Site Comments - Skipping Really Is Okay!

byhordol2013

462 followers

Updated 5 years ago

I wanted to blog today about an issue I consistently have with Site Comments, and urge users of the program to be considerate.

I have a site mostly about cloth diapers. I understand this is a tiny niche and does not hold a lot of general appeal. But the appeal is there for those who use cloth diapers, and my site is for them.

While I do get some natural comments, I don't receive all that many, so I still enjoy using the Site Comments platform to hopefully help raise my rankings within Google. It's a great platform and I get some wonderful comments that really help me out! Thank you to those of you that really take the time to use Site Comments well--it is very appreciated, and it is a night and day difference between someone who genuinely tries and someone who is just trying to get the credits.

About 90% of the comments I receive are really frustrating and confusing. So I want to plead with users of the Site Comments platform: PLEASE JUST SKIP A SITE IF YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN IT OR CAN'T FEIGN INTEREST. And definitely skip if you don't think you're willing to ACTUALLY READ THE ARTICLE.

I know that it's hard to get new articles to come up for commenting sometimes. I experience that frustration, too, which makes skipping unappealing because you don't know when you will be able to get another article.

But if you don't understand the topic and aren't willing to read, do us all a favor and just skip.

Here are my specific issues:

• People so shocked by the idea that people still use cloth diapers nowadays that they completely ignore the article and just leave a "wow, cloth diapers sure were different in my day" or a general "cloth diapers are great" or "my mom used cloth diapers on me, didn't know people still did" type comment that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TOPIC OF MY ARTICLE. Yes, my SITE is about cloth diapers generally speaking. My articles have a specific point and topic.
• With these types of comments, it's obvious they are not authentic. Why would you be randomly on a cloth diaper website when you didn't know people still used them?
• Stop saying, "My cousin is having a baby. I will pass this on to her." Why are you researching diapers for your cousin? Nobody does that. Only 5% of parents use cloth diapers. Does your cousin use cloth diapers? Why would you randomly send your cousin a "How To Navigate Hard Water" article when they haven't even had their baby yet?
• Similarly, comments like "I have no kids but I found this interesting." Again, if you have no kids, why are you on a cloth diaper site? I label almost all of my posts for commenting under the "Baby & Infant" interest. I'm looking for people that have a real connection to babies. Everyone likes a cute baby, I get it. I also understand broadening your interests gets you more articles to comment on. But I specifically label my article under that interest to find people that will engage with the content somewhat authentically.

Please start thinking about more than yourself when you are doing this. Think about the people you are leaving the comments for. And extend the same courtesies to these people that you hope people extend to you. I doubt you would like it if I went on your How to Make Money online website, found an article titled, "How To Use Jaaxy To Do Keyword Research", and left a comment that said, "Wow this was interesting. my cousin wants to make a website some day. i will be sure to tell him about your site." Sure, it's a nice sentiment, but again, why are you finding articles that are of no interest to you, sending them to a cousin that may or may not want them.... and what does that have anything to do with keyword research or Jaaxy?

IIf you're going to accept the article for commenting, feign some interest. Take 5-10 minutes to read. You don't need to lie or make up random situations or something, but there are ways you can still leave a thoughtful comment.

Here are some suggestings for leaving a thoughtful comment on a niche blog that is out of your comfort zone:

• Read the ENTIRE article. If you don't understand the topic, how can you leave a halfway decent comment?
• Do not make it obvious that you really have no reason to be on that site. No, "I don't have kids" on a site related to kids, or "I have a random relative that might find this useful." Nobody is buying that you really are sharing these articles with anyone.
• Ask questions! If you read an article on navigating hard water with cloth diaper laundry and this is like a foreign concept to you, you can say, "Oh, wow, I didn't realize hard water could cause an issue with cloth diaper laundry. I am glad I found your article before it was too late! I am still wondering about _____. Can you explain it more or point me to another article you have written that can help?"

Maybe this example comment isn't up to everyone's standards, but here is why I like it: You didn't lie (you really didn't know these things and you probably really don't understand whatever it is you asked about), you're not leaving some generic "I will share this with my cousin, thank you" type comment that adds absolutely no value and makes no sense, you feigned an interest in my article even though I know you really don't care about hard water and diapers, and you gave me an opportunity to leave a thoughtful reply. This is all I'm asking, and I don't think it's too much to ask!

Now, I know English isn't everyone's first language. I understand that and I have absolutely no problem editing spelling and grammar issues. It's the actual content of your comment that I should not have to edit. It feels like 90% of the comments I receive have to either be denied or completely re-written if I were to keep them.

I also want to apologize for every bad comment I may have written when I was new to Site Comments and didn't realize what I was doing because I didn't yet understand how comments can be used to really enhance the site. So sorry if I ever did this to anyone. For the last several months, I have worked very hard to write comments that show authentic interest. I am writing this blog to hopefully teach new members how valuable comments can be, and how you don't have to write a whole dissertation or anything, but you should try to make it look like you are on that site for a reason.

Let's work together to make this a valuable platform for everyone!