There is a lot of unseen power in conversational blogging. 90% of the help my readers receive are in my comments. I do have one certainty in my blogging which is something that will never change, a strong sense of blogging ethics and business integrity. I am into good seo practice but it takes a backseat to my real purpose. I take pride in replying to each and every comment on my site. This blog is also a full Do-Follow blog.
I choose not to use a plugin that will make a commenter have to leave a certain amount of comments to receive link love from me. Some Do-Follow blogs employ this criteria to receive link love, I don’t. If a new commenter comes here, I check the source of this person by looking at the site it comes from. It takes more effort to do it this way, and I like to prevent my spam in this manner.
Do you reply to every comment your readers leave? If I leave what I consider a viable comment on someone’s post and they don’t reply to it, I feel like they might consider it irrelevant and often I don’t feel very welcome at their blog. Some people only respond to a small percentage of their commentators and just leave the others like they are less important. The blogs I like most are the one’s that give me the time of day with a simple reply!
I love this conversational approach to my blog and I think it has gained me lots of readers who come back regularly. Also, most of these people have become friends, which is the most important idea of all. Readers notice blogs who don’t reply and these blogs over time develop reputations for not caring. If you blog only to make money, then you are the festering greed that drives the bigger blogs.
Unfortunately, Google heavily perpetuates greed by making the desire to to link to big blogs so important. They recommend only linking to blogs who have page rank and that makes me sick to my stomach. That is how it is.
My good friend, the Brown Baron left me a comment on my post Reality Niche This which sums up my feeling about blogging in an absolute way. The comment was very memorable and perfectly written:
Every comment, every link, is a potential bridge between two people, two countries, and two souls. No matter where you are in the world, or what your culture is, a single link or comment can seal a friendship.
Blogging is my way of finding my lost relatives, that’s you guys. Anything after that is gravy.
Thanks Bobby, I loved this post.
My good friend Aaron from Aaron Cook Dot Com left this amazing comment recently on my post about blogging ethics:
Bobby said, “I tend to be the type of blogger who freely shares his feelings without hesitation and I will always do that whether it’s good for my popularity or not.”
Aaron says: Bobby, I believe that’s precisely the way it should be. We’re bloggers, not politicians! And we, as humans, should ALWAYS be willing to share our feelings WITHOUT worrying about whether or not they are popular. Otherwise, what the hell good is having feelings and opinions anyway!
Personally, I believe this idea is by far more important than anything else in blogging! As always, if you leave a comment, I will answer it. It is the force which drives my writing.
Check out BrownBaron’s post, Brown Batch #23: Link Love Goodness
Hi bobby,
Yes, emphasizing on blogging ethics are one of the most important key factor in the blogosphere.
Taking pride in replying to your fellow commentators is also essential. I do agree with what Aaron had said “We are bloggers, not politicians.. ”
Why do people blog? What are their main motives?
Reflecting on your new logo, revellian.com is a blog to illustrate the purpose of helping out new bloggers and to widen or spread the basic fundamentals of blogging.
Well, all of us has a motive to blog, either to earn some cash online, sharing our knowlege by contributing articles to the blogosphere or simply for the fun of it. Whatever category you may fall under, a simple ethic by giving kind replies will bring you to a higher level of chemistrical agenda between you and your readers..quoting on Bobby’s statement ” It is the force which drives my writing.”
Excellent post, Bobby..Keep up the good work. Cheers!
Nafa: Thank you! I read different blogs for different reasons, but friendship is the most important
This is test. j/k
I agree Bobby. I feel more welcomed when people reply back to my comment(s). But, if they don’t I don’t think anything else from it. Just means it wasn’t meant to be.
Conversely, it’s also my deed to go back to their site to see if anything was commented back. My challenge is that I don’t remember all the sites I go to AND most of them happen to be blogger.com sites, which don’t have a ’subscribe to comment’ option.
If there is, I haven’t seen. I’d rather be informed of a comment back via email, then I can decide to go back to that site to ’seal’ the friendship or what have you.
Makes common sense that the person would reply back to a guest who could be a potential long life blogging friend.
Rolando: I agree! I will not hold it against someone for not replying to a comment either. On some big blogs, the author will reply only to comments left by people they find important. That does bother me and will cause me to not read their blog. I guess I really enjoy individual attention and it makes me feel special. I do my best to make my readers feel special, and they really are special!
Selective replies, is that like selective hearing? That’s too bad. Guess you won’t be back.
I just came back from another blogger.com site and it had a lot of great poems. I must have commented on about 10-15 posts. Sad thing is that I’m gonna have to drill down their site to see if there are any replies.
That alone is a road block to conversational commenting. If the author does reply, then she’ll think I’m not a very good guest if I don’t check back.
None of us are perfect! I used to get irritated sometimes if people don’t check back but I don’t worry about it now. It seems that habits change the more and longer we blog. I can’t go check all the blogs I comment on, but every now and then I may look at a blog and go back to see replies to my comments from months back! I try to subscribe to both blogs I read and their comments.
With e-mail subscriptions, it can be overwhelming for me because I get an average of 200 e-mails a day! I have to scroll back through e-mails 10 or more pages just to see what I received! I do really enjoy it when I get great comments that turn into even better “comment conversations”!
Honestly that’s my most favorite part about blogging…
Random Magus: I thought so Amber! You are nothing short of brilliant also!!!!!
200 emails, dang that’s a lot. I think the fact that you’re going out there and network is important. If you can’t find them, I’m sure they will find you by following your link back here. I’m sure they’ll be glad that they did.
Rolando: You’ll be getting a large amount like this before long! I foresee great success for your blog! I like your approach to blogging and I will be there celebrating every level of success you gain and share. I think it’s easy to get burned out, but if you look at this as a long term commitment, burn out will be easier to overcome
I have unsubscribed from feeds before if the blog owner continued to ignore me. I don’t do that to as a knee-jerk reaction, but after a few times it’s clear that there is no connection between me and the blogger, so, like you, I don’t feel welcome and take my traffic elsewhere.
And I second the comment: keep up the good work, Bobby!
Markk: I take a different approach. I give people a lot more chances. I have 20 or more readers who took over a year to make them notice me and my work. Often they may realize later on that you subscribe and you break down the borders between you and them. I have never unsubscribed from anyone!
So far it’s been a great ride through the blogosphere! It’s people like you and my renewed interests in writing, that will keep me alive.
It does require work, but it’s a labor of love.
Rolando: Yes indeed! The love of writing is such a beautiful thing. I love, love, love to write! I want you to stick around because even tough I have only known you for a short period of time, I feel like I have known you for years! This is one of those things unique to blogging. Blogging is good for all of us who embark upon this fantastic journey!
I agree 100% Bobby. I reply to every single comment from my readers. Sometimes it’s difficult to do so when life is so busy, but I make it a point to reply each time, no matter what.
Why? Because I like to make sure that my readers know how much I appreciate them and their taking the time to share their thoughts with me and the other readers. It’s very important. Quite simply, readers are to a blog what customers are to a business. They’re an integral part to its overall success. And without them, there is nothing.
So when I leave a nice, meaningful comment on someone’s blog and they can’t even take the time to reply, it tends to put me off. Commenting is a form of conversation, its a form of communication…and it shouldn’t be just one-way.
Now on the bigger blogs I understand that every comment can’t be replied to. But on small ones there’s really no excuse not to. If you don’t show your readers that you appreciate them they’ll eventually leave you for someone do does. That’s my opinion on it.
Btw, thanks for the mention!
Shine on,
Aaron
Aaron: You seem to leave meaningful comments every time! I don’t know exactly what my future in blogging will bring but I will do my best to answer all of them personally for as long as I have it in my power. If I miss one (which I have) it is completely by accident and I feel bad when it happens. You are welcome for the mention and I look forward to years of great friendship
Hi Bobby,
I do respond to every comment, especially since I have a big old sign that says “I Reply”.
I have always been impressed by the help and kind words you always have for your readers so it’s a pleasure to come here.
BTW, What’s a “Do Follow” blog?
menopauseprincess: Hi! A do follow blog is one where the people who leave comments receive a real link from the blog they leave the comments on. I am not 100% sure if a blogspot blog like yours can actually be turned into a dofollow blog.
I have never, not even a single time ever received a link from a blogspot blog I have left comments on. This might be unclear to you and I understand where you are in your understanding of the way the internet works. Before I just throw you a definitive answer I need to do a little more research before I possibly give you an answer that could be incorrect.
I want to write a post on this subject soon, as soon as I have the real answer, I will let you know
Thanks Bobby. I don’t think I could drop out now even if I want to. It’d be like loose your family or cutting of my arm, both of which I am very attached to.
Rolando: I have almost quit, but I wouldn’t even think about considering it now. If I did quit, I’d be in tears over losing my good friends only seconds after doing so. I will suggest backing up your blog and if your host allows (which I’m sure they do), backing up your databases!
I also suggest keeping your arms, he he he
I just woke up and was still drowsy when I read this. Now I’m wide awake
.
This blog is not just another place for me to visit. It’s home.
Thanks Bobby.
Brown Baron: You are 10x more than welcome! I like that comment so much, it should be the mission statement for all of us
I agree with Rolando in that sometimes checking back to see if someone has answered your comments can be overwhelming. It would be nice if they could come up with some kind of ‘comment feed’ widget, eh?
Sassy: I use bloglines to subscribe to blogs. I wish that the comments for all posts on a site’s main feed were listed and constantly updated beneath each post! That would be useful for me
Thanks Bobby, I’ll look forward to it.
BTW, you might want to visit my blog today, you might find it interesting.
Menopauseprincess: My friend Aaron answered it for you. You would need to revert to a “classic” template. However, just wait a little while before doing that because Google should be adding the features to the blogger templates like the one you use. I will come see your blog today!
“I am not 100% sure if a blogspot blog like yours can actually be turned into a dofollow blog.”
Hi Bobby, to answer that…Yes, Blogger blogs (blogspot) can be turned into “do follow”….as long as they’re on new Blogger using “layout”s as opposed to the old Blogger templates. Then it’s just a matter of removing the “no follow” tags or making some other changes. I haven’t gotten around to it myself (even though I’m on new Blogger) because I’m still using my old template…and upgrading it means starting all over with ALL the design changes/additions I’ve made to it so far. I just haven’t had enough time to sit down and redesign an entire layout.
But yes, blogspot blogs CAN be turned into “do follow”. It’s just that most people who have them don’t even know it can be done. Looks like I should write up a tutorial on it!
Shine on,
Aaron
Aaron: What I am wanting to know is if a blogspot xml template be turned into a do follow blog. It’s like when you move from blogspot to wordpress. To do the necessary 301 redirect, the blogspot template must be reverted to a “classic” template so the necessary meta information can be inserted. Most people I know don’t want to use anything but the xml templates.
When I moved from blogspot to wordpress, I left blogspot completely and forever. It was the best decision I have ever made. A nice tutorial on that would be nice. I wish blogspot would allow it’s customers full access to the databases of their sites. That however, will never happen!
My site are on scheduled backup daily. I also do manual backup saved locally just in case.
I had to learn the hard way a couple of times with my forum site.
I also installed that ‘Do-Follow’ plugin as you recommended, thanks!
Rolando: You do more backups than I do! Being full do follow is a nice thing to do. I have noticed that spam blogs are getting so sophisticated that some seem to have a team of people replying to comments. That’s why I moderate comments. I received 21 backtracks this week on older posts where a comment like “nice” were left. After checking them out personally I of course let askimet take care of them
[...] - The Power In Conversational Commenting Do you reply to every comment your readers leave? If I leave what I consider a viable comment on [...]
Well said!
I agree totally on this, as comments are the very essence in building a good base of loyal blogger friends and it can somehow ascertain the success or failure of a blog to some extent I guess (or I could be totally wrong on this). Imagine you have the best site around, and you don’t take the time to reply to comments… there goes that reader, never to return. I for one believe that this is definitely one of those things every blogger should consider : “try to reply to every comment you can”.
Thanks once again, Bobby.
Nihal: I had a discussion with ProBlogger about this. He gets between 500-1000 comments per day! If I ever get to even half that, I have a solution. I will not publish a new post everyday. (I don’t put out a new post everyday now) I would use the day in between posts to answer all of my comments. I will always answer every comment, no matter what
Oh my, Bobby!
Your site is awesome
Your blog has changed quite a bit. I know I have disappeared from the internet a lot lately. I just wanted to stop by and see how you are doing. Have a nice day! 
Randy: What is going on buddy! Thanks Randy, I’ll come by today
I appreciate anyone who leaves a comment in my blog & I will respond to them individually
Janice Ng
Janice: You are one great commenter! You always reply and it sure makes people love to come back again and again! I know I love your site and feel bad if I don’t come by at least once. I try to come by several times!
I moderate the comments on my blog and usually I reply to them.
I don’t do it all the time because sometimes I approve a comment even if it doesn’t have a valuable content as a mean to say thanks for visiting…
I personally think that it’s rude not to answer to a comment (truly) related to your post - it’s like someone it’s talking to you and you look the other way…
Regards,
Nick
P.S. I’m keeping an updated Do Follow List on my site and since yours is do-follow as well, I want to ask you if you want to join my list too.
There are over 265 websites featured here, so go on and start commenting on those appealing to you.
Hi Nick, I reply to every comment and I have found it to be great for keeping readers! I’m about to redo my Do-Follow list. When I leave a comment on a dofollow blog and I dont get a link back, then it is not do-follow. Half of these blogs have stipulations like having to leave 10 comments in a certain period of time, etc.
Most of the sites I regularly comment on are not do-follow and I only comment because they are friends or I like their blogs. I’ll come see your site.
What a great comment from Brown Baron! I feel awesome every time he leaves me a comment! I’m a true believer of comments of coz. Great article from you Bobby!
Mariuca: Thank you Marzie! You are my favourite commenter of all time
You being so diligent with your “conversational” approach is certainly what yields you a bazillion comments on every post! All of us who comment feel like out havin a drink with ya!
Bush Mackel: I learned how to comment from Mariuca. Anyone who knows her well, knows the feeling they get from how genuinely nice her replies are. She must have 3-4000 comments on her site and a lot less posts than would be expected for the time she’s been blogging. It’s a less is more approach and it works very well for comment laden blogs. That’s why I do not put up a new post every day. I try to put one up every other day! If you are ever in the Gulf Coast area of the USA, we’ll go have some drinks!
Yay! Thank u Bobby! It’s nice to be ur fav commenter! Super duper hugs n love for Bobby today!
Mariuca: Wow. . .wow
Bobby, I really enjoyed reading this post. As a matter of fact I just mentioned this very thing to my husband today. I left a rather engaging comment on someones blog and as it looks, I’ve been overlooked.
Oh well, it’s one of those little nasties we hope don’t happen but do. I will not return to their blog.
When building a relationship communication is very important why should it be any different in the blogging community?
I’m glad that I’m not alone in this point of view but then again if I were that would be ok too.
Well said Bobby!
Btw, did you notice that I acknowledged your comment you left regarding your speeding ticket? That was horrible but it’s what happens in the country!
Lisa C: No matter what kind of blog a person has, being responsive to your readers is one of the most important things to any blog. I don’t ask for much; even a thank you would suffice for me! No haven’t had a chance to read your reply yet but I will! I’ll be by in a little bit! Thanks so much Lisa!!!
@Lisa C: Oh that drives me crazy, too! You spend all that time reading a post and it stirs something in you and you want to let it out. Then what do you get for your troubles? Silence.
Hi Bobby, how are you! This reply is @Mark, if that’s ok
Mark, I’ve met some wonderful bloggers, as of late, who will take the time to acknowledge what you have said on their blog. They are the ones who will matter to me, the ones that I will use my valuable time on, to get to know. They’re worth it!
Lisa C: Hi Lisa! Great! How are you:) Mark is a great guy you should go to MeandMyDrum in mt blogroll and say hi!
[...] The Power in Conversational Commenting - Bobby Revell [...]
[...] to all comment feeds and make sure you read every reply. Go back and comment again when called for. Conversational commenting is a powerful tool and no extra widget or social site can replace it. This builds friendships and [...]
Oh I totally totally relate! Initially, I posted things on blogs and art websites not with the purpose of receiving other people’s opinions of them, but merely as a if-I-do-X-will-Y,Z or D-happen-? sort of experiment. But after a while, soon after joining deviantArt, actually, I noticed what a wonderful and addictive experience each comment is.
I’m not particularly fond of my blog, and not very motivated in terms of getting an audience, so c