) Lots of other features to numerous to mention make this a must-read ’zine.
The Edge includes my new article, “Be a B-List Blogger.” I felt I needed to give some tips back to the book blogging community after being asked so many times about my own rise to B-list fame. Okay, maybe I was asked once. And now that I think about it, the question may have been if I could “go all night long,” but anyway, I took it as a cry for help.
I entered the kidlitosphere in complete and utter naiveté. My husband had been bugging me for a year to get a blog, after the many times I would bug him about including some adult book or some earth-shattering thought of mine on his blog. Then one day I just decided to do a blog about books. We set up the site, and I started writing. I knew nothing of other book blogs. I hadn’t followed blogs at all. I was actually quite surprised to find out how many were out there, and how good they were. While I started writing pretty much for myself and my friends, I soon wanted to be part of the larger community. But how?
The answer to that question is contained in my article at The Edge. Most of the tips came to me along the journey. Some of them were only available to me upon reflection. But I hope that the suggestions can help other bloggers that are struggling with their own road to blog-improvement.
On a personal, related note, in my article I mention that commenting on blogs helps get you noticed, and I want to say to some bloggers who comment here, that I do notice you and I do appreciate your support. I often bookmark blogs that are new to me, and I visit occasionally to see how they’re growing up. I rarely put a blog that is just starting out on my blogroll, because I think everyone needs time to find their voice. And honestly, sometimes I just forget. I am not an organized person, and I am at this point a deeply overwhelmed person, so there are things that just don’t happen. But I am happy that you read MotherReader, and I hope you keep coming back until the day you’re an A-list blogger and I’m begging you for a little blog-time. ’Cause that’s how things roll in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of blogging.
The Edge includes my new article, “Be a B-List Blogger.” I felt I needed to give some tips back to the book blogging community after being asked so many times about my own rise to B-list fame. Okay, maybe I was asked once. And now that I think about it, the question may have been if I could “go all night long,” but anyway, I took it as a cry for help.
I entered the kidlitosphere in complete and utter naiveté. My husband had been bugging me for a year to get a blog, after the many times I would bug him about including some adult book or some earth-shattering thought of mine on his blog. Then one day I just decided to do a blog about books. We set up the site, and I started writing. I knew nothing of other book blogs. I hadn’t followed blogs at all. I was actually quite surprised to find out how many were out there, and how good they were. While I started writing pretty much for myself and my friends, I soon wanted to be part of the larger community. But how?
The answer to that question is contained in my article at The Edge. Most of the tips came to me along the journey. Some of them were only available to me upon reflection. But I hope that the suggestions can help other bloggers that are struggling with their own road to blog-improvement.
On a personal, related note, in my article I mention that commenting on blogs helps get you noticed, and I want to say to some bloggers who comment here, that I do notice you and I do appreciate your support. I often bookmark blogs that are new to me, and I visit occasionally to see how they’re growing up. I rarely put a blog that is just starting out on my blogroll, because I think everyone needs time to find their voice. And honestly, sometimes I just forget. I am not an organized person, and I am at this point a deeply overwhelmed person, so there are things that just don’t happen. But I am happy that you read MotherReader, and I hope you keep coming back until the day you’re an A-list blogger and I’m begging you for a little blog-time. ’Cause that’s how things roll in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of blogging.
Category:
B-List Bloggers,
Comments,
Edge of the Forest,
Humble Requests for Forgiveness
14
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Hey people, apparently it’s official DeLurking Week!!! I’ve seen this a few places, but I got the graphic from Paper Napkin. I was going to save this for next week, and if I don’t get much in the way of responses, I still reserve the right to do it on Monday — even if it won’t be official. However, if you’re a frequent visitor of MotherReader, take the time to say “hi.” My blogroll buddies are excused since I know they come by and comment. And believe me, I do appreciate it.
Special and unrelated thanks to Fuse#8, who made me realize that I could use the labels for comedic value, thus totally solving my lazy labeling issues.
Category:
Comments,
Delurking,
In Cyberspace No One Can Hear You Read,
National Delurking Week
22
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