Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

blog comments

Can We Stop Calling It Blog Commenting Now?

Think of the last time you got together with friends, or family, or even colleagues from work.

You enjoyed the company, you laughed, you caught up on missed life events, and – hopefully – had a really good time, right?

As you reflect on that time together,?there’s probably a good chance that the key takeaway for everyone is that you all enjoyed both the company and conversations.

Because, let’s face it, conversations – and those that help make us more educated, or filled in, or even better people – can make all the difference between a drab experience and a fun one.

So why don’t we treat blog comments the same way? In fact, why do we continue to even call them comments when, in truth, they’re very much the same as the awesome conversations we have offline?

We Don’t Just Comment Our Way Through Life

Ever since blogs were set up to enable comments in the Web 2.0 era, they’ve been a mainstay of many a blog. And rightly so.

From opening up an extended dialogue around the post itself to fostering friendships within the blog’s community, blog comment sections have been one of the unsung “heroes” of the blogging world.

And yet…. all too often, they’re either looked upon with disdain due to the belief it’s just a breeding ground for immature trolls or spammers, or they’re ignored as being a tacked-on surplus area that no-one really cares about.

The first reason is down to the blogger – yes, there are trolls and spammers, but if you really care about your blog and your audience, you’ll handle these issues the way they should be dealt with. The technology exists.

The second reason is a fair one – and, for me, it’s all down to the use of the words “blog comments”. Specifically, comments.

Think back to the opening part of this post, and the example of a great time with people you like, and the wonderful conversations that sprung from that.

Now, imagine if, when looking back, you’d described the evening as “oh, yes, we all commented really well together, and left such great comments after everyone had said their piece.”

How ridiculous does that sound? Right? Stupid ridiculous!

So why do we take conversations after our posts and call them comments? Because that’s exactly what we should be calling comments – conversations.

[bctt tweet=”#Blog #comments are true #conversations, pure and simple. It’s time to start treating them as such. ” username=”DannyBrown”]

Comments, by perception, are throwaway snippets of soundbites that are soon forgotten.

Conversations, on the other hand, are true one-to-one and one-to-many sharing of thoughts, agreements, disagreements and more, and can live as long as there’s a new thought shared.

And comments as email? They don’t get much more conversational than that.

It’s Time to Shift the Comment Mindset

Although a few years old now, there’s a reason The Atlantic called email “the best thing on the Internet”.

From that piece:

Email is a refugee from the open, interoperable, less-controlled “web we lost.” It’s an exciting landscape of freedom amidst the walled gardens of social networking and messaging services.

Simply put, it’s the simplicity?- and, most importantly of all, privacy – of email that enables true conversations to take place, as opposed to the guarded, stilted ones that can be found on social media and groups.

Email’s usage is ubiquitous across so many cultures and generations, and the buy-in is minimal. And that fact you’re sitting in a comfy spot to send and reply to an email makes it easier to settle into a “this is a personal conversation” mindset.

I see it here in the conversations around my posts, due to my use of Postmatic.

Comments are thoughtful. Caring. Educational. Raw. Real. Honest. Fun. Happy. Encouraging. And so much more.

Because if there’s one thing I truly believe, “blog comments” are deserving of so much more than the reputation and perception they have.

They’re more than a breeding ground for waste and hostility. They’re more than a throwaway line at a second-rate comedy open night.

They’re true conversations, pure and simple. It’s time to start treating them as such.

A version of this post first appeared on the Replyable blog.

If You Truly Value Blog Comments, You Have to Show Up

One of the topics that continues to do the rounds is that of blog comments.

Do they still count? Should blogs just switch off comments and become a content publication instead? Are comments even valued as they once were?

This follows the decision by many bloggers and content creators to close down their comments section, citing?all the conversation is on social media now, there’s too much spam, and it takes time to moderate the community.

For me, though, it?s less external issues that have caused these sites to close down comments, and more internal ones ? namely, the blogger (or blog owner) stopped showing up and caring.

I used to follow a lot of the blogs that closed their comments section(s) down, and something that became clear as they were getting close to that decision was the blogger was seen less and less in the comments.

Whereas before they?d been very active in helping build community and hold active conversations with commenters, now they were only replying to comments that praised them or their post.

That?s if they even showed up at all.

Instead of a thriving, interactive comment section, there was simply comment after comment without a reply, either from the blogger or other commenters.

In that kind of environment, of course blog comments are going to suffer ? after all, how long would you stay talking to someone on the phone, or in-person, if there was no reply coming back?

Not long.

Then there’s the “I’m too busy to do all the back-end stuff” argument, which – in fairness – has some validity. But to what degree?

You’re Busy, I’m Busy. And..?

I get it. We?re all busy, and we all have finite time in our days.

There?s only so much we can allocate to our blogs versus elsewhere, and remain effective on both sides of the coin.

But then isn?t that true for everything in life?

Don?t we make decisions based on what we want and how to get there, as opposed to giving up because the work to get there is a little more than what we want to put in?

  • Yes, conversations are happening on social. But guess what? People are complaining that there are less opportunities for conversations on social now the marketers and brands have taken over.
  • Yes, blog comments need moderation. But guess what? Do the legwork early on (blog comment policy, banning offenders, making the comments a fun place to be, etc.) and you?ll actually get a better community.
  • Yes, community growth needs interaction. But guess what? Interact and build that community, and you have a wonderful ?base? to build from when you do have something to sell, or need to get your message out to a wider audience.

It?s easy to blame social media for blogging?s woes. Much like blaming others for our own failings in life, scapegoats are more attractive than self-analysis.

But it?s not as clear-cut as ?all the conversations are happening on social media?. They may well be happening a lot ? but guess where that traffic will come when they want to see the source of that discussion?

Once that traffic arrives, if they find a comments area that looks as fun and inviting as a McDonald?s restaurant does to a food snob, of course they?ll leave immediately.

If, on the other hand, they see a blog that opens up to others, and ? imagine this! ? actively converses with them, they?ll stay. Comment. Reply. Subscribe.

Social media won?t ?kill? blog comments ? bloggers will.

But it doesn?t have to be this way.

Unless you let it be.

The Thing About Blog Comments Is?

They?re a privilege, not a right. Don?t get me wrong ? I don?t mean that in an elitist or dictator-type way.

After all, comments are the passengers to the bus driver that is the blog author. They?re what makes the trip so enjoyable.

Yet it?s still at the discretion of the bus driver whether it?s a private journey or an open one.

Which is why you?ll see some blogs requiring you to register before commenting; some with no comment options at all; and others that are open-ended and encourage comments wholeheartedly.

I?ve always been of the last mindset, as are the majority of bloggers.

Yet this is what also makes them a privilege.

When you comment, it?s at the invitation of the blogger. Blogs don?t have to offer comments, although they?re missing out if they don?t (just my opinion).

The blogger is essentially inviting the readers into his or her house. You wouldn?t trash a house you?re a guest in, would you?

So why the equivalent in comments?

Here?s an example.

On a?recent post I read, a comment was left that disagreed with the topic being discussed. Fair enough.

Yet the person then went on to say,

I hope you?ll take this constructively, but your writing is very sloppy. Ending a sentence with ?and things like that? is just lazy.

We all like (or need) constructive criticism ? it?s how we grow and evolve into being better at whatever we do. But calling someone lazy and sloppy isn?t constructive, in my book.

If anything, it seems a little vindictive. Jealousy, perhaps? But constructive ? no.

Blogs used to have a reputation of being childish ? a waste of time for loners in their bedrooms.

This view is still entertained in certain circles, but by and large blogs are now more respected than much of mainstream media.

Blogs are growing up. This is thanks to both the bloggers and the commentators that combine to offer a truly interactive learning space.

It?s not too much to ask that we show the host and the home a little respect, is it?

The One Simple Reason Against Switching Off Blog Comments

A recent blog post by Arik Hanson, that looked at seven trends impacting every blogger, caught my attention the other week.

I’ve read Arik’s blog for a good few years now, and his content is always informative, and not afraid to poke the bear and challenge standard thinking when it comes to content. This blogging trends post was no different.

It covered topics like RSS being retired soon (which I agree with), the changing face of content presentation, and social sharing losing traction, amongst other things.

One trend that stood out, though, was Arik’s belief that blog comments were “officially dead”.

Based on the examples of Copyblogger and others, Arik feels that we’ll see even more content creators and blogs switch off comments in the months ahead.

That may be indeed be true – but as anyone that’s read this blog for a while will know, it’s not something I buy into, and an approach I wouldn’t recommend for one simple reason.

You Care, But You Don’t Really

Imagine you go to an event where there’s a guest speaker. You pay your dollars to attend, and you allocate a certain amount of time to be at the event.

The speaker is entertaining, the topic is something you’re interested in, and the speech gets your mind buzzing with so many follow-up ideas.

Ideas that need answers.

Ideas that only questions to the speaker can answer.

So, you wait in line after the event so you can meet the speaker, thank them for their work, and ask your follow-up question that would expand the speaker’s talk.

Finally, you get your chance to ask a question, and…. silence. A blank stare. A look that acknowledges your presence, but nothing more.

Undeterred, you ask another question. Equally undeterred, the speaker offers the same response as before.

Suddenly, you realize that it’s not just you that’s being ignored – everyone is.

Everyone that wanted to publicly thank the speaker is being ignored. Everyone who wanted to add to the topic is being ignored.

Instead, there are various rooms that are roped off where you can go instead, with the vague promise that there may be an answer or two there.

Sound familiar?

Time is Investment Too

We have a lot of distractions. Both as content creators and content consumers, there’s a hell of a lot of competition vying for our attention.

Because of that, the readers that choose to visit your little part of the web are investing in you. Sure, they may not be financially investing – but they’re investing nonetheless.

That time that could be spent elsewhere. The exchange of knowledge that could be shared elsewhere. The referral of other readers in search of somewhere they can invest too.

All of that comes from comments.

Yes, the content attracts. Yes, the content educates. Yes, the content sparks ideas.

But the content eventually draws a blank – because it’s a finite resource.

Finite content

If the content on display doesn’t quite satiate the reader’s appetite, the comments after the post can. And usually do.

Because now you’re not just tied to the one-directional broadcast of the content creator – now you have the years of experience, wisdom and ?questioning viewpoints of other attendees.

Because of that, your investment is rewarded. You leave wiser, and you help others leave wiser too.

Whether the wisdom comes from extra knowledge about the topic at hand, or a new mindset about an offshoot of the topic you’d never considered, it’s return for your investment in that part of the web.

Spend Your Money Wisely

The kicker for many of the blogs that have switched off comments is the invitation to “continue the conversation elsewhere”.

This is followed by a link to that content creator’s Facebook page, or Google+ community, or Twitter stream, etc.

All well and good – after all, they’re not saying they don’t value your opinion, they just want to have it elsewhere (after all, that’s where all the cool chat is happening).

But then you land on one of these other channels, and the two-way dialogue is equally non-existent.

Instead, it’s a broadcast-fest of links to their content. You know – the very content they don’t want to talk to you about, but come to this channel you’re on now to continue the conversation…

And so the circle goes.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Switching off #blog comments doesn’t enhance a reader’s experience – it hinders it. ” quote=”Switching off blog comments doesn’t enhance a reader’s experience – it hinders it. “]

Look, I get it. As I mentioned earlier in this post, time is a commodity we have increasingly little of.

So I get that you don’t want to spend that time talking when you could just as easily be broadcasting.

Just be honest about it.

If you want to be a broadcast channel (whether that’s your blog, social network, email blast or whatever), go ahead and knock yourself out.

But let’s not pretend that blog comments are being switched off to “offer a better experience more attuned to the reader’s choice.”

Instead, if you really care about the thoughts of your readers, and the discussions they want to have, it’s a simple decision – leave the blog comments on.

And if you’re a reader/commenter, choose better places to spend your investments – there are enough of them about.

And they really do care about your investment – you can trust me on that.