Site comments - is this just reciprocal back patting?
I have reviewed a number of web pages in the SIte Comments utility and, while most of them were positive, some have been negative due to confusing language, grammar, and other problems that I perceived. I would lie to get some feedback from the community on leaving "negative" feedback. My comments have always been constructive criticism and were only made to help the owner make a better presentation of their material. There have been a couple of minor things like suggesting that they remove the default Wordpress subtitle in their heading which should be no big deal in my opinion. There have been others where the language was so stilted and hard to read I had to comment on that and the overall feedback was negative as a result. I do take into consideration that sometimes the author's native language is not English and don't criticize that too much but mildly suggest that they have their content reviewed by someone who does have a better grasp of the language.
Anyway, I guess my main question is: what is the main purpose of the Site Comments utility? Is it just to get comments on the site in order to, in theory, garner better rankings or is it a medium for helping people improve their overall presentation through constructive criticism as well? Content presentation and readability are factors in Site rankings as well after all.
Recent Comments
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This was a very good post written before the new site comment feature arrived, but still relevant. Writing Website Comments-Best Practices If you find issues with the site this should never be done in the comment area but via a pm. It doesn't help members at all when the comment is not relevant to the post.
As bnickel says Feedback is for constructive criticism. Kyle has also said, if the comment isn't relevant to the post don't accept it.
Hope this clarifies. :)
Should be to help one another all around but many I think most use it for rankings. A lot of fluff, and no stuff!
Rankings are important, so I understand how making good, relevant comments is necessary. Thanks to everyone for their input on this.
Hey Brian,
hope you don't mind if i respond to you, if only to give my perspective ;))
Personally, when I leave a comment on the site, I take my time to read the content, I don't rush. I do my best to leave a positive comment that is relevant to the site, and also do my best to Empower that person with that same positive truth. It would be pointless to write feedback on his site that would point out flaws, no matter how it's worded. lets remember, we're visiting his/her storefront, where the general public will come to do business. Not just us here at WA. This is one great way that we as Members @ WA help promote each other.
Same when I leave feedback, I try to empower as well as leave constructive criticism. I don't leave fluff in either space, in would be futile. However, in the feedback section "inside WA" I can mention to this person, "hey I think your site can use this, or maybe you should try that"
Though both topics are "related", just as apples are oranges are both fruit, comments and feedback are two different kettles of fish, serving two different purposes ;))
Hope you enjoyed
Joseph
Here's how I see it. I am looking for comments that will add value to my site, demonstrate to the engines that I have an increasingly popular site, and add diversity of opinion and writing style to the topics I write about. In return, I have the opportunity to give back to the community by doing the same for others. It's a great utility in my view.
I agree on the grammar, try to gently correct them. This is important because people who read these articles hope that the products that are being promoted are trustworthy and being promoted by an intelligent salesperson. And I also agree that I dislike giving negative comments, even though they are constructive ones. My own site is hard to read due to the font used, and I accept that comment because I know its coming... lol. Kyle is on the right note here when he asks us to give constructive feedback to our fellow guys and gals, improvements come from us, not a stranger -- they get to see the perfect, improved business website. I like that.
I have had some problems with leaving feedback simply because this site seems to be mushy when it comes to helping each other out with encouragement. Comments I leave on actual blogs generally only have to do with content not punctuation or sentence structure. I mainly do this to help someone get ranked. Feedback, though is more difficult because I don't want to hurt feelings and I am relatively new and might be over stepping boundaries. I also understand the problems with translation. I'm not sure that me being ranked 2394 it's a good idea to criticize someone ranked 12.
Hey Uncle!
I don't think ranking has anything to do with a good idea. Express yourself and let the chips fall where they may. If nothing else you may learn something valuable. :-)
Hey Rickie
Great to hear from you, been a while
ok, so here goes ;))
"Site Comments" is on the site itself, ~ This helps each other out in rankings ;))
you'd leave a positive comment there like ; hey thanks, I really enjoyed the info I got here or other positive mention.
"Site Feedback" is what you leave here on WA , where you offer up constructive criticism;
Please Give Me Feedback on My Website ;
Such as;" I enjoyed your site blah blah blah, however you should consider editing your content."
This is feedback, and should never ever be left as a website comment, you're better not commenting at all than leaving a critique as a comment ;))
Hope this helped
Great to hear from you
Joseph
Thanks Joseph. It looks to me like the site owner would have to ask for feedback on that link you gave me. Is it possible to leave feedback there if they don't request it? If not, then how else would one be able to give constructive criticism, they don't have to approve the comments after all so "no harm, no foul" in that case, right?
"Feedback" usually is to find out how and what people feel about their website, and how they can improve it.
A website comment is more "networking" to help boost our rankings.
It's a great idea, and a great kickstart. Also, the public (outside WA ) read "profile comments. If you send feedback as a comment to a website, chances are the person won't be pleased, he/she is looking to boost their rank, not get feedback that they have to delete. ;))
If like me, you enjoy giving good feedback, there are always people asking and really needing feedback on the link I sent you. ;))
and also here,
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/website-feedback
both work on the pay it forward premise
Have a great night my Friend ;))
Good question. There is thread that, as far as I know, can still be used to request and give feedback on the grammar, style, content and layout of the websites. Please Give Me Feedback on My Website On the other hand, the comments we get are mostly focused on helping us improve our rankings.
I hope this helps. Blessings,
Hilda
You can also PM the site owner. I have done it a few times and other people have also sent me feedback that way.
Blessings,
Hilda
I would reserve the critique for the thread on site feedback and use the comments program to leave comments on the featured content. :)
Exactly.... comments are one thing... Feedback is another... feedback is for constructive criticism.
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Thanks for bringing this up!
The site comment system could use some tweaking.
Maybe, the comments below explain a lot though. Maybe adding an option for feedback on a site's structure, grammar, syntax, etc... as well as the comments.
There is already a system in place for website feedback, similar to the comments one. :)
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/website-feedback
Wouldn't that overshoot the target of this system?
I prefer PM's when it comes to comments on e.g. layout or spelling issues.
very true, thanks for the reminder!