I recently asked the following question on Twitter.
And I got great answers back.
- Suzanne at Life At No. 22 replied
- Bree at 3 Sisters Abroad replied
- Caroline at BellesMots200DotCom replied
- Debbie at Deb’s World replied
- Liesbet at Roaming About replied
- James at Perfect Manifesto replied
I love James’ reply because he refers to something called a lazy response. We’ll look at those further on in this post.
- Chris at BoomingOn replied
- D at ShiftnShake replied
- Gilda said
I’ve been involved in some great discussions on Twitter. This one inspired this post.
How did all this start?
It all started when I came across a tweet from an indie author advertising one of his books.
While checking out his Twitter profile, I noticed that one of the right things he’d done was to include a link to his blog. His books looked interesting, so I decided to check out his blog and engage with him.
However, several weeks later, he had not acknowledged or responded to any comments or questions left on his blog posts. Yet he remained active by publishing new blog posts a couple of times a week.
This got me thinking not only about bloggers who do not respond to comments, but some of the responses I often see – those lazy responses that James referred to.
Now I know it’s up to each blogger how they handle comments left on their posts, but am I the only blogger who finds that not responding to comments is a strange occurrence?
After all, leaving good meaningful comments does seem to work. Take a look at Marsha’s response to some comments I’d left on one of her blog posts.
Short comments – do you like them?
What do you think about comments such as Great Post, Nice Story, or Lovely photos? Have you left comments like those or asked yourself ‘why don’t they tell us what made it a great post, nice story, or what it was that made those photos lovely ?
How to respond to short comments
Reader – “Great post.”
Me – “Thanks!”
Reader – “You’re welcome.”
Are those comments beneficial or should they be deleted?
Why do readers’ leave ‘Great post’ comments?
- Is it because they’re trying to read and leave comments on too many blog posts in too little time?
- Do they feel guilty if not leaving any kind of comment on a post they read so short ones will do?
- Is it because they haven’t really read the post?
- Is it because they don’t have the time to get into any discussion about the topic of the post?
- Is it because what they were going to say has already been said by somebody else?
What are lazy responses?
For me, they’re the types of responses that let all the air out of your blogging balloon. You’ve left a great comment that opens up for a discussion about the post you’ve just read, but all you get back is a ‘Thank you for your comment.’
How deflated does that kind of response make you feel when you left a comment that asks questions and opens up a discussion?
I believe this is what James was referring to in his answer to my question on Twitter. But is a lazy response any better than no response at all?
- Maybe you’re somebody who doesn’t mind getting and leaving short comments. Are there any reasons why you leave them?
- What are the benefits of leaving short comments?
- Maybe you’re somebody who doesn’t like getting into discussions on your blog posts?
- Are there any benefits to leaving lazy responses?
- If I told you that I delete any comments that only include emojis or words such as ‘Great post‘, would you think I was being too harsh?
Finally, this reply to my question on Twitter really got my attention.
What do you think about Lydia’s answer? Do people really care whether you respond to their comments or not?
How would you respond to the question I asked on Twitter? Do you like getting into discussions when replying to comments on your blog posts? Let’s cary on the discussion here. Join the conversation by leaving me a comment.
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Hugh's Views & News 
I’m new to having a blog, but yes, replying to comments is a major priority! What I’m dying to know is… how are readers notified of a comment reply? From what I know, WordPress does not send out reply notifications. It’s very important to me to keep the discussion going.
WordPress will only send out reply notifications to those who tick the ‘Notify me of new comments via email’ box that you can find under the comments box. Users can also check for replies by clicking on the ‘notifications’ bell icon in the top right of the screen and selecting the ‘comments’ tab. I hope that helps?
Hi Hugh, as always this is an interesting discussion. And still I am not a blogger, so take whatever I say for what it’s worth. Someday I hope to have a blog. From where I stand right now it seems building relationships would be the fun part of blogging, right?
As for Lydia’s response that’s interesting. It is still establishing, or attempting to establish a relationship with the person who left the comment. So I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
I unfollow bloggers for not responding unless I can see they are busy. For example I follow a quilt blog and she comes across as open and down to earth. She has shared over the years too many tutorials a tips to count. I can see her dedication to her craft and to helping her readers learn. I don’t expect a response from her and it’s OK. She has responded a couple times.
Another crafty blogger never responded to any of my comments but did respond to other commenters. Maybe her blog is only for her friends? I unfollowed her.
Another blogger doesn’t respond to comments on her blog but she responds sometimes by e-mail. Her blog too is filled with a lot of beautiful tutorials. I know she has put a lot of time, thought and work into her tutorials to help her readers. Every so often she’ll respond to my comment by e-mail, not in the comment section. She has also taken the time to answer questions I’ve asked her.
This is a bit off topic but does have to do with communication with a blogger. I e-mailed a blogger who sells artsy things with a question about one of her products. I never heard a word back from her. Even if the answer isn’t what I want that’s OK but no response tells me she doesn’t care. I don’t want to buy anything from someone who doesn’t care.
I e-mailed another blogger looking for a specific product and wanted to know if she carried it. She responded quickly, and kindly saying she didn’t have that product but gave me a link to a competitor of hers who did. I will certainly be buying things from her in the future because she cares about people even if she isn’t making her sale. Not to mention the things she sells are beatiful.
One of the best parts of blogging is building relationships with other bloggers and writers, Lea. I’d never have gone on to do as much as I have done if it were not for the blogging community’s encouragement and support.
Over the seven years I’ve been blogging, not responding to comments is probably the thing that comes up the most when I’ve asked the question ‘why would you unfollow somebodies blog?’ Most readers don’t like being ignored, and not responding to their comments is a dead-cert when it comes to being ignored.
WordPress allows bloggers to turn off comments, so I’m a firm believer that bloggers should respond to most of the comments left on their blog posts. The only ones where I don’t believe a response is required is when somebody leaves what many refer to as lazy comments such as ‘Great post.’ In that circumstance, I would just acknowledge the comment by ‘liking’ it because it tells me the person who has left it doesn’t want to get into a discussion with me.
Whist responding to comments via email is good, not everyone visiting a blogger who does that will know that’s what they do. Unanswered comments can make a blog look unfriendly to new visitors, who may think twice before following a blog. However, if they’re really interested in the blog’s niche, they may choose to follow but never leave a comment.
Regarding the blogger who did respond to your query about one of her products, how did you contact her? Maybe your comment ended up being sent straight to her spam folder (it does happen), and she doesn’t check that folder. If it was via email, maybe the same thing has happened. It may be worth trying to contact her via another method, such as contacting her directly (if she allows it). If she still does not come back to you, then, yes, it seems her customer service skills are not good, and it’s worth moving on.
I hope that helps? Thank you so much for your comments. I hope you begin your blogging journey soon.
Gosh, Hugh, I’m over here looking for a specific post, and I keep running into to other posts I want to read. I stopped to read this one, and there was a quote from me! WOW. Thank you for the nice compliment. I do take a lot of time on comments, maybe too much. But I’ve made great friends that way – you being one of them. I also like the picture of the email and the tweets. Very cool I’m not sure how you did that. Was it a screen shot or some other magic?
Hi Marsha, I’ve always believed that nice, genuine comments form friendships. And you’re right. They do.
The comment from you on this post is a screenshot. For adding the tweets to the post, I used the Twitter block. Give it a try sometime. It’s easy to use and makes tweets look much better.
I never realized it existed. ANOTHER new lesson from Hugh. Thanks, my friend!
Interesting topic. If someone has taken the time to comment on my blog, I always reply, it’s polite and good manners plus a very important reason for me to blog is to connect with people and the community it creates. I always visit their blogs as well and comment there if I have something to say. If their posts aren’t my cup of tea (or they use a platform I can’t comment on) I don’t comment – I’d NEVER write what you refer to as lazy comments. Yes, they show I’ve visited their blog but it also looks like I barely read their post and that’s not ok to me. I sometimes write shorter comments but always more than just “great post”.
Regarding whether to unfollow such bloggers who don’t respond to comments, I think it depends on how much you like their content. I think I would lose interest in such blogs because of their behaviour, but if the blog was still very interesting, I’d probably keep following but stop commenting because it wouldn’t be worth my time.
Thank you for joining the discussion and sharing your thoughts on this subject, Susanne.
Your comments are very much in line with what I do, apart from visiting the blogs of those who leave me a comment. I already follow enough blogs, but if somebody keeps coming back and leaving comments, then I will take a look, especially because I’m somebody who will unfollow blogs for various reasons. However, the content must interest me before I press the ‘follow’ button.
Hi Hugh,
I’m not sure how I missed this post! It depends on which device I use. I’m on my Mac now but cannot like here, bizarre, but can comment. Well I suppose I’m a bit guilty of saying great post, but most of the time I do leave comments. I always reply to comments that others have left on mine and it then opens up a dialogue and I feel I get to know people very well. I have some weird people liking my posts, where I suddenly get like after like from the same person with no interaction, then suddenly “hey I love your blog, please follow me”. You have such salient points on your blog, I was just about to do a post when this caught my eye, it’s the headline that does it.
Hi Alison, I wouldn’t worry too much about those ‘number’ followers (as I call them) who click ‘like’ on lots of posts and comments within seconds of each other. All they are doing is trying to get attention hoping that people will visit their blog and follow. It’s a desperate way to try and save what is probably un unsuccessful and dying blog. Likewise, the same goes for ‘link-droppers’ who don’t say anything in their short comment that proves they have read your post and who leave uninvited links.
And thank you for letting me know how the title of this post caught your eye. Titles are as important as the contents of the post itself. If a title does not catch my eye, then I probably will never read it.
Thanks for your reply Hugh, blogging must take up a huge amount of your time, my husband is always saying I have my face glued to a screen for hours!
Well, yes, during the last year of lockdown, Alison. However, I don’t blog anywhere near as much as I used to. When I know I’ve had enough, I walk away from it for the rest of the day and go and do something else. I’m never bored.
No I never get bored, there’s always too much to do. I do miss travelling though
Hi Hugh, I agree with you on lazy responses. You can never be sure if the person has actually read it or not. I’m interested in chat and debate, and love to get feedback or a conversation going. It’s why I don’t have a like button on my posts, I’m not interested in counting likes, but always appreciate a bit of a chatty comment. I tend to get a lot of emails too, in response to my posts, which is lovely, but can leave my posts looking a bit bare, but I understand not everyone wants to comment publicly. I have never deleted a lazy response though. I try and reply to everyone, although a ‘great post’ will only get a ‘thanks’ in return.
I’ve written a lot about the ‘like’ button, Ali. I’d get rid of it if it were not for that on WordPress, getting rid of the ‘like’ button means you also lose the ‘reblog’ button. The ‘like’ button is so overrated, but that’s a discussion for another post.
Thanks so much for joining the discussion, Ali. This has been a great subject to talk about, and I’ve enjoyed all the different responses I’ve had.
I liked reading the opinions about commenting left here. I liked comparing them to my own. Congratulations! This post won the Inspire Me Monday Linky Party. You’ll be featured on my blog tomorrow.
Janice
That’s wonderful news, thanks so much, Janice.
I feel bad…I just went into my blog and realized that I hadn’t replied to some comments. Thats something I have not done. Yes having trouble with my lap top…no excuse…have been so busy…still no excuse. #SeniSal
At least you’ve replied to them. I don’t mind how long it takes. It’s when I get no response whatsoever that is the problem.
I don’t get much comments on my blog and when I do, I try my best to respond, unless of course I really don’t know how to respond to them.
I don’t know about short comments but not all comments have to start a conversation. Someone can be thankful for the information provided but couldn’t put it out on words, so they simply say Thank you. I think the problem only surface when there are too much short comments, it made your blog looks “shallow” or “spammy”.
Worst of the worst are Ads disguised as comments. You know with the “Oh, great post, I learnt a lot! Check out this XXX product which does wonders!”
Would it not be better to hit the ‘like’ button and/or share the post on social media if one does not have anything to say that adds value to a post they’ve just read? Replying to comments can be difficult if they’re too short. How does one reply to a comment such as ‘Thank you’ other by replying with another short comment such as ‘You’re welcome’? I agree with you that posts with lots of those kinds of comments do look spammy and shallow.
And yes, those comments that include uninvited links in them are on the same level as spam. If it’s not your blog to leave links on, then you shouldn’t leave any links in comments unless you’ve invited to do so or have the permission of the host to add them. I always send those kinds of comments straight to my spam folder.
Reposting:
Time is a big issue for me, but I don’t think it lets me off the hook for rudeness. In principle, I reply to every comment – especially as, not being on WordPress, it takes an extra effort to comment on my blog – but it might take me a couple of days. I feel it’s even more important to reply to comments if I have a guest post on someone else’s blog.
I don’t get a lot of comments, and I have less engagement than I used to, but I’m okay with that and couldn’t cope with the volume you have here. I agree about the lazy comments – although I’m sure I’ve left them – and feel quite deflated when I visit blogs with a whole string of them. I think if I got a lot of those on my own blog I’d feel entitled not to reply, but I’d leave them in place.
Another disincentive for me is my comment going to spam, and rather anxious about that happening right now!
Which blogging platform are you on, Anne? From experience, I often have great difficulty leaving comments on the Blogging platform. I seem to have to go through lots of hoops for my comments to get approved. It’s become such a task, that I’ve stopped leaving comments as it can often take up too much of my time trying to figure out what I need to do to leave a comment.
I love discussion and enjoy talking to people, so comments on my posts are critical. I try to engage with everyone who leaves a comment, but realise that not everyone wants to talk much.
I agree with you about visiting blogs that have nothing but strings of short comments. I also feel the same about blogs where the host only gives lazy responses to most of the comments left regardless of how long they are and how deep they go into the post’s subject. As you said, it’s very deflating.
Your first comment went straight to my WordPress spam folder, but this second comment didn’t. I’m not sure why that happens, but I check my spam folder at least twice a day and fish out any genuine comments. Not many end up in there, but it’s always worth checking.
Thanks so much for joining the discussion here today.
I’m on Weebly which I used as my website before I started blogging. I think WordPress is much more user-friendly because of the gravatars and I might switch some time, especially after learning to use it for Ranch columns, but not now. I do recognise it’s an extra hurdle for people having to insert their email address each time they comment, but I think it’s straightforward otherwise.
Yes, that happens to me quite often commenting on WordPress sites: my comment doesn’t show, I then try reposting and it tells me it’s a duplicate. I then post with a tiny word change at the beginning and it gets through. Sometimes. Fortunately I have usually saved my comment because it’s dictated through voice activated software (another hassle).
It took me a long time to realise WordPress has a function to display all my comments across various blogs in one place, which is certainly laboursaving. Then I discovered that replies to replies to my original comment I left there didn’t always show, which is really annoying. So I took care to come back to your post with this one!
It’s a little like something you mentioned in your earlier comments – time. If people don’t have the time to work out how to add a comment to a blog post, then they probably won’t. We need to make it as easy as possible for people to engage with us if we want comments to be left; otherwise, visitors may read content, but not comment on it. Some see silent blogs (where no comments are left) as unfriendly. The more we do make our blogs user-friendly, the more people will visit and engage with us. I’ve only ever used WordPress, but my experience of trying to leave comments on other blogging platforms hasn’t been easy. But I guess it all depends on whether a blogger wants engagement (and how much) or whether they don’t want any at all.
Thank you for coming back to comment further.
I think that ‘great post’ is almost in the same league as those who click the ‘like’ on a blog post as soon as it’s published – pointless, and you might as well say ‘I have not read this and do not intend to but want you to think I am doing my part’. I don’t get many comments because I don’t play the ‘blog comment’ game – ie, you comment on mine, I comment on yours, etc. A few years back a friend said ‘sorry I haven’t commented on your blog for ages, I’ve been so busy’, and I genuinely didn’t understand what she meant. I said, ‘why would you comment if you have nothing to say?’ That was when I learned that if people comment on your blog, it’s the unspoken ‘done thing’ to comment on theirs. Weird! Which explains all these ‘great post’s!!! Sorry, not playing.. I’m not that insecure!
Sometimes, people don’t reply to comments because of an issue on their blog – I had a lot of trouble with Blogger and my browser for ages. Just saying, that’s all!!! But otherwise, yes, it’s polite to reply!
Same here, Terry. I’ve never played the ‘you comment on my post, and I’ll comment on your post’ game. It’s very much like the ‘I’ll follow your blog if you follow my blog, but I may never come back and read any of your posts’ game.
I see people apologising for not having left comments and not visiting blogs because they’ve been offline for a few days. I see the same thing on Twitter – “Just to let you all know that I won’t be around much today…” – So what? Why tell people? Maybe it’s out of politeness, but nobody expects anyone to apologise for not being online for a few weeks/days/hours – at least I don’t think they do. If I’m going to take a blogging break, then I’ll tell people in a post, but I never feel I have to apologise for not visiting somebodies blog because I’m taking a break for whatever reason.
I find leaving comments on the ‘Blogger’ platform very difficult. Sometimes, they work, sometimes they don’t.
Yes, I know they’re temperamental! The trick is to click on the ‘post as’ thing BEFORE you write the comment, I find. For a whole two years I couldn’t reply to my comments on mine without using another browser, it was a right pain!
As for ‘not around much today’ – goodness, do people really think that everyone expects them to be constantly online?!!
The browser issue sometimes happens on WordPress. I have an iMac and had to stop using WordPress on the Safari browser because of many problems. Somebody recommended I downloaded the Chrome browser and try using WordPress on it. I’ve not looked back since doing that.
In answer to your last question – ‘yes, I do.” Or they feel that people are really going to question why they’re not online for a few days or a few hours. It’s almost as if the whole social media world will collapse if they don’t inform people that they will not be around for a few days. I guess they feel that they are significant people.
I, too, respond to every comment. However, I don’t get a lot of interaction, and I’m intrigued by the posters here who have interaction between commenters! I paid attention to your responses to the comments here and see some things I am not doing. My responses are short and sweet, but yours are more detailed. You also are a good ‘listener’ – I see many places where you echo what the person has written and use that as a jump-off point to a conversation. Any other tips? Thank you for an excellent post.
Thank you. The best tip I can give you is that when I reply to comments, I pretend I’m sat at a table having a cup of tea with the person I am responding to. That way, I find the conversation flows. It’s always good to echo what they said as it shows you’ve actually read their comment whether it be a long or short comment. I also know when to end my response so they can reply (if they want to).
Imagining having a cup of tea with the person is fabulous!
I hope it helps when it comes to you responding to comments.
Like most of the other people who have responded to this question, I always reply to comments on my blog–whether they are “lazy” or more in depth. Of course, I love the detailed comments most, especially those that expand on an idea from the post or let me know how the topic relates to them personally. I see the shorter comments as someone at least letting me know they read my blog. Maybe they were in a hurry, but they wanted to say a quick hello. Like you, I respond to the short comments in a similar, short manner. As time allows, I will often visit the blogs of those who comment on my blog. If I do, I always leave a comment…detailed or brief depending on whether the blog content resonates with me. If the topic is really intriguing, I read some of the other comments and may reply to them as well. I love a good conversation. Thanks for starting this one, Hugh.
Thank you for adding your thoughts to the discussion, Christie. It seems most of us like a discussion and likes to engage with other bloggers. I believe it to be a part of the whole blogging process.
I’m not one for leaving a short comment just to say a quick hello, but I now understand why some readers do it. Personally, hitting the ‘like’ button or sharing the post on social media is a way I prefer to say I’ve read the post without leaving a comment. Sometimes, if I get thanked for sharing a post on Twitter, I’ll leave a comment there rather than on the blog post itself, but that’s only if I believe what I got to say doesn’t add any value.
Have a great weekend.
It’s interesting to read everybody’s take on the matter, Hugh. I also reply to all comments on my blog, but like many of your commenters have said, I don’t have a lot of comments, so it’s not a huge task. I’ve seen so blogs with so many comments that my mind boggles, and I wonder if I’d manage to keep up if I had that many comments, although my type of content is unlikely to get such a response. (If you have a guest blogger, sometimes the comments are not for you, but I normally would still acknowledge them). I agree that sometimes the “lazy comments” can be a short-hand when you’ve been following a blog for years and like to touch base, even if there isn’t much new to say.
But I must admit I’ve never been a fan of chit-chat, even in real life, so I am most likely to comment if I feel very strongly about something or feel I have something to contribute to the discussion. (I much rather read other people’s comments, but that’s me).
I discourage chat that has nothing to do with the blog post and take it offline, Olga. I believe that’s the best place for it. Nobody wants to hear how uncle Bert or aunt Martha are in the comments section of a blog post. If you want to write about them, then write a blog post about them.
I don’t comment on every single blog post I read. I will only comment if I have something that adds value – and that doesn’t include comments like ‘great post.’
I don’t mind seeing lots of comments. I’ve gotten many ideas and been inspired to write new blog posts from some of the comments left.
Thanks so much for adding to the discussion.
Hello my lovely. Ah, gotcha and yep, I know what you mean. It’s similar to someone saying “Hi, how are you?” as they dash past you, not waiting for your response. It would be more polite to say something like “Hi, nice to see you”, or “I love your new hairstyle.”
Just my thoughts 😉
Hi Hugh, I’ve made it my practice since I began blogging in 2010 to reply to every comment. In fact it’s on my blog home page. I so appreciate people stopping by having read and commented on blog posts. What I find ‘annoying’ at times, is when I have my weekly link up live and the rules for my link up are pretty clear. Please comment on the host’s (my) post and perhaps visit a few others. I have had one or two bloggers who link just to link and because I am listed as a Monday link up with the company I use and after a couple of ‘no comments’ I may email them with my rule and hope they will return and add a comment. Some have, others don’t return. I also must add because I am an self-hosted blog I get nothing like the followers and following via WordPress so it’s not an onerous task to comment on say 17 bloggers’ comments to me. I also visit each of their linked up posts, read and comment too. I blog to connect…and that is not changing!
Thank you for joining the discussion, Denyse.
I do wonder how many readers read rules or announcements. It reminds me of when I announced on my blog that it was now going ‘award-free’, yet years later I still get people nominating me for awards around when I first started to blog in 2014. I used to have an ‘award-free’ image in my blog’s widget bar, but the nominations still came in. I’ve since removed it and now politely reply that my blog is award-free.
I believe that most bloggers want to connect with their readers. Otherwise, why blog? My blog would be a very lonely place if there were no comments left.
Great discussion Hugh. I’m from the camp, why bother blogging if you don’t reply to those who take the time to read. Why are we writing if we’re not hoping to engage readers? Nobody likes being ignored, and probably won’t bother commenting again if not replied to. I’ve come across some wonderful blogs but with few to none comments and I’m shocked. Good content with no engagement with voice I like to label it. I look at blogging as though I’m opening my door and friends are dropping by for a chat. Helps a lot with sanity some days ❤
Same here, Debby. I’ve come across some great blog posts with no engagement on them. To me, it’s like finishing watching a TV show you really love halfway through its season. It doesn’t look complete without at least a few comments, all of which the author has replied to.
And I love your explanation of blogging. It’s very true, and how I feel about those who close off comments 21 days after a blog post has been published.
How did I know you are on the ‘same page’? LOL Blogging etiquette 101 ❤
Hi Hugh, I think blogging at twitter are different and I don’t expect a conversation on Twitter, although a response is good. WordPress is different and, once people have found my blog, usually from my website, I like to think they might follow me for a while, even though it is an odd mixture of personal comments and poems. I try to use the same picture for the blogs on writing so they can skip the personal stuff if they prefer. I do have some blogs I read and never comment on, except to click like just to show I’m interested. Other folk always write back when I post. These I consider friends.
Twitter is different. I read it to find out what some folk are thinking and to tell the world about my books. If you only read one paper you are getting a biased slant on the news. Twitter gives me balance, although I don’t always like it.
Hi Julie, even though Twitter only allows us 280 characters, I’ve had a couple of good conversations on it. Usually, when more than one reply is sent to my question or a question I have replied. However, the question I put out on Twitter got over ten replies, so the conversation was born. I thought it a good idea to bring it over to my blog where there is no restriction on how many words we can add.
Like you, I don’t like everything I see over on Twitter, but I tend to move on when coming across anything that isn’t nice. I like your comparison of only reading one newspaper. It’s very true.
Thank you for joining in with the discussion on this post.
There’s a component of the ‘lazy comments’ that I don’t think anyone has mentioned, and that is they can be determined by the relationship between the blogger and the reader. Just like any long term friendship a type of ‘shorthand’ evolves. I can leave a smiley-face emoji and the blogger knows that I’ve read her post, appreciated the contents but have nothing really to add to the conversation. This is because we’ve both put in the time and attention to reach that stage of communication. I don’t do it all the time, simply because I do have long-term relationships with some bloggers and we engage in in-depth dialogue more often than not. 🙂
I heard it referred to as ‘the Facebook effect’ – where those types of comments are left between friends who have blogs. When I was on Facebook, I remember those were the types of comments I’d leave or receive. It also refers to bloggers who reblog each other’s posts all the time. I don’t see anything wrong with that, although if I leave a comment on a friends blog, I tend to leave one that adds value. I tend to leave the short comments for the social media platforms we both use. When you only have a 280 character limit on Twitter, short comments come in very useful.
Thanks so much for bringing it up. It’s something I overlooked when writing this post.
Hugh, it’s all been said already, but yes, I respond to every single comment. What’s the point otherwise? The ‘great post’ will get a like from me. Why waste words. I feel especially bad about being late to comments that get misdirected to Spam, but my inner Hugh voice (you wrote about this a while back) eventually reminds me to check the darn file.
What I really do not like is the obligatory ‘polite blogger’ who comments on my post just because I commented on theirs. There should be a blogger code that says, ‘thou shalt not leave a self-serving, insincere comment on anyone’s blog.’
I am not on Twitter, and although I have a FB page, I don’t use it. I find blogging to be a very congenial way to connect with interesting and non-confrontational individuals. And, the fact that I learn from most of the folks I follow is an added bonus. Thank you for the time and effort you put into sharing your knowledge.
I’m so pleased to hear that my inner voice tells you to check the WordPress spam folder, Suzanne. I’ve got into the habit of checking mine at least twice a day now. I rather enjoy doing a bulk delete and laughing at all those spammers who never made it through to any of my posts. Of course, I will fish out any genuine comments first.
I’m putting a tick in the box next to your comment about insecure comments. It reminds me somewhat of the ‘follow for a follow’ rule – I’ll follow your blog if you follow my blog, but I may never come back and read any of your posts.
I’m pleased all this knowledge I have acquired over my 7 years of blogging is helping. That’s great feedback, thank you.
And thank you for joining the discussion.