Techy Tuesday | Comment Tips


This post is long over-due and has been inspired by the several blogs I love and follow. I wanted to share a few tips I think everyone could benefit from regarding comments...

Let's start with what I consider, the most important:

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Edit your email settings! If you use blogger for example, click the box that says "show my email address" so I can reply to your comment. If this box is not checked in your settings, the notification I receive via email says "noreply-comment@blogger.com" and [insert sad face] I can't respond to your comment! I go out of my way to track down your email address (visit your blog, view your profile, etc.), and some people hide it like it's their social security number! My last resort is to respond on my blog because I don't have the "reply to" embedded in my comment code (yet), otherwise I'll try to remember by including my response in my next comment to you on one of your posts.

Also, remember, not everyone "subscribes" to comments when they leave you a comment (some posts get a RIDIC amount of comments resulting in a RIDIC amount of emails, other times people don't know or just forget) therefore replying via commenting on your own blog doesn't always get to that person, which is why responding to a commenter via email is in my opinion, the best way to communicate. Make sense?

Speaking of comments...

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I strongly suggest editing your commenting settings. Again, if you are using blogger, editing your commenting settings (if it's not already) to "embedded below post" is the best option. I don't know about other bloggers, but not only do I enjoy (easily) reading other people's comments on a post, I like to scroll through the post in its entirety while composing my comment to cover everything. However, when the comment setting is set to "full page" I can't do that--at least not with out extra effort on my part. The next best setting other than "embedded below post" is "pop-up window" because at least I can still see and scroll the original post--but, I still don't favor this setting merely because the tiny box hinders my enjoyment of reading the subsequent comments. I'm lazy--I know.


In my defense, I follow a lot of blogs--and I plan on following even more. I usually open posts in new windows and read/comment accordingly. As soon as I submit my comment I instinctually "X" out the page and I can't even begin to add up all the comments I've lost because of CAPTCHA. Usually because as I'm "Xing" out the page I notice the CAPTCHA gotchya and...oops! There is goes--and off I go:(

When I first started my blog I was apprehensive of spammers, so I of course had everything on lock-down, adding CAPTCHA where ever I could. I soon realized it was an over-kill and was preventing a lot of potential community interaction. 

Now that I'm reading a lot more blogs--I get it. Making the comment process painless quick and easy for people, the better. I truly want to comment on everyone's posts to show that I support them--and the darn CAPTCHA's are slowing me down! Don't even get me started on giveaway posts with CAPTCHA's -- that turns into a 10+ minute debacle on some blogs!! I understand everyone's concern regarding spam comments--but I've yet to get any, and I doubt you will!

Another less-than-favorable setting is...

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My comment has been saved?! Wha-whaaat?! Bummer dude. I already forgot what I wrote! Honestly, there is nothing worse than running into ALL THE ABOVE, only to question whether your comment made it through and/or what it even said--especially those giveaway posts! Sure I just wrote the comment, but I also just looked at my cell phone to check the time and had to look again because I already forgot! You can't proof-read your facebook comments, so who cares about your blog comments? You receive the notification of the comment(s) the second they are submitted (if you don't...you should change that setting, too!) so essentially you still see them before everyone else. I don't ever plan on deleting comments (even "bad" ones) so there probably aren't any I wouldn't "approve" either.

Fact is people like to read and make comments easily, see them instantly, and be able to reply to them. If your blog is set to any of the above mentioned perhaps you could consider changing your settings, maybe even try the suggests out for awhile? If not--no biggie--these are just my opinions and suggestions based on my experience:)

What are your thoughts regarding these tips?
Do you have any comment tips to add?

PS: If you haven't already, check out Lili and Mae's Parisian Giveaway -- Ends when she reaches 100+ followers and I think I'm going to do a similar giveaway -- Hawaiian Style;)
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If you are a reader and haven't yet followed me via Google Friend Connect located on the top right of my Blog's Sidebar, please do so! Following, Subscribing, or commenting on my Blog is the biggest compliment you can give!


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13 love notes:

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner said... [Reply]

Amen! These are all great tips Jenn. And I made ALL these mistakes at first. Hopefully the kinks are all worked out on my blog now!

Christina @ The Athletarian said... [Reply]

Hahaha all of these are amazing! When I was with blogger I had all my settings down to make it as easy as possible for readers. I am not a fan of CAPTCHA. I tent to x out of pages as well. I'm noticing more and more bloggers are removing it though. Now with my self-hosted, people have to type in their info every time (I think) but I believe once you do it once, your computer remembers. At least for me it does. All of the self-hosted and Wordpress blogs I visit alread have my info inserted into the appropriate boxes!

Suz and Allan said... [Reply]

I'm a big fan of doing all of these things and other than the CAPTCHA I started out doing each of these after reading other people's blogs and finding what I did and didn't like about how their commenting process was set up.

Great job Jenn!

Katie @ Will Race for Carbs said... [Reply]

I just made a comment on someone else's blog about how I don't like the comment section on blogger because it is hard to respond to people. So I totally agree. I don't want people to think I am jerky by not responding but sometimes I can't! I don't know how to get rid of my captcha but I want to. Do you know how?

Katie @ Will Race for Carbs said... [Reply]

I figured it out!! Now it is gone! See, I'm taking your advice!

Elle said... [Reply]

I haven't run into the CAPTCHA thing anywhee.

I wish people would leave their email too. I hate it when I reply to a comment and then see that the email address is 'noreply etc".

I do use the comment approval feature though - I have gone back and forther about it but have been bummed out by spam commens and would rather avoi them than have to go delete them.

Good post though, Jenn. Thanks for bringing this subject to the discussion table.

Beth @ RUNNING around my kitchen said... [Reply]

Ha, this is MONEY! I love it! I had the CAPTCHA setting enabled when I started and the second I realized how incredibly annoying it was and how many times I "x-ed" out of a page and lost it, I removed it :) One thing I really want to be able to do that I can't figure out on Blogger is to respond to a comment on the blog as a response and not just a new comment. I see other people do it, if you figure that one out, I'd love the how-to!

Ali Mc said... [Reply]

BEST POST EVER!!!! I seriously JUST told colin about how sometimes I don't even continue commenting on a blog after I've written out one of my normal essay length comments :) b/c of those spam- word verifications!!!! OMG they are the worse, I agree /w everything you said and I'm so glad I already have all of these things done....aside from my email :P I'll unhide it!

ALSO the WORST ever is when a giveaway has word verifications!!! I sometimes don't even enter b/c I'm too annoyed to go through it all :) I'm glad you like the layout of my blog b/c it's the same as yours in regards to comments and I love that you posted it....you can bet I'll be linking this post up on my next one ;) LOVE!!!

Unknown said... [Reply]

I have a feeling this post was for me...

Vanessa said... [Reply]

love it!

and oooo sister I figured out how to "reply" in my comments. At least I think I did. It worked that one time...

Anonymous said... [Reply]

I have no idea what you are talking about... Make Love and War.

Da Boss

Erica Gorman said... [Reply]

Aloha!

I found you through eat, run, sail and LOVE this post! I also love the Hawaiian vibe in a previous post. Nice to meet you and I can't wait to see what else you have to share.

Have a wonderful day!

Mae B said... [Reply]

I love Techy Tuesdays! This is all so helpful!
Thank youuu!

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