25 November, 2004
Why no comments?
Browsing BlogExplosion, one of the more common types of posting I encounter goes something like this:
"Hi BlogExplosion surfers! I know a lot of you are visiting, but why doesn't anyone leave comments?"
The answer is fairly straightforward.
What have you written that's commentworthy?
So you've signed up with Blogger, chosen one of the default templates, installed an applet telling the world the weather in Spink County, S.Dakota/current phase of the moon, posted a couple of 'What type of bra are you?' quizlets and a photo of your cat/baby/miniature beadwork basque, registered with BlogExplosion, and seen people visit.
That's great. The foregoing sentence might sound mocking, but it isn't, really. I'm sure that sort of blog is interesting to some, and is an excellent base from which to develop. The problem is that there's very little for visitors to comment on. Direct appeals for comments might draw a dozen or so, but they'll rarely be more than "Hi! I arrived via BlogExplosion!" - a bit of human contact, but otherwise, well, utterly meaningless.
The trick is to say something; not to merely repost the same old material as everyone else, but to add something of your own.
What does your blog have that no-one else can reproduce? You. Write about yourself and your interests; your life and topics that matter to you.
It's fine to republish links to other sites of interest - that's what the very name 'web log' implies - but express opinions on the links: why are you linking; what do you think about the linked item; what else can you say on the same subject?
In short, add value; something with which people can engage and discuss.
Posted by Ministry at 15:17
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