Blog Commenting Etiquette
Here's a question I received the other day from a friend…
Just read your blog post about doubling your income in 2008, and I'm responding to it at the site, but was wondering…
Can I use affiliate links in my posts?
Also, can I sign it with my name and website URL, or do I leave it without a signature and let the automation within the blog post insert that information?
Once I figure out the benefits to responding to your posts (other than to encourage you, which is very important in and of itself), I'll know how much time I should allot to reading and responding to various posts.
Thanks for sending out your notice today letting me know about your “double your income” blog post. It was good to read.
And, my reply…
Hi! 🙂 The common etiquette of blog commenting is not to include links in the comment itself unless they are resource links (and even then only one if you have to). Otherwise, even if the post is not deleted, people start rolling their eyes. lol.
Blog commenting has three functions:
- networking
- eyeballs on your link/click throughs
- search engines
So, in commenting and including your link in the URL field, you're accomplishing two of those. The click throughs normally come as you network — and based upon the quality of your comment.
I normally tell my coaching clients to find three blogs that are in their niche that have the “do follow” tags installed and post comments to one or more daily if they have time. If not, then less is good, too. 🙂 But, I'd prefer you follow 3 blogs daily than run around looking for a bunch. That way people will see your name repeatedly.
BUT.. as long as you're getting incoming links on a daily basis in some form, it doesn't matter if it's blog commenting, article writing, press releases, contest sponsors, etc. You're moving ahead.
Just keep on doing a little bit every day and you'll be farther ahead every day than you were the day before.
Now get back to work! 😉
Nicole
Peggy Baron
February 1, 2008 at 11:57 amHi Nicole,
I like your idea of just following 3 blogs. I would add that the more “popular” the blog is, the more click-throughs you’ll see from leaving a comment on it.
Also, if you could be one of the first to leave a comment, the more likely it will be read. If there are a lot of comments, people don’t often read them all. They’re most likely to read the first few. Of course, if you want to comment because you feel strongly about the subject you still should, no matter how many comments there are!
Nicole, how do you feel about a URL in the sig line (see below)? It’s not in the comments.
Thanks,
Peggy
http://peggybaron.com
Merlyn Sanchez
February 2, 2008 at 11:54 pmGreat question and very helpful answer. I also like your suggestion of choosing just 3 blogs to focus on. Not only will you be able to get your name out consistently, but you’ll also be able to build a genuine rapport with the blog owner and other commentors.
Thanks for your always valuable information!
http://www.smartbusinessowners.com
All the best,
Merlyn
Melissa Ingold
February 4, 2008 at 10:16 amWhat a great post. I have to agree with the comments above and say that focusing on three blogs is a great idea.
Peggy Baron
February 6, 2008 at 9:00 amAnnette,
Speaking for the first comment, the link was not “in” the comment, but in my signature. And if you read my last sentence, I asked Nicole how she felt about that.
Peggy
Annette
February 6, 2008 at 8:13 amI’m laughing and rolling my eyes now. 🙂 Your response to the question in your post is:
“The common etiquette of blog commenting is not to include links in the comment itself unless they are resource links (and even then only one if you have to). Otherwise, even if the post is not deleted, people start rolling their eyes. lol.”
And then the first two comments had links in them. Too funny.
Peggy Baron
February 6, 2008 at 10:51 amHi Nicole,
Thanks for the clarification. I’ve been to blogs where the URL is allowed in the sig line, and I don’t mind it on my blog. I agree that URLs inside the comment/post look spammy.
But I’ll make sure to leave mine off when I’m here. I totally respect that. 🙂
Thanks,
Peggy
Administrator
February 6, 2008 at 10:29 amHi guys. I guess my original post wasn’t clear enough. By “In the comment field” I meant that there are four fields — name, email, URL, and comment.
So, yes, I was flummoxed when the first two comments had URLs in the comment field. 😉 But, I did see Peggy’s question and understood the confusion.
I do think that the etiquette also varies by blog. I think some of the blogs that have “no follow” tags seem to allow more links than the ones that “do follow” blogs like this one, in general. I also know that some blog owners delete/edit any comment that has even one URL in it (in the actual comment or anywhere inside that field). Others don’t seem to mind.
I’d be interested to hear thoughts from others. What do YOU allow on your blog? What bugs you or looks spammy?
Nicole
Cindy Rushton
August 30, 2008 at 12:03 amI am SO glad you addressed this. THANKS!
I have just revamped my blog. For years, I had my comments turned off–spam!!!! I just turned everything back on, revitalized and refocused my blog, and opened up some new questions, etc. I was feeling a bit uncomfortable with a few comments that included links. I could not really pinpoint what it was about it that bothered me, until I read this post and comments here. You guys are kindred!
I took the links out for three main reasons:
1. It looked like they posted to post their link instead of support the site with fun “chat.” Not too nice!
2. Several links were a bit over the top and recommended some direct competitors who do not network well with others. I really do not support them nor want to “promote” their site on my site.
3. When I looked at their blogs/websites, I did not see any reciprocal links. They COULD exchange “friend” links. ????
Of course, this question is a bit different because so many of you have wonderful businesses. I do think that your tips here are super for not just being polite, but creating an interest in sites you have to offer.
So…my thoughts? I think that it is much nicer to leave the links off except when you are filling in your own identity. That is a NICE plug for you. Definitely more interesting. 🙂
Great discussion!
Cindy
JoyfullyJanet
December 22, 2009 at 1:34 pmNicole,
Thank you!
One of my associates referred me to your blog for a more recent post, and then – when I saw the title about comment etiquette, well, I thought maybe even I may need a refresher course 😛
I was pleasantly surprised to see your great suggestion to becoming a fan of 3 different blogs in our niche.
Sensational suggestion, as I always feel so overwhelmed trying to keep everything on track and to a schedule.
That you actually “gave me permission” is quite the gift of the season for me! Thank you for that!
You are Joy!
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