How do we get more comments?
I frequent about fifteen of my favourite blogs every day (any more than that and I end up getting no work done at all). Some are photography blogs, some are nutrition blogs and some are anti-cancer blogs. A good smattering of all my interests.
I always read the comments on these blogs – they say as much about the personality of the blogger as the blog entry itself. Comments build community and friendship between the blogger and readers. If you follow the links from commentators (and most bloggers always do) you find out what type of person reads your bloggie ramblings, plus you discover many hidden internet gems – many commentators have outstanding blogs in their own rights. Through getting to know your regular commentators, over time they become valued friends.
Of course, blog comments give you valuable feedback on your writing and photography. You learn what style of blog entry will trigger a comment, and which ones are guaranteed to trigger nothing but a deathly internet silence. With some of our posts, you can practically smell the waves of boredom and/or disapproval coming off the computer screen.
For example, if we blog about general contentious photographic issues, such as photographic laws, pornography, or make some amazingly arrogant (and usually incorrect) observations about the psychology of a photographer, then we are guaranteed comments. The more contentious the issue, the more comments, providing our opinions are argued relatively eloquently, and we're not being total idiots.
Comments are essential to blog writers – they let us know that people are reading (and hopefully liking) the writing style. They give valuable wisdom too. Who needs a therapist when you have hundreds of people regularly reading your blog every day? If I blog about a personal emotional issue, I am lucky enough to guarantee that some kind soul out there will express their opinion, impart their knowledge, offer support, or more often than not, tell me I’m a complete idiot, and need to think again.
The type of images you post are also critical to the number of comments you receive. A blog is target-audience dependent. Readers of this particular blog want to see nudes (although many will tolerate my attempts at fetish, if only for the humour value). They want to look at the nekkid chicks, and because we deliberately put the image at the bottom of the post, we make sure than they have to work for their boobie-fix by reading our waffle before they reach their reward, the eye—candy at the end.
If we post some of Richard’s other photography at the end of a post, such as a landscape, or an animal, no matter HOW GOOD the writing, there will usually be one comment at the most. The reader is subconsciously annoyed because he has read through all our drivel, and he didn't even get his yummy carrot as reward. So nudes it is, I guess. And of course they have to be women. I can only imagine the deathly silence we would get if we posted a nude image of a man (apart from the readers who are female models – yey girls, let’s get some man-flesh to ogle!)
People who leave comments here are mostly photographers. This gives the false impression that all the readers are photographers, and I know for a fact that this is not the case. Many models read this, but they lurk rather than post comments, or email me their opinion instead. I am guessing that this is because they are shy.
Often the off-blog emails that we receive are more frequent than the on-blog comments. Many readers email us instead of commenting, because they do not want others to know they read a nude blog, or because they don’t want to let others know their opinion, or because they have internal political issues with other regular commentators. We have between five and ten regular readers who would rather email us with their comments rather than posting a public response on the blog. Not that we mind, but sometimes the blog does give the impression that because there are too few comments, that not many people are reading it. This is not the case, thank God.
If I blogged about diet, nutrition and cabbages, then I’d probably get between 10 to 20 comments a day. . I know one anti-cancer blog that gets between 25 and 85 comments every single day (I’m madly jealous! But it’s well deserved as she is an awesome writer) Of course, if I blogged about nutrition, I’d go slowly insane from boredom, but these blogs get more comments because a) The commentators are mostly women, and women post more than men, and b) because cabbages are not secretive, hidden, or remotely pornographic in nature, then it’s safe for the lurkers to post.
The bigger blogs, with 10+ comments a day, also have word verification turned off. So if we also did this, we’d certainly increase the comment quota too, but then we’d spend half our day being spammed into extinction, so we’re reluctant to take that step.
In the end, I guess it really doesn’t matter how many comments you get, it only matters that people keep coming back, day after day. There must be some reason they like it, other than the chix…
Congratulations for making it to the end of this long and immensely boring post.
Here’s your carrot:
Claire Louisa. Rich was one of the last photographers to shoot her before she retired from nude modelling.
I always read the comments on these blogs – they say as much about the personality of the blogger as the blog entry itself. Comments build community and friendship between the blogger and readers. If you follow the links from commentators (and most bloggers always do) you find out what type of person reads your bloggie ramblings, plus you discover many hidden internet gems – many commentators have outstanding blogs in their own rights. Through getting to know your regular commentators, over time they become valued friends.
Of course, blog comments give you valuable feedback on your writing and photography. You learn what style of blog entry will trigger a comment, and which ones are guaranteed to trigger nothing but a deathly internet silence. With some of our posts, you can practically smell the waves of boredom and/or disapproval coming off the computer screen.
For example, if we blog about general contentious photographic issues, such as photographic laws, pornography, or make some amazingly arrogant (and usually incorrect) observations about the psychology of a photographer, then we are guaranteed comments. The more contentious the issue, the more comments, providing our opinions are argued relatively eloquently, and we're not being total idiots.
Comments are essential to blog writers – they let us know that people are reading (and hopefully liking) the writing style. They give valuable wisdom too. Who needs a therapist when you have hundreds of people regularly reading your blog every day? If I blog about a personal emotional issue, I am lucky enough to guarantee that some kind soul out there will express their opinion, impart their knowledge, offer support, or more often than not, tell me I’m a complete idiot, and need to think again.
The type of images you post are also critical to the number of comments you receive. A blog is target-audience dependent. Readers of this particular blog want to see nudes (although many will tolerate my attempts at fetish, if only for the humour value). They want to look at the nekkid chicks, and because we deliberately put the image at the bottom of the post, we make sure than they have to work for their boobie-fix by reading our waffle before they reach their reward, the eye—candy at the end.
If we post some of Richard’s other photography at the end of a post, such as a landscape, or an animal, no matter HOW GOOD the writing, there will usually be one comment at the most. The reader is subconsciously annoyed because he has read through all our drivel, and he didn't even get his yummy carrot as reward. So nudes it is, I guess. And of course they have to be women. I can only imagine the deathly silence we would get if we posted a nude image of a man (apart from the readers who are female models – yey girls, let’s get some man-flesh to ogle!)
People who leave comments here are mostly photographers. This gives the false impression that all the readers are photographers, and I know for a fact that this is not the case. Many models read this, but they lurk rather than post comments, or email me their opinion instead. I am guessing that this is because they are shy.
Often the off-blog emails that we receive are more frequent than the on-blog comments. Many readers email us instead of commenting, because they do not want others to know they read a nude blog, or because they don’t want to let others know their opinion, or because they have internal political issues with other regular commentators. We have between five and ten regular readers who would rather email us with their comments rather than posting a public response on the blog. Not that we mind, but sometimes the blog does give the impression that because there are too few comments, that not many people are reading it. This is not the case, thank God.
If I blogged about diet, nutrition and cabbages, then I’d probably get between 10 to 20 comments a day. . I know one anti-cancer blog that gets between 25 and 85 comments every single day (I’m madly jealous! But it’s well deserved as she is an awesome writer) Of course, if I blogged about nutrition, I’d go slowly insane from boredom, but these blogs get more comments because a) The commentators are mostly women, and women post more than men, and b) because cabbages are not secretive, hidden, or remotely pornographic in nature, then it’s safe for the lurkers to post.
The bigger blogs, with 10+ comments a day, also have word verification turned off. So if we also did this, we’d certainly increase the comment quota too, but then we’d spend half our day being spammed into extinction, so we’re reluctant to take that step.
In the end, I guess it really doesn’t matter how many comments you get, it only matters that people keep coming back, day after day. There must be some reason they like it, other than the chix…
Congratulations for making it to the end of this long and immensely boring post.
Here’s your carrot:
Claire Louisa. Rich was one of the last photographers to shoot her before she retired from nude modelling.
Labels: blogging, Claire Louisa
posted by Lin at 9:00 AM
3 Comments:
I couldn't agree more with your observations regarding comments. My blog gets 80 or 100 hits a day, but less than 5 comments per week. Yes, ,my blog is small potatoes, but still.
Keep up the good work, and I will keep reading. Carrot or not.
But then, for whom are you writing the blog? Yourself, for it's cathartic capabilities? Or for others and their subsequent and occasional comments?
I was hoping the carrot this time would be the secret to getting more comments... blogging about comments and instilling a slight guilt reaction can work once in a while, but far from reliably.
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