Comments on: Brief notes http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/ "In these hands, I've held the broken dream, In my soul, I'm howling at the moon" Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:04:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ray http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/comment-page-1/#comment-198 Ray Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:15:07 +0000 http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/#comment-198 On the akismet v Defensio debate, I use Bad Behaviour and Spam Karma 2 and I am spam free. Well, possibly not quite true, I did have one human written comment that I didn't like the look of - the url looked a bit spammy, so I edited the url and left the comment. I tend to get hardly any comments, but that's ok. The blog is written mostly for me and occasionally for others so I don't mind not getting comments too much. Though if I write a fantastically useful post I would like a few more comments :) As to responding to comments - if the comment is written to me I respond, if a couple of commenters are having a onversation/discussion, I let them get on with it. On the akismet v Defensio debate, I use Bad Behaviour and Spam Karma 2 and I am spam free. Well, possibly not quite true, I did have one human written comment that I didn’t like the look of – the url looked a bit spammy, so I edited the url and left the comment.

I tend to get hardly any comments, but that’s ok. The blog is written mostly for me and occasionally for others so I don’t mind not getting comments too much. Though if I write a fantastically useful post I would like a few more comments :)

As to responding to comments – if the comment is written to me I respond, if a couple of commenters are having a onversation/discussion, I let them get on with it.

]]> By: sulz http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/comment-page-1/#comment-186 sulz Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:03:29 +0000 http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/#comment-186 no problem. i forgot to say thanks for the link love! maybe my nickname sounds like a bad brand of medicine. ;) and please don't feel inclined to reply this comment if you don't know what to say, lol. ;) no problem. i forgot to say thanks for the link love! maybe my nickname sounds like a bad brand of medicine. ;)

and please don’t feel inclined to reply this comment if you don’t know what to say, lol. ;)

]]> By: Wolfie http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/comment-page-1/#comment-185 Wolfie Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:46:55 +0000 http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/#comment-185 sulz » [Just so's you know, Defensio doesn't seem to be working too well so far - I've had to rescue both your comments from the Spam folder.] Looked at in the context of a conversation, I see your point. It would be rude to ignore those kind enough to leave comments - especially if they're "long time readers, first time commenter" type people. Thanks for your insights. sulz »
[Just so's you know, Defensio doesn't seem to be working too well so far - I've had to rescue both your comments from the Spam folder.]

Looked at in the context of a conversation, I see your point. It would be rude to ignore those kind enough to leave comments – especially if they’re “long time readers, first time commenter” type people. Thanks for your insights.

]]> By: sulz http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/comment-page-1/#comment-184 sulz Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:41:27 +0000 http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/#comment-184 i like to acknowledge people's presence in my blog, even if i may not know exactly what to reply. it's like in real life, i wouldn't ignore a person who's talking to me. if i really don't know what to say, i'd just say thanks for the comment, with a smiley. :) i don't respond to all comments, though. the first one, yes, the second or third, if i don't have anything to add, i don't feel inclined to leave a reply for the sake of replying. my personal pet peeve about commenting is selective response by the blogger. it's probably not personal, but i dislike it when a blogger chooses to reply to certain people (especially when it's my first comment in the blog); it's like as if my comment wasn't even read. if the blogger doesn't reply to any comments, it's not as bad to me (though of course i'd like to be replied to!). if the blogger and i are regular commenters in each others' blog, i don't mind it then. i like to acknowledge people’s presence in my blog, even if i may not know exactly what to reply. it’s like in real life, i wouldn’t ignore a person who’s talking to me. if i really don’t know what to say, i’d just say thanks for the comment, with a smiley. :)

i don’t respond to all comments, though. the first one, yes, the second or third, if i don’t have anything to add, i don’t feel inclined to leave a reply for the sake of replying.

my personal pet peeve about commenting is selective response by the blogger. it’s probably not personal, but i dislike it when a blogger chooses to reply to certain people (especially when it’s my first comment in the blog); it’s like as if my comment wasn’t even read. if the blogger doesn’t reply to any comments, it’s not as bad to me (though of course i’d like to be replied to!). if the blogger and i are regular commenters in each others’ blog, i don’t mind it then.

]]> By: Wolfie http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/comment-page-1/#comment-183 Wolfie Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:30:01 +0000 http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/#comment-183 sulz » No rambling detected here and thanks for dropping by. I think you've highlighted the very reasons why that other blogger wasn't getting comments. I always appreciate it when people respond to a post I've written; I see from your blog that you respond to every comment that's made - I'm never sure on that point. If I don't have anything to add to what the person has said, should I still say something to acknowledge their comment or is that not generally expected? sulz »
No rambling detected here and thanks for dropping by. I think you’ve highlighted the very reasons why that other blogger wasn’t getting comments.

I always appreciate it when people respond to a post I’ve written; I see from your blog that you respond to every comment that’s made – I’m never sure on that point. If I don’t have anything to add to what the person has said, should I still say something to acknowledge their comment or is that not generally expected?

]]> By: sulz http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/comment-page-1/#comment-182 sulz Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:16:11 +0000 http://wolfshowl.com/2008/01/09/brief-notes-4/#comment-182 when i first started blogging (two years ago), i was writing for myself. nobody knew i had a blog, and i didn't know how to promote it. naturally i didn't receive many, if any, comments. few months in blogging, i got a trickle. that was only because i had commented in other blogs and the bloggers are kind enough to return the favour. few more months into blogging, i made some blogging friends, and we exchange comments on each other's blogs. i discovered the wp.com forums and that pulled some hits, and eventually some regular readers too. it was only after a year of blogging that i get comments regularly. unless my post is a clearly personal post or if i turn the comment options off, i always get one comment at least. i like to think that the number of comments i get reflects my friendliness (because not many would want to leave a comment in an unfriendly blog) and also my content (because you have to write something that appeals to your readers in order to get comments). regular readers are more generous in commenting than passers-by stumbling upon your blog through search engines. so in order to get more comments, you have to build a readership first. and you have to start the ball rolling by being generous in commenting yourself. sorry for rambling! when i first started blogging (two years ago), i was writing for myself. nobody knew i had a blog, and i didn’t know how to promote it. naturally i didn’t receive many, if any, comments.

few months in blogging, i got a trickle. that was only because i had commented in other blogs and the bloggers are kind enough to return the favour.

few more months into blogging, i made some blogging friends, and we exchange comments on each other’s blogs. i discovered the wp.com forums and that pulled some hits, and eventually some regular readers too.

it was only after a year of blogging that i get comments regularly. unless my post is a clearly personal post or if i turn the comment options off, i always get one comment at least.

i like to think that the number of comments i get reflects my friendliness (because not many would want to leave a comment in an unfriendly blog) and also my content (because you have to write something that appeals to your readers in order to get comments).

regular readers are more generous in commenting than passers-by stumbling upon your blog through search engines. so in order to get more comments, you have to build a readership first. and you have to start the ball rolling by being generous in commenting yourself.

sorry for rambling!

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