Are Your Comments Helping… or Just Filling Space? (Let’s Talk About Real Engagement in

I was reading through a Wealthy Affiliate thread recently, and something caught my attention. There was a discussion about members leaving lots of very short comments—things like:

• “Nice!”
• “Great post!”
• “Love this!”

With WA's great new "earning credits via engagement, this can be abused by those who do such things. Now don’t get me wrong… I’ve written comments like that too. We all have 😊

But it made me stop and think… Are my comments actually helping someone… or just taking up space?

This has been bothering me since I read that and I'm trying to change and make all my comments more useful and appropriate (except for the "funny" ones where some of us just are being silly).

The Problem Isn’t the Words… It’s the Intent

There’s nothing wrong with being encouraging. In fact, that’s one of the best parts of WA—the support and positivity.

But when comments become:

• very short
• repeated across many posts
• not tied to the actual content

…they can start to feel more like “coin collecting” than real engagement. And that’s not what most of us are here for. We’re here to:

• learn
• build businesses
• connect with real people

So What Makes a Comment Actually Useful?

A useful comment does at least one of these:

Shows you actually read the post

Mention something specific: “I liked your point about using Pinterest for traffic…”

Adds a thought or experience

“I’ve been trying that too, but I struggle with consistency…”

✔Encourages in a meaningful way

“This is really helpful for beginners—I think a lot of people will benefit from this.”

A Simple Trick That Works Every Time

If you’re not sure what to say, try this:

Mention one thing + add one thought

That’s it.

Example:

“Your breakdown of SEO made it feel a lot less overwhelming.
I’ve been avoiding it, but this makes me want to give it another try.”

That kind of comment takes maybe 15 extra seconds…
…but it feels real and says "You are not a Gamer"

Before and After (You’ll See the Difference)

Before:

Great post!

After:

Great post! I really liked how you explained keyword research—it finally made sense to me.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

When you leave thoughtful comments:

• People remember you
• You build real connections
• You actually help someone
• You stand out (in a good way)

And yes… you still earn credits. But now you’re earning them the right way and you come across as a real person who wants to add value to this platform.

My Personal Goal Moving Forward

After reading that thread, I made a small commitment to myself: I’m going to slow down just enough to make my comments count (I already tend to do this - maybe because I'm just a wordy person when I get going, but I definitely love WA enough to want to truly conribute and not just "take" from these very helpful members) or I'm just going to give a "like". Already today I've been giving more just "likes".

Not longer… just better.

Final Thought

A comment doesn’t have to be long to be valuable . It just has to be real.

If you’ve ever caught yourself typing “Nice post!” and hitting publish (I have!), you’re not alone. But with just a tiny shift, your comments can go from forgettable to meaningful—and that’s where the magic really happens.