The following quick tips was submitted by Jarkko Aho from loghomescabin.com.
Be the first to comment on new posts. Just make the post meaningful and everybody who comes to read those comments will see your take on the matter.
People appreciate information that you provide and will visit your site.
My name is Darren Rowse and I’m a full time Blogger making a living from this new and dynamic medium from blogs like Digital Photography School and TwiTip - Twitter Tips.
Back in 2002 I stumbled upon an article about ‘Blogging’. I didn’t know it at the time but that moment changed my life. Since then I've become a full time blogger and have blogged on over 20 blogs and co-founded the b5media blog network.
You can connect with me via social media sites at Facebook (friend limit reached) - Facebook Fan Page - LinkedIn - ProBlogger on Twitter (also ProBlogger.com on Twitter) - SU - FriendFeed - Digg
28 Responses to “Be the First to Comment” - Add Yours
Walter Jeffries
November 18th, 2006 12:26 pm
You’re right. People often don’t scroll down and read very far into the comments.
Walter Jeffries
November 18th, 2006 12:32 pm
Gee… I made it, first to comment. :) But did I say anything imporant in my rush to ’speak’ up? :)
Brian Vuyk
November 18th, 2006 1:02 pm
I know for a fact that I have picked up readers who have stumbled onto my site after reading my comments left at other blogs. Of course, this only happens when I am one of the first to post a comment.
But please, if you are going to comment, make it somewhat meaningful. People who post pointless words just to get the first post are just sad.
Cory O'Brien
November 18th, 2006 1:02 pm
Though people don’t often scroll down and read very far into the comments, I think it depends on the general nature of the comments themselves. If every comment is simply “right on” or “that’s so true”, then readers stop reading. But if you can find a way to solicit comments that add to the post in a meaningful way or take the post topic in a new and useful direction, readers will continue to read as if the comments are a continuation of the post.
brem
November 18th, 2006 1:38 pm
I got some notoriety with that technique actually.
See this article here.
tee hee
Mike
November 18th, 2006 2:14 pm
I remember reading in some blog that every once in a while you should go post on blogs in your niche that are just starting off. They will be happy to get the comment and will probably come visit to see who found them and probably keep coming back. Seemed like good advice.
sandeep
November 18th, 2006 3:04 pm
Shit, I lost it to Walter, Brian, Bren and Mike.
Darren hope you don’t mind.
Become a Consutlant Blog >> Andrea the Consultant
November 18th, 2006 3:53 pm
Of course, there’s always the strategy of posting last, so that you are near the “Leave a Reply” box and people may click on your link anyway!
Game Producer
November 18th, 2006 4:47 pm
Naturally the LAST comment is also important :)
Ashish Mohta
November 18th, 2006 5:35 pm
True, I would prefer the last comment too or atleast somewhe in between.Other people can come and see somebody new and they pay a visit.I tired it a lot of time and every time i do ,I get some visiotrs.They will return or not it entirely depends how they judge the blog and whats their need.
I had seen including mine( though my blog is pretty young) that people leave more comments if there is already one comment present. “Curiosity”.Thats a human nature.
Darren there should be some discussion on how to make readers comment( not forcibly) tend towards putting a comment.
thx
Ashish
Ashish Mohta
November 18th, 2006 5:42 pm
Hi,
I tired this link u gave lgohomescabin.com. but it seems theres a problem in link.It doesnt open.
Regards
Ashish
TechSpot » Spawners Nov18
November 18th, 2006 7:33 pm
[...] Be the First to Comment By Problogger. [...]
Barry Welford
November 18th, 2006 9:00 pm
This is excellent advice. It reminds me of the small album for signatures that my father used to have. Someone had written on the last page:
By hook or by crook, I’ll be last in this book.
That person was outdone by someone else who had written on the inside of the back cover:
Did you never discover you could write on the cover?
I’m not sure how that applies here in the virtual world, but I’m working on it. :)
Scott Howard
November 18th, 2006 10:25 pm
Yeah, but being last is only going to happen once :-)
George Chernikov
November 19th, 2006 2:09 am
Very useful advice, reminds me a little bit of the traffic derived from being the first to leave a TrackBack. I’ve had it work for me quite a few times, too.
MamaDuck
November 19th, 2006 10:15 am
The key is to make it interesting and relevant, and not to leave your links all over the comment section either ;). People do tend to comment in groups – if one has broken the ice, more will follow. Of course, if you have too many comments, people are either intimidated, feel like everything has been said, or the comments page takes too long to load…. that’s a whole different issue though, eh??
CrazyKinux
November 19th, 2006 1:43 pm
Another way is to comment on blogs you regularly visit. Most often conversation will result when posters go back and forth discussing a particular topic or post.
Adding a link to a post in the comments will also drive readers to your blog, especially if its a popular blog.
Designer Ella
November 20th, 2006 4:44 am
That’s a great tip, because the (small) blog owners will love it even more than the commenters.
Tim
November 20th, 2006 9:28 am
Darren, it looks you made a mistake with the URL in the post — It links to “lgohomescabin.”, without the “com”. I heard Google doesn’t like broken links.
Ramenos
November 20th, 2006 11:25 pm
I agree with this post. When you are the first comment, people always read your text and sometimes, they would like to know some about you…
Editor
November 22nd, 2006 12:43 am
Really true. Bu some time people scroll down and read last comment. But as you cannot remain last forever, you will never get that attention which you get at the top.
Travis Farnes
November 23rd, 2006 9:06 am
This is very true because I know that I take a quick look at the top few comments and thats about it. I dont scroll and read through every one.
Topical Interest Means Blog Success » Business Analyst » Blog Archive
November 27th, 2006 4:04 pm
[...] Bloggers have in their hands a precious gift of freedom. For some, it may even be a dream come true. Just imagine how you may take the world in your hands and let people hear what you’ve got to say. All these are possible only through your blog. But as Uncle Ben used to say– with so much power comes great responsibility. Your audience may expect more from you. In reality, browsers may have lesser attention span, which only means one thing — critical pressure for the author or the web publisher. But instead of searching for advices elsewhere, Darren Rowse offered a useful hint in his blog posted at problogger.net. He wrote that topical interest should be a prime concern of the blogger before he or she writes about anything. While bloggers may fully enjoy their freedom in expressing ideas or bouncing off other arguments, they must write about things that may touch their readers’ lives one way or another. Friends Economy Facts Local Dating London Dating Home Improvement Online Education Archives [...]
Comments As Preview To Your Site » Business Analyst » Blog Archive
November 28th, 2006 4:33 pm
[...] Darren Rowse featured an interesting tip from Jarkko Aho on how comments can also be a source of optimized traffic flow. In a blog posted at problogger.net, the author said that when you write comments for current posts, those who read them may also check out your site. By taking full advantage of the space provided for your thoughts, informative and interesting ideas may then capture the interest of other browsers. Curiosity will then lead them to your site to further hear or see what you’ve got to say. Your particular take on certain issue provides a preview of what you’re really capable of. So, make sure that comments are well-written almost like an ad — short, but provocative enough, because first impressions really last. Friends Economy Facts Local Dating London Dating Home Improvement Online Education Archives [...]
Adam
December 7th, 2006 4:38 pm
Well, I wonder if there are any software to post the comment automatic?
Mark Latham Durango, CO
May 13th, 2008 9:18 am
Comments should come from the heart and from actual experiences with the product. I tend to leave short but acurate comments about the things I get on line. Usually, I can get things free. This makes for a more true comment.
Mark Latham
Mercy Regional Medical Center
Durango, CO
Dave Rebeccio
September 28th, 2008 3:02 am
One wonders if that is the only reason you leave comments Mr. Latham, to get things free.
Dave Rebeccio
Not Even Going to tell you where I work
Or, WhereI-i-live
diet pills online
February 25th, 2009 4:11 am
I truly like your blog and actually learnt somthing. Thanks again.
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