{"id":12413,"date":"2013-01-16T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2013-01-16T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.shareaholic.com\/?p=12413"},"modified":"2014-05-13T11:19:30","modified_gmt":"2014-05-13T15:19:30","slug":"blog-comment-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/blog-comment-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"The 11 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts for Writing and Managing Blog Comments"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"etiquette\"<\/a>

Photo Credit: Jenn Durfey<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

In the blogosphere, comments are one of the best ways to connect with others in your community and measure the engagement of your content. That being said, writing a 500-1,500 word blog post doesn\u2019t necessarily make you a pro at handling comments on your posts (and elsewhere on the internet). Commenting is tricky.<\/p>\n

As you grow your audience, you have to learn to properly cultivate discussion on your own posts and contribute to conversations on other people\u2019s blogs. Navigating the comments section is not always black and white\u2014it can be difficult on your own to figure out what\u2019s acceptable and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

To start you off on the right path, here are 11 do\u2019s and don\u2019ts you should follow when writing and managing comments.<\/p>\n

On Other People\u2019s Blogs<\/h2>\n
\"other<\/a>

Photo Credit: Jason-Morrison<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

1. Do: Add something relevant to the conversation<\/h3>\n

Like all other content you are producing, each comment you submit shouldn\u2019t just<\/em> add noise<\/a>. Always think about whether your comment is adding to the discussion or not. That being said, you don\u2019t have to be a guru with every comment you submit\u2014you can comment with a funny joke or story relating to the article or even just to thank the blogger.<\/p>\n

Even if your blogging goals are about increasing traffic to your site and you want to use blog comments to expand your network, the substance of your content shouldn\u2019t be overly self-promotional. You\u2019ll gain more pageviews by being helpful and relevant in the content of your comments of another blog post than by only<\/em> talking about your latest blogging project. Unless that project directly<\/em> relates to the topic at hand, leave it out of your comment.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u2019t: Leave links in other people\u2019s comments unless it\u2019s relevant<\/h3>\n

Though this point piggybacks off the previous point, I thought it deserved its own point because it\u2019s that important. Do NOT leave random links in your comments to your blog. Other bloggers recognize when commenters are just trying to get a link back to their own site.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, I have seen people leave comments with a link to a blog post they\u2019ve written and it wasn\u2019t spam. Check out this comment by Richard Smith<\/a> on our post, \u201cTop 5 Tools to Create Images for Pinterest<\/a>\u201d to see how to do this right:<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, he linked to his own content, but the blog post was relevant and added to the discussion at hand.<\/p>\n

3. Do: Share your comment on social media<\/h3>\n

If, and only if, your comment is something you would share on social media anyway<\/i>, go ahead and push it to your favorite networks. Used correctly, pushing comments to social media is a great way to simultaneously give a shout out to the author of the blog while sparking a discussion with your comment.<\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t: Write a blog post of your own in the comments<\/h3>\n

While you do want to bring value to the post whenever you write a comment, make sure you aren\u2019t piggybacking off the original blog post and publishing a blog post of your own. It\u2019s okay\u2014and encouraged\u2014to add your thoughts, but you don\u2019t want to dominate the post with your comment. It\u2019s fine to have a comment on the longer side, but cut yourself off before you hit the 500 word mark, please.<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t: Comment and leave forever<\/h3>\n

Once you hit submit, make sure you\u2019re coming back to see if people have responded to you. Many commenting systems have subscription options so you\u2019ll be notified if someone responds to your comment, but if not, set reminders for yourself to check back during the day. Comments are a dialogue\u2014don\u2019t leave the other person hanging!<\/p>\n

On Your Own Blog<\/h2>\n
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Photo Credit: Helga Weber<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

6. Do: Block off time to respond to comments<\/h3>\n

This is one of my very bad habits. As soon as I get a notification in my email that someone commented on the Shareaholic blog, I tend to drop whatever I\u2019m doing to answer or respond to it.<\/p>\n

For most bloggers (including myself), this is unrealistic\u2014you\u2019re trying to juggle a billion other projects throughout the day, so you don\u2019t have time to jump in and out of comments all day. Block out 10 minutes every few hours to check in on the comments\u2014jumping in and out really cuts down on your productivity. You need all the energy you can muster to keep cranking out awesome content!<\/p>\n

7. Do: Respond to almost everyone<\/h3>\n

You know how amazing it feels when another blogger (especially one you admire) takes the time to respond to your post, so pay it forward on your own blog. You should be responding to almost everyone to strengthen your relationships with existing readers and fostering new ones.<\/p>\n

There are a number of situations in which you might not respond to every single comment<\/em>. It\u2019s okay to not respond when the comment is:<\/p>\n