I absolutely love comments! they make me happy, make me feel like someone is really visiting my blog and caring about something I have to say! What I don’t love is trying to figure out how to actually reply to a comment! I mean how do you do this effectively? I would like to reply on my blog in another comment, but then how do I know the person will come back and read it? I would never know! Am I correct to assume that most comment-ers do not come back to read replies? Heck, If they’re anything like me they probably don’t even remember which blogs they commented on and when!
This leads to my extreme frustration! I sometimes comment back, then never know if my reply goes unread I sometimes reply by a reply email. I sometimes go to the comment-ers blog and find an interesting post then comment and Thank them for visiting me. I sometimes do all of the above or any combination of the 3.
Sometimes, because I’m a half-arsed perfectionist, I do nothing, because if I can’t do it perfectly (in my mind) then I will drive myself insane with worry about that little comment that needs replied to.
How to fix this? I’m not sure. I’ve seen some different comment interfaces on other blogs. They have a way to reply in comments so that the comment-er will also receive an email. It looks promising. I’m a little hesitant to try it because I don’t want to scare comments off! How about a poll?
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Hi,
I know I wasn't sure how to do all that either. Finally I just came up with my own rules to follow: I always go back to look on a blog I have asked a question on, and I reply on my blog if someone asks me a question when they comment. Sometimes I will leave a general "thank you" comment on my blog for all my great blogging friends who leave so many nice words. Other than that, I knew I could never comment back to everyone's comments, that would just be too much and I wouldn't expect anyone else to do that either.
Good luck with getting your own system with the whole commenting question.
Glad you brought this up, and I'll be following the comments to see what others think. Personally, if I feel I "need" and answer, I'll email the blogger and I hope that a commentater on my blog would do the same. If a commenter leaves a general question to which I think others might like to know the answer, I'll post a reply in the comments. If I want to be sure the commenter knows my answer, I try to email them. So, I guess I do a little of this and a little of that! And like you, I'm often left wondering . . .
Take a peek at this: http://ducedo.com/how-to-keep-track-of-your-comments/
I appreciate a Reply, do not expect one.. I honestly know I won't come back to a blog and check for a reply to my comment.
Usually they are in my email and I read them, I don't usually reply to a reply… so you won't know if I read it or not!!
What I am trying to say is … Ummm I am no help at all!!
Have a great day!
Wonder if you will Reply??!!
Hi Henrietta!
I try to reply in an email first but if there's no contact, I sometimes leave a comment. Like the man that asked me about my large coccyx. :)
The problem is….when I reply in an email, I get too chatty and I think I frighten people.
Sometimes if it's the visitor's first time at my blog, I'll visit theirs and read a bit and then leave a comment.
And then sometimes….
I don't do anything because I'm afraid of all of the above ;)