From the category archives:

Comments

What’s the best way to respond to comments on my blog?

June 1, 2010

One of the best ways to engage with your blogging community is to respond to reader comments. But what’s the best way? Should you respond to every comment, every time? And how should you respond: within the comments or directly to the commenter? It can get confusing quickly. Luckily, there are options. Do I need [...]

Read the full article →

Helpful Blogging Links: June 26, 2009

June 26, 2009

This week’s Helpful Blogging Links roundup includes information on how to find out who Stumbled your article, why designers need to learn coding basics, and a reminder on how to make sure a blogger can respond to your comments!

Read the full article →

How do I make a make a link in a comment I’m leaving on a blog?

August 12, 2008

This can be tricky because it all depends on how the blog owner has her/his site set up. Some people have their comments set to accept limited HTML, some have them set to accept no HTML, and some have them set to automatically link URLs left in the comments. I believe Blogger automatically allows limited [...]

Read the full article →

How can I make a comment on a blog into traffic for my site?

May 15, 2008

You can’t make a comment on one blog into traffic for your site. However, you can become an interested part of a community and contribute to conversations in the comments sections of several blogs (also part of that community–whether it’s political, parenting, gardening, etc.). The more you comment, the more visible you are. The more [...]

Read the full article →

When commenting, why do some people use a profile name and others use their real name? Does it matter which one I choose to use?

May 12, 2008

As you visit blogs and read comments, you will notice that some people appear to have an alias (e.g., chilihead) and some people appear to be using their real names (e.g., Melanie). Whichever route you choose (alias or real name or blog name), that is the name that will become associated with you. When readers [...]

Read the full article →

Podcast: Lurking and Commenting

February 4, 2008

This is the third installment of my blog discussion with Shannon. Today we’re talking about whether lurking on a blog is rude. We’re also spouting opinions on comments. You can listen to the podcast with the links below or on iTunes (you can search the iTunes podcasts for Blogging Basics 101 and you’ll find us, [...]

Read the full article →

Am I supposed to respond to every comment left at my blog?

January 14, 2008

This is one of those questions that comes up a lot. The short answer is do what works best for you. The long answer (you knew it would be so easy, right?) is that every blogger handles this differently. Some bloggers answer comments by writing their comments under the first comment. Some bloggers respond via [...]

Read the full article →

Blogger recently established a box at the bottom of comment sections that you can check to get follow up comments sent to you. I don’t want to read “everyone’s” comments in the string, only if the author responds. Is this the way it works?

November 5, 2007

No. If you check the box to be updated (via e-mail) with new comments or responses, you will receive all comments/responses (including those posted by the author). Depending on the discussion topic, the site’s traffic, etc. this may or may not inundate you with e-mail.

Read the full article →

How do I deal with Spam comments on my WordPress blog?

October 24, 2007

Thank you to Jordan McCollum at Momma Blogga for this answer! On WordPress.com, they automatically filter spam comments using a plugin called Akismet.  Sometimes spam comments aren’t marked as such. Mark them as spam to help Akismet block comments from that bot. On a self-hosted WordPress blog (WordPress.org), you need a WordPress.com API key to [...]

Read the full article →

I use WordPress. Every time I try to publish a comment on a BlogSpot page, it won’t allow me. I have to do it anonymously. Is this a WordPress problem and how do I fix it?

October 23, 2007

Thanks to Jordan McCollum at Momma Blogga for this answer. I haven’t heard of this specific problem before, but these are the things I would try: Sign up for a Blogger account at Blogger.com. Some BlogSpot blogs don’t allow anonymous comments; you have to sign in to Blogger to comment.  (If you have a GMail [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries