I follow quite a few blogs and I think it's polite to leave a comment behind if there's a post that I've read and enjoyed, if it's made me think about something or if I just want to acknowledge that I've visited. I only usually get online properly once a week to read all the blogs I follow, though occasionally if someone on Twitter posts a link then I'll read it there.
If I'm reading a post on my phone I don't usually comment because it has a habit of eating my replies. For some reason if I backspace while replying it stops typing and I have to start over. It's frustrating so I try to remember to post comments when I'm online on a Sunday.
I like to try and read through all the updates posted through the week but I have a habit of not knowing what to say. The time I'm most guilty of this is probably with my friends who have different interests to myself, like my friends with nail blogs which I enjoy looking at the pictures for but I don't often paint my nails so often can't think of anything to say beyond 'that looks cool'. Thinking about it, I probably should comment on these more often because it's nice to get an acknowledgement that someone's read something and I'm sure those girls would like to know I appreciate their designs and not just following them because I feel like I should.
The other time I struggle to post comments is when it's someone I don't know. Unless you're a friend I know from a particular site if I stumble across your blog and start reading it regularly I feel a bit stalkerish just commenting out of the blue. I should really get over this because blogs are out there for people to read and it's probably even more stalkerish to just lurk in the background reading blog posts without actually saying anything about them!
So I've started trying to make a conscious effort to comment more often on the blogs that I read. Obviously that won't be on every blog, but I think it's better than I have been. I think it's important to say something meaningful, to say you agree or disagree with what's been said or to share an experience. What's helped with this is getting an app for my phone which allows me to read the blogs I follow without coming online via Blogspot (which is really time consuming). Then if there's something I want to read, I open it in Safari and leave my comment; it means I don't have to try and remember what I was going to say until I get online at the weekend.
I also like to reply to comments on my blog. Sometimes you can end up with interesting conversations going on or ideas for future posts. The problem is, I get an email regardless of who the reply is from so I get excited to see I have a new reply, then I realise that it's my own post!
How about you? What influences your blog comments?
I'm absolutely terrible at commenting. Sometimes I feel a bit silly leaving a comment that's entirely unconstructive - like you've described when you see nail art posts (hi, welcome to my blog) - but at the same time, I'd welcome that kind of comment with open arms because I just like knowing that my blog is actually read. I hereby resolve to comment more! ♥
ReplyDeleteI know, it's nice to get some acknowledgement that someone's read what you've written. I'm trying to comment on at least one blog every day which is a good start. ;-)
DeleteCommenting is a tricky thing. If I like a post I'll want to comment, but if there are already twenty-odd comments it puts me off, I wonder if mine as good as the rest. I'm getting much better now though, and I think it helps to make you feel more involved in the blogging community.
ReplyDeleteI don't spend too much time thinking up what to comment, if a response about the post comes straight to mind I'll put it down. I think the natural thoughts often come across much better.
Like this one (I hope!)
If I spend too much time trying to think of a comment, I usually give up on it because I agree that the best comments are the natural ones, like you said.
DeleteAll comments are appreciated. ;-)
I like to comment. Sometimes it is only to say that I enjoyed the blog when other commenters have said what I would have.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a good way to be, sometimes it's easy to feel like there's nothing left to add to the comments because everyone else has said it all. Just saying you agree and liked the post is enough. :-)
DeleteI have this same problem, unless it's something I'm really interested in I don't know what to say! I read a lot of blogs that probably don't even know I stop by regularly. I've been trying to comment more recently, but I could still do better.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've been trying to work on, just by making an effort to reply to one or two of the dozen or so I read at a time. I'm hoping to gradually increase the number I'm commenting on. :-)
DeleteI have blogs that I comment on all the time and then I'll have visited a blog for a long time and not leave many comments because while I like the person, they don't have topics I can relate to. Then other times, I come across a new blog and decide to comment on a post that peaks my interest.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably a good way of summing up my commenting patterns. I think it's important that the comments you leave are meaningful to the person you're leaving them for, rather than just commenting for the sake of it. :-)
Delete