Using the Site Comment Feature Correctly

I think the new Site Comment feature is great and I've received some wonderful comments from WA members so far. I also have a 100% approval rate on the comments I've left for others.

Over the past couple of days I've seen a few people talk about comments being rejected, either in chat or in comments related to the feature, and they don't seem to understand why.

The point of this post is to give you an idea of why your comments may be rejected and what you should do to ensure that they are approved.

The main problem that people seem to be having is confusing the Site Comment feature with the Site Feedback feature. They are two completely different things.

The Site Feedback feature is intended to give feedback on another member's website when they ask for it. Within this feature it is perfectly acceptable to talk about the layout of the website, the appeal of it and how it can be improved, in a constructive way.

The Site Comment feature, however, is a separate entity.

The idea here is to leave a comment as a site visitor that has come across the post that has been linked to. Put the idea of leaving feedback as a WA member out of your mind. These comments are related to the specific post, to increase engagement on the content.

You should comment on the post as if you have plugged the keyword into Google and have come across the post in your search. Read the content. Respond to the content. Focus solely on the content.

I've compiled a small list of some basic do's and don't's that should help you get the most out of the Site Comments feature.

Don't

• Comment on the layout or visual aspects of the website.
• Comment on the website as a whole.
• Critique heavily on misspelling and/or grammatical errors.
• Mention the WA platform unless the post is specifically related to it.
• Comment about an unrelated page or post.
• Leave an unproductive comment of just a few words like "nice post" or "this is a good post".

Do

• READ the post that you are about to comment on. This is important.
• Comment on a specific point (or points) mentioned in the given post.
• Leave an opinion that differs from the author's (if yours does) in a way that encourages discussion.
• Ask for the author's opinion on something related to the post's content to encourage discussion.
• Ask the author for elaboration on something mentioned in the post that you're unsure of.
• Leave a lengthy comment that promotes engagement and leaves room for further discussion.

The idea of the Site Comment feature is to help people get engagement on their posts which, in time, will help when it comes to ranking. The idea of the Site Comment feature is not to interact with the author as a fellow website owner to offer suggestions for improvement.

If you want to offer suggestions outside of the content, do so in the Site Feedback section, or send the member a private message with your constructive feedback.

I hope this clears some things up for a few people.

Have fun with your commenting!