Image Credit: © Very Quiet
When Kaitlyn (my almost-ten-year-old) woke me this morning I had no idea what the day would have in store for me. I figured that it’d be another boring old day without anything exciting or amazing happening. Then I opened my RSS reader…
I never read everything in my RSS reader, I’m actually very picky and fussy about what I read. I’ll quickly scan through the list of article subjects and pick what appeals to me. Very often that means I just mark everything as read and close the reader. I was just about to do exactly that when I noticed that one article might be worth a look.
Not only did I read the article in its entirety (something else that I don’t do all that often), but I actually decided to leave a comment. I then promptly forgot about it and went out to do the grocery shopping. It was later on in the day when I got back to my computer that I noticed I had a new comment on an article here. And then another. And then a retweet. These things were happening on an article here. They were happening as a direct result of me leaving a single comment on another guy’s blog.
I decided to track as much of the activity as I could, just to see what the true value of a single comment on a blog can mean.
- 7 new comments on an article here that was published a fortnight ago
- 1 of those 7 was from someone who had never left a comment here before
- 14 tweets about this fortnight old article
- 2 new people following me on Twitter
- A couple (can’t be certain of the number) of new comments and tweets on Sire’s article that started all this in the first place because they saw me comment and/or tweet.
Perhaps I’m easily impressed, but I was floored by the amount of activity that my one comment has snow balled into. And the total numbers could quite well be higher than what I see. I can only track what comes past me directly. There could quite easily be a trickle effect happening with each person in that list above that I can’t see. Another thing that my “stats” don’t take into account are the people who came and read the article, but didn’t leave a comment, or didn’t retweet it. Same for those that were driven to Sire’s blog and left no trace of their visit.
Oh, something I should point out. The comment that I left on that article at Wassupblog wasn’t one of those “yeah, me too…” or “great article mate” comments. It actually had some substance. I doubt I would have seen this follow-on activity if it didn’t.
I’ll be sure to be mindful of the value of a comment from now on.
Till next time…
Help me write more great articles like this, fuel my mojo with a coffee!
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Excellent news!
1) great to see you back writing man. Can’t tell you how pleased I am!
2) Yeah comments are powerful. The problems come when you comment everywhere to generate lots of traffic, many of us can’t then keep up with the increased amount of work needed.
.-= Ben´s last blog ..Friday’s Homework =-.
Twitter: 6aliens
I can only dream of such problems.
As for my return to writing… well, I didn’t actually ever stop. It’s just that the writing wasn’t going into my blog. But it is good to be back. Now, you’ll have to excuse me, I still have a mojo to locate. It’s around here some place.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Just goes to show the power of a comment Steve, which is one of the many reasons that I treasure them so much. To think that one well structured comment could start a chain reaction is quite remarkable.
Whilst the comment started the ball rolling one can not discount the value of a good post. Yes that comment led me to that post but it was the post itself that impressed me so much that I Tweeted it which resulted in increased traffic, traffic that impressed others that in turn gave it another tweet and all the rest is history.
Oh, and before I go, thanks so much for the mention.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Taking The Time To Think Before Clicking Submit =-.
Twitter: AussieSire
Oh, for sure. If the article here was crap I wouldn’t have seen the activity I did. If the quality is not there, pretty soon even your Mum’s gonna stop commenting.
And you are very welcome for the mention.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
What? Your mom reads your blog?
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Tips On Having A Photo Blog And How Photos Can Inspire A New Post =-.
Twitter: AussieSire
I think she’s too busy poking her friends on Facebook, but I’m sure she would if she ever finds out what a blog is.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Lucky for me none of my family read my blogs otherwise I’d be in real trouble,
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Skysa Could be The Coolest Add On For Any Blog =-.
Twitter: AussieSire
Of my immediate family, my kids are too young to care (I’d let them read my blog if they wanted to), and my wife is “Editor-In-Chief” to anything I write. Strangely enough though, is that this article was one of the rare ones that I didn’t show her before I hit “Publish”. I’d be very surprised if any of my siblings or parents were even aware that I had a blog.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
My kids are old enough but show no interest in it. The wife is the same and used to complain about the time I used to spend on the Net, that is until I showed her how I was actually making money.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Scientific Revelation Explaining Why Some A Listers Are Assholes =-.
Twitter: AussieSire
haha! My wife learned how to cope with being a computer widow long before I discovered blogs.
And I keep telling her I’m gonna make money with it… not sure how long I can keep up the charade though, think I might have to actually generate some income one day to keep her at bay.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Keep plugging at it Steve, just make enough to buy her some goodies, that should keep her at bay until the real money starts rolling in.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Reality TV And How It Is Corrupting Society =-.
Twitter: AussieSire
That’s the plan, mate. I need to reevaluate my current strategies though. They don’t seem to be working out too well for me. But it is too soon to make any harsh judgments.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
A single comment can have multiple effects on whoever it may encounter. I believe that one should take leaving comments seriously and not just a practical joke. It can have serious effects, especially to the writer.
Hi John!
Welcome to my little part of the blogosphere. I always love meeting new people in my comments section. Hope you enjoy my site.
Yes, I certainly agree with you about commenting. If you have something of value to add, then you should add it. Otherwise, move on. And dropping a comment on a blog because you think or hope that it will generate some traffic to your site is NOT a reason to do it. If your motives are in the right place and your comment adds value then the other things like tweets and reciprocal traffic will happen.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, John.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Comments do leave a powerful expression, provided that it adds value to others.
Hi Walter!
Great to see you back again, mate.
Yeah, I agree. However, there are a LOT of variables at play, such as your definition of “value” at that particular moment and situation, and who the “others” is. For example, I have found great value in every single comment on this site (excluding the spam of course). Maybe it is just that I’m so tickled pink and excited that anyone would take the time to read my words and comment on them. I really do feel so honoured when I see comments rolling in. Does that make me weird?
Thanks for commenting, mate.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
In my experience Steve, having meaningful comments makes my feel appreciated. Such meaningful comment is what I call value, and the others who have made such is what I call the people who’ve provided such value.
A feeling of appreciation, it’s such a fantastic motivator, innit?
It definitely keeps me going.
Twitter: SteveYoungs