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I am asking the question because while I have been able to triple the small number of visitors on my blog, the rare comments that are left came from my mum, spams and a couple of people. (sad)
What makes you comment on some blogs and not on others? Unoriginal layout? Boring posts? Intimidating topic or aloof writing style? Any other reasons?
http://www.jaunehibiscus.wordpress.com
The blog I need help with is jaunehibiscus.wordpress.com.
i usually don't comment because i don't think they'll read my comment.
The only time I don't comment is when I have nothing relevant to say. Either I'm not interested in the topic, or don't care to know enough about the topic to leave an appropriate answer, or the off chance that my response would cause a debate that I just don't have the inclination to participate in. Or, most times when I don't comment, it's because I feel like the post stands alone, and doesn't really need my input. This is generally in relation to the blogs that I read faithfully. For new blogs, it depends on the content whether I'll carry on reading. I don't want to read themed blogs, or educational blogs, "tips" and "tricks" and "how-to's" don't interest me in the slightest. Personal blogs/entertaining blogs are more my style. There's also times, like earlier when I surfed your blog, that I just simply ran out of time and was reading on the fly. In those cases, I tend to go back and read more :)
@zoey....are you kidding me? Girl, haven't you figured out yet that there's a bazillion comment whores in this forum! EVERYONE will read your comments!!
No i am serious! I'll leave a comment with like a question and look for the answer in future posts or if they reply and some people just don't.
Huh, that's just too bizarre! But keep commenting, maybe they're just not hitting the "approve" button!
Maybe...that's why i make a point of doing follow up on my comments. But then again i have no life... :)
@shesboxingclever thanks a lot for your comments here and on my blog. it is very detailed and makes me feel kind of relevant lol!
@zoey18 those who don't reply to your comments are not professional. Ever heard of web 2.0.? Web 2.0. emerged because internet surfers were sick of the one-way conversation of web 1.0. With archaic websites, you could only swallow the message but you could hardly voice your opinion.
If somebody initiates a conversation by publishing a post and they don't take the time to answer to your comment, they have missed the whole point of bloggind. And it has nothing to do with the content of your comments but with the attitude of the person. Try me!
In class, we have seen a person who ver
If you could figure that out from the people who don't respond to this thread, then you really know the answer. :-)
Sometimes you feel like you have something to contribute and other times you don't. It's not always a reflection on the post itself. I'm not the type to just post "I like this." I want to write something more, something worth saying. And personally, I'd much rather get fewer well-written comments with constructive criticism or eloquent responses than a million "This is cool."
However, the times I most go back and forth with commenting are when writers have a very different mindset than my own. Different beliefs and values. It's a tough spot.
I never realized this until I started reading random blogs from the Dashboard, but it's surprising how many Christians have best friends/family who suddenly announce they're gay. And even more of a coincidence when they all are disappointed in their friends/family and pray that they change so God will love them again. When I encounter topics like this, I struggle. I almost always leave a comment, but it takes me a while to refine it so that I know my comment will not offend them the way their post has offended me.
So it's very possible when/if you write about more controversial/divided matters, people keep their mouths shut. Afterall, many people have that idea that you're better off staying silent if you don't have anything nice to say. Or maybe they don't think it's worth the time.
@gigisanchez I like your comment but I didn't tell me much about you personally...
@lianamerlo I must admit that some posts on my blog may be a little bit touchy but definitely not the extent of the posts that you described. With your comment (and the one of @shesboxingclever) I reached the conclusion that if I keep writing on deeper topics, I should'nt expect too many comments. I could always adapt my writing but I can't disown my "raison d'être".
If it's not interesting to me, I don't comment. Actually, and I think a lot of others, if the first couple (read two) of lines don't interest me, I click away. On average, people decide within a couple of seconds whether they are gonna try (and I say try) read your blog or click away. I even decide within a second, if it looks boring (especially if its something im not even really interested in the first place), I click away after half a second.
shesboxingclever said:
are you kidding me? Girl, haven't you figured out yet that there's a bazillion comment whores in this forum! EVERYONE will read your comments!!
"comment whores" so true, hahaha
Well no, cuz you didn't ask about our personal selves. You asked why people wouldn't post. If you want to know more about me personally, you'd have to read the stories on my site. So I'm not clear what you're looking for but if you phrase it very specifically, I can try to help.
@hibiscusjaune I don't think neither myself, nor lianamerlo are trying to discourage you from writing deeper topics! We're just suggesting that if you don't receive a comment on those topics it probably has nothing to do with your writing or your interests, but more to do with the individual readers. Both lianamerlo and I mentioned reading and then commenting on controversial subjects. I tend to back away from them, mostly because I'm not interested so much in arguments with people who mean nothing to me, and liana prefers to comment in much the same manner, refined, without the risk of offending. By no means should you censor yourself, based soley on the opinions of commentors who basically hold no bearing on your life!
@ starsquid...hehehe, I silence my inner whore with a good stiff pencil jab.
Well,
THAT certainly didn't come out exactly as I had intended!!!
...you so naughty! ;)
@ gigisanchez what I meant was that I was curious to know why YOU don't comment on some topics. I was expecting each person to respond based on their personal experience. I am more interested in other people than in me because I already know myself to well hehe. I don't comment because I'm lazy or sometimes I'm afraid I'm going to say something silly
@ shesboxingclever: I don't feel discouraged at all, don't worry! Your comments just made me realize that some posts are easier to comment on than others. It doesn't necessarily mean that these posts are not interesting, maybe they just don't always call for action. Maybe I should stikc to what I am doing and add more spice to it, either way I never put the blame on others
@starsquid: I do the same when it comes to a song, I can tell in 3 seconds if I like it or not and I think we are all so bombarded with different messages that we become more and more demanding.
If I cannot relate/understand to it I tend not to comment it as, for example politics is something which I struggle to be interested in let along UNDERSTAND and consequently I am unable to input on this subject
@hibiscus
Shesboxingclever summed up what I was getting at very nicely. I certainly wasn't trying to discourage you from posting about touchy subjects. I just made a point that some people will not want to comment if they do not agree; but of course, this is not true in all cases. When I do not agree, I feel compelled to put in my two cents. But everyone's different.
Basically you should post whatever the hell you want. Some people will love it and will want to comment, and others won't. I think a blog is a success if you have just one person who relates to what you write. So don't be too concerned about how many comments you have. Quality over quantity, baby.
really depends on what the post is. if it's something i just HAVE to comment on, then I will. otherwise, don't really comment. also, if i have nothing nice to say, i won't say anything. ; )
Well, so to say I'm new here, I find that the world is somewhat lazy and doesn't want to take the time to just put some input into other people's writings. A mix of selfishness, laziness, carelessness, or maybe even some people don't have time. The last answer would seem most reasonable for the "commentee" and not the "blogger". Yet, all of the answers and/or possibilities given above still probably weren't enough to satisfy. I just post hoping someday, some person will eventually come along and read. But either way, it doesn't matter because I will make sure the world hears my opinion anyway.
Some times it is because I really have nothing to say. Like the post was so good that anything I say will just seem irrelevant. Other times it is because I am not good enough. Say for example, if I am reading a blog about quantum physics, then I couldn't comment because I know nothing about the subject. I just read it because they put that cat in the box.
Many people who visit blogs never comment. They just read the blog. So don't take it personal.
Politics or anything else that I might not to to keen on
other than that if its everyday stuff, things the average person has
experienced, should or does knows about then i'll read it and leave a comment. Worse case scenario would be if nobody even click the link at all, meaning not even page views.
Hi there Hibiscis. I totally understand your frustration in trying to encourage people to post a comment on your blog because I am dealing with the same issue. For years I have written the old fashioned way with pen and paper, until I discovered the ease by with which I could write on line but I have never ventured into the Blogging world until a few days ago. I confined my writing to a private journal and Blog Posts for local news stations. The private journals are mine and I don't share them but I found myself drawn to the Blog Posts of news stations because there was a large variety of topics and people often displayed their true passions on each. I enjoy that contact and verbal exchange so when I discovered this site and set about creating a blog of my own, I did so with the antisipation that others would engage in conversations with me. Sadly not the case but I refuse to give up. Like many here "personal blogs" draw me in and unless I am in the mood for a good debate, I stay away from politics and religion. I would rather know something about you and your feeling, beliefs and attitutdes than blunder through yet another blog about how unfair some politician. :) We all know they are just greedy and stupid for the most part so, I move along.
So...now that I have babbled on...let me leave you with this thought...
It is far better to recieve just one comment that inspires you to think outside the box, puts a smile on your face or encourages you to grow than it is to recieve dozens of comments full of nothing.
After all my grandmother once told me...A box of poop wrapped up in pretty paper and bows is still just a box of poop. That seems to apply to people and blogging. :)
Drop by and read me sometime...and don't forget to comment LOL
@tfockler60 oh I love that comment of yours! Since I started this thread if feel less lonely! :) I'm glad that the WordPress community is helping because since I made some friends here, I received comments from fellow bloggers.
I have realised that I write like a journalist, not like a blogger. I have studied journalism not blogging. My posts are very unpersonal, too distant I find for the blogosphere. Comments here made me realise that I should let go a bit. But I am just like you, I'm afraid to share sometimes and I have buried the deepest of my thoughts way from the blogosphere.
I'm glad to know that you are now publishing your thoughts (or some of them). Isnt't it therapeutical? Expect to see me on your blog very soon!
Hibiscus, Thanks for leaving a comment. :)
I took some time and read through some of your posts and I have to agree you do write like a journalist. That's not a bad thing, we always need good journalist, but like you I find that this type of style doesn't fly to well here. I understand what you mean by "letting go". I also think that for the trained writer that is a difficult task to accomplish because we are taught to stand back and comment on a topic from an impersonal view-point so as not to offend, but report. There in lies the trick to a blog I think. You have to stop worrying about OFFENDING, and just let your heart and mind dictate your words. The reality is, someone is ALWAYS going to be offended but that is their problem not yours as the author. Maybe if you sit down and scratch out a topic that you have a "passion" for on a personal level, you will find that writing here is easier. I have found that if I write as if I was talking to my best friend, it always seems to turn out better and yes many times it is therapeutic as well.
I will be keeping up with your blog as well and I will not hesitate to comment on those things I have a passion for as well!
Thank you for summing it all up. I totally agree with you and I think that other comments on this posts were heading towards the same direction. On my last two post, I have tried to get a little bit personal but it's only by means of a couple of sentences here and there where I actually say "I" and not "it seems that" or "one could think". It will take time but I'm working on it!
People, you should come to this link http://scopettg.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/2827/ and comment something that could be relating to your own experience blogging.
Check the IPs list images and tell me what's the issue about. It may concern you and your own stats as well.
Anyone has the weirdest idea what has been going on? I have seen this happening a couple of times before. Totally freaking me out. Hundreds of IPs visiting are vanishing PER DAY!
Hibiscus, just for shits and giggles, start a post with "Dear Diary, let me tell you something about myself that I've never told anyone..." if you're looking to let go and step out of your comfort zone.
It doesn't have to be anything obscure or meaningful, readers will discover that on their own....one of my favorite posts ever was Liana's post about a red shirt and then there was Blocktherapy's post about shaving her armpits, wicked cool. Not everything needs to be personal, but blogging has a certain amount of intimacy that is only acquired when you offer up something of yourself.
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