Sooooo it's not the first post to talk about reasons for blogging and fellow-blogger interaction and comment etiquette - if there is such a thing.
But Bonnie's post inspired me to leave a comment there and midway thru' I realised that even if someone read my post and didn't have anything post-related to write, a "Hello, I was here" would still be a lovely thing to see.
I understand, as I am also guilty of this, that sometimes you might read and not write anything because you may not have anything relevant / of import to say regarding the topic of the day.
I mean, I write about Plants. Food. My Mother. Surely there are readers who do not know about plants, food, or mothers.😏. And so they read and don't leave a comment that day (I assume). Or, well, you know, ever. And I cannot expect everyone to know what a plant is, or what purpose food serves or how mothers came to be. So surely there are those who will just be passing through.
But if you're ever here and want to leave a comment but don't know what to say, just say "Popping in to say Hi," and that will suffice. I don't need to enter into a meaningful discussion in the comment section. I just like having people say Hello.
My question to other bloggers is - Do you feel the same way? If your post that day asks for captions (KD, I'm looking at you) or if you've written something about an illness (and I have had no experience with it either first, second or any hand), or perhaps you've drawn something, shared a pic, or written a poem or otherwise produced something which might fall into the "creative" category, and I don't connect with it, would you prefer I leave a "Hello, stopping by to say I was here today" comment? Or would you rather a reader didn't mar your comment wall with irrelevant (to the post) text?
(Don't be surprised if you see just a Hi and/or a "Like", or maybe a thumbs up 👍 on your posts.)
Leave a comment letting me know. Or not. You could just leave a smiley face emoji. I don't really care one way or the other. But it would be nice, since you came round, to just say hi. Like how you wave or smile when you pass a friend on the street, you know? I mean, YOU DID CLICK ON MY BLOG. ON PURPOSE. TO COME SEE WHAT I WROTE.
Ahem. Was that too loud?
Ok, leave a comment.
My chip pic today ~
Hi Fondles, love your chip pic today lol. See, I think there is usually something one can connect with to comment on in a post. I don't think you necessarily need to have much knowledge of the topic or need to be an expert either. For example, I don't have a great knowledge of Asian cuisine, but I enjoy learning from your posts and from what I read in the comments section a number of other readers are also enjoying learning from you.
ReplyDeleteWhen I did activity post I always appreciated that readers took the time to comment, even just a hello to let me know they visited.
Hugs
Roz
LOL Roz, you're the queen of leaving comments and letting us know your thoughts. It's amazing you always manage to address all the different things I write about in my post. And trust me, I've often wondered if *TODAY* might be the day Roz misses out ONE topic. But NOOOOOPE. I'll write about 6 things and you'll manage to have something nice to say about all 6! You're so so good at this.
DeleteI try very hard to comment when I pop into a blog... BUT there are days I just have nothing to say - or something interrupts me ... oh there are many reasons why I may not comment. I used to feel guilty when I didn't comment but then I realized there are folks who drop by The Journey and don't comment .... so why stress?? (good example - Bonnie linking to my blog yesterday - yet I don't think she has ever commented on my blog - shrug)
ReplyDeleteI am thinking if folks only post for the comments - then maybe? they're not posting from their hearts? le sigh - not sure I am explaining this well.. maybe I need to write a blog post and see if I can do a better job.
Anyway - I do try to comment on your blog regularly as well as a few others...
i don't think it's binary - it isn't a case of EITHER posting from one's heart OR posting for comments.
Deletei post from the heart, kinda as a journal, but since it's here and people read, it's nice to get a response.
My question is, would a 👍 or a *like* (FB got this right) be considered an acceptable comment?
For the record, it would be totally welcome here. So if anyone reading here wants to do so, I would love a Hello or a *Wave*. That works.
Hello, I was here!
ReplyDeleteHello! Welcome. I'm glad you decided to say hi! Thanks for reading.
Delete"And I cannot expect everyone to know what a plant is, or what purpose food serves or how mothers came to be." I love this line. It strikes at the heart of the 'nothing to say' issue. It truly is a marvel to consider a bewildered reader struggling to cope with the inability to relate to such esoteric topics like plants, food, and mothers. LOL I mean not every one eats, right? And not everyone has a mother. And plants? Well I guess a person would just have to Google what those are. LOL In the case of my blog, there are so many different issues and features tossed out that for a regular visitor to say "I have no opinion on any of them" makes me question their mental competence. Now, if that same regular said they didn't have an opinion on a particular topic, but recently commented on something else? Well, that's a different story.
ReplyDeleteBonnie's question asked about our purpose or goal in blogging, our feelings on comments, and it also made reference to 'click counting'. For me? All different issues. I don't blog for compliments or recognition, though they are nice when they happen. I blog to incite discussion (Dan's blog is a great example of a kinky discussion-based blog where participants not only leave detailed comments, but reply to others' comments and interact with Dan in multiple back-and-forths, fleshing out the issue at hand.) and I have found over the years that very few participants interact on this level.
I have settled on being somewhat satisfied with a well-thought-out single comment from a reader. So, while I periodically......maybe once every two or three months.....check the blogger stats on 'hits', hits alone are relatively meaningless to me other than as a reference for percemt to total participation. ( If a day has only gotten 100 hits, I might use that to evaluate the appeal of that post topic, but if a post gets close to a thousand hits, and only a couple of comments, I wonder what the problem is. But the number of hits alone mean nothing. Bonnie referenced a 'click-bait' post that got 18,000 hits. What good are a million hits for a person like me looking for discussion if that astronomical tally led to nothing other than numbers on a meter?)
Now as to your question about commenting on posts where there's no real contribution to make? Well, that's tricky because I think it also has to do with the nature of the blog itself. If a blog ONLY posts daily pictures and a picture doesn't resonate with me, I may make an attempt to say SOMETHING...usually a joke about something inherent in the picture that amuses me. But there are times when I'm busy and a picture doesn't connect and by the time I log on again there's already a new post, and I'll just let the post pass. Same thing with journal-type posts. If a blog is posting about 90% personal journal posts about the host's life, I'll try to comment as well, but sometimes if the topics are repeating, I'll have nothing new to say. Even then I'll struggle to say something, but there are days when I just come up empty.
Now if your question is should I or someone else just post SOMETHING even on those days? Perhaps. But if that person lets that day go and comments the next day or the one after that, I'm equally cool. My disappointment is with the people who never have anything to offer, and who never even make an attempt to comment.
to be contd.............
contd....but because of the comment approval making the post disappear, I'm not sure where I cut this in half so if this repeats a bit....sorry:
ReplyDeleteI have settled on being somewhat satisfied with a well-thought-out single comment from a reader. So, while I periodically......maybe once every two or three months.....check the blogger stats on 'hits', hits alone are relatively meaningless to me other than as a reference for percemt to total participation. ( If a day has only gotten 100 hits, I might use that to evaluate the appeal of that post topic, but if a post gets close to a thousand hits, and only a couple of comments, I wonder what the problem is. But the number of hits alone mean nothing. Bonnie referenced a 'click-bait' post that got 18,000 hits. What good are a million hits for a person like me looking for discussion if that astronomical tally led to nothing other than numbers on a meter?)
Now as to your question about commenting on posts where there's no real contribution to make? Well, that's tricky because I think it also has to do with the nature of the blog itself. If a blog ONLY posts daily pictures and a picture doesn't resonate with me, I may make an attempt to say SOMETHING...usually a joke about something inherent in the picture that amuses me. But there are times when I'm busy and a picture doesn't connect and by the time I log on again there's already a new post, and I'll just let the post pass. Same thing with journal-type posts. If a blog is posting about 90% personal journal posts about the host's life, I'll try to comment as well, but sometimes if the topics are repeating, I'll have nothing new to say. Even then I'll struggle to say something, but there are days when I just come up empty.
Now if your question is should I or someone else just post SOMETHING even on those days? Perhaps. But if that person lets that day go and comments the next day or the one after that, I'm equally cool. My disappointment is with the people who never have anything to offer, and who never even make an attempt to comment.
The online record speaks for itself, and anyone in our circle can easily look back among the blogs in our mix and see my commenting record. If someone posts an issue/topic/question it's almost a guarantee I'll respond. If someone is a faithful regular at my place, you'll see I try pretty hard to leave comments at their places....even if there aren't actual "topics" being presented.
For me? I guess if someone just leaves a "I was here, but haven't much to add" comment, it helps knowing they stopped by.......kind of like your wave/nod on the street greeting example. But hopefully that is an occasional thing, and maybe a post or two later, that same person WILL have something to say. Now THAT'S meaningful.
What I don't think I'd enjoy.....but thankfully don't get much of....would be daily droppings of little platitudes that have little to do with the topic, kind of like a stray cat who makes their daily rounds through a neighborhood, only this would be more like a stray unicorn doing the same thing and leaving little rainbow-colored unicorn droppings at each stop. That would just make me want to call you and jointly set that seal on fire. LOL
That seal is gone. Fell into the ice. I watched King Arthur (2004) recently and the only thing I enjoyed was the battle on the ice (you can find it on Youtube) and well, I imagine that's where all the seals went.
DeleteOnly there were no seals in the movie. And they did not fall into the ice. But that's just where my brain went. Please excuse me, it has been a long day.
However, I do appreciate your thoughts on this topic.
And I agree that a wave every now and then when interspersed with actual words left on other posts are perfectly fine but if every post elicits just a "hello I'm here" then well, it makes me wonder if the reader is capable of any original thought at all.
Often if a topic is one where I've mentioned on a previous post my ignorance or lack of opinion on it, then I'm ok to just not say anything. But sometimes I read and my brain goes Hmm, interesting - but leave that as a comment might come off sounding like I'm merely humouring the creator of said post?
And so I want to say Hey, yeah, I read this. I enjoyed reading it. But that then begs the question, What did you enjoy? And sometimes I can't say.
I'm with you (too) on the you-don't-have-to-comment-on-every-post thing. But comment every now and then, and that'll be pretty nice, I think.
As for that stray unicorn - if you don't want it in your backyard set a trap and then hand it over to me. I'maloveunicorns!
OK, well I'm a bit sensitive about replying, after appearing in the "Hall of Shame" (!), but I'll try and post more. I read most posts, and have done for maybe two years. Before that, a bit irregularly, TBH. It was the food stuff that prompted it, really. The mother stuff I get (absolutely -- in my case 93), and the sexy stuff I like, but the foodie stuff -- oh boy!
DeleteM
Ah, bygones. Just don't disclose my location and we're all good.
DeleteI have seared it from my mind. Somewhere in South America, right? :-)
DeleteI'm here nearly every time you post. I know nearly nothing about plants and their food. I think I know even less about the food you eat! LOL! Taking care of mothers - now I know about that. I only have a small group I go to and comment on now and it's always with the people who answer comments or comment on my site. I guess I'm saying I don't go looking anymore but I love communicating with anyone that drops by or reaches out to connect.
ReplyDeleteI really do appreciate that you reply to comments - it's nice to go back to a post and read a reply to something I've written.
DeleteHi, I'm here. Have been for years. I read silently for many reasons, some of which I'm sure apply to others. And perhaps you are mostly referring to your blog friends, commenting on each other's posts? *thinking face* Now I'm not sure but I'm committed so here we are LOL I'm quiet, because I am not sure I belong here. I read the blogs of a great deal of you, but do so from work when I have down time, in an incognito browser. I'm not "out" you see. TTWD... it's not even a thing my husband admits we do between us. It's just a FUN and funny thing.. funny to HIM, anyway :P He just.. doesn't see that threatening to tan my behind in the middle of a store, or doubling his belt, IS a thing we do at all. It's just us. Which is fair.. but I don't want him to know I read these either. Not yet. I don't even know what I'm saying. But if you all have anon comments turned on, I'll do my best to toss a comment every once in a while if I can do it safely. Call me Angel :D
ReplyDeleteI JUST realized I which blog was open in which window. You do not have a new house I want to see. Although I'm curious lol YOU have delicious food I want to eat!
ReplyDeleteHi Angel. Thank you for sharing this comment. An occasional comment or two works fine!
DeleteI'm glad you're enjoying the food posts!
It's nice to get comments, but I don't want any one feeling that they are obliged to comment. The best thing about a comment is feeling that someone wanted to leave it.
ReplyDeletePrefectdt
That sounds like a wonderfully healthy perspective!
DeleteIt's certainly nice if people comment, but their silence doesn't elicit a lot of emotion from me, either. People don't feel like uncloaking, the post didn't touch a nerve, many reasons, all OK.
ReplyDeleteI'm very open to the simple wave but I don't always leave one myself, so I'm hardly going to throw stones. (I save those for the other side of the coin, about which I do have strong feelings, as we've previously discussed.)
Thanks for sharing your POV. It's very interesting to me that hooman beans can be so different.
DeleteI am not terribly bothered by (lack of) comments. And I don't always feel like engaging, depending on the topic/my mood/how much time I have available. I get that regular commentary is meaningful to/for some people though - and not so much with others - and I *do* try to be aware of that and engage with people who care.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm not a big fan of the "Hi, I was here" type comment. Ditto on "Good post." But I have a 'Like' button, precisely for people to click to let me know they read it/liked it/commiserate/want to give me a fist bump. If a 'regular' commenter disappears for a while and THEN shows up and leaves a "wave hello" -- that, I appreciate, because it lets me know they're still around and I'm not going to worry for their well-being.
I'm sometimes just... Surprised, I guess... At who comments, and on what posts. Sometimes I think something will resonate and it's met with silence. Other times, I'm writing more to get something OUT, that has been on my mind or whatever, and I don't expect a response... But I get one. Or 20.
: scratching head :
Mostly I just feel like, if people are reading, that's great.
And if they are feeling chatty, that's great too.
But if they are not in the mood for conversation, I'm good with that. (Maybe because I'm an introvert?)
Ah, when I had a similar "like" option (thumbs up and thumbs down) absolutely NOBODY used it. LOL.
DeleteI decided to remove it.
And I sometimes scratch my head in the same way. It sometimes surprises me that a "just writing for myself, nothing much to see here" post could get more comments than something I might have spend a bit of time putting together properly.
I'm with Prefectdt on this one. I enjoy receiving comments, but I don't want people to feel they have to leave one if the have nothing specific to say with regard to the post. But a cheery hello is always welcome.
ReplyDeleteI often visit blogs but don't leave a comment for that reason. I simply can't think of anything to say at the moment, so I read and enjoy the peep into someone;s life, then move on.
BTW I am sorry not to have included your comment on the last brunch. It arrives after I had published, and I didn't see it until just now. I've included it in the recap. Your contributions to brunch are always relevant!
Hugs,
Hermione
Weee Thanks! I'm so sorry I got there late LOL. I sometimes don't comment because the brunch topic that week isn't something that I know anything about! If i DO leave a cheery hello (in parentheses) with nothing mentioned about the topic of the week, please know that it's not for brunch participation, but just a Hi-It's-Me.
Delete