Why Do You Comment?
Many weeks ago, my blog was Freshly Pressed. I was in a state of blog-euphoria.
I had more comments than I’ve ever gotten in my life – 264 to be exact – and I (hopefully) replied to all of them; this I did joyfully.
That blog post got 378 “likes”. I must confess, sometimes when I’m reading some of the current Freshly Pressed, I check to see how their “likes” and comments compared to mine.
I acquired 335 followers. I felt my blog career taking off in front of my eyes.
Anxiously, I tried to come up with a new entry that would top that one. I figured it would be a piece of cake considering that particular post – The best thing about summer – was a last minute decision, took five minutes to put together, and contained more pictures than actual writing.
A month later, I made my next post. I got 13 likes and 1 comment.
In the blogging world, opinions are easy to come by. Something has to be REALLY intriguing in order to keep readers reading.
This doesn’t just apply to Word Press; you see the same thing in the news. How many of you only read the headline of a news story, assume you got the jist of it, and move on? I’m sure you all do it. I know I do.
According to a study of Google News, 44% of readers scan the headlines without actually reading the full articles. Is this surprising? Not really.
Think about how we interact with Facebook and Twitter. Social networks are training our minds to see the world in 150 words. (I confess, I do not tweet, although you can find the link to my twitter account on the left hand side.)
Bill Keller for the New York Times wrote a very intriguing article entitled “The Twitter Trap”, stating: “Whether or not Twitter makes you stupid, it certainly makes some smart people sound stupid.”
Our generation has become as primitive as caveman in regards to our level of concentration. I’m convinced this is why my post was Freshly Pressed and why so many people actually commented – because it was short and concise… with pictures!
I’m at 374 words and I’m sure I’ve lost more than half of my readers already. But I haven’t made my point yet, so if you’re still reading then stay with me! Focus!
Why do YOU comment? What is it about the author, their page, their writing, or their format that intrigues you and makes you want to give your two cents, even if it’s only to say “great post!”?
Do you find that you’re more likely to comment if the blog is formatted in an easy-to-read, “Twitter style”, so to speak? Do huge blocks of text intimidate you into finding something different to read?
For this entry, I have purposely broken up my paragraphs, making them only a sentence or two long. Does this make it easier to follow?
For me, I’ve commented only a few times and it’s usually when someone makes a unique, interesting observation about life that I can really relate to; someone who’s clever, witty, sarcastic and capable of entertaining me. If I like it enough to comment, I leave a substantial reply. I usually follow them too. But if I comment and the author doesn’t reply, I feel unloved and sometimes unfollow them – just FYI.
P.S. – I’m going to assume that, when you comment, you’re not linking back to your own blog. Those people are annoying. Another FYI.
Fictionalism 