Better Your Blog in a Week: #2
Today is part #2 to my Better Your Blog in a Week series, made to help you improve your blog in 7 days. The idea here is that if you follow my advice over 7 days, I can almost guarantee you’ll see an increase in your numbers and in the future weeks, you’ll be on your way to blogging success. Yesterday was all about the blogging point system, and today sort elaborates on that.
#2: Comment on Other Blogs… At Least 5 Times/Day
Everyone will tell you: commenting on other blogs is good. Of course it is! Free links, whether they have nofollow or not, and you build a name for yourself. Some advantages of leaving comments:
- Traffic
- Possible new readers
- Build a name/identity
- Join a discussion
- Share your thoughts
- Be heard
I’m not talking about spammy, worthless comments, though. The saying, “do unto others as you would do unto yourself” is in effect here. Leave a good, insightful comment with good grammar and spelling that gets across a thought. Here are some things not to do:
Nice!
yeah I agree
lolcats omgbbq
You’re so wrong here it’s not even funny
None of those (poor) examples say anything or get a thought across. I recently read the article “Blogging isn’t like planting a tree, it’s like fishing” over at Sam’s blog, and I wholeheartedly disagreed. I left a comment explaining why, and what I thought was a better analogy for blogging. It may be a huge comment that fills all of the 1050px height of my screen, but it got my thought across. And with a comment like that, you can be sure some of her readers checked out my site.
Keep your tone objective, and not mean (unless you mean to be) and see both sides before attacking someone. I may have disagreed in the example above, but I provided an alternative thought, instead of imposing my idea as correct.
So today, your mission, whether you chose to accept it, is to find five blogs, whether you’ve commented them or not in the past, and leave a good, insightful comment. Do this everyday and you’ll be jumping through numbers like crazy, with increased traffic and readership.
These first two days haven’t really had anything to do with doing things to your own site, but more leveraging others’ for your own use. All the posts in this series can be found in the Better your Blog category.
Leave a comment
Adam McKerlie
August 16th, 2007 at 3:09 PM
Again another great tip. I totally agree with this one (even more so then yesterdays). I leave comments on 10-15 blogs every day, I try to find new ones but sometimes thats just not possible. From these 10-15 comments I might get 20-30 hits back to my website which for me isn’t a bad rate considering I launched my site just over a week ago.
“Do this everyday and you’ll be jumping through numbers like crazy, with increased traffic and readership.”
Just a little exaggeration? I would have to disagree with you on this. Commenting probably won’t increase your numbers like crazy. It will increase them but I don’t nearly as much as writing thoughtful articles.
Glen Allsopp
August 16th, 2007 at 3:10 PM
had a laugh at the bad examples. Seen them all over the place
Connor Wilson
August 16th, 2007 at 3:11 PM
I wouldn’t call it exaggeration per se, because in the long term in really would make a huge difference. Even those 30 hits a day, where would you be without them?
Adam McKerlie
August 16th, 2007 at 3:33 PM
@ Connor
Thats true. Actually reading back I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I was thinking short term. Long term your definitely right over time those hits back will accumulate.
Steven Snell
August 16th, 2007 at 5:46 PM
Leaving comments and getting involved on other blogs has opened up some good networking opportunities for me. Good points.
Kevin
August 17th, 2007 at 9:08 AM
I know you are right about leaving comments being a good way to build your own blog. This is something I need to get better at.
In an effort to reform my ways here’s my first one for the day. And since you’re suggesting good grammar in comments maybe I’ll help a little with your post.
First paragraph, last line, I think you need and “of” in this phrase, “today sort elaborates on that”.
Connor Wilson
August 17th, 2007 at 9:12 AM
Haha, thanks Kevin. I make a ton of mistakes, I ‘m sure.
When I say use good grammar, I just mean don’t make a fool of yourself. An effort really protects yourself from… negative stuff. Hard to explain, but when I get a comment that looks like it was written by a lolcat site I think less of the person (unless in humour).
Kevin
August 17th, 2007 at 9:21 AM
I agree with you about good grammar — it makes a big difference in comments and in life. My father was an English teacher and I’m certain good grammar has helped me numerous times when seeking employment and in many other ways too numerous to mention.
Chris Juneau
August 19th, 2007 at 11:16 AM
First of all I would just like say, great article!
Secondly, I tried to find something I disageed with on this post and couldn’t. : ) I always like a good back and forth disscussion with each side trying to prove a point. It helps us see different sides of topics or situations that we might not normally have seen.
I think the hardest thing for me to learn, when commenting on others sites, was to learn how to get my point across through typing instead of being verbal. I knew what I wan’t to say, but to write it and have other people see where I was coming from was a challenge. Through practice and repetition I think I am getting closer to achieving my goal of writing understandable content.
Let’s go plant a tree!
Connor Wilson
August 19th, 2007 at 12:24 PM
Getting your point across on paper, on a screen, or anything else than a verbal conversation is an art form. One that is easily mastered by thinking a little and maybe even planning. Most of my posts and comments are totally stream of consciousness, but having done that for a while now, I think my points seep through.
D Web Design
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:54 AM
I believe that when people give some poor comments, like the “Nice!” etc.. , is when they really don’t have nothing to say. I remember this beautiful phrase :
“If what you have to say is not more beautiful than silence, then remain quiet!”
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