Guidelines for Site Comments
These past few weeks, I’ve been seeing a lot of negative feedback about Site Comments, which has been deterring a lot of people from utilizing this great tool. The only way this tool benefits everyone and their website(s), is if there is a great number of participants.
There are ways that you can greatly maximize the benefits, where you are able to turn 10 feedback comments you give to others, into 30 plus comments you will receive in return for your website (I will teach you how, further on this article), which will greatly boost your traffic numbers, and be especially beneficial for anyone who is building a new website, and trying to gain trust through Google.
Again, good quality comments, is only gained, if everyone participates, and follows proper etiquette and writing guidelines, that I will be sharing with you, so that everyone can be on the same page.
What Has Happened to SiteComments?
This is a question I keep seeing circulate throughout WA from members who have been here for a significant amount of time. You have every right to share your complaint and frustration, but I have to be honest in saying, that doing so only spreads negative poison in people’s minds (especially for those who are new and just starting to learn the ropes within WA), making them think that Site Comments is a waste of time, and deterring them from ever participating in it. This will only continue to hurt this tool that has the potential to help out everyone, because you are deterring the people who may have great writing skills, and an ethical way of thinking, (that could be leaving you great comments), and leaving yourself with a flood of the same people, who are abusing, and not utilizing it properly.
There will always be bad apples among every group. If you want Site Comments to get better, then I encourage you, to instead of complaining about what it has become, try to encourage, and educate the WA community on why and how they should be participating in this great tool, and I can guarantee, that you will begin to see the bad apples, get flooded out by people who are supportive and helpful with what they share in their feedback. Will it completely eliminate the bad apples, no. But, it will greatly reduce the amount of bad comments you receive, over good comments.
It takes all of us working together, to help educate, and support one another, which is what WA is all about.
How to Maximize Site Comments for Increasing Traffic Numbers on Your Website
If anyone has used Site Comments before, then I’m sure you have already noticed the bar that pops up saying that your posts “get a boost in the queue if you leave 10 comments within a 24-hour period.” After testing a few things with this boost feature over the past few weeks, I have noticed how to really utilize the algorithms, where you can turn 10 feedback comments you leave, into receiving 30 plus comments on multiple different posts you have on your website.
The method is, first, leave 10 great and positive comments (I will go into the guidelines of leaving great comments, in the next section).
Now that you have the queue boost, you will have a 24-hour window, where any post you submit, will be boosted into the priority queue, gaining you twice, if not triple the amount of comments you would receive without the boost. You do not want to submit all of your posts at once however, because it will only flood the queue with your posts, and be a turn off to fellow WA participants. What I do, is submit one post I want to gain comments on, every 3-5 hours (you will gain all the comments you will get on your post, within roughly 3 hours). This method will not flood the queue with your posts, and allows enough time to pass, for other participants to hop on the platform to leave comments, so that you have a variety from multiple different people, and not just from the same few who participate (again, this only works, if everyone comes together and participates to help each other).
My website is only five weeks old, but is making great strides and building good trust through Google, because of the traffic and feedback I am generating. With only currently having 6 posts (because life has gotten in the way of being able to provide more content), I have 139 comments already on my website, most have been from utilizing this method I just shared with you.
Proper Etiquette and Guidelines for Site Comments
- First and foremost, if you are not familiar with the topic in the article before you, or don’t know what to write about it, then it is best to skip the post, and allow an article to pop up that is referencing a topic you are familiar and more comfortable with. There are also settings you can put in place, for only showing you specific topics that interest you, which would help keep your skip rate percentage down.
- Be genuine in what you write. Respond in a way that you would to someone who’s opinion you truly value. Whatever you do, NEVER, copy and paste things from the article, or from someone else’s comment. This will increase your odds of your comment being rejected.
- Be kind, supportive, and positive in the comments you leave to others.
- Try to ask supporting questions, in order to allow the host to respond back, creating a conversation, which will lead to even more comments (this will be greatly beneficial for all, if everyone would follow this simple guideline), and please, try to respond back to the host, if they are courteous enough to answer your question.
It Takes All of Us Working Together
Site Comments is a tool that can be greatly beneficial to your growing website, as long as we all work together in a positive, selfless, and giving manner (which is the motto for WA). The more we put others before ourselves, the more successful we become, and that is why we are all here at WA to begin with. Do not underestimate the power you have, in helping someone else achieve their goals. It will pay out dividends for you in the future.
Let’s make Site Comments great again!
Recent Comments
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Hello Brandy,
Thanks for writing this post! It's a good reminder about what Site Comments should be utilized for. Not to earn credits, but to help others start a dialogue with their content.
Providing quality comments on someone else's content will help with getting ranked in the search engines. Additionally, it will make their content more valuable. Comments that are vague or unrelated to posts don't provide any benefits. At times, that's when I have to disapprove of comments on some of my posts.
Thanks for reminding us! I hope Site Comments can be used properly going forward. It's not perfect: there will still be some bad apples, but we can reduce them if we work on it together.
All the best,
-Eric
You are so correct Eric! I'm glad that you are able to see the good potential in using Site Comments. May it bring you much success, in the same way that you will be bringing to others!
Sorry for the late response. It's been a busy couple of weeks at my household, and also working hard to get more content up on my website. Never a dull moment!
Wishing you the best!
~Brandy
Thank you Brandy. That really helps. There is do much to learn in WA that it is great to have someone explain things in depth. I haven't ventured into Site Comments at all but it might be time now.
Thank you Sandra! I’m glad that you were able to find this post useful. It is true, that there is so much to learn here, which can feel overwhelming at times, but as long as you keep moving forward, it will all unfold with time. May you have much success with your website, and if I can help in any way, then please feel free to reach out. :)
Well said!! from a kind hearted and very well intentioned, professional lady with admirable ethics!! As Jeff says, how do we (possibly through a cloner if I had my way;) get your great qualities into others that are not as refined.
To not deter new people who have the potential of your great qualities is absolutely critical to the future and current quality standards? ( I say that because all my comments recently came from yahoo's without any inkling of the laudable rules regarding etiquete, length and thought to comment let alone non editing, mangling of the English language and the inevitable cut and paste. We are swimming in pirate waters I tell you...lols
Excellent article Brandy!! Your shining values run right through it!! ;
R.
Thank you Ramco, as always for such kind words! I was hoping that others may feel inspired to do and be there best through a little awareness and education.
I'm always trying to see, and bring out the best in everyone, for we all have the ability to change our ways, it just boils down to making the choice to do so.
Could you please teach me of your ever so powerful methods for gaining great comments through Yahoo? :))
That is something I have not learned, or come across yet in my training.
This is an AWESOME write-up. You are totally correct in saying that there has been FAR too much negativity in regards to site comments here lately. This just creates a poisoned environment. If you don't like a comment someone has left, reject it. It's as simple as that but there is NO NEED for snide comments or whole posts on how the whole thing sucks.
I'm so very glad Feochadan, that you fully understand what I am trying to portray! It's been really disheartening these past few weeks watching the decline in people utilizing Site Comments, and hoping this post will help turn the negativity around. :)
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Great Post Brandy, I sadly often have to disapprove comments. When I do I always thank the person for having a go and explain why their comment is of insufficient quality to earn my credit and I attach this to my reply: How to Leave Quality Comments in Site Comments Consistently Then I wish them good luck for next time.
I have done this ever since in my very early days I got some real vitriolic rude and unnecessary disapprove comment. I wanted to learn and being rude and abusive is not in the spirit of WA,
You don’t have to accept comments if they are not of sufficient quality but that can be done constructively and help people to learn as it is done.
Great post thanks
Hamish🧐
Yes, sadly I too have experienced some rude and completely off topic comments. One thing I noticed recently though, is that we have the option to edit comments others leave us, and when I tried it, it allowed me to completely edit and change the entire comment someone was trying to leave me.
I know that defeats the purpose of receiving a review from someone else, but it does serve was an option if we are really needing the extra comment to help with ratings.
Just a thought.
I like your approach though, in teaching them how to have proper etiquette and improve their writing skills. :)
Yes I will edit if it is just tweaks, but if it is wholesale re-write I am not going to do that and surrender a credit when I am doing the work. Kyle and Carson advise us to hold the line and disapprove unless they meet the quality guidance which is captured beautifully in Eric’s article in my previous comment.
I love your iron cookware article!🧐