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getting more comments

  1. bobdavcav
    Member

    Hi, I run two blogs, my primary one and then another one that I started when I began discovering the limitations of wordpress. I have probably around or just short of 600 views on my primary blog right now, and only 7 comments. This blog has been around since the end of April, and wpthoughts has been around since November 21. They both have 7 comments. I do have search engines blocked on my primary blog, but would like to open it up soon. You can find the reason why I have search engines blocked here, http://wpthoughts.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/global-tags-and-the-like/

    The blog I need help with is bobdavcav.wordpress.com.

  2. bobdavcav
    Member

    Anything I can do to get more comments?

  3. timethief
    Member

    now that the number of comments per visits is always very low.
    Know that unless your are commenting, commenting, commenting on other blogs you will probably not receive many comments on your posts.
    Know that if you are only seeking traffic from behind the wordpress.com garden wall then the comment count will remain low.
    Advice: venture into social media and social networking and learn how to promote your posts effectively immediately after their publication.
    See > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2009/08/22/no-blog-comments-its-all-a-matter-of-perspective/
    See also > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2009/02/09/encouraging-blog-readers-to-comment/

    Please post questions that pertain to general learning how to blog and not to do with wordpress.com software to the Off-Topic Forum. http://en.forums.wordpress.com/forum/off-topic

  4. timethief
    Member

    I answered your second question. Another Volunteer will have to deal with your first one.

  5. timethief
    Member

    Now that I have had the time to use the link you posted in the OP and click in a read my advice is get over it or move your blog. All wordpress.com blog tags and categories assigned to posts link to the wordpress.com global tag pages. You know that. You post here frequently and you know that is NOT going to change anytime soon. My recommendation is that if you don't like that then it's time to hire a web host and export the contents of your blog out into a wordpress.ORG install on your own domain. http://en.support.wordpress.com/global-tags/

    WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org
    http://support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

  6. 1tess
    Moderator

    @ bobdavcav

    I would suggest that you not worry so much about SEO, nor how many things you don't like about how WordPress is organized. None of us can change this free platform. Complaining in these forums, or on your blog is unproductive and not very reader friendly.

    For your readers' enjoyment, keep in mind that they are not interested in how this platform/software works. Your posts are more interesting when you write about topics you enjoy.

    The best you can do is to enjoy your blogging experience: Write about things you enjoy. And enjoy what you are writing about.

    As for getting more comments on your blog:
    use those global tags to find other blogs on WordPress.com that discuss things you enjoy. Think of those global tags as a resource for yourself. When you find a blog that interests you, then make a comment about why you liked one of the posts. Or perhaps even write a post on your own blog about someone else's post you enjoyed (use proper links).

  7. 1tess
    Moderator

    @timethief,

    In my opinion, Bob's question is legitimately placed in the questions forum. Lots of people want to know how to encourage more comments on their blogs, and volunteers have provided answers to that question many times.

    Your advice about how to use social media to promote blog posts is solid, and will be useful for anyone else reading this public forum thread.

  8. timethief
    Member

    @Tess
    Understood. :)

  9. raincoaster
    Member

    How many comments do you, yourself make each day on other blogs?

    My current ratio is 700 reads to each comment.

  10. bobdavcav
    Member

    @Raincoaster, didn't know I had to do that much commenting, thanks for the advise! @Timethief, now to focus on you, guess it's time to try again at authorizing facebook, last time the dang thing wouldn't authorize! In your next post, I've heard this before. It's not that I don't like the idea of global tags, the idea is that once users are provided a link like the one posted above, I'll bet they want to look at related content, so they click the category at the bottom of the page, and if I have search engines blocked, it will link the way I want it, but if not, then the user will be taken totally away from my site into something they aren't expecting. Will the CSS upgrade and the code that TSP gave me in an earlier post just deliver the same result as having search engines blocked?

  11. bobdavcav
    Member

    The post I was refering to is here, http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/css-upgrade-could-i-benefit?replies=8

  12. timethief
    Member

    @Bob
    My very best advice to you is to please save yourself the frustration of sweating this small stuff. Choosing to structure your blog by having a static front page is a traffic killer. Choosing to restructure your blog from being post based to page based squelches SEO and search engine traffic into the blog. Priority one for every blogger is to hunker down fro a year and create content while commenting on other blogs and building a blog centered community.

  13. thesacredpath
    Staff

    The other thing that happens if you make major structural changes such as switching from a post-based to a page-based site, or the other way round, is that you end up creating as many 404 errors at search engines as posts or pages you convert, and the search engines do not like to see lots of 404 errors. No one knows the exact number, but at some tipping point, they quit indexing your site. Even if they don't, you are looking at them discounting your search engine ranking, and it is going to be a minimum of three months and more like six before those 404 errors clear and you gain back the lost page rank.

    Think carefully about major structural changes and to their consequences.

  14. shalehah165
    Member

    wow ... I just know that there is a discussion forum on wordpress. I started blogging since early October ago. I am from Indonesia, I write's with indonesian too on my blog. If I use google's translate widget, whether people who are not from Indonesia will remain open my blog? whether using the tag has a big influence for increase comment? Oya, What the meaning of SEO? ^_^ I didn't understand.. tell me please..

  15. raincoaster
    Member

    Please don't hijack threads with unrelated issues. Search the forum for answers to your question and if it has never been asked before, start a new thread.

    In this thread there are three highly experienced people telling you not to worry about SEO for at least a year of blogging. So dont' worry about it.

  16. confusedmoi
    Member

    Timethief has given the best possible solution. Involve in discussions in topic that interests you, comment on posts that you like, and above all advertise your blogs through social networks, or provide the link of your wordpress as a signature in your email, and continuously improvise the contents on your blog.

    That in itself should provide a heads up.

  17. bobdavcav
    Member

    Why would changing my site to a static front page generate lots of 404 errors? I do know I've deleted lots of posts, and I'm not worried about that because of the fact that I do have search engines blocked.

  18. raincoaster
    Member

    One thing you will learn is don't leave hideously badly-written spam comments telling people they can read more on your blog. Because getting suspended for spamming the forum is a bad way to start, isn't it?

  19. kingsonly
    Member

    More comment,means more work,u can make use of social ntwk and forums to boost ur blog commet,dis is cause d more you comment on other peopls blog and also advert on ur fb fan page could help ur with good and credible comments

  20. thesacredpath
    Staff

    This whole thing with the cats and tags in the posts going to the global tags pages has spawned some hot debate here in the forums, and I for one would certainly like the option of changing it so that they go local without having to block search engines, but sadly I doubt that will ever happen. Having all the blogs here that aren't private or set to block search engines is a big SEO boost for wordpress.com. The flip side of that is that it also benefits those that have their posts show up there. Still, I would like to see it a choice.

    Our only options are to use the iNove theme, which allows you to hide the cats and tags on the posts, or set your blog to block search engines.

    Sadly those are our only choices - well and moving to self-hosted or to another platform.

    I guess I'm probably not one to whine since I went self-hosted a few years ago, but still...

  21. thesacredpath
    Staff

    And if you already have search engines blocked, then of course it makes no difference if you delete or move posts and pages around.

  22. bobdavcav
    Member

    Couldn't agree with you more! I don't mind the fact that the tags and cats go global. The big reason I am dwelling on this so much is the fact that I'm sure there are people out there that were like myself before I signed up for wordpress.com at the end of April who have never visited a wordpress.com blog before. It would be nice to be able to have your blog listed in the global tags but not have it linked to them.

  23. raincoaster
    Member

    It would be nice to have PR people spreading the word about your blog all over the papers and television, and not have to pay them anything. The link-back is currency in the blog world, and the blog world is entirely give to get. If you want a link from them, link to them. The Global Tag system is the very best example of this online.

    Think about that PR metaphor. It fits exactly.

  24. timethief
    Member

    @raincoaster
    Great metaphor! I sense that will be quoting you in the future.

  25. timethief
    Member

    @bobdavcav
    Are you aware that most blog directories also require reciprocal linking?

  26. bobdavcav
    Member

    @raincoaster, I didn't think about it that way, I thought that the global tags were a search engine. @timethief, what is that supposed to mean?

  27. timethief
    Member

    When you list a blog in a free blog Directory you will find that almost every one of them require that you also provide a link (reciprocal link) on your blog back to them.

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