What Not To Do On Your Blog: Learn From My Mistake
Yesterday, I was messing around with my blog, checking the stats, adding a new widget, and answering comments. Something prompted me (or perhaps it was plain old procrastination) to click on page three and four of my comments.
I was happily reading through comments that were months old until I discovered six comments that I had not approved.
I didn’t even know they were there.
I make it a point to reply back when people leave comments because I like bloggers to write back when I comment on their blogs. Also, we market blogs for clients on a regular basis and actively market our blog as well. My number one rule is: leave comments and comment back. It’s the polite thing to do and it helps build relationships.
So, you can image my shock when I stumbled upon these unattended blog comments. To make matters worse, someone had left a message asking to expand on the topic. And another person left me a message on a post that was about how communication is the key to business success. Talk about embarrassing.
How these comments managed to slip past me isn’t important. What matters is that not only did I miss an opportunity to connect with other bloggers, but I may have also lost readership as a result of my neglect.
Let this be a lesson to those of you who blog: stay current with your incoming comments. Reply back in a prompt manner. And it wouldn’t hut you to check comments from months ago. You never know what you might have missed.
I’d love for you to leave a comment. Oh, come on, you know you want to. Or share it on Digg or StumbleUpon.
Tags: blog commenting, Blog Marketing, Blog Tips, web content writer charleston sc
August 28th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I would bet a hefty sum of money that we’ve all done that at some time or another. I sure have – and now the first thing I check is my comments when I go into my blog.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Thanks for the friendly reminder to keep checking on those comments. If part of the reason for a blog is to establish a relationship with your customers or readers, then ignoring them defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? Thanks again.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Melody, glad to see I’m not alone in this!
August 28th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Hi Doug, You are right — it is all about building relationships with readers (and customers). Aside from replying to comments on my blog, one thing I’ve found helpful in growing my subscriber base is to comment on blogger’s sites when they comment on mine. Thanks for the post.