I’ve always believed that engaging with comments is at the core of what makes blogging so vibrant and interactive.
While I won’t reiterate what has been said about bloggers who choose not to respond to comments, I was taken aback to learn that some bloggers are opting to turn off comments entirely. Some claim that it’s the future of blogging, where people no longer want to engage, mainly because they don’t have the time.
Wait a minute. A silent blog? No comments? No space for discussion or interaction with fellow bloggers and readers? Will these blogs be relegated to ‘library’ status – a place for reading but not engaging?
Is it possible that some of those who neglect to respond to comments are also the ones shutting down comments altogether?
What drives the decision to turn off comments?
The leading reason appears to be time constraints. Many bloggers argue that responding to comments diverts precious time away from creating new content. This perspective honestly frustrates me.
If your content generates a lot of comments, managing responses can indeed feel overwhelming. While it’s true that time spent responding might seem more effectively allocated to writing new posts, with proper time management, it doesn’t have to be a significant issue.
Is there a limit to how many comments are too many?
In my 11 years of blogging, I’ve managed and replied to over 25,000 comments. Whether that’s excessive is debatable, but as a blogger, I continuously seek more engagement. I always feel sad for those blogs that generate little to no comments from readers. What are they doing wrong?
At times, responding to comments might take up an entire morning, time I could dedicate to crafting additional blog posts or short stories. Nevertheless, I’ve always believed that if someone takes the time to read my work and leave a comment, it’s only courteous to return the favour with a response.
“Treat every visitor to your blog, just as you would a guest in your home.”
This advice stuck with me early in my blogging journey, given by a blogger with an awe-inspiring follower count. She made it a point to respond to each comment (except comments from spammers or trolls), a lesson that remains ingrained in my approach.
A priority every morning when I log into my blog is to respond to comments. Not only does this affirm that my writing is resonating with readers, but it also establishes a friendly atmosphere, showing visitors and commenters that their contributions are valued.
Are all comments created equal?
Absolutely not. Comments vary widely. Some reflect that the commenter has read the entire post, generating fresh ideas for future content. Others, however, leave you wondering if they merely clicked the ‘like’ button without engaging deeply with your work. Some find it difficult not to leave a comment, regardless of what it is. Perish the thought that they may upset a blogger by not leaving a comment every time.
I acknowledge these lighter comments by liking them. At the very least, it signifies that I’ve read their input. However, I’ve grown tired of the short, non-engaging comments from the same bloggers all the time, especially those who obviously have not read the posts and who see my blog as a quick way to get some free marketing for their own blog.
Do I have a meaningful quote about comments?
Indeed, I do! This quote has resonated with many over the years:
“Not addressing comments left on your blog is akin to inviting someone over for coffee and ignoring their presence.”
The broader impact of comments.
Comments can spark rich debates among readers. It’s always enlightening to see two or more bloggers engage in discussions about the subject I’ve tackled in my post. I regard this as a ‘healthy debate.’ A blogger once told me that encouraging dialogue through comments showcases your engagement with the audience, even if not every comment is directly addressed to you.
But let’s revisit the question posed in the title: Why should bloggers eliminate comments from their blogs? I understand why some might temporarily disable comments (e.g. when they’re taking a blogging break), but turning them off completely seems contrary to the essence of blogging.
After all, don’t comments facilitate communication between the reader and the author? Isn’t that what most bloggers aspire to do—to connect with their audience?
Are you thinking about turning off comments on your blog? Are you somebody who can’t resist leaving a comment on every single post you check out, or do you just never bother to comment at all? Jump into the chat!
The featured image in this blog post is taken from Pixabay. Spelling and grammar mistakes were checked with the help of AI.
I’m getting tough with non-engaging comments. Any non-engaging comments, such as ‘Nice post’, are marked as spam.
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I agree 100%, Hugh. A blog with no comments would feel so lonely!
It’s a horrid thought, isn’t it Anne? A blog all on its own. I liken it to arriving on a lovely planet that has no life.
Not at all
I set a time limit for responses – 14 days – otherwise, there’s a tonne of spam gets in.
Unfortunately, I don’t get to read some blogs for many weeks after they are published. Plus, I sometimes read blogs from an SEO search I have done, some of which can be a few years old.
Spam can be managed much better now, especially here on WordPress so that users never see it. I used to get over 200 spam messages a day. That was cut to on average of two a week after WordPress introduced a new setting users could switch on to no longer see the majority of spam. It’s one of the best new features on WordPress during the last year.
Hi Hugh, I try to leave a comment if I read a blog. But there are times I’m just not able. Maybe it’s a long blog and I get too tired by the end of it. Than I don’t comment and the writer might not know I read their work. I feel bad not commenting so I leave a Like. I may go back and reread and comment then.
Sometimes I don’t comment or even read certain blogs due to other issues. I find it hard to engage with blogs where the author uses a nickname or something totally strange to me. I also believe bloggers should use their real names. It takes too much time and energy to investigate who that person is. Is it AI or a bot or someone with ulterior motives? As a woman, I’ve been stalked and insulted on my blog and social media. Some of my experiences have been scary. One man said he knew where I lived and he was coming over. Several comments have been what I call ‘Porno’ plus I’ve received weird photos. I’m getting fewer of those responses since I check my WordPress blog settings often. These people/bots/whatever mostly go to Spam or Trash on my blog. I read a lot about online safety. One comment had me so worried that I debated closing my blog and leaving social media for good. A man said he wished me to Hell and other remarks. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only blogger this happens to. Or maybe other bloggers don’t get affected by this stuff. I make reports to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram if these things happen. FB and Twitter (X) investigate and respond to me with their decision. Instagram isn’t as serious about online issues.
Your topic today about bloggers not responding to people who leave comments caught my attention. Also, I wish bloggers would use a pic of their real self. Cute puppies or palm trees are creative but not for author photos! Just my opinion, Hugh. Others might not agree. Thanks.
Kay, I am truly sorry to hear of your horrid online experiences. I have had my fair share of trolls, mainly due to being gay, but never allow the trolls to win. Ignoring, blocking and reporting them is the best thing you can do.
Never feel bad about not leaving a comment. You are not doing anything wrong if you have nothing of value to add to the subject of a post. I’ve always believed that one genuine and meaningful comment every once in a while is worth thousands of those short non-engaging comments you see some bloggers leave everywhere.
I know that some bloggers do use a pseudonym to protect their identity, but it’s better than not giving readers any name. I honestly believe that any published author should have a profile photo of themselves. If I can not find the name of a blogger from their profile or ‘about’ page, that tells me that the person behind the blog is propbally less likely to want to engage or indeed only ever reply to comments with a thank you. I’ve unfollowed a number of blogs because of the short replies I’ve had back from genuine and meaningful comments I have left. It’s not worth my time or effort when I get short replies that are always the same. I recall one blogger who did this to every comment left of his blog. He no longer blogs.
I’m glad the subject of this post caught your attention. Carry on with your blogging and ignore the trolls. They are not worth worrying about.
Thanks Hugh, for responding to my blog issues. I’ll continue blocking, deleting and reporting trolls and ignoring them like you said. That’s good advice about meaningful comments versus thousands of short non-engaging comments. Today I commented on a blog I’ve followed several years. The blogger writes about cooking. One of the dishes she mentioned reminded me of a similar dish popular when I was young. I wrote a comment about being familar with the recipe. I read her blog every week but I usually don’t respond unless I have something to add.
I’d say you are commenting the right way, Kay. Commenting just for the sake of commenting or for simply proving you visited the post is something many bloggers frown upon. No one gets upset if you don’t leave a comment. And if they do, then it’s seriously time to think about whether following that blogger is a good idea.
I’ve never knowingly killed off comments although sometimes I don’t get a notification from WP and if I don’t regularly check the dashboard, I’ll miss a comment. I suppose folks have their reasons.
And I would love to know more of those reasons. So far, spam and bloggers who leave short comments and uninvited links have been mentioned as to why some bloggers do not allow comments. But there must be more reasons given that those two reasons should no longer be of any concern.
Hmm, I had never thought that there are bloggers who truly think that no discussions are the future… they are rather the ending. I agree, sometimes replying to comments can be very time consuming. But that is a compliment on the content of your post. I try to keep up my regular schedule but if I have too little time I skip a post instead of comments. They have first priority. It is respect, appreciation, and gratitude for others taking the time, reading your post and even engage. I found many friends that way and even met quite a lot in person – like you 😊
You said it well, Erika. I have cut back my posting schedule due to time, which I prefer to do at the expense of replying to or leaving comments.
And you are right about engagement creating friendships. If it had not been for leaving comments on the posts of other bloggers, I’d never have gone on to meet many of those I have already met.
The Bloggers Bash seems like a long time ago, but what great rewards those five years of get togethers bought many of us.
Oh, yes, a little effort and engagement can make the big difference and gives deeper meaning to blogging. The Blogger Bash was great. I still love thinking back of it. To me it as a special gift to meet so many bloggers in person I knew from WordPress. I don’t take that for granted.
I follow one blogger with comments turned off. I like reading the blog because it makes references to topics I share with the author. Just going from memory here. I think the blog has been running for at least twenty years posting every 2 to 4 weeks.
What kind of topics does that blogger cover, Kevin? I’d be interested in knowing as I’m trying to work out if there are certain subjects where comments are not required.
I wonder if that blogger also knows if people are actually reading his/her posts? As we all know, just because a post may have had 100 hits, it doesn’t mean the post has been read. Whereas comments being left and some engagement, usually mean the post has been read.
My feeling is that you’re missing out on part of the blogging experience by not enabling comments. That said, it’s worse when you leave a comment and get crickets – I’d not follow such a blog. I can understand that sometimes a blogger might turn off comments for a particular post, but not something in general. I guess it’s dependent on the type of blog, but without engagement why would you write a blog. I think that maybe there are different types of bloggers, and I’ll be sticking with the friendly, communicative ones
I asked myself the same question about why blog if you don’t allow comments, Brenda? Then I thought maybe blogs that give out information may not want comments, but then I thought about those who may have questions. Spam and too much free marketing have also been mentioned, but both those items can now be managed much better by bloggers.
Thank you for your input.
I think the interaction between writer and reader is important. I get more likes than comments but I love it when someone says they have enjoyed what I have posted.
That’s good to hear.
I’m not too keen on comments where somebody just says ‘Great post,’ but if they say ‘Great post,’ and go on to say why they thought the post was great, it makes all the difference.
I agree that comments and engagement are the lifeblood for bloggers, Hugh. It’s sad some can’t be bothered to reply to comments left on their posts. But there is something going on with WordPress again. When I use jetpack app on my phone, there are a few blogs that show their comments are unavailable. I’ve shared this info with two bloggers whom I follow. I have to go into their post another way to engage. Also, these show up on my notifications (via Jetpack) “Someone posted on XYZ Blog.” Very odd.
In fact, I left a comment for one of these folks. He replied back. On Jetpack, when I read his reply, I can only like his reply but the comments are closed. I’m going to let him know about this glitch. Sigh.
I rarely use the Jetpack app on my phone, so I can’t help with regards the glitches you mentioned, Terri. Notifications can be switched off, but you may then end up switching all WordPress notifications off.
There are settings I can use to turn off certain WordPress emails (such as as email whenever anyone likes one of my posts), so I wonder if the same can be done for notifications on your phone? In any case, you do right by notifying bloggers whose blogs are affected. It’s then up to them to report it to WordPress. If they don’t or can not be bothered, then I’d stop trying to leave comments. We can all but try, but some bloggers just do not seem to want to be helped. They’d rather bury their heads in the sand, instead.
What’s strange with these two blogs (and one other), is that I’ve tried signing up for email notifications to their posts more than once and they just don’t come through my email. So I have a handful that come through via notifications and it has worked great until the last couple of week, showing comments disabled and their posts showing as anonymous. I’ve reached out and I’m sure they will consult WP. Both are very active bloggers and talented photographers. Perhaps this is a caser where their themes are outdated. And of course I can see them on my desktop and engage with them just fine. Crazy glitches!
Using an outdated and unsupported theme can be the cause of many problems, Terri. I’ve witnessed some blogger use workarounds rather than change to a supported theme and at the same time they will complain bitterly about how they are being treated by WordPress who are doing what they can to help. All WordPress are doing are updating the platform to make it even more safe and secure for users. Unfortunately, some themes are too old for these updates to take effect.
I recently tried helping another blogger who was using an old retired Classic theme. She was having many problems leaving and responding to comments, as well as other issues. She told me she didn’t have the time to change her blog’s theme and put all the blame on WordPress.
That is sad, Hugh. It’s not that difficult to change the theme. I always take a screen shot before I change anything so I can remember what legacy widgets to replace or include in my sidebar, etc.
That’s a great idea to take a screenshot, Terri.
Thanks, Hugh. I also look at how the blog’s opening page looks before and after and change appearance (background, colors, header image) when needed.
I was attacked by spammers which forced me to turn off my comments. At one time I had over 10,000 comments in my Spam folder, so now my comments are turned off after two weeks.
It’s good to hear that all that spam went straight to your spam folder. Or did you have to move them there?
Attack of Bokep – A Unique Title For Me
Try switching on the setting as outlined in the following post. It may help.
I wouldn’t worry about the spam folder. Let WordPress empty it for you.
This is so interesting, Hugh. I thought one of the main reasons to blog was to interact with other bloggers. It’s such a welcoming community. I don’t see the point if I’m not interacting with other bloggers and able to leave them comments about how much I enjoy their work. I know there are time constraints but that goes for us all. I make time as it’s important.
I think the majority of bloggers enjoy the engagement, Esther. I’ve had one blogger tell me on social media that he has disabled comments on all his posts because of the amount of spam he gets, but spam can now be managed, especially with the new setting WordPress gave all users last year. He said there were other reasons, but he did not go into them.
Time can be an enemy to us all, but only if we allow it to. Likewise, I always make time to comment and respond to comments.
I would never consider turning off comments, Hugh. I love the dialogue and the feedback it provides. It also helps me to know which types of content resonate with people and why. And, it’s also fodder for the next blog post…
Great points, Michelle. I agree with you. I feel it’s pointless blogging if you do not want to ever engage with the visitors to your blog.
It would be like giving a speech to an empty room!
Exactly, Michelle. One way conversations do not work in the blogging world.
I totally agree with your opinion and passion about comments, Hugh. It’s disrespectful to not reply to people who do the effort of reading and commenting on your blog and a healthy debate or fun discussion is very valuable. This is how friendships are created in the blogging world as well.
However, I do understand why some people turn off comments. Firstly, as you know, some do it when they have a guest post on another website, to move the conversation there.
Secondly, many travelers I know only blog to share their adventures with friends and family. It is like a photo diary with stories. I know people who turn off the comments on their blog for two reasons: they don’t have the time or interest to deal with comments and/or, they don’t want to deal with all the spam that constantly appears underneath their posts. I feel it’s up to them to disable comments. I would never do this, because I – like you – encourage engagement.
I agree there can be reasons for turning off comments on specific posts, Liesbet. I have done so when I am directing readers to another blog when sharing a post I have written or when (on the rare occasion), I’ve shared a link to another blogger’s post. I did this more when reblogging, but I don’t reblog anymore due to problems it can produce with regards copyright issues.
Spam can be managed much more easily now. WordPress has added a setting than can be switched on to stop the majority of spam being shown to the host. When I turned this setting on, I saw a dramatic drop in how much spam I saw. On average, I now see about two spam messages a week. The rest, WordPress deal with. However, I don’t know if this is available with other blogging platforms or self-hosted blogs. But you are right in that if people do not want comments, they should disable comments on their blogs.
I love getting comments on my blog posts, especially the comments where someone obviously read the post and put some thought/emotion into their response. If I comment on someone’s post and I get nothing in response, I’m gone. When I read a post and have a natural reaction, that’s the basis of my comment. If I have no response, I may hit a like – if I like the post. If nothing else, the blogger has at least gotten a “view” from my reading. I have gotten ideas for new posts from the comment section – on my posts and on others’ posts. The other thing I’d mention is I am a morning person. My responses and comments in the morning are definitely of a better quality than at night when I am tired. Thanks, Hugh, for this post. I always enjoy reading your posts and often learn something about blogging.
I agree with what you say about the comments section of blogs posts being a great place to pick up ideas for subjects for new posts, Betty. Many of my posts have been born from reading the comments of other bloggers whether those comments are on my posts or on other blogs.
Thank you for what you say about reading my posts and for also joining the chat on this post. Likewise, I’m a morning person. Hence the reason why I respond to most comments before mid afternoon.
I always find it a bit disconcerting when I want to respond, but have no option to. It’s like the writer isn’t interested in my thoughts. Perhaps they arnt!
But there are certain bloggers you have an affinity to, those you follow, because their content aligns with yours, you share the same background, or have the same quirky sense of humour. They tend to be the ones I respond to, not the blogger who clearly uses AI to generate 5 words.
It’s not my day job to be honest, I keep responses open – so I can respond, I have time.
If I’m finding it difficult to respond to a comment, I will hit the ‘like’ button so the person who has left the comment knows I’ve seen it. However, this only applies to the types of comments where it’s difficult to say anything other than ‘Thanks.’ Comments like ‘Thanks for sharing this,’ come to mind. There’s no engagement in those types of comments, so a ‘like’ seems appropriate.
I can usually sense ‘spam’ comments or those that only want to use their comment as some free marketing, so those comments I either mark as spam or I send them to the trash bin. Typical comments are the ones that only include a link (where I’ve not requested any pingbacks or links) or a comment such as ‘Check my blog, and follow.’
Yes, I agree. Why blog if you don’t want to hear other people’s views?
Very interesting. To me the engagement is the fun part. The only time I turn off comments is when I am sending the readers to another post such as on a book tour. Nope. I am leaving them regardless of the trend. Thanks for sharing.
That’s a great reason for turning off comments on a specific post, Jan. I have done the same in the past and turn comments off when I’m sharing the link to where my post is. It’s a shame when comments for a particular post do not all appear in the same place.
Loved your post! I totally agree — blogs without comments feel a little empty, like talking into a void. I always appreciate when a blogger takes the time to reply, even with a simple thank you. It’s those little interactions that make blogging feel personal and alive. Thanks for sharing your thoughts so honestly!
You’re welcome. When I heard about bloggers turning comments off for good, I needed to find out why. I’ve already heard from one on social media who said one of the reasons why he turned comments off was because of all the spam he was getting. But there are ways to reduce spam dramatically (if you blog on WordPress).
He also turned them off because too many people were piggybacking on the popularity of his blog by leaving links in comments. I always check links first before allowing any to appear in the comments section of my posts.
I like comments on my blog as I know I’ve stimulated some conversation whether in agreement or not. Of course more often than not it’s the same people all the time, most readers just press the ‘like ‘ button which is acceptable to me.
I’m a regular reader and commenter on other blogs, some of which have led to friendships, though I admit to also just ‘liking’ when I’.m pressed for time. Engagement leads to me understanding my own work better and see shat appeals to others. Hugs Hugh.
That’s a good point about the ‘like’ button, David. I use it often when I don’t have anything of value to add in a comment. But I get so many ‘serial-likers’ who click ‘like’ on lots of my posts within seconds of each other. Strangely, the same happens with comments I leave, too. I don’t always have anything of value to add, so clicking the ‘like’ button shows the author I have enjoyed reading their post (although I never press it without reading the whole post).
Being dyslexic, I find reading blogs much easier than reading books. And I enjoy all the engagement that goes with blogging.
Thank you for joining the chat on this subject.
Wow! That is indeed shocking. I can understand those who turn them off sometimes on individual posts, but permanently? How boring is that?! Makes no sense to follow a blog if you can’t connect with the author afterwards. Getting (and writing) comments is like 60% of blogging, and I perceive comments as payment for a blog post well done, since I do not plan to monetize my writing.
I agree that there are some reasons for turning off comments, but I find it shocking that some bloggers are switching them off completely so they can concentrate on writing more posts rather than engage. I guess it can depend of the type of blog you have, but I think readers will always have questions, so why not allow them to ask them? I’d have to be very hard-pressed not to follow a blog that does not allow me to engage with the author.
I agree – 100%. I’d probably would not follow a blog if I would never be able to leave a comment.