Have you noticed? Fewer and fewer comments are being registered on blogs all over the place. Most comment sections of blogs are like graveyards. Where we used to average 50+ per post, comments are down to a handful.
What Happened to Blog Comments
- Triberr happened to blog comments.
Dino Dogan and Dan Cristo have done a miraculous job of automating blog sharing so that now comments happen right in the Triberr dashboard.
No one needs to come to your website any more. No one sees your calls to action in the sidebar of your blog any more. People are using Triberr commenting system, and they are reblogging others’ content to boost traffic at the risk of authenticity.
I don’t fault Triberr for its innovation; I knew that was the path and I also knew I would draw the line as a blogger and not take those extra steps at the risk of higher traffic.
- Commenting systems like Google’s and Facebook’s and Triberr’s have happened.
People put in a comment on each of these social channel comment systems and the comment appears on that channel. Engagement happens on that channel; no longer on the blog.
- Social shares happened.
Pay careful attention to where you’re earning comments. When you share a post on one of your social channels, more often than not, someone reads the post and then comments on Twitter or Facebook of Google+. All those folks who used to swing by are engaging with you in other places.
- Time happened.
People are weary of all the content in their faces day in and day out. People are shutting down and turning off from others’ content because there isn’t time, and there is no obligation, and what’s the ROI?
How To Get More Blog Comments
So, what’s a blogger to do?
- Do not become part of the echo chamber. Please find a new twist to amplify your good content!
- Consider Cision’s new Content Marketing Suite where you can do #SyndicationAutomation (I coined that hashtag) of your content. Your blog post can get automatically pushed out onto major national content platforms as “related content” much like how I use Zemanta right here on this blog.
With a click and an RSS feed, you simply push your blog content national and amplify. Traffic should happen, according to the case study I read about a company that is using Cision.
- Write for Blogging Communities. My friend Mark Harai launched Blogger Beat, and he’s got something really worth looking at. Ask me for an invitation to join forces with a bunch of professional bloggers seeking to capitalize on the power of numbers. You can also get a gig writing for industry outlets, too. Find your niche and get outside of your comfort zone.
- Do write compelling content. It has to be different than what others are writing. When you’re a member of Triberr, you get to see who’s writing awesome and who’s writing stinky. Analyze that and change your game.
- Supplement your content with other content to fuel your lead generation and digital marketing. You need to write ebooks and decks and share those. You need to use List.ly and Clipsi and make a go of being creative with content.
- Video is critical. When was the last time you did some video and showed your face? It’s tough, right? Who wants to look bad on camera, but we’ve all heard how important video really is.
I don’t have all the answers right now. I’ve felt the sea change; have you?
What else should we all be doing to ensure we’re putting our best word forward?
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It’s funny, I used to care about comment numbers at the point of contact (the blog), but it’s unrealistic to expect people to be “forced” to interact in one place. We advise clients to meet their customers where they prefer to hang out online; blog comments are no different. People prefer to discuss on G+, Facebook, Twitter chats, etc. Choose where you want to engage on a particular day, and do that. If it’s the blog comments, great. If it’s somewhere else, just as great.
There’d be a bigger problem if the blog wasn’t being spoken about anywhere… 😉
Most people I connect with have mentioned this. With the sheer proliferation of “content” online, and the increasing number of platforms and places, it seems that people are whizzing by, sharing but not necessarily commenting. I miss the days of banter, #TeamBlogJack and ‘raderie.
P.S. Jayme, every time I try to share your posts on twitter, it doesn’ work:( I have to copy the URL and tweet it out. It works through triberr, but not here on your site. Thought you should know.
timbo1973 And, guess what, Tim? You’re writing amazing content that’s educational. People want what you have. Your journey as a blogger has been fascinating to watch! Keep it up!!
KDillabough I do, too, Kaarina. We did have a ton of fun, didn’t we? It was always a party!
Darn it…re the tweets thing. Thanks for telling me. When I tweet out, it’s OK. I wonder what the heck is happening. This is where I get frustrated that I can’t zero and fix something.
KDillabough GAHHH!
Today we have such a fragmented touch-point that we need to pay attention to those instead of one! Be where they are and count all the forms of “comments” received. Well done Jayme.
I’ve noticed a little decrease of late (and today since my cache plugin enabled CommentLuv, eeks! I believe it’s fixed.) But prior to that YES, I had noticed a drop and thought it was due to summer and back to school 🙂 Plus those Google algorithm updates too always put a wrench in our blogs and websites Jayme. I do LOVE Triberr but if I love a post and have time I may comment on both still.
bowden2bowden Thanks Randy! Great seeing you!
I agree. I expect it’s the same percentage of people commenting as ever, but they are commenting different places. The question is, do we care that much? Why do we need comments on our blogs?
Neicolec I do love comments. I cannot deny! Comments give me inspiration to write more content and do it based on what someone says. You’re right; it’s not the best metric of things, but it is an ebb and flow in our blogging journey! Thanks, Neicole!
lisabuben290 Hi, Lisa! Glad it’s not only me…I think all the myriad options for comments do put people on different platforms. And, summer is slower in general.
Google? What’s that?
Heh. Thanks for coming over!
Thank you Jayme for your gentle reminder…
Hi, Jayme – I literally just left this comment on another blog:
“Assuming you’re cranking out helpful content, it’s often times not good enough… You have to make genuine connections that move people to want to support your work. Your social strategy should always be measured by the strength of relationships that are developing as a result of the work you’re doing; especially when you’re just starting out. You have to have build the social aspect of your business on a foundation of people and relationships, or chances are, you will never get the traction you’re looking for to move the needle for your business.”
I do believe that your blog is the best place to accomplish this, but as Danny Brown mentioned below, today you have to engage people where they are comfortable engaging you.
Cheers all! : )
Soulati | Hybrid PR I tried again, and shareholic, no matter how many times I try, gives this message: “Dang! Twitter appears to be unavailable. Give it a couple of minutes and try again later.”
I can give it a couple of hours but still doesn’t work 🙁 Hope shareholic can come to your rescue.
The end of summer and return to school is always a busy time so it is not unusual for commenting to drop off a bit. And as was said there are multiple places and platforms to engage upon so…
Mark_Harai And, I believe that we all are engaging all over, right? There’s something about the homestead, though.
Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes It’s also about the type and quality of content you’re generating, too. What, you’re that OLD? A Gen Xer? OhMY.
KDillabough Soulati | Hybrid PR THANKS so much.
I think the economy picking up has had an affect also. Fewer people spending as much time focused on online biz models.
Hi Jayme!
I find that as a reader myself, I comment on the blog itself because that is where I’m reading. However, it is part of my job to keep up on the industry and read what experts are putting out there, and a lot of people don’t have that luxury, which leads to an increase in people sharing and commenting on other channels.
I agree with Danny Brown that comments on any channel is something to be proud of – after all – it’s probably more likely to be seen by new eyes and shared if it’s on a social network – but I understand why it’s difficult for a blogger. It’s nice for readers to come to you, share their thoughts, and make themselves comfortable in your online ‘home’ 🙂
We appreciate the mention of our new suite and are very excited to bring it to the masses, especially those who are writing good content and need it to reach a bigger audience.
Thank you for your insight and for sharing!
Best,
Lisa
Cision NA Danny Brown Hey, Lisa! Thanks for your comment and stopping by. As have been saying, the sea change just means you change in parallel or get out of the water!
Adam | Customer Experience That’s true, too. When we had a recession, we had a party.
The biggest thing that will stop me from commenting on a blog is having to sign up to comment. This isn’t to say that I want to post anonymously, but people are becoming accustomed to being able to use credentials of major social media outlets to leave posts. If I can use my google or twitter id to post, I will. If I have to create one more account just to leave my thoughts in a singular location, I’m likely to move on.
Worse than having to create a new account though, are sites that allow you to use your social media profile, but then still want you to provide even more information or create a site specific profile.
Hey Jayme,
I saw this post in the Triberr stream and had to come by and comment on this one myself.
Now you KNOW I love Dino and Dan and definitely approve of what Triberr has to share but I’m not doing the reblogging because I don’t want more then one commenting system in place at my blog. And speaking of comments, I have not seen a drop in them at my place so I’m not sure what’s actually going on with everyone else.
I can appreciate everyone being busy and so many darn blogs to read but I’m bit on building relationships so I think that has something to do with why I continue to receive so many at my place. It’s not that I have to have them but I do appreciate hearing the views of my readers.
Great topic and thanks for sharing. Too many posts and not enough time! Yikes!
~Adrienne
AdrienneSmith Hi, Adrienne! Thanks so much; having you stop by is so grand.
I do know that I am very likely remiss visiting others’ blogs, too. You have a healthy and active community and the topics you write about are wonderfully tech! Makes people want to read every day you write!
That said, I never liked the reblog thing for me; maybe for a different blog I’m trying to earn traction for, but sometimes you need to stay pure as I’m sure you understand with the work you do.
I find myself spread so very thin trying to stay unbillable and socially connected and trying to earn income as a solo and solo bread winner, too.
SteelToad I missed you previously, Ray! So sorry, Friend. I agree. More comment systems to sign up for and add an identity/profile. When I have to use native WordPress.com sites, I get so frustrated as it always asks me to sign in and register. So glad I can do that now with Twitter ID which is easier. But, you’re right; still annoying.
That’s why I like sharing with EverPost; it bypasses all of the commenting systems.
AdrienneSmith Hey, it’s not easy being an “engagement superstar.” I don’t care what anybody says, it’s so much hard work to passionately invest yourself into the lives of others… Like you do!
I’m sorry, there just aren’t many built for that, and most don’t have the desire nor substance to enrich their own lives, let alone others.
You have a wonderful gift, Adrienne – and it’s awesome to watch you work!
At the end of the day, you get out what you put in… There have certainly been seasons that I was a lot more active on comments. I invested everything I am in the process, and it led to many friendships I value, including you, Adrienne… I understand just having you in my stream makes it better. Along with the other like-minded beautiful people we call friends.
Now that the social web has become a primary focus for my business aspirations, I work a lot more and have to deliver results for everyone I’m responsible to and for. My business model is a bit different than yours (jealous:).
It has lead to less time spent in the comment section of blogs, including my own… I am hoping to get more active – – and have been investing time there again lately.
It’s funny, I still read all of the same blogs I have in the past, and I would love to dive in to some comments – but I will tell you, it takes work.. your best work to add value to any conversation…. It’s not “hey, nice blog post,’ dippy stuff… I’ve spent an hour writing a dang comment before 😮
If commenting is a strategy for you, do your best work there! That’s where life-changing connections and relationships are happening, but only if you invest your best.
Cheers, Adrienne! : )