Blogger For Hire
Should “A-List Bloggers” Close Comments?

92 Responses to: “Should “A-List Bloggers” Close Comments?”

1. Becky responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 7:42 pm →

   Fascinating, just fascinating question. I certainly don’t comment on the A-List blogs, ever, really, because I like to feel like I have a relationship (however Internet-based) with a blogger rather than stroke their egos like the comments that so many big bloggers get. While I do read those blogs, at least some of them, I don’t feel like my pithy comments would matter to anyone but myself.

   I am certainly not an A-List blogger by any stretch of the imagination, I do have a following larger than I’d ever imagined I’d get. But the more readers I get, the more I see the networking angle that people use my blog comments and links for. Not always, and certainly not each comment I get, but they sneak in here and there.

   Honestly, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t always appreciate the more negative comments I get, mainly because they are often misinformed, but I can absolutely see where other bloggers–especially bigger ones–wouldn’t appreciate it.

   I suppose that I see both sides of the issue here, but I have a hard time making a final “It’s WRONG” or “It’s RIGHT” statement on this one. I think it depends on what the blogger is trying to accomplish.

2. Squawkfox responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 7:44 pm →

   I really think a blog ceases to be a true blog when comments are closed. To me, a blog IS an online journal where people can post messages and others may view and respond to the posts. The value in many blogs (including my own) is the commentary.

   Squawkfox’s last blog post..Recipe: Strawberry and Banana Green Smoothie

3. MommyNamedApril responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 8:19 pm →

   I occasionally comment on top blogger sites, but not too often. I figure they get so many comments, so the last thing they want to read is one more ‘great story!’… I *try* to reserve my commenting on those sites to relevant and insightful comments.

   On some of the less worldly sites I’m not as discerning, though… I guess because I know new bloggers (myself included) are more inclined to appreciate a quick ‘good job’ type comment. And it’s less likely to be perceived as spam if you’re commenting on a site that obviously doesn’t get too many hits.

   I only ever comment, though, on blogs or posts that I really like – Or, if they wrote something nice, interesting, witty, etc. at my blog, I will sometimes go to theirs and respond *in person*.

   On a side note, I received my first outright spam comment yesterday and it seriously put my panties in a bunch. I never expected to be so annoyed, but I WAS. heh.

4. Betsy Wuebker responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 8:20 pm →

   Hi – I’ve commented from time to time on both blogs you’ve mentioned when the content was compelling. One of my favorite bloggers closed the comments on her site because of mean-spirited attacks on her family and children. When it becomes about the commenter’s needs to push the dynamic into something that feeds them, then your blog ceases to be yours, I think.

   It seems like it would be like having a party that gets out of hand and guests get destructive. No one likes to referee, yet there was a recent instance on another blog where things got mighty childish and painful to read, and I wished the grownup blogger would have taken charge. Then there’s banning, and deleting and all sorts of administrative hooey that is possible, but honestly, if someone doesn’t understand that they’ve been invited to play elsewhere, then it seems to me you don’t really have a choice. Eliminating comments altogether would be a last straw.

   Betsy Wuebker’s last blog post..RUNES

5. MommyNamedApril responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 8:30 pm →

   As I was going through my Reader, I came across a post from the Blogess, whom I would consider an A-List blogger, yes? Anyhow, I was just thinking how much I LOVE going back and reading the last couple postings because she always makes an edit to include her favorite comment at the bottom. I would be sad if she closed comments and no longer had this feature. I think, too, it encourages thoughtful (and often hilarious) comments.

6. San Diego Momma responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 8:34 pm →

   I always wondered what the top bloggers felt about the comments they receive. I absolutely cannot stand to read most of the comments many A-list bloggers garner. They’re completely ass-kissing and banal and lacking in substance (kinda like this one?). Still, it’s obvious to me when a commenter is being vacuous and commenting just because the blogger is popular, rather than because the post moved the commenter, made them laugh, or so on.

   I’ve found the majority of commenters on Dooce, for instance, to be braindead. I’m always thrilled to hear a genuine comment on Dooce-esque blogs, because it is so not the norm.

   I do enjoy MANY top bloggers’ posts, but I will only comment if I feel I have something to add to the conversation, and not because I want my link to show up.

   San Diego Momma’s last blog post..Loose Ends

7. Mike Goad responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 8:37 pm →

   a. Yes, but the only one that I read is ProBlogger.

   b. If I’m not in the first 20 or so, I usually don’t bother, unless there is a really good discussion going on, because that past that point any contribution I could make is already diluted. I think I commented on one here last week when the number was really, really high, though.

   c. They’re just an “Kilroy was here” message…, meaningless.

   d. I think it’s really up to the bloggers to decide that what to do about comments. It depends on what they get out of them.

   Mike Goad’s last blog post..Part of the joy of photography is sharing! and…

8. MomGrind responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 8:58 pm →

   @ Becky: I sometimes get self-promoting, empty comments too. Since they’re usually left be new readers, they enter go into moderation. Often, I just don’t approve them and leave it at that.

   @ Squawkfox: I think more and more bloggers are questioning this.

   @ MommyNamedApril: Spam comments ARE infuriating. I’m just grateful for the Askimet plugin for WordPress.

   I never heard about the Blogess. I just checked out her blog – she’s great! I owe you. I think her “comment of the day” feature is awesome and agree that it really enhances the blog, and the discussion.

   @ Betsy Wuebker: “One of my favorite bloggers closed the comments on her site because of mean-spirited attacks on her family and children.” That’s sad. I recently read that women are attacked online more than men are.

   @ San Diego Momma: I agree that while the posts in many top blogs are excellent, the comments are embarrassing.

   @ Mike Goad: When I visit a blog and the latest post already has many comments, I often lose interest too, unless I know the blogger and know that they read all their comments and respond to them. (Writer Dad is a good example).

9. Maya responds:
   Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 9:08 pm →

   Hi Vered,

   Thank you for the link! Much appreciated.

   I have commented on both blogs – just a couple of times on Problogger though and one was for a guest post by Tim. I have actually met some wonderful people through zenhabits …so I agree with what Leo says. It is sort of a community out there. I really have not felt the same about Problogger. I have seen people compliment Leo for guest posts though. It is easier for Leo’s readers to connect because of the self-improvement niche that he blogs in, I guess.

   I think bloggers understand that people come to their blogs for various reasons and generating traffic is a primary goal. But there are genuine folk who want to be heard and participate…I am not sure closing comments would be fair. Perhaps a strongly worded warning before the comments section?

   Honestly, are these folk that put mindless and merely self-serving comments really able to generate any traffic from those comments? I would never really visit the blog of a person who made a comment like that – it says way too much about them as a person!

10. Kim Woodbridge responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 9:29 pm →

    I really don’t like the term “A-List”. I think I’m going to start my own group of Q List bloggers

    I don’t visit Zen Habits or Problogger too often. I have commented on both but only a couple of times. The best comments on Problogger are usually when he has a guest post. Zen Habits does get better comments.

    Is Lifehacker considered A-List? They get great comments – frequently I learn more in the comments than from the article. And I have to agree about The Blogess – so funny. She’s great to follow on Twitter too.

    Techchunch is a site that reports information about new start-ups and has been around since 2005. The owner, Michael Arrington, has a difficult personality (that’s putting it mildly), he gets a mix of good and bad comments, and he will not hesitate to ban users. He wrote an article yesterday called “Ten Comments You Think Are Cool and Insightful but Aren’t”. Ten Comments You Think Are Cool And Insightful But Aren’t
    One of my favorite parts is;

    “Bonus: “You deleted my comment!” – left after someone has said something spammy, hateful or ridiculously stupid. The reader then comes back and complains that we’ve violated their right to free speech and are censoring them. Besides the fact that they’ve confused us with the U.S. government and their constitutional rights, they’re generally unwelcome and quickly get an IP block.”

    I prefer this way of dealing with comments then closing them outright.

    Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..Stuff This in Your RSS – 10/28/08 – Neatorama

11. RC responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 9:33 pm →

    Okay, hoping my comments haven’t been too self-promoting and empty, since I honestly read and like your posts (and I don’t comment on every one of them, since I simply lack time in the day). I don’t like it when comments are turned off, as I feel it doesn’t leave me with a chance to respond when I would like.

    That being said, even I, who am so not on the A-list in the world of blogs, receive empty comments frequently. A bit annoying, yes, but the sense of community I have with my regulars rules them out.

    I have other blogs that I read, where occasionally I’ll leave the empty comment of, “very nice,” or something similar. Not to promote me, but because I’ve learned that those people thrive on seeing a comment, because that is how they know you’ve been there and it is what they need.

    Okay, I don’t mean to ramble, but the comments on or off – your choice. But I enjoy when I can share a story (and occasionally a link) that relates to your post.

    RC’s last blog post..Ode to Spaghetti Face

12. Vintage Mommy responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 9:58 pm →

    I always read problogger but rarely comment b/c I feel like the nature of that blog does not lend itself to interesting comments, most of the time. Darren shares a ton of great info, but beyond saying just that, I don’t have much to offer. I would say that Zen Habits is more of a discussion kind of blog, where you have your own take on a lot of what he writes. I have seen a lot of silly comments on both, and some nasty comments on Zen Habits, which Leo always answers gallantly.

    I can understand where Merlin Mann is coming from and I think to each his own, but I would agree (with another earlier commenter whose comment I can’t find again) that most blogs are about conversation and I miss comments when they’re closed.

13. Marelisa responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 10:00 pm →

    I no longer post very often on large blogs, just when I have something which I feel to be valuable to say, but I did comment a lot on zenhabits when I had a static website instead of a blog. Once I left a comment on there that was completely self-serving and after I pressed the “publish” button I sat there staring at it for awhile and thinking “I can’t believe I just did that” and wishing there were some sort of a delete button. I guess I was really tired. It’s so obvious that most of the people commenting on there don’t even bother to read the posts, and when someone is shamelessly trying to get others to click on their link I make sure not to click on it, just for the principle.

    Marelisa’s last blog post..Four Ways to Achieve a Productive State of Mind

14. Bamboo Forest responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 10:15 pm →

    I think the premise is all wrong.

    Comments come from people. People have their own opinions and their own way of doing things. Can some peoples comments be characterized as abuse? Sure. But only in the lightest sense. Maybe their comment is pretty hollow and they only wanted the link.

    That being said, with anything in which much benefit can come, there will also be a level of abuse that will surface. But does that justify turning comments off?

    Not a chance in the world.

    Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..Why You Should Vote for Hani in The Upcoming P.I. Election

15. veena responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 10:43 pm →

    I comment on blogs that i read regularly and only when I feel some kind of connection with the blogger. I think comments are the best part of the blog.. sure some of it is trash but I think it’s a great way for the author to learn about other people’s opinions and keep the conversation going…..As for closing comments, I’m not sure I agree…
    Although people claim to blog for themselves, everybody wants someone to read their blog.. that’s the whole point isn’t it.. so “read, but comment only if u have sth smart to say” is not quite fair….

    veena’s last blog post..

16. Bamboo Forest responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 10:49 pm →

    I must admit…

    I also find it a bit off setting that an owner of a blog can dictate what a good comment is and what one that isn’t good. It’s like a mini dictatorship… (Except for the most obvious cases)

    I think this is such a non-issue and people should just enjoy that their blog is popular instead of nitpicking the type of comments they get.

    I mean, honestly, don’t they have more important ways to extend their energy such as in writing stellar content???

    (I meant non-issue only in the sense that a blogger would harp on the issue. I love that you wrote about it)

    Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..Why You Should Vote for Hani in The Upcoming P.I. Election

17. Evelyn Lim responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 10:51 pm →

    I seldom comment on Zen Habits or Problogger even if I really like the post. I only do so, if I have something to contribute or if I drop the rare note to show my appreciation. For other blogs, I comment on almost every post if the blogger is a favorite of mine. Still, I am not religious about it! I don’t lurk around to ensure that I get the first post in. If I am really caught up with personal stuff, I also cut down on my activities on the web. It’s about finding a good life balance to work with!

18. Barbara Swafford responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 11:40 pm →

    Hi Vered – I’ve commented on Problogger, but most of the time I don’t have the time to read all of the other comments. I like the fact a comment section is open so I can show my appreciation to the author for their words, and those on Problogger has always been very helpful to me. It’s sad when some take advantage and only use it for self serving purposes, but hopefully an author gets enough authentic comments to warrant keeping it open.

19. Carla responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 11:44 pm →

    Wow, just wow.

    I never would have thought in a million years that there would be such “rules” when it comes to commenting on blogs. As long as you’re not vile, disrespectful, using profanity, a troll, etc why does it have to be a huge deal? Does it crush their egos if you don’t have much to say other than state that you appreciate what was written? Does it hurt their revenue? What is it? Since I have gotten into reading and writing blogs, that is the most egotistical load of crap I have read. Maybe since I’m not a “problogger” I can never understand.

    Carla’s last blog post..Halloween Safety

20. Bamboo Forest responds:
    Posted: October 28th, 2008 at 11:54 pm →

    @ Carla: It does seem a bit egotistical to me too.

    “Your lowly comment didn’t give me what I, the king, deserve.”

    I mean, let’s get real. The day you start demanding certain kinds of comments in terms of their “intellectual quality” is probably the day you start think really highly of yourself. And I mean: really highly…

    If it there isn’t any profanity used and all the rest of the things you mentioned, Carla, the fact that it’s under discussion is nothing short of ridiculous.

    Sometimes, we gotta get over ourselves.

    I only really, however, got that impression from Mann’s sentiments.

    Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..Why You Should Vote for Hani in the Upcoming P.I. Election

21. Kelvin Kao responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 12:47 am →

    I I usually don’t comment if I don’t have anything to add. If I just put “great post!” it will be a waste of time, because I wouldn’t even remember ever posting it, and the other people certainly will not either. That comment would just be a waste of time for me and other people. When I comment on big websites, it does bring me like two clicks a day, but I wouldn’t comment just to get a link back. My blog’s topic (puppetry) is irrelevent to most big blogs I read anyway.

    On the other hand, for small blogs that I think are worth reading, I like to leave comment often. That way I would get to know the blogger more and I know it’s usually good to know (who knows, some people are different) that someone is caring about what you write.

    Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..Please Don’t Call Me Dummy

22. Lance responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 3:04 am →

    So, interesting question today Vered… I don’t comment very often on A-list blogger sites. And part of that is because I see myself and my comment getting lost in the sea of other comments out there. And I don’t comment just to get a link out there. When I comment, I try to make them meaningful – just like when I answer comments on my own blog. Being first to publish a comment? I actually remember thinking that here once (you get loads of comments – but then I also believe that you honestly read and respond to each one). In regards to empty comments and closing comments altogether – I think comments offer the ability to much great discussion to get going on – and that’s a great reason to leave them open. Empty comments – how am I to say what qualifies as an empty comment? Even a simple “thanks” could be someone’s first comment ever – and they may be unsure of putting too much info “out there”… That said, someone purposely doing empty comments just to generate traffic – not good.

23. Avital responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 3:37 am →

    I would not leave a comment for the sake of my link, as that is counterproductive, in my opinion, but I do not agree that any time the comment is – “thank you. it’s been very helpful for me” it’s downright spam. Sometimes I read an article that really moves me and want to share my appreciation. (I do not always remember to delete the link to my site, like now, to insure my sincerity…).

    As I have also mentioned before, sometimes a comment is v-e-r-y long, but copy & pasted on numerous blogs and sites, which are – at the very best – slightly correlating… That is my idea of sheer spam…

    I absolutely agree that comments which shows the commenter has not read the article are shameful and leaving a link to the commenter’s blog is, as I said before, counterproductive.

    To make a point out of this loooong comment (and actually answer your question) – I would leave a comment on an a-list blog, if:
    a. I am moved by the article.
    b. I have something to say.

24. Tara@From Dawn Till Rusk responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 4:16 am →

    I totally agree with Becky right back up at the top.
    I love to feel that I have some kind of relationship with those I interact with rather than just jumping on the bandwagon and commenting for the sake of it.
    I do read some ‘A listers’ because I enjoy their stuff, but tend not to comment because for one I haven’t the time to read through 152 comments to find out what others have said and for two, most of those are probably ‘you are the best’ or ‘thanks for that’ type comments that waste everyone’s time.

    The trouble is you read so many ‘how to increase your traffic’ blogs and they tell you to comment comment comment and get your name out there, but people then forget to read the bit that stresses your comments must be interesting, valid and genuine.

    And I don’t see any problem with having a link from your comment if you make an interesting or funny or must-read point because that is how I have stumbled on some of my favourite bloggers.

    It’s a tough one really because we all crave comments and interaction but at what point do you become so popular that people start using you to futher their own means?

    Tara@From Dawn Till Rusk’s last blog post..Everything is dead

25. Lisa responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 6:18 am →

    Even though I read a lot of the “A-listers”, its very rare for me to comment, even if I feel like I have something to say. This debate in blogosphere about “meaninful, intelligent comments” have made it even less likely that I would comment in the future.

    I mean, who is to say what I have to say is meaningful and intelligent? The thought of expressing appreciation for the time and thought a blogger put into a post and then have your comment ridiculed for not being thoughtful or meaningful enough…..ugh! I will just keep lurking and enjoying quietly behind the scenes where its safe!

26. Tim Brownson responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 6:24 am →

    LOL @ Vered – Some of the inane comments I got at ProBlogger were just ridiculous, probably the funniest was this:

    “excellent post Darren. I always read all of your posts…”

    He should have added “Well, when I say read them, what I really mean is I scan them, miss who wrote the article even though it’s mentioned top and bottom and add no value whatsoever to anybody or anything” He must have simply forgotten.

    I do think Leo has a much better ‘community’ than Darren, but even ZH can get it’s muppets turning up.

    Here’s a question to see if people are being absolutely honest about this.

    “Would you still leave a comment if there was no way of linking back to your own site” If the answer is no then we can put to bed the pretense that it is primarily to add value or congratulate the writer on a job well done.

    My guess would be few would which is why you see at least 4 comments with a link back to every 1 that doesn’t. People on the whole can’t be bothered unless there is something in it for themselves.

    Tim Brownson’s last blog post..The Skinny Of Raw Food

27. Writer Dad responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 6:37 am →

    I like what Mike said about the comments being diluted after around twenty. That is not always, but sometimes true. I’ve been as guilty of commenting on the top blogs as anyone, but I haven’t left a comment just to leave a comment in almost a month, and it feels immeasurably better.

28. Suzie responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 7:20 am →

    I avoid the a-list bloggers. I like the give and take of bloggs a-list bloggers are just posting boards. Im not into it.

    You know me I love my comments. They can be anything LOL ROFL I love em all. As Ive said more than once I’m very shallow and judge my sense of self worth by the number of comments not the quality. but At least Im in touch with the shallowness that is me.

    Suzie’s last blog post..Happy Holloween

29. Tim Brownson responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 7:23 am →

    @ Writer Dad – LMAO – Touche

30. Dot responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 7:30 am →

    I’m offended by some of these remarks, both Problogger’s and your “blech,” Vered. I had no idea that thanking someone for writing something insightful that was just perfect for me was a bad and worthless comment. I’d be very grateful if someone wrote that on my blog. I agree with Bamboo Forest, a blogger should not forget that we’re all human beings, not royalty because we’re successful. Bravo to Leo Babauta for having a humane attitude towards his readers, as always. I have only visited Problogger a handful of times, but I have a lot less desire to do so after reading this. What about respect for ones readers? What about not tarring the whole community for the errors of a few?

    I thought bloggers liked having lots of comments. I guess it depends on whether they’ve become successful or are still trying to. Yes, I have commented in an effort to gain traffic for my blog. Don’t all the top blog advice sites tell us to do that? I’ve tried to add my point of view, rather than just empty comments. I agree with Betsy Wuebker — closing comments permanently changes a blog into a website, and for me the interaction is key. Even if my comment is essentially the same as someone else’s, doesn’t that give a blogger a sense of how many people feel a certain way?

    I realize that dealing with large numbers of the public always includes a certain percentage of assholes and that can drive a person crazy, but to some extent that goes with the territory. There are tools in place to remove what is unwanted. If a blogger is dealing with so many people that comments have become burdensome, then that blogger is surely running a business, no?, and that’s part of the price of doing business. Where is the gratitude for how the commenters have helped build the business? Bloggers don’t have it nearly as bad as brick-and-mortar businesses, where the slogan is “the customer is always right,” because the customer is the one who pays the bills, even if the customer is making you nuts.

    I could go on, but I’m going to go bang my head against the wall for a while instead.

31. Tim Brownson responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 8:08 am →

    @ Dot – I don’t mean to hi-jack Vereds blog, but what causes you to be offended? I get your point and whereas I don’t necessarily agree with all of it I certainly understand it and can see where you’re coming from.

    Being offended is a choice and whereas I’m not sure it’s EVER a great idea, I’d certainly encourage people to save it up for special occasions like human rights atrocities rather that something as trivial as a blog post.

32. Urban Panther responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 8:33 am →

    A-List blogs. I still can’t get used to the term. What does that make the rest of us? Somewhere between B and Z, I guess. Anyway, no, I rarely comment on A List blogs, because A List bloggers rarely respond back. I want interaction. And it’s not just the technical A-Listers that don’t respond. There is an A-List mommy blog that I left several comments on, in my usual adding to the conversation way, and she never even acknowledged my presence. Needless to say, I dropped her from my reading list.

    Bottom line, it’s a two way street. Quality in the comment section should come from both the author and the readers. Really, who the heck cares if you get one-liners? Ignore those, and respond to the meaningful comments.

    Urban Panther’s last blog post..Jumping to the Island of Conclusions

33. apricot tea. responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 8:52 am →

    I kind of have to agree with Dot. While I am not offended at what I read here, some of the examples of “empty” comments weren’t really that empty… to me at least. I saw maybe 2 examples that qualified empty (the “thanks” & the other one thanking a blogger who didn’t write the article) but everything else I felt were honest compliments of how the reader felt. Even the one that spelled the guys name wrong “Dareen” instead of “Darren” that could have easily been a typo! & once you hit “submit” there’s no going back! (I am a benefit of the doubt giver, obviously.)

    There have been so many times where I go to a blog, read something amazing & can only muster a “Wow, this was an amazing read. Thank you so much for sharing.” Not because I want to leave a “Ev’Yan was here” message, but because I am completely speechless! I mean, I look at it as if this person were sitting in front of me, telling me this straight away to my face… I’m the kind of person who would just LISTEN & not necessarily leave a bunch of feedback. That’s just who I am.

    I don’t necessarily think that the “empty” comments were empty at all! I guess that’s what I’m trying to say…

    As for me & my blog, I am CERTAINLY not A-List, nor do I strive to be A-List. I think it’s a facade, really. But I am always grateful for whatever comments are given to me because maybe people don’t know what else to say otherwise. & Dot is right; bloggers want comments! & I’ll take whatever they give me because them just being there & saying something lovely like, “Thank you so much for writing this. I really needed to hear it” is more than enough for me. I don’t expect ANY kind of comment from my reader. I don’t expect comments at all, actually. & when I get them, I am more than pleased & flattered.

    Now, I do occasionally get the real empty comment, saying something like, “Nice outfit, check out my blog!” Yes, that does make me a little mad… but I take it with a grain of salt. If they feel like they can get a decent amount of traffic from my blog, more power to you! Chances are, they won’t. But I admire their tenacity. If they say “check out my blog” I’ll check it out… out of curiosity. If I like what I see, I’ll stick around. If not, then oh well. Leaving comments of that nature isn’t much of a deal to me. If it bothers someone enough, maybe they should just ignore them & not accept them… or, delete them!

    This whole comment thing is just a matter of popularity & high-ranking. I don’t think it’ll ever go away, even if you physically took comments away. People will always find a way to capitalize off of what you’re saying. So taking away their ability to comment will stop the pestering “empty” comments, but I’m sure they’ll just find another way… I just feel like it takes too much energy to focus on something like this. For me personally, I mean.

    Okay, enough of me. That’s my $0.02. =]

    apricot tea.’s last blog post..moody mondays, & some cozy boots.

34. SpaceAgeSage -- Lori responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 9:19 am →

    Vered,
    I think beginners who want to get their names out there, explore the blog world, and get a big rush from the interaction will follow the comment trail a lot at first. There were three weeks or so I rushed to be the first to comment, but that got old rather quickly. I used to comment on Darren’s and Leo’s, too, but found it lacked the positive give and take I read here and on other blogs I’ve come to value a great deal.

    My take is that it’s about customer service. If I ran a business where loud, rude jerks kept coming in to purposely rile customers, trash-talk my staff, or just to argue with or kiss up to me, then, I’d kick them out and make it better for those who value my business. If I grew to where I couldn’t spend quality time watching over and responding to comments, I would have to find another way to open lines of communication. Seth Godin doesn’t allow comments, but I hear he responds to his emails. He prefers the interaction be “out there” among those who can further the conversation on a bigger stage.

35. Davina responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 9:32 am →

    Hi Vered. I don’t get to the A-list bogs too much and when I do, sometimes I comment. But only when I have something valid to offer. I don’t recall ever having an interaction with those bloggers and that doesn’t make me feel all that welcome there. As Urban Panther does, I appreciate the interaction.

    I agree with Maya’s comment about spammers, “I would never really visit the blog of a person who made a comment like that.” I think spammers have made it hard for bloggers to not judge all comments. I don’t mind the odd “Thanks” or “Great post!” comment… from a familiar commenter. These people who jump from blog to blog leaving two word comments are just using the system. They’re takers, not givers. And then, there are the “new” bloggers who don’t know the “rules”, and it’s not about spamming… but they get thrown into the fire with the spammers. Maybe it just takes time to recognize who is who.

    I would probably stop visiting a blog where the comments are turned off because it’s the interaction I like. Not only does it close a reader off from interacting with the blogger, but it prevents any opportunity for the readers to get to know one another. Even if the content is good I could see myself eventually not returning and heading back to the newspaper or my library.

    Davina’s last blog post..Awakening To A Balanced Life

36. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 9:53 am →

    First, a few clarifications:

    1. Since some of you seem to be worried that you’ve been leaving empty comments here, please rest assured: you haven’t. MomGrind is not on the A list (yet) so it’s not a magnet for empty comments. The discussions here are fascinating. Yes, many of you have reasons to comment other than participating in the discussion, but that’s true for all blogs. As Tim pointed out, if blogs didn’t allow linking back to commenters’ websites, there would be significantly less commenting going on in the blogosphere.

    2. So what do I mean by “empty comments?”

    Empty comments are left by people who didn’t read the article.

    Empty comments are left by people who use a comment template that they copy and paste into the comment section, a generic template that has nothing to do with the article and everything to do with their desire to put their link up there.

    Empty comments are left by people who thank the blogger for an article when in fact a guest wrote it: another good indication that they didn’t bother reading the article.

    Empty comments are left by people who rush to leave their link first, and in their hurry, cannot be bothered to read the article they’re commenting on.

    3. Are bloggers being full of themselves when they want only people who actually read their articles to make comments?

    I don’t think so. I think more and more bloggers are becoming disillusioned with comments. The idea is so romantic: a dynamic forum where the reader is just as involved as the writer, because the reader becomes a writer too through the comments section. So much better than mainstream media, where the reader is completely passive. Right? Well, not always.

    It’s NOT that top bloggers insist on QUALITY comments. But I think they have a right to insist that people READ an article before commenting on it.

    4. I also feel that I need to defend Darren Rowse a bit. Not that he NEEDS me to defend him, but please know that he’s smart, helpful and VERY responsive. He’s simply being honest here. Some of the comments he’s been receiving are awful. Seriously. Just go over to his blog and read the comments. I estimate that around 30% of the comments on Problogger are left by people who don’t really have anything to say but simply want to put up a link to their own website. Just go there, read the comments, and if you still feel that he’s acting like an egotistical dictator, come back and tell me so.

    @ Maya: I’m sure the empty comments do not cause anyone to click on their link. Perhaps they’re unaware that comments have a nofollow tag. Maybe they think they’re building pagerank through these links. I have no idea.

    @ Kim: I dislike the term A-list too, but much like “blogosphere”, it’s a term that people use so I’m using it too. I agree that moderating comments is probably better than closing comments altogether.

    @ RC: You obviously read my articles. You’ve never left a comment here that made me think you didn’t read an article and just left a comment to put a link to your website here. I agree that many new bloggers are happy even with a “nice post” type comment. I sometimes think that if new bloggers turned off comments for the first few months, it would be a very freeing experience for them.

    @ Vintage Mommy: I agree that Zen Habits is more about discussion. Problogger would still have lots of value – and wouldn’t lose even a single subscriber in my opinion – if Darren closed comments.

    @ Marelisa: I’m glad you see it too. The comments on Zen Habits are mostly of higher quality than those on Problogger, but almost each and every commenter there has a strong ulterior motive. I know I do, and I confessed it to Leo, which was completely unfazed and just told me it’s fine.

    @ bamboo Forest: I think that the issue these bloggers have is with the obvious cases of abuse. I think the examples I gave in my post ARE obvious cases of abuse, because these people simply do not read the articles yet choose to comment. I don’t think top bloggers are looking for “quality comments”. I think they simply want people to read the article before they make a comment.

    @ veena: “read, but comment only if u have something smart to say” is not quite fair” – I agree. But I think what these bloggers are saying is actually “only comment if you have read the post.”

    @ Evelyn: “It’s about finding a good life balance to work with!” – I absolutely agree.

    @ Barbara: “hopefully an author gets enough authentic comments to warrant keeping it open.” – I think you’re right. As long as a blogger feels that most comments are genuine, the occasional empty comment is fine. But when almost half the comments are empty, I’m sure it makes the blogger feel very disillusioned.

    @ Carla and @ Bamboo Forest: The one and only rule that I know of (except for being respectful etc.): READ THE ARTICLE before making a comment. Many commenters don’t. I don’t think these bloggers are demanding “quality comments.” I think they simply want people to only comment if they read the article first.

    @ Kelvin Kao: I agree that “great post”-type comments are a waste of everyone’s time.

    @ Lance: “someone purposely doing empty comments just to generate traffic – not good.” – I agree, and I think THIS is the issue here.

    @ Avital: I know you’re sincere even if you do leave you link here. As I said, we are all motivated by things other then our desire to participate in the discussion when we leave a comment. That’s fine. But I think we actually READ posts before we make comments on them. “I absolutely agree that comments which shows the commenter has not read the article are shameful and leaving a link to the commenter’s blog is, as I said before, counterproductive.” – I agree, and this is the type of comment that Mann, Rowse and others are complaining about.

    @ Tara: “The trouble is you read so many ‘how to increase your traffic’ blogs and they tell you to comment comment comment and get your name out there, but people then forget to read the bit that stresses your comments must be interesting, valid and genuine.” It’s true. But I’d also like to add that I don’t think comments must be “interesting”. They need to be valid and genuine in the sense that the commenter read the article before commenting. That’s all.

    @ Lisa: Again, I’d like to emphasize that I can’t speak for other bloggers of course, but I’m not looking for “meaninful, intelligent comments”. My SOLE request is that people read my words before they comment on them – and it’s obvious you have done that.

    @ Tim: “Would you still leave a comment if there was no way of linking back to your own site” If the answer is no then we can put to bed the pretense that it is primarily to add value or congratulate the writer on a job well done.” Well said.

    @ Writer Dad: “I haven’t left a comment just to leave a comment in almost a month, and it feels immeasurably better.” – I’m on my way there too. And thanks for demonstrating your sincerity.

    @ Suzie: Don’t worry, I’m shallow too.

    @ Dot: I’m sorry that I offended you. But Tim’s right: one chooses to be offended, and it’s best not to be offended over a blog post. Why would you give me the power to offend you? I expressed my frustration at what I see as empty comments, as comments left by people who didn’t read the article, or else they would have commented on the topic of the article rather than just left a generic comment. You think these comments are not empty. I think they are. I mean, look at the comment you just left here. Obviously, you have read my article and you have an opinion on it. But what if instead you wrote “great post Verrid, I really enjoy this blog”? You should realize that the person who “thanked” Darren simply left a generic comment WITHOUT READING THE ARTICLE FIRST. Trust me on that. He did not read the article.

    Please don’t bang your head against the wall because of me. I assure you, I’m not worth it.

    @ Urban Panther: “Quality in the comment section should come from both the author and the readers.” I completely agree. But that’s material for another post. I’m pretty sure I know which mommy blog you’re referring to. I stopped leaving comments there too.

    @ apricot tea: I can’t really speak for other bloggers, but my only request from my commenters is that they READ a post before commenting on it. Almost all of my commenters do. Generic “great post” or “thanks for sharing” comments are problematic because they feel like the commenter never read the post. I don’t know how you comment on other blogs, but thinking back to the comments you have left here, you ALWAYS write to the point and in a way that makes it clear you have read my words prior to commenting on them. That’s all I’m asking.

    @ Lori: “Seth Godin doesn’t allow comments, but I hear he responds to his emails.” I think this is actually a very good solution for a blog that would otherwise be a magnet for empty spammish comments.

    @ Davina: “I don’t mind the odd “Thanks” or “Great post!” comment… from a familiar commenter. These people who jump from blog to blog leaving two word comments are just using the system. They’re takers, not givers.” I agree. And it’s true that new bloggers sometimes mistakenly think that it’s OK to do that, and do it too.

37. zoe responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 10:05 am →

    It’s an interesting question. For me, blogging is more about relatablility, community and exchange of ideas. Without comments, it really isn’t a community anymore, and the exchange of ideas is more like a monolog than a dialog.

    I have a tendancy not to comment on blogs, A list or not, if there is no interaction between the blog author and the commentors. It doens’t have to be replying to every comment that anyone leaves, but there should be dialog. And for the most part, if there is not interaction, what is the point in reading.

38. Carla responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 10:14 am →

    Thanks Vered for your very thoughtful responses to us. : )

    My question is, how do you know when someone says “great article!” that they didn’t read the post? How can you tell what their motivates are? I honestly didn’t know that leaving responses on other blogs creates “backlinks” until recently; and I have a website and blog.

    Carla’s last blog post..Green and Chic Updates | Free Shipping

39. Wesley responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 11:06 am →

    When I first saw this post this morning, I had no idea so many people would respond with such length. Well done, Vered! You make a lot of good points. Personally I don’t mind it when people leave short “Great post” comments, and if they link back to their own site, all the better, as it gives me an oppurtunity to find out what they’re about (if they’re commenting my blog, they’re likely similar to me and have at least some of the same interests as I do). I imagine it’s more annoying for you though; people who tried to self-promote on my blog would be wasting their time.

    Wesley’s last blog post..System Recovery: It Can Happen To You (And What To Do BEFORE It Does)

40. Don Mills Diva responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 11:47 am →

    Unless it’s clearly a troll I disagree with the notion that any comment is a “bad” comment. A comment is sometimes just an acknowledgement that someone visited and wanted to say hello.

    I’m certainly not A-list but I do have a lot of readers and I know some of them comment in order to have a link.

    So what? My readers ARE my readership and if I can benefit them in any small way I’m happy to do it. I agree with the commenter who resents the attitude “That comment is not good enough for me.” I find it completely disrespectful. What? Someone has a few hundred readers and all of a sudden they’re freakin’ Ringo Starr?

    I also am disheartened by the notion that a comment reading “Thanks – I enjoyed that” is something to be scorned. That just smacks of rudeness to me. I often read posts where I quite frankly don’t have any great words of wisdom to add but I enjoyed myself for the minute or two it took to read and I want to express some simple appreciation. I often leave short comments on new blogs I find because it feels almost rude to visit and not say hi.

    I think if a blogger starts to get contemptous of the manner in which their readers express their appreciation for their writing they need to take a step back because they are taking themselves WAAAYYY too seriously.

    Don Mills Diva’s last blog post..Fashionably drunk?

41. Don Mills Diva responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 11:50 am →

    Just wanted to add – what kind of comment IS acceptable for someone to leave when they have read a post and precisely what they want to say is “Thank you – I enjoyed read ing that”?

    Don Mills Diva’s last blog post..Fashionably drunk?

42. Kathy @ Virtual Impax responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm →

    Actually, I’ve been PUZZLED over the whole “closing comments” trend. I mean you CAN moderate comments and you CAN choose which ones to display and which ones not to display. There’s no “law” that says you MUST allow every comment to be published.

    I always tell my clients, “It’s your blog and your sandbox. If you don’t want to allow cats in your sandbox, THAT IS YOUR RIGHT!”

    The thing is, if a comment isn’t well presented, the link is the only thing you’ll get. However, if it contributes to the discussion at hand, then people are usually willing to go see what else this commenter has to say!

    Blogging is about building community and it’s hard to do that without comments!

43. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 12:17 pm →

    @ zoe: “I have a tendency not to comment on blogs, A list or not, if there is no interaction between the blog author and the commentors.” I feel the same. When I comment several times and get no reaction, I usually lose interest.

    @ Carla: It’s true that I can’t know for sure. But I normally trust my instincts, online and offline, and when I sense that someone didn’t read the post, I believe it’s usually true. Also, see my response to Don Mills Diva bellow. I think you and her share the same point of view.

    @ Wesley: When you start out, you want ANY kind of comment. Trust me: I know. I seriously think that new bloggers should consider closing comments for the first few months.

    @ Don Mills Diva: You and I have had strong disagreements on this topic before. It looks like we will just have to agree to disagree.

    I don’t think it’s egotistical to expect people to read an article before they comment on it. Your assumption is that “great post” comments are left by people who did read the article and simply don’t have anything to say yet want to let the writer know that they visited. My assumption is that “great post” comments are left by people who never bothered to read the article. While I’m willing to accept that SOME “great post” comments are genuine, in the sense that the commenter did read the article, I do believe most of them are not.

    To answer your question, I try not to leave “great post” comments. If it’s important to me to comment, I always find something in the article that I can comment on. If I absolutely don’t have anything to say on an article, then I simply don’t comment. I either share it in social media or I just close the browser and move on to the next item in my feed reader.

    @ kathy: My guess is, some top bloggers just don’t want to deal with moderating comments. Imagine getting 100 comments on each post and having to moderate a third of them. That’s very time-consuming. It’s also interesting to note that these bloggers are NOT losing subscribers when they close comments. People still feel that they add value and want to read what they have to say. I definitely think that Problogger will not lose even a single subscriber if he closes comments. His blog provides a lot of value to bloggers. People would still want to read. In addition, closing comments does NOT mean the end of all interaction with readers. These bloggers still answer emails, link to smaller blogs and feature guest bloggers.

44. Jannie responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 12:29 pm →

    I love how we all come from entirely unique perpsectives on identical topics, as reflected in blog comments. People have ideas on my posts I never would have dreamed of. Thus, I don’t agree that comments are necessarily “diluted down after 20.”

    Question: what are the criteria for an A-list blog?

    I’m not sure how turning comments off would be helpful to a blog overall but I guess I’d have to walk in the shoes of an A-lister to understand the urge to close them. I do believe bloggers set the tone for discussion on their sites. Yours is obviously civil and thought-provoking and that appeals to me.

    I think the reality today is site promotion even via a legitimate comment on a post is all part of blogging. Marketing even. Hopefully the cream of the sites will rise to the top or if not all the way to the A-list, at least will promote betterment in smaller blogging communities’ lives.

45. Friar responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 12:43 pm →

    Comments are very similar to the debate on advertising last week. People want comments at first, because it engages readers and helps the blog grow. But if the blog gets too popular, then the authors want the comments turned off, because they’re unhappy with the quality and/or overwhelmed.

    As for me, it’s all good. Just so long as the commenters and/or bloggers dont’ go ballistic or get abusive,

    Comment. Don’t comment. Turn comments off….turn them on but only on alternate Leap-Years…only accept comments written in Esperanto….delete the ones with spelling mistakes….

    …..whatever floats your boat.

    The market will decide what works.

    Friar’s last blog post..Perfesser Friar gets Elemental.

46. Dot responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 12:53 pm →

    @Vered and @Tim – Why I was offended – because I did not get that the comments were all supposed to be from people who hadn’t read the article. I thought that two of the comments, below, were being judged as bad simply on their content, and I know that I might have written those two comments (except for the “good day mate”). I certainly didn’t feel I deserved to hear “stupid, venal, ignorant” or “blech” because of it.

    – “Very inspiring, I’ve been wondering about a few of the points for a while. Have a good day mate.”
    – “Such an incredibly helpful post. It was perfect timing for me. So much of it was exactly what I needed to hear and reflect on. Thanks!”

    Now that Vered has clairified, I’m not offended. I also misread the comments as being from Darren ____, Problogger (can’t remember his name) instead of from Marvin ____ of 43folders, which is why I mentioned Problogger in my reply and should have mentioned 43folders instead.

    As you can see, an ordinary well-meaning commenter (who is having an incredibly bad day and whose latest blog post was tossed into the ethereal Recycle Bin last night by mean gremlins) can actually fail to read fully and leave stupid comments, but I see now that stupid wasn’t the problem. There doesn’t seem to be a simple solution to the problem. If I were part of the commenters on one of those sites, I’d feel cheated when the comments were turned off, but there’s only so much grief a person can take before they get fed up.

47. Mrs. Micah responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 12:55 pm →

    Even on top blogs, I periodically find very valuable information in comments. Commenters provide updates, alternatives, even corrections. I think that a better idea might be for top bloggers to aggressively monitor the comments. Since it’s their own blog, that could include deleting all disagreement or it just might be deleting the useless comments like some of the ones you quoted. I think that could improve them. But the thought of leaving out comments entirely saddens me, since I’ve found lots of good information in comments and had some very valuable comments on my own site.

    On mid-size blogs like mine, I think the comment culture is more valuable and on smaller blogs the community built by commenters is priceless. But then there’s less of a motivation for people to leave a comment just to get their link up…and those people can easily be weeded out.

    As for “great post” comments, @Don Mills Diva, I leave the ones from regulars up because I figure that they may have liked the post and want to leave a note saying so. I doubt the motivation of first-timers whose only response is “great post” with a link to their blog.

48. Carla responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm →

    I also feel differently now that Vered clarified. The main part of my comment still stands, but I can see how frustrating it can be when people put in their two cents without having read the post. I has happened to me and it can be disheartening when you’re still new and that may be the ONLY comment you get for that post. I would like to think that if I got 20+ comments per post, It wouldn’t matter one bit.

    If I sounded cross yesterday, my apologies.

    Carla’s last blog post..Green and Chic Updates | Free Shipping

49. Avital responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 2:25 pm →

    I agree about the nature of the empty comments, as you define them – BUT I think a-list bloggers should not close their comment section. They should leave it for the sincere and contributing commenters and just ignore the rest. The empty comments are going to destroy the reputation of the linked blog anyway…

50. Patricia responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 2:39 pm →

    I read about 40 blogs a week some times I read all the articles on 5 a week post sites and I comment on about 15 posts a week.
    I am attempting to build discussion and community and learn how to blog and I usually read every word that was written. At the A-list sites I have asked several questions of the authors, especially while I was reading Darren’s book and the post related – I NEVER got a single answer, which I decided was because they were so big and had a different agenda.
    As when I wrote to Liz Strauss about how to join her chat she replied right away…”you are here, just push the F5 key to refresh and discover what others are commenting.” That was profoundly helpful. And when Michael Marine at Remarkablogger did a guest post, his reply was right on the money helpful and changed my perspective.
    I wish I did not get so many credit card offers in my mailbox, but those folks want to get their name out there too….I think it is the way it will be? The A list always changes when they don’t meet enough needs for the information/product they are giving out/sharing.
    I think I am too new to have any profound comments to make.
    Vered I so enjoy reading what you write and I am off to check out Tim’s information on Raw!

    Patricia’s last blog post..I Do Not Know Anything Different

51. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 2:50 pm →

    @ Jannie: “Question: what are the criteria for an A-list blog?” That is a VERY good question. I honestly don’t know. The most accurate criteria would probably be whether one makes a living from their blog. If they do, then they are probably on the A-list. Also, if a blog has tens of thousands of subscribers, or millions of pageviews per month, that would probably qualify them as A-listers.

    @ Friar: “Comment. Don’t comment. Turn comments off….turn them on but only on alternate Leap-Years…only accept comments written in Esperanto….delete the ones with spelling mistakes….whatever floats your boat. The market will decide what works.”

    Well said.

    @ Dot: I’m sorry you’re having a bad day. Here’s a {hug} for you. Really, truly, all I ask is that people would read before they comment. You’d be surprised at how many people comment on a post without reading it first.

    @ Mrs. Micah: I agree that a “great post” comment from a regular reader is fine while the same comment from someone new is suspicious.

    @ Carla: Please don’t apologize. I expected this post to be controversial and am actually surprised that no one announced that they are hereby unsubscribing because I’m just too full of myself. Yes, it can be frustrating, especially since I read each and every comment and respond to it.

    @ Avital: I’m not sure. On Problogger for example, I feel that the posts are of very high quality while a large percentage of the comments is very low quality. So when I read a post and then the comments, I leave the site feeling that I have read something of low quality.

    @ Patricia: “I think I am too new to have any profound comments to make.” Please don’t say that. You are new to blogging, but not to living. Of course you have a lot to contribute.

    Tim’s posts are always a great read.

52. Natural responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 3:12 pm →

    Do you ever comment on top blogs? No I don’t really, but I think all of the blogs I visit on a regular are “top blogs”. I guess you mean like a JChow blog.

    Do you sometimes engage in the “rush to comment first” game that Tim mentioned? Nope, sometimes it just works out that way most times.

    How do you feel about the empty comments on these blogs? Don’t care.

    Do you think these bloggers should close comments – do you agree with Mann that “it’s really cynical on the part of almost every publisher that allows that crap to go on”? No I don’t agree, if you leave the comments open then you can’t control what people say. If you don’t like their comments either delete it or don’t leave the comment section open. Why complain if you can do something about it?

    Natural’s last blog post..Answering Comments: Obligation, Optional or Off?

53. Sara at On Simplicity responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 3:34 pm →

    My take is pretty much live and let live, with just minor moderation. The reason? Based on my blog use, which may or may not be representative, I only read through the comments if the initial post really caught my attention. It has to be a topic that I want to learn more about, or learn what the general pulse is. (This one’s a good example!) If I’m interested, scanning through a few “Thanks” comments doesn’t phase me; after all, they’re mercifully short.

    That’s just my take at this moment, though. There’s no right and wrong, there’s only what works for each blogger. I would be fine if a blogger closed their comments. It would just signal to me nothing about their character, just that the comments really were taking a toll on them or their ability to put out quality posts.

    Sara at On Simplicity’s last blog post..20 Hidden Ways Your Stuff Screws You Over

54. Dave Jones, CPA responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 4:51 pm →

    Hi Vered,

    I was following a blog about a month ago and the guys sole purpose was to make money off his blog, which is most of our purposes. Anyway, he wrote an article about outsourcing comments. He was going on vacation and was looking to pay someone to leave comments. The dollar amount was based upon where the comment appeared. For example, first 3 commets he would pay $5, the next five he may pay $2 and so on. You had to comment on A – list blogs but quality did not matter. I didn’t think much of it because I usually click back on a commenters blog if I enjoy their comment. Anyway, it was just a strange take on commenting being used soley for marketing purposes.

    Dave Jones, CPA’s last blog post..Bar Stool Economics

55. Mark Salinas responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 5:59 pm →

    I comment on who I find interesting not what the masses think……I guess I go against the grain. I won’t give names but their are a few bloggers that get so much attention that it baffles me beyond belief! I truly enjoy so many different perspectives, writing styles and other journeys.

    Mark Salinas’s last blog post..Struggles – embrace them!

56. The Stiletto Mom responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 6:34 pm →

    I used to comment on the A lister sites but then I felt like I was talking to a wall because you just never hear back…which I understand as they have so many to get to. I like the community feel of sites where the writer comments back or you have conversations going on between bloggers in the comment section because they know eachother. The one blogger I totally agree with closing comments is Dooce when she posts anything about her daughter. I’m not as much of a fan as I used to be but I always applauded her for that move….with all her followers, you just know there are a bunch who would say totally inappropriate things about her kid and that is just sick.

57. Irene | Light Beckons responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 6:43 pm →

    I will agree with Zoe on this one – particularly for blogs that are getting a lot of comments but the author hardly replies any. It does make me wonder if the author actually bothers to read the comments in the first place. If I have a pressing question or comment that I’d like a reply on, I’d probably send the author an email instead.

    Irene | Light Beckons’s last blog post..Synchronicities

58. Kelly@SHE-POWER responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 7:33 pm →

    Love this post Vered as I’d agree commenting for self interest only is now out of control in many of the larger blogs. I no longer comment on any A-List blog and to be honest, lots of them I have stopped reading. As Becky said first up I prefer a more intimate relationship with my blogging pals. I’d agree with Leo that many of the Zen Habits commenters are an interesting bunch with something to say and they can add value to his articles sometimes.

    I actually got my blogging break, so to speak, by commenting on Zen Habits ages ago. Leo liked my thoughtful comments and came across to read my blog, liked what he saw and approached me to write for him. That guest article doubled my then subscriber numbers and raised my profile in the blogasphere so the rest of my growth has managed to happen organically. Which is just as well as I don’t have time or inclination to develop a blog marketing strategy.

    If I was Darren at Problogger, I’d probably delete a lot more of his comments or really make people contribute quality comments for awhile before you let them automatically go through.

    Interesting topic.

    Kelly

    Kelly@SHE-POWER’s last blog post..Quote of the Week – Happy For No Reason

59. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 8:17 pm →

    @ Natural: “Why complain if you can do something about it?” True. It looks like foe more and more bloggers, the answer is closing comments.

    @ Sara: I agree that each blogger should do what works for them. I don’t mind at all when a blogger closes comments. If the blog is interesting, I still read it.

    @ Dave Jones: Paying for comments – that’s pretty amazing. It really shows that comments can be no more than a marketing strategy.

    @ Mark Salinas: While most of the top bloggers are there because they offer value to their readers, I agree that some cases are indeed baffling.

    @ The Stiletto Mom: “The one blogger I totally agree with closing comments is Dooce when she posts anything about her daughter.” I completely agree.

    @ Irene: I agree that if you really need an answer, an email is a better choice.

    @ Kelly: I agree that Darren probably needs to monitor his comments more aggressively. I often feel that while his posts are great, the comments section is very low quality.

60. Shamelle -TheEnhanceLife responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 8:43 pm →

    * Should “A-List Bloggers” Close Comments?
    In my humble opinion it depends on the “type of post” and the authors perspective on “accepting” comments. “Will this post generate conversation? ” is a good question to ask before opening/closing comments I suppose.

    I am by no mean a “A-list” blogger however I do keep the comments open, because the I blog in the personal development niche and I like to hear whether my readers have similar issues, what they think of my advice or whether they have any wisdom for me etc….

    The “problem” with an “A-List Blog” is that reader comment JUST FOR THE SAKE of commenting.
    * SOME want to be the first person to comment, as it will give him/her the exposure to their blog.
    OR
    * Simply use the comment as a marketing mechanism by just saying “good post”.

61. Jamie | WiredParentPad responds:
    Posted: October 29th, 2008 at 8:50 pm →

    I’ve subscribe to a couple “A List” blogs and I’ve come across such comments more than I’d care to admit.

    If my blog were an “A Lister” I don’t think I’d close comments – I think I’d hire someone (maybe enlist one of my kids) to filter out the junk.

    Comments, interaction, and discussion are the life blood of a good blog. Take a look around here – could you imagine your posts on crazy hairstyles or anorexic models having the same impact without the ensuing discussions?

    Jamie | WiredParentPad’s last blog post..Think Before You Speak – That’s So Gay

62. Wesley responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 12:57 am →

    I think everyone likes a little bit of recognition, even A-list bloggers. That’s why none of them will ever actually turn off comments completely. Ittybiz made a huge deal about turning them off… what a surprise, they’re back on again. Because things are more valuable when they’re less available, it is true that one single comment would mean far more to someone who didn’t get many than it would to someone who gets hundreds, but that person who get hundreds still craves the comments, even needs them and relies on them. Leo Babauta will never turn off comments because like everyone he enjoys and appreciates recognition, but if tomorrow everyone suddenly stopped commenting on Zen Habits for good, he’d be upset, far more upset than those who never had comments to begin with, because he’d feel he’d lost something. In fact, even if a few people still did stick around he’d be upset, even if he still had a lot of comments compared to others. I imagine he’d go through the 5 stages of grief:

    Denial – He’d think the comments were broken somehow; that they weren’t getting through. He’d struggle to fix them. He’d go through his template. He’d test them. He’d ask regular commenters if the comment form were working for them.

    Anger – He’d be mad that everyone had finally had enough and stopped commenting. He’d feel betrayed. The loss of money from his advertisements would be one source of this anger, but mostly it would be the lack of attention and recognition that he was previously getting.

    Bargaining – He’d beg the universe, “Please have the commenters come back. I’ll never get upset about a ‘great post’ comment again. I’ll always take the time to respond to each one… honestly I will! I’ll never take them for granted anymore.” (At this point he wouldn’t view “great post” comments so much as spam, or dare look down at new bloggers who are happy to get these short appreciative comments.)

    Depression – He’d feel depressed. No one loves old Leo Babauta anymore. What happened? It doesn’t matter. No one’s commenting. No one’s noticing. He’s just shouting to the wind.

    Acceptance – And finally he’d accept his fate. His novelty has worn off. But never again will he criticize those who leave “great post” comments, for they are nearly all he has.

    So, as you can see, the new blogger and the A-list blogger are really no different from each other. It’s just that one has what he wants and the other is still after it.

    Wesley’s last blog post..My 100th Post!

63. BloggerNewbie responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 1:23 am →

    I don’t think comments should be closed at all. I agree that comments are what makes a blog unique. But I do think they should be moderated a little better. That may be a great idea but bloggers like Darren Rouse can’t even respond to comments let alone have the time to moderate them.

    BloggerNewbie’s last blog post..Creative Titles Are Crucial

64. Cath Lawson responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 3:37 am →

    Hi Vered – I’ve never done the commenting first thing. With the time difference, I often feel as though I’m last to the party – and for some reason new posts don’t seem to show up in my reader straight away.

    I did comment on the larger blogs when I first started blogging. But once I realised that “Great Post” wasn’t what you were supposed to write – I did actually write more meaningful comments. But, as you know, once your blog begins to grow – commenting on other blogs doesn’t bring you a meaningful amount of traffic. So, I now only do it when I have something to say, or to support bloggers who also support my comments section.

    The kind of comments you mention bug me. I would and do put all the ones you listed in the spam folder, unless the comment came from a regular commenter. Anyway, enough on comments from me. You know I have strong opinions on the subject

65. Robin responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 4:15 am →

    I tend to feel it’s up to the blogger to filter out the obvious junk – but then it wouldn’t always be that easy to, especially when some people are not native English speakers.

    I have commented a fair bit on ProBlogger – but always when I’ve actually got something to say – I couldn’t be bothered otherwise! I met my first real blogging friend through his comment section!

    Robin’s last blog post..How A Lot Of Wind Changed My Plans

66. Scott McIntyre responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 4:42 am →

    I’m creeping in again at the tail end … so no one will probably read this comment but you, Vered!

    I previously thought that comments were the sign of a vibrant blog community, but over the past few months I’ve become more doubtful.

    As you say, there does seem to be a race to be first ‘past the post’ in terms of getting a blog link up at the start. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as it is a worthy comment.

    A vibrant blog community means more than just a busy comments section.

    To me, it’s about an inspired group of readers who are so taken by a blog’s content that they talk about it both online and offline. This positive word-of-mouth can be via social media or simply telling your best friend about it. Hopefully, this will help a blog grow.

    Also, if I’m honest, I rarely see interaction between readers in a comment section. Perhaps, debate is more possible in a forum- but it’s still a limitation of comments.

    Do people even read each other’s comments? I’ve seen comments where the reader has asked a great question but never gets a response from fellow readers.

    The trend that appears to be coming is the closing of certain posts to comments while leaving others open for discussion (but, again, it’s mostly the blogger who discusses the points with each individual reader).

    I now believe that this ‘on/ off’ approach to comments is a good solution.

    After all, people never expect their hard copy newspapers to talk back!

    I wonde whether blogs who turn off comments on a regular basis will see lower growth and subscribers?

    Or, as I suspect, the quality of the comments will improve as all the spammers will go elsewhere.

67. Betsy Wuebker responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 5:02 am →

    Hey Scott! I read your comment! I did want to add, though, that the web of blogs I read has many of the same people commenting. I’m feeling as though I’m getting to know them even if we haven’t had direct interaction.

    Betsy Wuebker’s last blog post..RUNES

68. Mike Goad responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 7:01 am →

    Cath – sometimes you’re the first to blog on some of my posts. Of course that’s not hard on a blog that doesn’t get the traffic that Vered gets.

    Scott – I read your comment, too. While I don’t always read all the comments, I always subscribe to comments, where it’s available, and read a good sampling of the comments that are made after I commented.

    Mike Goad’s last blog post..Misc. stuff — theme, de-mothballed blog, vote, 96 hour web sabbatical, etc., etc.

69. Scott McIntyre responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 8:10 am →

    Hello Betsy and Mike,

    It’s nice to have company here at the tail end

70. MommyNamedApril responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 9:06 am →

    oh, i’m so glad i could introduce you to the Blogess! she’s great another fav of mine is the Barefoot Foodie, she’s not quite as popular, but is absolutely in my top three for that genre of writing!

71. MizFit responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 9:51 am →

    ok
    Ive been pondering this since I first read and am resisting making THANKS my comment

    I think not. that, for me, it’s a dialogue. a community.
    I would personally begin to feel as though I were yammering AT PEOPLE.

    doing a monologue.

    (and yes. my first comment was so friggin long it surpassed your post so I edited to that)

    MizFit’s last blog post..It’s getting HOT in herre.

72. Friar responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 10:49 am →

    One thing I think we can all agree on:

    Anyone who leaves “Firsties” as a comment, should be strung up by the thumbs, and severely beaten with stale Spam.

73. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 2:43 pm →

    @ Shamelle: “The “problem” with an “A-List Blog” is that reader comment JUST FOR THE SAKE of commenting.” I agree. This is the main problem, and obviously, the bigger the blog, the more it attracts this type of comments.

    @ Jamie: I can’t imagine MomGrind without comments. I think your solution of keeping comments open and aggressively moderating them – even hiring someone to do it – is a good one.

    @ Wesley: Interesting ideas. I agree that most bloggers receive some kind of validation through comments. I agree that Naomi of Ittybiz missed comments and that’s why she reopened them – but note that she opened them for select posts only. I also think that when you have 100,000 subscribers or 1,000,000 monthly pageviews, you likely rely less on comments.

    @ BloggerNewbie: Moderating comments and responding to them does take time. I can’t really blame Darren. I think he’s concentrating on writing content. Maybe he should hire someone to handle comments.

    @ Cath: “as you know, once your blog begins to grow – commenting on other blogs doesn’t bring you a meaningful amount of traffic. So, I now only do it when I have something to say, or to support bloggers who also support my comments section.” – this is pretty much what I’ve been doing lately.

    @ Robin: It’s true that one must be careful not to label as junk something that was written by a person who’s not fully proficient in English.

    @ Scott: See? Others read your comments too even if you’re late to the party. You know, all these signs of a successful blogs – number of comments, number of subscribers – none of these really works. Ido recently said that he thinks the only REAL question is: can you make a living from your blog. If yes, then the blog’s successful.

    @ Betsy Wuebker: I agree. It does feel like a pretty tight community.

    @ MommyNamedApril: Off to check Barefoot Foodie.

    @ MizFit: I agree that “great post” comments do not contribute to the community.

    @ Friar: That’s a little harsh!

74. Carla responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 2:48 pm →

    @Friar – LOL! Wow, I have left a first comment on a high traffic blog before (this one in fact!) and didn’t even realize it was a privilege, an honor, anything to be proud of! I need to keep my eyes open.

    Carla’s last blog post..Halloween Safety

75. Wesley responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 3:40 pm →

    I only have comments on select posts too.

    You, Dooce, and I all have comments turned off on some posts. I think most bloggers probably do. I still consider that having comments on.

    Wesley’s last blog post..Subscribers: Quality Is Better Than Quantity

76. Jonathan Mead responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 9:05 pm →

    I would have to agree that empty comments are really shameless. I think there’s nothing wrong with commenting with the intention of just getting your name out there, but you should at least try to contribute to the discussion.

    That said, I don’t know how you can generalize that all of those “empty comment types” you listed in your post, are actually empty comments. You don’t really know the thought processes going on inside those people’s minds. Sometimes someone really has nothing to say other than “thank you.”

    The only exception I would make to that is when you see the same people on the same blogs doing this type of commenting post after post.

    Otherwise, I think we have no business in assuming the thoughts and intentions of commenters.

77. Jonathan Mead responds:
    Posted: October 30th, 2008 at 9:06 pm →

    One last thing.

    Great post!

    Check out my blog: http://illuminatedmind.net

    Thanks!

    Thank you!

    Again! =)

78. Davina responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 12:36 am →

    Ok, I wanna have the last word (is that possible?) Hi Scott… read your comment too! Have a great weekend Vered. I’m off to your next post.

    Davina’s last blog post..A Ghostly Life Experience

79. Christina Narciso responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 2:11 am →

    Wow Vered! This topic really was up for debate with your readers! I think I went through half an hour reading just the comments! HAHA You really know how to choose your posts! I agree with you, even though I have a small site, I still get “spam” comments, where they only want to post their link. It’s annoying, and takes the joy away from reading other comments because it provides valuable feedback. And trolls, they abuse the “power of speech.” It’s a shame.

80. Kmommy @ The Poopie Patrol responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 8:31 am →

    I used to comment on A-list bloggers when I first started blogging and really had no clue about anything. So it wasn’t just for the purpose of getting my name out there or anything like that – I had no idea at the time that it was considered a way to do that… But since then, I rarely comment on A-list bloggers. They have so many comments already. And if they don’t bother to take the time to respond, and don’t pop in for a visit at my blog… while I do realize that they certainly can’t take the time to visit 100 blogs a day… I would just rather visit and comment on bloggers that I feel a community with.

    Kmommy @ The Poopie Patrol’s last blog post..I’ve Been Boo-ed

81. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 10:21 am →

    @ Wesley: I agree. I think closing comments on select posts is the best solution for me.

    @ Jonathan Mead: I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I have very strong intuition as far as people and their intentions go. I tend to trust my instincts. Interpreting and identifying other people’s thoughts and intentions is an important life skill. Sure, it’s not foolproof and I can make mistakes, but for the most part, I trust my people-radar, online and offline.

    As for your “great post” comment, it’s funny and to the point and it perfectly illustrates the type of comment that you can safely assume is no more than self-promotion, but there ARE subtler cases. Bottom line: when it comes to people and their intentions, I always trust my judgement.

    @ Davina: Didn’t work. There are comments after this.

    @ Christina: Spam is a big problem. It always amazes me how each and every wonderful human invention is quickly used by evil sleazy people to their own benefit.

    @ Kmommy: “I would just rather visit and comment on bloggers that I feel a community with.” This is completely understandable.

82. Jonathan Mead responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 10:43 am →

    @ Vered: So you don’t think there’s ever a case when someone just wants to say thank you and they have no ulterior motives?

83. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 11:25 am →

    @ Jonathan Mead: I agree with Mrs. Micah who said above that a “great post” comment from a regular reader is acceptable, while the same comment from a new commenter is highly suspicious. It also depends on the post. My post for today on Halloween costumes is exactly the type of post that invites “great post” comments and I’m fine with that. But for deeper posts, and most of Leo’s posts and yours too by the way are deep and thought-provoking, “great post” is just inappropriate in my opinion.

    Personally, I really try not to make “great post” comments. I always find something in the article that I can comment on. If I absolutely don’t have anything to say, but I really like the article, then I support it in other ways such as emailing it to friends or voting for it in social media.

    I like the way you make me think, Jonathan.

84. Jonathan Mead responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 2:57 pm →

    @ Vered: I was just giving you a hard time. You know I love you. Haha.

    I think “great post” is out of style too. Next time I read a really awesome post I’m going to be like “TOTALLY FANTASTICALLY AMAZINGLY AWESOME!”

    Enthusiasm always wins.

85. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: October 31st, 2008 at 3:24 pm →

    @ Jonathan: It’s mutual.

86. Jannie responds:
    Posted: November 12th, 2008 at 10:43 am →

    Here’s another thought – a blogger could make their policy ” I will respond to the first 50 comments each post,” or 60 or 100, or 40 whatever they think they can handle. I dunno. What do you think?

    P.S. Great post.

87. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: November 12th, 2008 at 11:14 am →

    @ Jannie: I think it’s a very good idea. I might just give it a try…

88. Jannie responds:
    Posted: November 12th, 2008 at 6:43 pm →

    Yeah, the only downside for your faithful readers would be if some of them had limted computer access as opposed to the ones who could check your feed often to read your posts and get their comments in quickly. But, at least if you got really overwhelmed by comments and you had stated your 100 comments (or how many ever,) policy up front they’d hopefully realize you were trying your best and are just one person with the same 24 hours a day we all have.

    Pesonally, now that my initial rush of “Wow, I’ve finanlly got a blog with comments and I’m actually getting comments” is over, I think a great plan for me at this stage is to publish 3 posts a week and a Saturday or Sunday mini bonus. I notice you generally follow along those lines.

    Yes, I blogged for 2 years w/o comments (Really. Don’t even ask, long story. I imagine I’ll post on it someday.) So I feel confident your suggested 2 months w/o comments for newbies recommendation has been more than amply met by me!

89. Backpacking Dad responds:
    Posted: November 20th, 2008 at 11:07 pm →

    This is a grate artcle Deborah. I’m really appreciate ur thoughtful contribution to this isue.

    :}

    Sometimes I just comment to make the blogger laugh. It’s anti-trolling. Not troll hunting (which I just have to do every now and then), but adding a little something to the other side of the karmic scale.

90. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: November 21st, 2008 at 10:27 am →

    @ Backpacking dad: You’re so funny.

91. Spruch responds:
    Posted: May 19th, 2010 at 10:40 pm →

    Hello from Germany! May i quote a post a translated part of your blog with a link to you? I’ve tried to contact you for the topic Blog Comments | Blogger For Hire, but i got no answer, please reply when you have a moment, thanks, Spruch

92. MomGrind responds:
    Posted: May 20th, 2010 at 2:09 pm →

    Sure, as long as you link back to the original post. Danke.

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