Discussions
Do Comments Matter?
Posted by mdouble • 4/19/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: blogging, blogs, comments, discussion, feedback, page rank, promotion, SEO
According to accepted promotional wisdom, Getting backlinks to a blog or website by posting comments on blogs is a tested way to improve page rank.
For me reading comments on the blogs which I read is very useful. As a blog publisher I also find comments useful on my blog.
All the same I've noted that even on popular blogs with high PR comments can sometimes be scarce.
Recently I installed a new comment management system on my blog which allows comments to be threaded into a community discussion, not unlike a forum. In theory at least this system will allow commenter's
So the questions I'm throwing out for discussion are, do comments really matter?
Do they provide you with good feedback on your blog? Do you use them to get backlinks by commenting on other blogs?
Would you install a free threaded comment management system if you it encouraged more comments and possibly improved readership or responsiveness?
User Comments
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I love the comments. I love knowing when I do something right. As long as you're polite I don't mind constructive criticism either. -
I love getting comments, I try to reciprocate as much as I can, I even try to leave unsolicited comments on other blogs, but there is now way I'm going to install a third party comment script. I like my comments on my own blog even if they do take up database space. -
Most of my posts are devoid of a comments box and people still read them. -
For me, comment does really matter. it's sort of a mirror which reflects what you have done... though i'm new to blogging, thus comment is scarce, still i'm aware that it's equally important, no matter what your purpose is -
I beleive the comments going forward, will no longer bring backlinks. Search engines algorithm is much more advaced that it will consider the age of the blog, current quality back links, PR of the page etc to decide upon considering the same. -
I love writing my blog and I mainly do it for myself, hoping to document daily life in a unique environment and trying to untangle my own thoughts and ideas. And, using Ice Rocket Blog Tracker I like to see that people are at least looking at the blog and that many are coming back day after day. But having those people materialise out of thin air and make their presence known as thinking, feeling people through the comments box is just fascinating. Getting a reaction from complete strangers is a real high, and I'd like to say thank-you to everyone who has made a comment, especially those who have commented in recent sadness. You keep me going! -
I don't have much comments on my blog and also rare to leave comments on others blog if I'm not sure of what they're talking about or they're just talking something that is not interested me or mostly...I don't know what to comment there
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Comments matter a lot. If people comment (intelligently) it means they are reading and getting involved. Blogs are social. -
by the way using the Comment Luv plugin and do follow comments encourages people to comment
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Comments also involve people in your blog, especially if you respond to them. It means you become more than just a commentator, you become a friend. -
I get, not a huge number of comments, but a fair amount--about 15-20 per article, on average. The thing that turns me on is the repeat readers who keep coming back, time and time and time again. I've got 5 to 8 core people who hardly ever miss commenting on any piece I put up. (Now, if I could only get that figure up to 50 or 80 I'd be in Hog Heaven.) -
Comments are what keep me going. Just because someone comes to your site does not mean they are liking what they saw or read. For us entrecarders comments mean a lot. It means they not only dropped but stopped and read as well. I like commenting on other blogs. I do it quite often. I think when you comment sometimes those bloggers will pop over to your site. If only to reciprocate. -
Comments do matter, after all it shows how much your posts has faired! friends and others who comment, will always will give their postitve/negative feedback of the post:) as for me i like to be appreciated and critisized too as it helps to improve myself and my blog:)
nishasworld-and-babyalisha.blogspot.com -
I like seeing comments, but it does not affect my blog in anyway, I think. -
Comments provide feedback on your posts. They help you understand reader reactions to your blog.
Comments help you build a community around your blog. -
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@phoenix1962
I don't think you understand what page rank is and how it differs from search results.
What is Google PageRank? www.top25web.com/pagerank.php
Enter a list of URLs (use 'www' for best results). The results will have the Google PageRank value, a number between 1 and 10 for each url (ie - wwwtop25web.com 6/10). This means www.top25web.com has a Google PageRank of "6" out of a possible "10".
FWIW your blog has a 0 (zero) page rank with Google.
If you wish to improve it then this will be of help. onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/improving-your-google-page-rank/
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I think comments are useful. They have improved my blog. If you are reviewing things, often people appreciate when you review material they are interested in. Commenters have made a number of suggestions to improve my blog. -
I appreciate the comments on my blog. A lot of the folks who respond are witty all on their own. I think they add a lot, both in terms of discussion and content.
Comments also really help build rapport,; I try to make sure to respond to them, and people will often come back to see the rest of the discussion. It makes the internet less "faceless" in some way. -
MDouble asked
"Would you install a free threaded comment management system if you it encouraged more comments and possibly improved readership or responsiveness?"
Yes. I currently have a forum attached to one of my blogs...but its not integrated (you have to clink on links) and as a result the forum is not as populated as it should be based on the blog traffic. Do you have such a system in mind? Seen one work?-
Great idea Oxymoron
I too was looking into getting a forum placed in my website.
The only thing I am concerned about is a hacker
getting in through my forum and hacking my website.
There are a few blogs out there about this problem.
Wonder what style of forum you use, is it the Wordpress forum? -
The forum is from forumco.com...its a freebie but seems to work well...apart from not being integrated/and having to give up ad space to the software developers. Its definitely a "starter kit"...and I'm sure you'd want to throw it away and "spend up" when your forum is populated and stable.
My forum is at oxymoran.forumco.com
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I really enjoy getting comments. It's a chance to interact with readers and sometimes gives my brain a quick workout trying to respond to them! -
Everyone has their own writing groove and it's really nice when comments are left. Comments can help inspire you and it's nice to know you're blog is appreciated. Comments can introduce you to new blogs that you ordinarily wouldn't go to. -
I love to receive comments. It's somehow an appreciation of the effort you put into your blog. On the other hand I also leave comments on other blogs and try to reciprocate as much as I can and I don't do this because of a do-follow-badge on that blog. -
I prefer to get comments because it shows people have appreciated reading what I have done. But at the same time, I know how many sites I read and dont comment on, so can understand that people dont. Fortunately the stats show me people coming back, which more then makes up for it. I also get hits from google with some weird search terms so I do posts about them once in a while to see if anyone ever admits to finding me by that. It hasnt happened yet... -
I love comments but I can tell that we have readers that come back from time to time,so as long as their coming back thats all that matters to me. -
I don't comment just for backlinks or anything, I just use them to talk to people. I'll put the links there just in case though.
I haven't analyzed the comments on my blog either. I don't have a "focused" blog either though, so there wouldn't be much reason to zero in on a specific demographic -
I comment because I have an opinion on just about everything (and I want the writer to know about it! ;-) ). Plus, as a new blogger, I like to encourage people I enjoy reading to keep writing. I think it's important to know someone is engaging in whatever you are expressing.
Also, comments give people a chance to meet other people. I've stalked people back to their blog because I read something funny they wrote elsewhere.
On blogger I made my blog "dofollow" to encourage people to say something and as a bonus for people who comment and read regularly anyway. I hope this makes sense... I'm hopped up on coffee right now :-( -
Yes, I love comments. It certainly does matter. I want to know what's on your mind. And it's a good indicator that there are people who reads what I've written. -
yes I love comment
www.balitang-kalye.blogspot.com -
Even if it didn't affect rating, I still would want as many comments as possible. What I write only becomes communication if there is discourse. Otherwise I am just a cry in the darkness. -
I love comments, its as if i'm having a discussion with someone in real life and i get a visual cue they are listening...a comment is my 'visual cue' that someone is listening! -
It's always exciting to get a comment on a post. I like to spread the joy by commenting on other people's blogs.
Commenting is a win-win situation.
The Commentee (blog receiving comment) benefits from increased traffic & popularity and the warm fuzzy feeling that always follows a receiving a comment. The Commentor (you) gets a valuable backlink, exposure and possibly some follow on.
What's more, comment on just three blogs a day and you're building 80-100 relevant links to your blog each month increasing your blogs overall ranking with search engines. What's not to love?
Why not come and comment me. I follow on. homemakershaven.blogspot.com -
comments make or break a blog, they create a community of loyal readers who came back day after day.
Edwin, www.cashthechecks.com -
I rarely get comments so I dunno? lol
hb~ -
Hi,
Personally, i feel comments can be quite useful. We should take comments with open mind. It's good for your blog and perhaps personal development as well . A comments box is quite useful; you'll get to read both good and poor comments. I believe in being positive to comments in general, and just providing the best to readers. -
Comments are really important to me! Without them, it's like having almost no feedback! -
I am new at this and haven't received any comments. I would love to have comments. It would mean someone is actually reading my blog (aliceinretirement.blogspot.com). Plus it is like having a conversation, which I love the interaction.
My husband has a few comments on his blog (delsperspective.blogspot.com), but would love more for the same reasons. -
I don't get a lot of comments on my blog, but I do love it when I get them. Mostly because I always enjoy adding an element of discussion and communication to my blog. That I would just be putting things out there for other people to read seems rather self-indulgent (but then again, isn't blogging inherently self-indulgent?) I would like to always be able to talk things over with my readers. -
Making comments is awesome because it makes the internet a more sociable world. As long as it's related commenting and not spam that looks like, "I like your ----insert topic here----, keep up the posts." -
Well since I have a relatively small blog I would say yes of course. It's like my little group of friends talking to me and seriously sometimes I'm too busy to communicate in any other way. -
Comments do matter sometimes. It tells your post attract your readers or you meet the interest of your readers. -
I love comments. I feel like if I've written something that has moved someone to make a comment on it or share a little bit about themselves then that's a good thing. Also, since I'm aiming and entertainment/humor as opposed to more serious matters, when I get a comment it makes me feel like I've accomplished my goal. at least as far as that person is concerned.
theblacktulip.wordpress.com -
I love comments on my blog as it helps me to understand what the reader thinks about my blog.
car-insuranceforeveryone.blogspot.com
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