Making it easy on readers to comment

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[kathiemt]

I don't understand why some bloggers make it difficult for others to leave comments on their blogs?  Is it because they don't know how to change the settings or don't realise they can?  Or do they feel that people should register for their system first?  Maybe they're scared of getting too much spam comment if they don't force people to register first?

I recently posted about this on my soho-life.com blog and I know that some people whose blogs I visit regularly have since changed their comment settings because they hadn't realised how difficult they were making it for others.

There have been times when I've tried to find a contact email or form for a blogger and often that just doesn't exist. If I'd wanted to comment badly enough I end up writing a post on one of my own blogs and linking back to the relevant blog. That has been effective in getting the attention of the blogger but I haven't done this many times.

If you don't get many comments on your blog and wonder why, then perhaps this is something you need to check. 

What do you do if you want to comment on a blog that just makes it too hard to do so?

[Lee]

If I'd wanted to comment badly enough I end up writing a post on one of my own blogs and linking back to the relevant blog.

It's funny you should mention that because I know of several bloggers directly who that is the reason why they've turned off comments - to encourage people to write about their site on their own blogs.

Not something I agree with.  So if I encounter it I rarely return or I may just email the author if that is a possibility.

On the flip side Blogger attracts a lot of newbies who don't yet know of the wonderful world of comments and don't know what the settings mean - especially when Blogger just takes it upon themselves to 'change' the way the comments stuff is approved - but as if they would do that!!!   

[kathiemt]

I agree about the newbies - funny thing, it was a comment on my family blog that actually got me hooked and blogging more often so I must have just been lucky or perhaps it's my innate curiosity in seeing how things work that I had the correct settings set.

But many of the blogs I visit are more than a few months old and yet if I do successfully contact the owner they often say they didn't know they could make the changes - some say they just hadn't thought about it.

For those who deliberately switch it off - perhaps the idea that they do it to make others blog about them is a tad conceited - in my books anyway.  I always feel honoured that others would blog about something I've done or said but it's not an expectation that will happen.

[Lee]

For those who deliberately switch it off - perhaps the idea that they do it to make others blog about them is a tad conceited - in my books anyway.  I always feel honoured that others would blog about something I've done or said but it's not an expectation that will happen.

Oh I agree completely!  It's over conceited.  But then like I say I refuse to continue reading their site.  So backfires for at least me and I have to represent at least ten others  .

[Sueblimely]

I do know a couple of blogspot users who have turned off anonymous comments because of abuse they were receiving, which started with being targeted  on one of their social networking accounts. They were able to change their user names on these sites but understandably did not want to change blog addresses. One of these is quite happy with getting comments from her existing readers and does not worry about her comment system putting others off. There are many personal sites on blogger too and they may not realize that they are able to turn off public listing of their sites.

I had not thought about people turning it off to get backlinks instead and will keep that in mind although I think this is counterproductive and backlinks are much more likely to come from developing an open friendly community.

Having to enter a gmail address to leave comments on Blogger is a nuisance for me as it takes people to my old blogger account. I keep this open so as to divert people to my new blog and so that I do not to get my blogspot address, which includes my online identity name (Sueblimely), taken over by someone else.

[RodneyOlsen]

Sueblimeley, you don't have to point people to your old Blogger blog.

If I absolutely have to use my Gmail account to comment, anyone following the link from my comment will arrive at my old Blogger Profile page. I've changed the settings so that there's no links there to the Blogger blog. If they click 'My Web Page' it'll take them to my WordPress blog and my profile details simply tell people to go to the URL of my WordPress blog.

It's not perfect but it works.

You can click here to see what I mean.

[kathiemt]

Hey Rodney, I didn't know you were here!  Cool.  I own multiple blogs - most of which are in Wordpress but I've kept my hand in on Blogger as I assist clients with blogs too - so it's good to keep knowledgeable about the process.  So I have a blog there with a list of all of my blogs.

Sue backlinks can be negative too so if someone's not got something nice to say it might not just be on comments but also what they say on their own blogs too - I've seen that happen.  I'd much rather report those people as spam or perhaps there's another way to report them to someone - I don't know.

Many of the blogs I see that I'd like to comment on but can't I think it's probably a case of 'not thinking' - especially when they've put no other form of contact there either.

[Lee]

Sueblimeley, you don't have to point people to your old Blogger blog.

If I absolutely have to use my Gmail account to comment, anyone following the link from my comment will arrive at my old Blogger Profile page. I've changed the settings so that there's no links there to the Blogger blog. If they click 'My Web Page' it'll take them to my WordPress blog and my profile details simply tell people to go to the URL of my WordPress blog.

It's not perfect but it works.

You can click here to see what I mean.

This is something I keep thinking about to put on my 'to do' list - cheers for the reminder!

[Sueblimely]

Sueblimeley, you don't have to point people to your old Blogger blog.
I've changed the settings so that there's no links there to the Blogger blog. If they click 'My Web Page' it'll take them to my WordPress blog and my profile details simply tell people to go to the URL of my WordPress blog.

Thanks Rodney, I had no idea that feature existed.
I have however kept the link there as I have added a redirect script so that my old blospot blog redirects to my new site. As i have other Blogger blogs I did not want my main blog to be missing from the list.

[RodneyOlsen]

Hey Rodney, I didn't know you were here!  Cool.

Ah yes. I've been here for a while but I generally just sit quietly in the corner unless I feel I have something significant to add.

[clutterbells]

I think blogs without comments are not real blogs. Making it possible to comment is non negotiable with me.

[Mistress B]

I think blogs without comments are not real blogs.

That's what I thought.

[Nomesque]

Rodney - that's very similar to my Blogger profile these days. But a curiousity question - why isn't there a link on the URL text?

[RodneyOlsen]

Rodney - that's very similar to my Blogger profile these days. But a curiousity question - why isn't there a link on the URL text?

Good question. There is now.