Comments are a big part of blogging.
I personally think they’re kind of a big deal. Because although I do enjoy my own voice belting into the Internet World about my thoughts and opinions, your voices are equally entertaining. And, I admit it: talking to myself can get dull.
I like to have you around.
Which leads us to the topic of commenting.
Some blogs get hundreds of comments, some get just a few. I’ve figured out a partial secret to getting comments, but that’s a post for another day. The question of the moment is:
Does the size of the comment matter?
Sometimes the more I know a blogger, the longer my comments can get. I suddenly have so much to say! And the more content in the post…the more I have to say. If there’s a “what about your thoughts?” sort of question at the end, that usually sparks commenting ideas in my skull. I’ve left embarrassingly long comments before.
I’ve also left embarrassingly short ones.
Are they okay? Should I bother to comment if I don’t have much to say? Will the blogger think I didn’t read their post?? Because I DID, I just…don’t have much to add.
If I don’t have a lot to say, should I just not say anything?
Believe it or not, I get stuck leaving comments. I try to get around to a lot of blogs, and if you comment on my post, I attempt to pop over to your blog and comment on yours! (If you’ve commented here a few times and I’ve never visited your blog…it’s probably because I can’t find your blog, okay? Okay.) But commenting-insecurities do hit me.
– Was my comment okay?
– Did it even make sense?
– Did I catch all my typos? (Oh gosh, what if I left some in and they think I don’t care about grammar?!)
– Was it interesting?
– Did I sound like a robot?
– Worse: DID I SOUND SPAMMY?
– Do they even liiiiike my comment? This is the part where I break down and howl.
Okay! Maybe slight exaggerations there! I don’t have a mental breakdown over every. single. comment I leave.
That would be exhausting. But these question do run through my brain sometimes. And even with the blogs I always comment on and the bloggers I like a lot? Sometimes my comments are short and feel redundant.
What’s my personal opinion on short comments?
(Because my personal opinion is awesome.) DO IT. COMMENT. If you only have 2 sentences to say to me, TALK ANYWAY. I don’t mind. I love it. And I will reply back to you with 2 short sentences of my own.
But, hang on, I’m not talking about these sorts of comments:
Great post! I loved your discussion on this topic.
That’s…not a comment, okay? Especially in link ups…it’s just not a comment. It’s a give-me-a-cookie-and-I’ll-give-you-one.
Talk to me like I’m a real person, not a bunch of coding on a computer screen because GUESS WHAT. I am a person. Please, don’t be too shocked. I personally don’t mind if you only have 5 words to say to me. Say ’em.
I also demand your opinion on this topic.
(But I demand it nicely, and that’s what counts, right?) Do you feel bad if you leave a short comment? Do you like short comments on your blog or do you think it’s better not to bother? If you have nothing to say…don’t say it? Or do say it so the blogger knows you read? THIS IS A QUANDARY.
Cait has wanted to use the word “quandary” for a while now and she finally got to! Yessss. She is also secretly wondering if she can just use Supernatural gifs for every single post. The answer to that is also: yes. (Although she will refrain sometimes, though with difficulty.) She’s currently reading THE YOUNG WORLD.
They're okay…. But I do prefer longer ones. If it's a line or two that just shares one thought on a post, it's okay and I'll respond to it, but sometimes it can be hard to know what to say just because there's little to work with. That doesn't mean I expect every comment to be super long, but if it's sharing their own personal experience with the topic or asking a question or something bother than just "Yes! What you said!" It gives me a little more to work with when replying to comments. I like being able to have a conversation, so I like comments best when they bring something to the conversation that I can respond to, no matter how long they are 🙂
Haaaa. I see what you did there. XDBut YES the longer comments give you more to reply to right? Instead of just the typical reply of "well thanks for stopping by". I try to avoid those, buuuut….I've been so at a loss sometimes I've caved. I usually make my replies match the actual comment. Although right now I feel all self-conscious, hehe. What HAVE I done bringing up this topic? 😉 I'm just glad people comment…so if it's meaningful I don't mind how long or short. XD
Yes. I liked your insight on this helpful topic.Annoying right? This is one of my pet peeves, blanket comments that could work in a whole range of posts. Thanks for the post about topical creams for thrush… that's informative. Thanks for the tip about chocolate chips in my cookie dough… that's informative. Thanks for letting me know about the magic of Elvis, I've never heard of him before. Wait, what? It's bullshit. Put some bloody thought into it, whether you share your own experience, comment on theirs. And leaving a link, oh look at me http://www.divabooknerd.com/ check this out. It's spam. Personally, I'd rather receive one or two comments that are interested in my content or have something to share, than blanket comments without any thought. Test the theory out, next week include The Fault in our Stars in your haul, just slot it in randomly and say that it was about a boy who falls in love with a circus clown and you'll get those who claim.they haven't heard of it, or commenting that it looks good.Yes, my comment could be a post in itself, but it's Saturday night and you know, this is how I roll on the weekends. Word to your smushies.
Ugh…I get those. There's nothing much to say. Although I have been known to reply rather facetiously with "I know, I'm fabulous." They never check back anyway, right? (Although…I'm not even sure how many people would ever check back. I know I forget like 99% of the time. >-<) Oh! OH! I've heard of this comic strip that was like "Not getting enough comments? Put in some whopper typos. The grammar nazis will HAVE to come out and correct them." Hehe. But yessss…it's awkward when the comments don't even match your post.
I SUCK at leaving comments. I have a lot of the doubts/questions you do whenever I decide to leave a comment. Most posts I read I don't say anything because I can't think of anything meaningful to say. And on the rare occasions I do comment I practically write an essay.Personally, I don't see anything wrong with short comments… as long as they're meaningful. And I know after replying to lots of big discussion post comments a short one can be a blessing. But it also means there's less for you to reply to (which can occasionally make it harder to say something in return), less to keep the conversation and discussion going. And still there's short comments, and then there's the 'meme comments'. You know "Great post, here's mine". Those comments are no fun.
I SUCK AT COMMENTS. I leave them a lot, but sometimes I feel like I'm being bland and generic because I just don't have much to add to the post. Except to say tha tI enjoyed it. And I did, but it wasn't a very intelligent comment now was it, Cait? URHGHH. Story of my life.Ha! I know what you mean! Sometimes, if I get a lot of comments on a discussion, I run out of things to reply and the short ones are quite nice. But all the same, I just feel so honoured to the people who leave long comments because OMG THEY'RE TAKING ALL THIS TIME TO COMMENT ON MY POST. I just feel like I need a moment. The "Great post here's mine" are just…just no.
I have a bit of comment insecurity sometimes but if I read a post then I'll do my best to think of something to add in the comments. Sometimes that's easier said than done, though. But the way I see it is that I love getting comments on my posts be they long or short so that's what I think of when I'm in the situation of should I or shouldn't I.
You and me both for comment insecurity then. x) We can be insecure and leave doubtful comments together. This needs, like, a tee-shirt or a club or something. SAME, though. I prefer a short comment to no comment at all.
WARNING: exclamation marks, caps lock and excess punctuation follow!! (see, I told you)Oooh, comments, comments, comments. It depends on the blog. Sometimes I will just leave a short comment just to let them know I'm there, I was reading their post, and I liked it. Sometimes it's nice to get that reassurance. But if there's a discussion around the post that I was really interested in, then I will maybe leave a longer comment. But not if there are too many comments already. And not if it doesn't look like the blog owner responds to comments. I mean, that's just rude – that's like starting a conversation and then walking away when the other person replies. Obviously this doesn;t apply to YOU, Cait, because you are really good at replying, and having mega-discussions on the comment boards! But when a blog has practically NO comments, and say you leave a nice comment, maybe asking a question, or comparing something….and then they don't reply?!? That makes me sad :((whew – just caught a coupla typos there. Wouldn't want y'all thinking I have bad grammar….. And apparently I turn into a Southern Gal if I ramble for long enough)
Personally I like all comments be they long or short and I'm grateful for every single one I get. We put a lot of time into each and every post we write and it's so soul-destroying when your posts get zero comments time after time as you can never be sure if people are actually reading what you've written if they don't comment. So many times I've been on the brink of giving up on my blog after post after post get nothing and I do wonder if it's my content being crap or if it's people who just read or skim and move on rather than leave a comment. I always try to leave a comment on every post I read as it's just a courtesy I think, plus if others feel the same way I do about comments then I know my comment will lift their day as others do for me. I say don't be shy and worried about short comments as they often have the same effect as a large on for some people xxx
TBH, I really don't care whether they're long or short as long as they make sense and it leads me to reply more. But I still appreciate comments such as "Great Haul!" because at least, the blogger made an effort to go check my blog and leave a comment. When this happens, I would still visit the blog back and leave a meaningful comment. I don't know but I am not comfortable in leaving one sentence comments because I am afraid that the blogger might get annoyed and would remember me as a "half-assed" commenter. I also have to add that even if I love leaving comments, there are also times that I just read and not interact. This usually happens if I am not that close with the blogger and if the post already has a lot of comments. BTW, I am like you, I also have a lot of commenting insecurities. I am not only worried about typos but with my grammar as well. English is not my primary language so doubts always overcome me. What if the blogger would mock my comment because it's full of grammatical errors? What if they don't understand what I am talking about? Hahahahaha. So there you go, Cait. I hope I had contributed something important to this discussion.
Sometimes I can get stumped on commenting on a post, where I really do want to say something – but just can't think of something 'deep and meaningful' to contribute. On the other hand, in a few cases I end up rambling on for probably way too long (which I'll try not to do here!)… On my own posts, I always value the fact that people even take the time to look at the post in the first place. It's always nice to see the 'regulars' come and share their thoughts, and does make me want to go and read their blogs more often too (yours included of course 🙂 The only problem I have with those really short 'blanket' comments is that I often don't really know how to reply without sounding too generic myself. That being said, I do try my best to reply to every comment that comes along if I can; and since I finally set up email notifications on blogger now I can try and keep up to date.*looks back over this comment – was it actually worth writing?*I hope so – I get the 'commenter insecurity' as well, and I'm sure a lot of other bloggers and non-bloggers alike do too.Anyway, I think I've gone on long enough now, this was a great idea for a post Cait to put what a lot of bloggers are thinking into words!
OHMYGOD WAIT YOU'RE A PERSON?!?! How did I not know this before!?Okay, in all seriousness though, I pretty much completely agree with you. I personally suck at commenting (more in terms of frequency than quality – I hope!) but I do appreciate every comment I get on my own post, even if they're short, as long as they're meaningful. I don't think "great post, check out mine here" qualifies as a comment. I want a comment to make clear that they've actually READ my post. This is also why I always try to refer to something specific in the post, to show that I did actually read it. I usually don't have time to leave very long comments, but I always try to make them at least somewhat meaningful. I wish I could leave comments like Larissa does, though, because she's the Commenting Queen. Seriously.But yeah, great post (ha, there it is) and I agree with you 🙂
I'm so tempted to leave you a two word comment here because it would be kind of of funny, but I can't because I want to say thank you! I obsess over comments and often don't leave any because I don't know what to say or because all I've got to say is great post and that seems kind of lame or because other people have left big long comments and their comments say what I thought. Bottom line is I over think EVERYTHING. So this post is reassuring. Thank you. 🙂
I deliberate what I say in comments for a long time. I write them, then back-space, then re-write them until I'm happy with them. Strange, huh? I also have commenting insecurities — though it probably doesn't help that I never really proof read before I post them. I have a habit of re-reading my comment *after* I've posted them . . . and by then, well, it's too late. Sometimes on blog posts I don't comment at all. (I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON, CLEARLY.) Not because it's a bad blog post, or because I'm lazy — more because if I don't feel like I have something worth sharing, then there's no point in commenting. In saying that, though, short comments are totally fine. I love long and short comments, just depending on what I have to say. A comment is a comment — and it's nice to know that someone has actually taken the time to read your post, you know? 🙂 So in other words: this is a really awesome post. 🙂
I love comments and it sucks whenever I feel like my own comments are not enough. I don't mind the length or the number of words as long as it is genuine. When it comes to my own commenting, I feel frustrated when I just can't seem to find the words and then there are days when words just overflow and before long my comment will be like a minipost already. Haha.What the hell does quandary even mean, Cait? :p
When it comes to comment a post I like, every single grammar rule I've ever learned (specially in English) is on holidays in Mallorca or Malibu. My biggest fear is that the blogger think that I am a five-year-old-wannabe and not the person I am and so they don't reply to me… 🙁 Then, when I write in German, I start the sentence with a thought and finish it with a completely other one and I just hope that everyone thinks the same so they understand what I meant xDAaaand I always ask myself how it is possible to leave a really long comment. It's impossible. Love, Sophia
I was actually going to comment on your ABUNDANT use of Supernatural gifs – but I see you got there before me 😛 I like any and all comments. Even if I don't have much to say I try to say SOMETHING – this usually happens with reviews of books I'm not interested in, more so than discussion posts. And yes, I'm the same – if I know the blogger well, I will probably use longer comments and MORE CAPS WORDS AS WELL. Comments are a lot of fun 🙂
I generally don't leave comments unless I have something substantial to say. But then there are certain posts don't really lend themselves to comments, but I still want the author to know that I read the post and liked it. Or I really enjoyed the post, but don't have time to leave a great comment. That's when I leave short comments. Hopefully they're never too lame. Actually, I usually leave medium-size comments. As you can see.
I'm really bad at leaving long insightful comments (which is weird cos IRL I love talking… a lot), but I do make a point of saying a little something more than just those generic ones already mentioned. And if I really can't think of anything I just don't comment because I don't want to look like an idiot. Heh. I have a policy that I reply to all comments on my blog and I visit all commentors' blogs back, but when they show absolutely no effort, and seem a little spammy (like in link-ups) then I tend to bend that rule.
I tend to be kind of a comment hypocrite. I love any and all comments on my own blog but I tend to think "eh they won't want to listen to what i have to say" on other peoples blogs.
And then I freak out because I forgot to capitalize an I.
OH MY GOD! Commenting…gah! It always makes me feel a bit squeamish…especially if I feel like people are judging me on my comments (shocker!). Like they have anything else to go on. But recently, I've started to comment more…EVERYWHERE. And the second thoughts are getting a tad bit quieter, even if it's not much. But yes, I give short comments, and maybe long ones (although since I've only started this proper commenting gimmick very, very recently I haven't written a lot of long ones) plus whenever someone says I DISAGREE WITH YOU on a comment I get all panicky and be like 'what did I write?!'. And other times I write something and sound like a complete blithering FOOL, and people just be like 'What?!'…and then I go hide in a dark gloomy corner somewhere. And sulk. But to be honest, commenting praise only (unless you ALWAYS comment 'great post!') is alright. Sure I'd want you to talk to me some more, but I've done it a couple of times myself (sue me), but only because sometimes you have nothing to say, and even when writers invite you to say something…you can't say much without just repeating what they said and/or without sounding like a complete blithering fool. Sigh. What a predicament.
You know Cait, sometimes I struggle with commenting, not with time or effort, but because I want to comment, I want prove that I've been here and seen the content but sometimes, there's nothing I can say. I can't form the words or the thoughts and so I'm left feeling a little mean because I've been here, but you have no proof. But when I'm commenting, I tend to go with feel, I'll say what comes to me, short or long and hope that the blogger appreciates whatever it is I've said. Sometimes a short comment is enough to make my day, so I really don't mind 🙂
**trying as hard as I can to not sound passive-aggressive**Am I the only one who doesn't care about the length of comments? As long as I get a comment on my post, that is all that matters. Plus, isn't it rude to assume that a short comment is somehow insignificant? Do we really have to write a Harry Potter sequel's worth of how much we liked a post in order to feel like we actually have something to say? The length of a comment shouldn't be synonymous with its significance.
I think there should be bit of a balance. I don't think short comments are bad, but doing nothing but really short comments can get annoying after awhile. It just seems like some people don't even try to write a longer comment. We're bloggers which means we must have strong opinions about something because we feel the need to write about it on the internet. I find it hard to believe that people can write long blog posts, but not more than a sentence for commenting. Not every post we stumble upon will make us want to write a paragraph comment, but they shouldn't be non-existent. For me, commenting isn't like a checklist as I go through blogs I follow. If I read the post and feel like I have something to say, I'll comment- whether it's short or long. I guess my advice would be to not over think it. As long as you're putting good thought into your comment, the length balance will happen naturally =)
Some people do have just less to say…or say it more concisely maybe? I know I'm rubbish at summing up my thoughts really tightly. Unless I obsess over them for AGES and I just don't have time for that when I'm commenting some times. I think discussions insight more comments then, say, reviews. Maybe because it's actively CALLING for opinions? (Like this post. XD Ha! I feel really bad though, because I've kind of basically made everyone give long comments and I SWEAR THAT WASN'T MY INTENTION! I just wanted opinions.)I agree: long or short…just be genuine. <– See? Whole post summed up in like a sentence.
Great post! I loved your discussion on this topic.
Sorry, had to do it. ;P But I did really find it useful. And I love the way you guys blog. 🙂
BROOKE. YOU ARE THE BEST. YOU GET THE CAKE. BECAUSE THIS MADE ME LAUGH ALL OVER THE PLACE.
OH the emotional roller coaster of commenting. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND!!! It's ridiculous how much time I can spend on just one comment 😛 (This one is going pretty fast though, but it's because I know you're a nice person! You don't get judge-y like some do :P)If a reader hasn't commented before, I kind of expect short comments….it's the whole getting to know each other one comment at a time, ya know? I can't say I MIND short comments, though. I'm overjoyed when I get ANY comments, short or long! Although I do like lengthy comments the best, they make me feel loved :)I totally get the over-obsessing about commenting, though. I'm always afraid someone will take what I said a TOTALLY different way and not like me anymore 😛 I usually ignore grammatical errors because 1: I know what the reader meant to say and 2: Because I make them too! It is kind of horrific when I re-read one of my comments AFTER it's published and there is a typo I missed (just watch, there is going to be one in this comment!). But then that's just me worrying about what other people think.I LOVE your comments no matter what length they are!
YES I AM A NICE PERSON. *judgy eyes* I'm juuuuust kidding. I love all comments, trust me, I seriously do. Once upon a time, I got like 1 comment per post and now I get to actually talk to you peoples about books and opinions and things and I will always be uber grateful of it. x)I'm pretty extra sure like 90% of bloggers obsess over their comments now. x) lol We are a sad but fabulous bunch, we most definitely are. I don't mind typos because I'm so so guilty of them myself. (And being a writer, like typos are my middle NAME and I usually read the sentence and fix it in my brain anyway. If that makes sense. x)
I think a lot of people don't realize quite how important comments are. Not only does it help get more followers and make blogging fun, it is also something a lot of publishers look at when you request an ARC, some require that you get comments some what regularly. I think short comments are definitely ok, I appreciate comments no matter what, but I definitely appreciate them more if the have something important or relevant to say rather than general fluff. I really worry about my spelling and grammar in my posts and comments and I know I mess up a lot, because despite my great English grades, love of writing and reading, I have always sucked at spelling, grammar and basic English mechanics. Also, people are starting to get really fussy about correcting other people and they can be kind of mean about it sometimes, partly because of the fact that the internet can make things less personal. My best friends are supper sensitive about grammar and spelling so it has made me really self conscious about it.
I think a lot of people don't realise how much we bloggers looooove our comments. (Obviously, I'm sure there ARE always bloggers who don't mind comments or not comments, but [maybe this is a fair hypothesis?] that MOST bloggers enjoy comments.) I suck at grammar! I DO. Which is ironic, since writing is my thing and I did fairly well at English in Highschool…well, mostly well. The creative writing part. The is-this-an-conjunctive-verb part…not so much.
I prefer longer comments, but I love short ones too! Just knowing someone read my post and has something to say makes me feel good:) Oh, and, because of the pinterest pins of yours on Supernatural that I love reading, I started watching the show! In three days we finished season 1 and 3 episodes of season 2. I. Love. It!!!!! Sam and Dean are hilarious!XD
I know, right?! I still have the "OMG YOU ALL WANTED TO TALK TO ME?!!!" feeling every time I see people have commented. I love it so much. OMG YOU ARE AN SPN FAN??!! WELCOME TO TEARS AND PAIN. It gets so so so bad/sad by S9 that it's just…here, take my heart and squash it, I don't need it anymore. Also, spoiler: IT IS MY FAVOURITE THING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. *offers you pie*
I'm naturally an introverted person who has very little to say so commenting is always so difficult for me. I mean I love all these bloggers and how they're so open to talking, but sometimes I can't find anything to say. So I often opt not to leave any comments. But I have had my fair share of short comments and long ones. I personally do not like the short generic comments because those are so hard to reply to. So I don't like putting people in that position either. It's either I think of something substantial to say or not say anything at all. And since I comment on blogs I follow anyway, I know here will be a next time. I don't always have to pop into their lives. I think. Right? Hahaha
You and me both, Francine, don't worry. I'm very shy IRL, but often times the internet actually helps me to say all the things I'd like to say. I don't have to mumble them out…I can type, and edit if I need to, and actually get my opinion out instead of just chewing it internally. x) For THAT, I really love the internet. Generic comments are uber hard to reply too…although I've *cough* been guilty of replying to "Great post!" comments with "I know". >-<
YES YES YES I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS POST. This is something I've thought about a lot. And I think it's OK to leave short comments – comments that actually say something, though, not "great post LOL" – because in the end, the short comments balance out the longer ones. At least mine do. For example, I love all the posts on this blog, but some interest me more than others. So naturally, I leave longer comments on the posts that make me fangirl more.
YES! BALANCE! BALANCE! And when I'm replying, I honestly don't mind the occasional short comment, because I can reply faster and talk to more people. x) Does that sound bad? I don't mean it in a bad way! I just honestly truly appreciate any length comment at all…as long as the person is talking to me and not just "hey check out my blog". Because I'll check out your blog anyway. SO TALK TO ME. I sometimes leave the dodgiest comments on your blog. *cries* I just love them all so much! You're really eloquent actually and you write so well. Hehe…I just end up wanting to fangirl unintelligently in the comments.
I LOVE COMMENTING! Though truthfully I don't mind short comments, it's just I have no idea how to reply to them on my blog lol. I try to pick 2 to 3 things to talk about on the post, but when there's nothing I'm interested in, I just lurk. Also, sometimes I have no motivation to comment, like this morning. BUT AFTER BUYING DONUTS and eating them, I HAVE THE ENERGY. Food = yum. That's why I'm commenting now. ahah. Donuts. ok I'm done being weird.I do like leaving long comments when I'm in the mood. That's why I sometimes leave tabs of posts open for later.
Lurking. Lurking is good. Natural even. I lurk suspiciously sometimes…not that anyone would know. OMG I SOUND LIKE A PSYCHOPATH. *hides lurking tendencies* YOU HAVE DONUTS?? AND YOU HAVE NOT OFERED TO SHARE??! Val. What have I ever done…. *commences puppy dog eyes in order to obtain virtual donuts*
Great post! I loved your discussion on this topic. …just kidding. xD Bwaha. (and darn, someone already beat me to this joke in an above comment. But whatevs, I had to, because I thought of it whilst I was reading.x)) I. LOVE. LONG. COMMENTS. And funny comments. Those are the best. I totally agree with all the stuff you mentioned in this post, and pretty please with a cherry on top write a post about the secret you've discovered about getting comments and commenting and such! I always have to go gather my brain off the ceiling and stuff it back into my skull when I see the amount off comments some peoples get on their blogs, it's like… :O crazy stuff. Can't remember if I mentioned this, but I lovelovelove the new blog design you girls have here! It's swell! So creative.
AH YOU COULD NOT RESIST. Seriously, I giggled when someone did that above. (They came back and said they were kidding…so that obviously just made me smile. XD) You guys are hilaaaarious.Funny comments are awesome, right?! And I have SO many funny friends, because I swear, you guys leave the most awesome comments in the world and I just feel all goopy inside and in need of tossing chocolate to the multitudes. I'm GOING to write a post about how to get comments! (Well, at least, how I get them…I'm sure there are 2 billion ways. Hehe.) Mime drew the design. Isn't she amazing? She's amazing. I just stand back and let her be artistic while I run in mad circles around the house being unproductive. *nods*
You know me, I love commenting on blogs. But sometimes I only have a small amount to say, but I then worry they will look at my couple of sentences and wonder why I bothered. I agree that short comments are fine as long as they aren't the 'Great haul! Here's mine.' ones where they just want you to go visit them back. I like to be able to tell they actually bothered to even glance at my post. But short comments don't bother me usually, I am fine with short or long ones. I love all your comments, long and short! I get total comment anxiety at times too, so don't worry about it! If I had to pick a preference then it would probably be longer comments because then I have so much more to comment back on! I always then go visit them and post a comment over on there blog. Also… you totally should just use Supernatural gifs from now on! Do it. Dooooooo it.
Exactly! It's that whole "omg, what if the blogger is judgying me?" that I worry about…which is probably ridiculous, because I don't judge you wonderful people who comment on my blog so WHY do I assume everyone judges my comments? IT'S A QUANDARY I TELL YOU. I love long or short too. It's just comments. I like to know people are reading my rabble.Supernatural GIF challenge ACCEPTED.
I'd be happy with any comment, I guess. Just to know that people take their time to read your thoughts and are willing to react on it. And yeah, my comments are most of the time really short and maybe of the kind you don't like, but I hope you're happy with people commenting anyway ;-)arendedewit.blogspot.com
NO NO! I DO LIKE THEM! I LOVE THEM, ARENDE! I LOVE THE VERY MUCH. I want people to leave long or short comments, honestly. I don't mind at all.
Recently did a podcast at the Social Potato and it was all about commenting. Lol so if you want to hear me be more eloquent I'd go there. I'm personally okay with short comments, though I do prefer longer ones as they usually are more detailed and feel like there was a lot of effort put in to them. Still, sometimes short comments are nice because they can be short and sweet. What really gets me are generic comments. You see, when people are just like "great post! check out my STS" or whatever it just feels so impersonal. It almost feels copy and pasted. I know that every blogger puts so much effort into making each and every post they make. They deserve comments in order to know that people have enjoyed and read their post, it like validates them. So, getting generic comments can be disappointing but I suppose it's better than nothing. With nothing you would feel like your post has literally reached nobody.I personally leave long comments (that according to your blog is spam hahaha) in case you haven't noticed [; I don't know, I guess I feel like blogger deserve them. They've worked so hard on their posts and put so much time and effort into them that they should feel like somebody out there has read and loved what they written. I also believe that leaving long comments has led to me making many friendships in the blogging community, like with you Cait (:Great discussion post girl!
And I didn't see that and then I posted this and now I feel like I'm stealing your thunder! *sobs* PUT ME IN THE CORNER OF SHAME. (But not for too long, 'cause I get kind of twitchy when I'm left alone.)Your comments are awesome. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, okay?!! I always either want to hug 'em or giggle at 'em and oftentimes both. x) And I agree! Like, just make us know you read the post. I don't care if the comment is 5 words, I really don't. Just not the kind of comment that could be copy and pasted to ANY post. Then…well, it's not worth my effort of going over to your blog and commenting, right? So yes. I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU.Ah, yes, my blog loves your comments. It loves to spit them out and watch as you growl. But at least we figured it out with "webblog: Hamster Shampoo 393789572". THAT DID THE TRICK.
Well, I am probably in the minority here, but I like almost any comment. The ones that you can't tell if they're spam or not, no. Not those. But short ones? Even those rock my boat. Of course I prefer longer ones, but even "nice job" or "totally!" coming from a loyal reader makes me happy. 😉
I think you'll find that you're not in the minority 🙂 I love comments, and whilst I appreciate likes (and shares, but I never get those, so I'm not counting them), there's something really special about comments, that people judged one's post to be so insightful and useful (or creative and artful, I guess, if fiction or photography or a recipe is involved) that they wanted to mark their having-been-there, with, as you say, even a single word. 😀
I, for one (or two, since Alexandrina commented before me), certainly agree with you!
the writeress @ barefoot in the snow
Aidyl: YES. I am with you! Like I said in my post, just say 5 words to me…whatever. ANYTHING. Just so long as you're talking to me and not, like, there for the stats. That's all I want. I love it when someone comments just to say they enjoyed my post because omg, IT MAKES MY DAY EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Short comments are fine (not as good as long comments, but fine), SO LONG AS they are not "great post!" or similar. ESPECIALLY not "great post! Check out my blog at http://www.ihaventreadyourpostbutimfishingforfollows.com...! However, if they actually link to the post and show they've read it, that's better. Waayyyy better than silent followers. I HATE silent followers (I mean I don't hate them … but only because I don't know who they are!!!).
I still love my silent followers because…because….they MUST'VE FOLLOWED ME FOR A REASON. So therefore I love them. *nods* And I don't mind people who leave their blog links because then it's easier for me to visit them back. X) But just the "great post" is a bit generic and I get to wondering if they even read the post…
Always comment? Yes. As long as they're meaningful and incite further discussion or make me laugh/smile, then I want your comments. If it's a cookie for a cookie comment… No. Just don't. That's how I see comments, at least the ones I get on my blog :)Use more SPN gifs? YES
Although if you're offering cookies…totally comment. Have I ever turned away someone offering cookies? NO. Unless it's spambots, but we have a long history of disagreeing anyway. A post is ALWAYS improved 65 billion times but a Supernatural gif. I had a 3rd one in their of Dick Ronan going "good talk!" but I took it out because I didn't want to over-gif you guys. XD Still. I AM A FAN IF IT WAS HARD TO TELL.
I think it's not about the length, but about the content of the comment. Like you say, if someone comments with 'great discussion'.. There is not much I can do with that. But if someone still leaves his/her opinion, but not with too many words, I at least know they've read my post and they took the time to interact with me about it 🙂 I always try to leave everything I want to say and sometimes it's short, sometimes it's longer. As long as it's not a generic comment, I'm happy with everything people leave on my blog!
Well, in reply to "Great discussion" sometimes I've *cough* gone with "Yes, I thought so too." I'M BAD. But hey! They didn't give me much to work with so… 😉 lol I like any comment, I truly honestly do. And even if it's short it's nice, because I just know that people wish to talk to me.
I agree entirely with you, Anne-girl (surprise, surprise). I love getting comments, long or short or in between. Just comment. I like knowing people actually care about what I'm posting and I'm not just spamming the internet with my nonsense. Which is why I try to comment on other people's blogs, because I figure the majority of us probably feel the same way, right?But when it comes to my own comments… When I read linkups, my comments all start to sound the same, and I do feel like a robot posting spam comments. Other times (like now) I post comments that are way too long and begin to wonder if I'm really just bothering this person with my stupidly long comment that probably doesn't even make sense.And then I post a comment without checking it thoroughly and end up deleting and reposting 7 times because I can't get it posted right, and that just.isn't.acceptable. I shall die if I leave that abominable typo there. And I'm pretty sure that bothers people but with this perfectionistic-OCDishness, I just can't seem to help myself.But when it comes to my blog… hey, do whatever you want! (Except spam. But I've never seen or gotten any of that on Blogger.)the writeress @ barefoot in the snow
Long comments can sometimes be overwhelming to me as a blogger, especially when they ramble. I love comments that say something like, "Great post. I loved your opinion on ______ topic." It can be as simple as that. Or, if you don't have anything to say about a blog post, tweet about it instead of commenting. "Just read and liked the newest post on Notebook Sisters written by @NotebookSisters! Check it out: [link]" That is a good way to let bloggers know you read their post when you don't have anything to comment.Basically, let authors know you read their posts. They always appreciate it in whatever form you decide to use.Thanks for the great post, Cait!~Sarah FaulknerInklined
Good point about sharing! (twitter/facebook/etc.) That's something I never really thought of before, but perhaps I've found an actual use for Twitter! (I have one but I'm never on it lol)the writeress @ barefoot in the snow
That's a great point, Sarah! I don't know why I've never thought of that before. Twitter is such a broad and diverse way of sharing blogging anyway. I find that if a lot of people have commented already on a blog post, it can overwhelm me into not commenting, so sharing the post a different way (especially on a medium over which I know I have control) is a change that could work.(But wait, does that mean I have to share that I like this comment?! Just kiddin'. I know what I'm doing over here. 😉 )
Sarah: And I always feel deliciously spoiled when you tweet my posts. And you're absolutely 100% right! It IS a fabulous way to let people know you appreciated their post if you don't feel like/have anything to add with a comment. YOU ARE GENIUS. (And super uber long comments can be overwhelming, but I just appreciate that the person has taken the time to talk to me for so much. XD)
Personally, if I can't think of something relevant to say, I don't usually comment. I don't like just saying "Good post." I do, however, love getting comments on my blog. I just wish I was more creative with responses.~Robyn
I sometimes feel very uncreative with responses. Sometimes, I…*hides guiltily* have just said "thanks for coming by" as a reply. BUT WE ALL HAVE THOSE DAYS, RIGHT?! Right.
A comment!I rarely comment unless I know a blogger because I hate [writing, personally I don't mind reading them, though I never know how to reply] the risk of my comment sounding small or samey. To be fair, I'm like that in real life. My opinion? Bah! Who has time for that?And, annoying, sometimes I do want to small-comment: "I love this post. I so agree with your point about x!" And that's boring [as a writer of comments. I'd personally love a general agreement comment on a post], as y'know.Two annoying little things about the commenting process: 1) I hate the Blogger-Wordpress failure to communicate. It means that if you reply to this comment, I have to remember I've commented, find the post again, and scroll down the mass of other-user comments. On WP, we get notifications, which would be a lot smoother [for me].2) I think you've visited my blog, like, once. For TCWT. xD That's all right; it's not as interesting a place as this website.
I do really like how WordPress notifies you right on the site. Blogger really should start doing that. But, if you check the "Notify me" box below the comment box, Blogger will email you whenever someone comments. 🙂the writeress @ barefoot in the snow
Alex: Aw, I've visited your blog a lot more than once! I'm sorry if I forget. 🙁 I try to get to everyone's blogs who leaves a comment here, like, sometimes I forget, so you'll have to forgive my puny brain. I also get really frustrated at blogger's commenting system. I'm seriously considering changing it, but I'm just worried it'll mess EVERYTHING up. So hehe, when I get brave, I will. xDJessy: YUS. I'm very annoyed Blogger doesn't have some sort of reply system. -_- They're extremely very slow. I'd love to change to Intense Debate…but I took a poll at the beginning of the year and over half of my commentors said they liked blogger the best, so I never got around to changing it. *shrugs* I still want to though.
Okay, here is my take. I have been trying for the last few months to get bloggers together to come up with an emoticon that means, "I stopped by and read your blog post" because frankly, like you, I am a little insecure about leaving a comment that is only a few noncommittal words, and then thinking the blogger feels they need to return the favor for my paltry offerings. This emoticon would not need a return comment visit. Its function would be purely to let the blogger know you read their post. I have always been curious about the HUGE gap between my followers and my page views. This would let me know some of those people who stop by but never comment. Now on a different note… I recently unfollowed two bloggers who I finally figured out use their moderation feature, not only to sift for trolls, but to block any opposite opinion comments, even polite ones like mine *folds hands in lap and smiles sweetly* I think that sort of censorship gives book bloggers a bad name.
Wow, that's an awesomely amazing incredible idea!! We really should come up with something like that.Oh, I do hate that, though I haven't yet had someone do that to me. I moderate comments simply because it makes it easier for me to make sure I read (and usually reply to) every comment I get. That way, if there's a comment waiting for moderation, I know I haven't read/responded yet.the writeress @ barefoot in the snow
I don't get enough comments yet to need help like that, but it is a great idea! I recently saw a huge spoiler to Ruin and Rising when I went to make a comment on a spoiler free review, so I know from now on when I first have a review up, I am going to use the moderation feature to keep that from happening on my blog.
From the point of view of a blogger, I really like receiving nice long comments because it lets me know that someone really cares about what I have to say. However, from the point of view of a reader, I sometimes feel like I don't have much to say, and so my comments might sometimes turn out really short. I especially have a hard time commenting on book reviews. At other times, though, I feel like I have too much to say and my comment is way too long. I'm scared that people will think I'm just rambling on and on for no good reason.
Also, I totally get the feeling when you finally get to use an awesome word that you have wanted to use for a long time. However, when I was little, instead of wanting to use fancy words, I really wanted to use fancy proofreading symbols. Therefore, I purposely filled my writing with typos so that I could go back in with colored pencil and use all of the symbols to "correct" my work. I was pretty crazy as a kid.
I don't think there's anything wrong with short comments. The great part about blogging is we can have fantastic conversations about the books we've been reading, etc. But sometimes you don't really have anything to add to the conversation and you just want the author of the blog to know you read it and enjoyed it and were glad they posted. Makes you smile when someone takes the time to do that, because even if its not a long comment they still took time out of their day to let you know they liked the post! Especially when depending on what account you blog with you don't always have a 'Like' option (I know WordPress does, not sure about the others).
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with short comments. The great part about blogging is we can have fantastic conversations about the books we’ve been reading, etc. But sometimes you don’t really have anything to add to the conversation and you just want the author of the blog to know you read it and enjoyed it and were glad they posted. Makes you smile when someone takes the time to do that, because even if its not a long comment they still took time out of their day to let you know they liked the post! Especially when depending on what account you blog with you don’t always have a ‘Like’ option (I know WordPress does, not sure about the others).
Sorry I didn't mean to post that twice! I'm on my phone and have no idea what I'm doing :/
I get panic attacks (okay, exaggeration) a lot when I comment on people's blogs. I have to force myself not to think too much about it and to remind myself that I don't mind slightly weird comments so why do I think everyone else will? Personally, I don't mind short, "robotic" comments. It's nice to hear someone likes my post, even if they have nothing of their own to add. But if you're a "blogger commenting back", I can imagine it's tiring commenting back to rows of "great post!" The problem is, sometimes I read posts that are so amazing, I just have to acknowledge it. I still try to find something personal to add but, to tell the truth, it can be difficult and it takes up so much time! Of course, there are bloggers who want something back … that's another story …
Like many others here, I don't mind short comments as long as they're not saying "Great post! I liked your article." because what? Just… what? Short or not, I want them meaningful, I want them to be telling something about *you*. But of course, like any other, I do prefer long comments. I give long comments when I do comment because I know it makes me happy when I receive one. And the fact that if you give a long comment, I have a lot more to work with replying back to you, and it could spark even more discussions, you know? But don't let that scare ya 😛 Short or long, it doesn't matter as long as it's meaningful 🙂 I just want to talk to you, and simply saying "Great post!" won't really cut it ><Faye at The Social Potato Reviews
Hmmm, I don't mind short comments or long comments, but as long as the commentor showed that they actually gave it a bit of thought (and actually read your post) as opposed to something generic like "Great post". I've seen a few people do that just to get comments back on their own blog and I've wised up to their tactics. I think commenting is great but if it's something that I don't have much opinion on, I usually dig back through their old posts to see what I have an opinion on. Great post Cait!
Don't worry; I LIKE EXCLAMATION MARKS AND ALL CAPS. (As you probably already know. XD)I think discussions kind of call for more comments. I mean, sometimes it's hard to think of things to say for a review, unless you've read the book. Sometimes I just blurt out a bunch of fangirling all caps (because I do mean it) but then I wonder if it's annoying that I havne't actively said anything intelligent. I like replying to comments! (Although I ADMIT, I am slow some days…like, hehe, today.) But I do like it when bloggers reply and we can chat and it's like making honest-to-goodness friends, really. xD (And, seriously, I make enough typos for an entire dictionary-less small planet.)
It is sad when a post gets zero comments. And yes, there are the pageview stats…but they could be spam bots right?! I like leaving comments, even if it's just to show that I read and enjoyed the post. x)
I just worry about those "great haul" comments, because you could literally copy and paste them onto any blog. So who knows if they've even read the post, you know? But I've definitely left some generic comments before, and I'm kind of ashamed…but kind of: well I DO try hard! I won't knock a generic comment. I know some times bloggers are very angry at them. I'm nooooot angry, I just get doubty.*hi fives for commenting insecurities* I FIND IT NICE TO KNOW I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS. And if English isn't your first language then OMG YOU ARE AMAZING AND DO SO WELL.(And I also feel quite bad in this post because I somewhat "forced" everyone to leave mega long comments! NOT THE INTENT, I SWEAR.)
Exactly! Me too! I enjoyed the post a lot…and I want to tell the blogger so…but I don't have anything actually useful to contribute except echoing what they've already said, and gosh, I don't want to look redundant, you know?But I agree…the longer the comment, almost the easier it is to get to know someone, right? And the people who comment OFTEN I really get to know and they're awesome and I just appreciate so much that they like to read my bloggish ramblings. and OMG BANISH YOUR COMMENT INSECURITIES BECAUSE THIS COMMENT IS AWESOME. Although, hehe, this sounds awful…but it's nice to know I'm not the only one who overthinks commenting. XD
Well, you know…*scuffs ground* I try to hid the boring things. Larissa IS the commenting queen. She seriously…oh hers are very long and encouraging and inspiring. But PFFFFT. I LOVE YOURS. YOURS ARE FABULOUS. Just sayin'. I appreciate all my comments to pieces, I truly do. And I've had a few snarky people indicating that blogs with lots of comments don't appreciate it, but that's not true! I work hard for my comments and ERMAGERD LEMME HUG YOU ALL. I just need something more than "great post" ,otherwise I ended up replying with things like, "I thought so too." And then, look at me. I'm practically shouting I'm Slytherin to the world.
Hehe. YOU SHOULD HAVE. I would've laughed. XDIt's actually quite awesome to realise that SO many of us obsess over comments! I mean, I don't feel so alone in my comment insecurities. lol x) We should make an overthinking club with matching shirts and colour-coordinated cupcakes. But let's think about it first….
ME TOO. So you are absolutely not alone. I'm actually finding it seriously reassuring how many of us overthink our comments. WE ARE OVERTHINKERS TOGETHER. Hehe. Bloggers. We are awesome. I never reread my comment, because I'll be too tempted to find a delete button. Although, did you know that Disqus has an "edit" option??! OH THE WORLDS THAT OPENED BEFORE ME. I'm definitely guilty of leaving too short comments sometimes. But, and I fully confess, is usually when I have episodes of Supernatural calling me and I did enjoy the blog post a lot, I'm just in a rush. I should actually slow down and take more time with my comments. I SHOULD.
Genuine! IT IS THE KEY OF ALL. I feel frustrated when my comments feel like they're just "I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE AFJDKLSAF". I'm legit. I really truly mean that. But, gosh, what if the person thinks I'm bonkers? (Okay, most of you appreciate that I'm bonkers and YET you stick around. You guys are awesome.)Quandary is an awesome word and everyone should seriously try it sometime. It means "a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation". AWESOME, right?
YOU AND ME BOTH FOR COMMENTING DIFFICULTIES, SOPHIA. Although I don't even speak German, or have English as a 2nd language, so I have zero excuses for my comments that don't make sense. I just kind of…hide.
I'm seriously sure I could just find applicable SPN gifs for EVERY POST EVER. It's tempting, but you guys might think I'm obsessed? I'M NOT OBSESSED. #indenialI find the book reviews the hardest, really, because either a) I want to read it or b) I don't want to read it. WHAT ELSE SHALL I SAY? If the blogger's brought out a particular point…like something about the writing or the use of the scenery or something, I can zone in on that. But sometimes there's just not much to say. 🙁 Or if I've read 45 reviews on that book already and I don't want to repeat myself.ALL CAPS FTW IS ALL I CAN SAY.
There should be a like button. Although then…you could just like stuff and never comment and that'd be sad. I like to know people's opinions, but you're right: some posts just don't lend themselves to comments. I, personally, like your comments. Even when you just tell me off for not informing you earlier of my adolescents pickle, your comments are still THE BEST.
I'm opposite! I say like 2 words IRL and then on the Internet….you have to actually tell me to shut up. XD I'm a chatterbox in denial, right?! Okay…I digress. I have the same policy as you! Although sometimes I skip if I'm really rushed or something and I just hope everyone understands. (Or sometimes, like today, I leave a post about comments, then I take like ALL DAY to get around to replying because I'm awful like that. Hehe.)
Anne-girl: YES. That's exactly how I feel sometimes! But don't worry, i forget capitalisation a lot. Typos are the bane of my existence sometimes…because some people are VERY particularly about them, and I don't want them to think that I don't care about grammar. I do. I just…type too fast??Jessy: I agree! I think MOST bloggers like to see comments, right? I'm pretty sure none of us want people to skip commenting just because they don't have more than 2 sentences to say. (It's been really cool getting everyone's opinions, honestly!) I feel the same in linkups too…like there's only so much to say for Stacking the Shelves posts. But I really feel like that's for meeting and talking briefly about hauls, so I don't mind. I have more to say on TTT posts! ABOMINABLE TYPOS ARE THE WORST. Once I misspelled my favourite author's name. I MISSPELLED IT SO BAD. And it was like on Goodreads as a message and I couldn't take it back and I just felt sooo stupid. They probably doubted if I even liked that author since I couldn't spell their name. >-<
WELL BELIEVE ME: I AM NOT JUDGING YOUR COMMENTS. I am currently liking them a lot. x)I think the more you comment, the easier it gets…except when you feel like you've run out of things to say. I GET BOTH. I get tired out sometimes…and other times, I just have so much to say because I'm in the groove. 😉 I FEEL LIKE A BLITHERING FOOL SOMETIMES TOO. Like what the heck did I even publish? They probably think I'm a complete nitwit and I was gushing too much about whichever book I'm obsessed over at that minute. (Yes, it changes by minutes.)I've left generic comments before. SUE ME TOO.
Yes! YES. Exactly! It's the "I want to comment…buuuut, I've got nothing to add" that really stalls me. Or like I REALLY want to comment but I feel like I'm just blathering (lol, like that last one I left on your blog, actually. I headdesked several times writing that, because I just loved your post so much and I was absolutely dribbling…XD)
Well, I DID say this in my post! Tell me 2 words…I still want to hear it! I'm mostly curious to know what everyone else thinks on it. x) So I'm glad you don't mind lengths of comments at all.
I love comments of any kind on my blog. I like the ones that have lots of thoughts and questions, but I like the short ones as well. I think of it as someone's taken the time to write something, fill out their details, click the I'm not a Spammer button, and so I'm glad, regardless of that the comment says. I understand generic ones because I struggle with writing original and relevant comments too. I usually err on the 'wrong side': I always click through to the blog of every single person who leaves a comment on my site, but sometimes I just can't find anything useful to say. Which can mean that I end being labelled a bad commenter, but I feel like people judge you if you say "That's a great post" and whatever, so while I don't mind those comments on my *own* website, I'm wary of leaving them on others'.One of my pet peeves with comments, is people who go to your reviews/book haul posts and either use them to brag about how they read a certain book months ago, or to complain that they didn't get a copy. Those comments make me upset 🙁 I try to always leave positive comments, and I get more upset when people write that they're jealous of certain books than I ever do when people leave generic comments with links back to their blogs.This was an awesome post! It really made me think about the kinds of comments people leave, and the kinds I like. 😀
I love getting comments. It doesn't matter how long they are, or how short they are, I love it.What worries me is when I get comments that I can't think of a reply to. I hate not replying to comments on my blog, it feels rude.That being said, I'm never worried about when I leave comments. I write what I think, and leave it at that. I don't feel the need to make my comment long if I don't have that much to say, because sometimes I feel the need to write a comment, because I have something to say about the post, but it isn't very long, and I don't feel bad about that.
La La in the LiBrArY: Oh…my gosh?! REALLY??!! People block comments with opposite opinions?! That is wrong…I mean, what's the point of blogging if you're not open to diverse opinions? I'm pretty gobsmacked for that one, I truly am. I don't moderate comments because I want them all to be on the page INSTA so other people can read them or whatnot. I absolutely prefer it that way. But if people moderate, that's of course up to them. 😉 I don't get spam so that's also not a problem for me.But anyway! Differing opinions are WELCOME. I've had some really truly mean comments before…like very meanly directed at me and I didn't really know how to respond. I didn't delete them, though. I just commented with a "each to their own opinions, eh?" and left it at that. So as long as people are nice, I wanna discuss things! XD
Book reviews ARE super hard to comment on, sometimes! Particularly if you haven't read the book. When I have read the book, I usually have more to say…although if I have a differing opinion? I try not to be antagonistic about it, because I don't intentionally go onto people's blogs to cause havoc in the comment section! >-< (Although I personally don't mind different opinions in my comment section. XD)Bahahaha! You're hilarious!! I never ever use big words, like not the cool ones like "quandary". Mime does, but I simply just…they go in one ear and out the other. SO I BASK IN THE WORD QUANDARY RIGHT NOW.
Oh that's fine! XD Blame blogger. That's what I always do…it can be weird with comments. ;)Short comments are great, I absolutely agree to you. And particularly, if you haven't read a book, there's not much to comment on a review about, is there? I absolutely appreciate that. I often can't think of stuff to say on author interviews either…but I want to support the blogger AND author, so I try my hardest to leave a little comment on something! I'm guilty of being very interested about other people but thinking I am the most uninteresting specimen to walk the planet. XD Which probably doesn't help with my blogger insecurities. But YES. I just appreciate comments because someone took the time to leave them. TO WHICH I JUST THINK: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
You and me both, don't worry. >_< I absolutely overthink comments sometimes…which is partly what's prompted this post. (Hey, because at least if I'm going to stress about comments I might as well poke everyone here and get your opinions too, right?!) It IS tiring if people are just leaving generic comments and you're trying to commit to going to their blog and leaving a decent comment. Sometimes I just match my comment to theirs. So I guess fairs fair? I DO acknowledge it's hard to think of long comments. And you shouldn't have to! If you only have 2 words to say: I don't mind people leaving incredibly teeny comments. I'm just happy that they're commenting. x)
I agree with a lot of the people above me. I love getting comments, long or short. A comment is a comment, and as long as it's not hateful or spam, I really just don't care. I give a lot of short comments and I admit to it. Sometimes, there's just not a lot to say. I read a blog once where someone complained of short posts on a cover reveal. I really don't know what there is to say in eight paragraphs in that situation other than yep, it's pretty and blue. And sometimes more, there's nothing nice to say. Why feel pressured to have a word count in a comment in a conversation? I don't bitch at my friends in real life when they reply with a one-sentence answer, so why would I be bothered when online friends do the same?
Cover reveals are REALLY hard to comment on. I mean, they might be the hardest posts to comment on ever because…what do you say?! You either like or hate the cover, right?! >_< There should be no pressure on a wordcount in a comment, I 100% agree. And some people just have less to say then others normally. I don't ever want to make people feel pressured about the types of comments they want to leave on my post. Seriously 5 words or 50. Just let's TALK.
Exactly! And if I hate the cover, especially on a new book, chances are that I'm not going to say that! The only time it really bothers me much, truly, is in link ups when comments are copied. I do Stacking the Shelves most weekends, and when I hop from blog to blog, I know there's at least one person that copies and pastes the exact same thing. I just want to reply to people, I'm friendly guys, I swear I don't bite. It's okay to comment and talk to me! haha
Yep, I get those too…and I get that sometimes people don't have anything to say…but literally when the comment is ALWAYS "I haven't read any of these but I hope you enjoy them" I start to wonder if the blogger has read anything. Even if we only have that kind of comment to leave, at least if we vary how we word it…that'd make a difference. Aw, I don't know…MAYBE WE ARE ALL SECRETLY REALLY SCARY BLOGGERS WHO BITE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT INCORRECTLY. *sharpens teeth*
ME TOO! I like comments, so I comment. Although, hehe, I think YOUR peoples comments are ten thousand times more interesting then what I come up with, but hey. What if everyone thinks that?! SO COMMENTS ALL ROUND. *showers the world with comments and cake* But I'm absolutely agreeing…just so long as you're actually talking to me, right?! And not just the cookies-swap attitude. x)
YUS. You and me both, Jeann. And I leave very short comments sometimes, but I try to make sure it never sounds too cookie-cuttered. Although, in all fairness, I'm sure people who leave them sometimes HAVE read the post and are just at a loss of what to say that day. We all have bad days. And I know sometimes when I'm commenting back, I stumble across a post I really don't have anything to say to…but I want to be nice and comment back because the blogger visited my blog. UGH THE AGONY.
I totally get that! Don't worry! I'm actually guilty of that with your blog because I LOVE reading your posts…but I don't read a lot of fantasy so I feel like I'm not really adding anything to the discussion. >-< Still. I do want to leave more comments and just be active talking to people, because it's the bloggers behind the blog that I really think are super uber awesome. I don't like those bragging moments either. 😐 I find that happens a bit on book hauls, although, to be honest, I haven't seen it an AWFUL lot and I am glad. 🙂 What I really really don't like is if I write a really happy positive review and then someone comments and tells me why I'm SO SO WRONG. What?! It's just my opinion! I don't mind if people disagree with me. But I just don't know what the point of leaving a long disagreeable comment is. If people want to discuss: I'm up for it. I totally am. But just not antagonistically, you know?
COMMENTS ARE FUN. I think they really make blogging for me. I mean, I blog because I personally enjoy it, but it's 500 times better if I get to chat with everyone about things too. x) I get worried when I forget to reply to comments…I feel rude then! I DON'T MEAN TO BE, PEOPLES. I promise! I just sometimes have a bad memory. But if it makes you feel better, Cassie, I absolutely love your comments. XD They are perfection! Short comments are 100% fine to me.
Naww, thank you.
I totally suck at leaving comments, but I'm trying to get better at that. When I do leave or receive comments, I'm not fussed if they're long or short but I don't like vagueness. You know the types of comments I mean, the ones that just say "great post" and then often have a link back to the author's blog, without actually being specific in the comment about the post. It doesn't have to be long, it's just that it's not much of a conversation starter – like you said in your post, it's very much an "I commented on yours so now you have to comment on mine" type of thing, and I'm less likely to reciprocate… I'm a bit petty like that! Great post 🙂
I know exactly what you mean, yes definitely. 😉 I'm in agreement!! Just as long as someone's attempting to have a conversation, not just there for the return cookie…although, I won't lie, particularly when I'm doing linkups, I definitely want the person to visit me back. That's the point of linkups!! I just try to take a definite interest in everyone's post and blogs. Although some posts just lend more to say than others do.
When I started blogging I wanted to visit as many blogs as possible, and leave comments, to get my blog name out there. I was going through 100+ blogs a day and leaving comments, but they were the crappy generic ones that now make me cringe! My commenting has evolved since then, and while I now visit/comment on less blogs, I usually leave comments that are a bit more interactive 🙂
When I first figured out that if you comment on people's blogs…oh gosh, they'll actually know YOU EXIST! (It was a real lightbulb moment, I tell you.) I probably left a few generic ones. Actually, I probably just went to too many blogs attempting to be everywhere. Then my commenting skills got very tired. >_< Moderation in all things, right?!
Well I do like to make people laugh. And for cake, yep, most definitely. 😉
I don't mind getting short comments, as long as they're not generic-praise-plus-a-link. (Actually I think leaving a link at all, even in a meaningful comment, is bad practice… but that's a separate issue.)I've found that it's much less awkward (on both sides) if it's a blogger I know. Even if we're not super close, I feel like with some bloggers, we've gone beyond the need to be at the top of our game with every single interaction. Whereas if I'm commenting on a new blog, I'm probably more likely to not leave a comment at all if I don't have much to say, or if I'd just be agreeing with what others have already said. Same when I'm replying to comments. If it's a blogger I know, I don't mind leaving a short reply because I know they're (probably) not going to take it personally or think I'm brushing them off. If it's someone new, I'm a little more aware that my reply may or may not entice them to come back… but I still try not to stress over it.
Yes and YES! You totally said it! I feel awkward leaving comments on blogs-I'm-not-usually-at just because I don't know the person very well…like I said in the post, sometimes it's easier when you know the person. I've had just continual conversations with bloggers, like referring to something we said in the last post or what not. x) That's always special! And the "getting to know you" stage sometimes makes shorter comments too. I'm all for short comments. XD Short or long, I'm still happy.
I love when people comment! I don't think size matters particularly because the person is still taking the time to comment. I do like longer comments though because it seems that the person behind the comment truly wants to interact with you. I love making blogging friends so I welcome any comment because it's simply more interaction and getting to discover many new blogs and meeting more people 🙂 Sometimes when I get really excited about someone's post and I leave a comment, I'll get into this frenzied state where I just have so much to say then I've basically written a novel by the time I finish. I scan it over and then click publish and then I see a grammar error. And then I say "nooooooo" now I look like an idiot!! How embarrassing! I can easily see superficial comments though, and it hurts my heart sometimes because it's obvious that they didn't care enough to actually read the post they were commenting on… So what's the point of commenting?! I like to visit blogs and read their posts. I like to comment too, and I'd like to think that my comments have quality and show that I truly am interested in what they write!
I love making bloggy friends too!! There's just something awesome about chatting to people about things your passionate about (a.k.a. for me? books) XD Any comment kind of shows me that people want to talk. And I LIKE THAT. I like it a lot. Hehe, I understand the grammatical errors feeling! I've actually…er *cough* deleted replies on my blog when I've made mistakes and tried again. They'll never know. ;)Commenting is talking, but I think sometimes we can forget that? Like there's a face behind these blogs and they're keen to read your opinions, right?!
I don't really feel so bad if I leave a short comment, but sometimes I second guess myself when I see that others had boatloads to say 😛 I like both short and long comments, but not the short comments that you mentioned that basically just asks me to come back to their blog lol. Sometimes though I love the discussion but have nothing, NOTHING to contribute in a comment, so then I won't but then I often regret it haha. If there is a ton of questions at the end, like you have, those are my best comments… It prompts the discussion in my brain and helps me formulate my thoughts better. I'm often pretty scatterbrained with my comments so sometimes I'm all over the place but with questions at the end it organizes them a bit.
I agree that questions at the end of posts are HUGELY helpful. I try and always do them on my blog, because (like years back) I saw bloggers do it and it always gave me stuff to say. x) Very very clever bloggers who started it, right?! I leave messy comments too, don't worry! Sometimes I change topic really fast, without a new paragraph or anything…eep. My bad!
I think it really depends! I love ALL comments but longer ones are exciting because they broaden a discussion and can spark a whole series of ideas or opinions. Often I feel like if my comment is more than, say, three paragraphs that the person I am commenting to might feel like I have given them an essay where they wanted a note and start feeling bad or like I really need to edit down what I am saying. That said, I love really long comments when I get them so I don't know where this insecurity comes from.I give A+ to people who make puns or link to gifs. I am super jealous of people who can write witty AND perfectly worded comments. I try hard to say meaningful things but I have to be honest on reviews and cover reveals I often get short. Not because I don't want to chat but because, well, if I haven't read the book that is reviewed I can really only express an interest in doing so soon, you know? I SUPER SUCK at review comments.<3
So, I suck and have just seen that my thoughts on book reviews and covers are WHOLLY unoriginal, which is another reason I guess commenting gets hard sometimes! If your thoughts aren't original is it worth a comment? Idk idk. It's tricky. :-S
YUS. I absolutely agree. Commenting on reviews is soo hard…and interviews and cover reveals and blog tours. I honestly only find things in my head to say when it's a discussion topic. Although I'll comment on anything, but I'm just worried I sound too generic. x) Still. We TRY and that's the main part, right?!
Generally, I prefer giving and getting longer comments, but it's made easier by 1. Knowing the blogger a little better as you can add other information/past experiences and conversations into the comment and 2. the content of the post. For example, some bloggers will do a simple list for TTT, which is fine, but it doesn't give me much to go on, you know? If I'm not inspired to leave a long comment, sometimes I leave short ones, and sometimes I've even left the "Great topic/love this" etc. ones, because the way I see it, I genuinely took the time to read the post, and while I'm not saying I expect a visit or comment in return, sometimes it's nice to see who actually reads what you post, stats can give you numbers but not names, so by leaving a small comment I'm letting that blogger know that I'm reading regularly, and I like knowing that too.
Exactly! It's the comment that gets you to know people…not the stats. And the better you know the blogger? I AGREE. Just more pops out. I've left embarrassingly long comments before…although, I've left embarrassingly short ones too. (My bad.) But, hey, as long as I'm being ME and not generic it shouldn't matter, right?
OH, it's a pickle now? That escalated quickly. I'm glad you like my comments. I like yours too, and sometimes I feel guilty because you comment on my blog more than I comment on yours. But I always read your posts! (Okay, I may have skipped a couple reviews. Forgive me?)
I would totally take short comments, as long as all my followers commented. On the same day. AFTER reading the post. But, I can barely get my most loyal followers to comment, probably because I completely forget to comment on their stuff. No time. Blergh.BUT! I will comment more often around the blogosphere. Although, I do find it annoying when a really good post prompts an enormous comment that I totally could have made into a blog post instead.
Hey when a post prompts an enormous comment from me, I just file away the idea to use later. ALL posts get reused, right? And everyone has a different spin on a topic, so I just wait a few months and do a post myself. (And link to the original topic if I'm really going off what they said.) NO TIME is the bane of my existence.
They grow up fast, what can I say?DO NOT FEEL GUILTY. YOU MUST NOT. We know I'm a bit of an obsessive blogger whereas most people have, you know, lives and other things of interest. So don't feel bad EVER.
*smushes cake in your hair*
I think some short comments are okay. Like, if you just have one really short point to make, great. But if it's a super generic comment that is totally just copied and pasted, then it's annoying. Like, why bother? If it's just to get more visitors to your blog.. well, I think it's crappy, but sadly, it works on me. Because I always just wonder "well, what if that's all the person really had to say? Maybe they DID take the time to read my post, but had nothing more to comment on? Maybe my post is just rubbish." and then I go comment anyway. I get commenting anxiety too. I feel like I always either comment too much, or not enough, never a nice middle ground. On blogs that I am especially fond of and visit often (::cough::this one) I always leave long comments because I feel more comfortable, and have a lot to say. But on blogs that are new to me, obviously the writer is new to me too, and I don't always know what to say. But then, I can't NOT comment. It's hard!
The generic ones bug me because I personally am putting time and effort into my comments…and then I go to their blog and do it for them, why can't they put time into mine?? But TRUTH. Sometimes we just have moments were we don't have much to say, right? I try not to be ever judgy. :)N'AWWWW. *tackle hugs* You can leave long or short comments here, Shannon, because YOU ARE AWESOME. Yes you are. *nods*
Mmmmm. I was going to be a smarty at the party and leave a short comment. (and then follow up with a longer one) but that smartiness has already appeared like a bajillion times, so I shan't. I guess it really depends on the freaking comment. Like… I HATE the ones that are just "Yeah good post! I liked it!" like… that sounds like spam. And I feel like they didn't even read the post. But if it's funny, and short, like, 'HAAIIII I LIKED THIS, BUT I'M SUPER BUSY AND I CAN'T COMMENT LONG… SO LOVED IT AND BYE" that I don't mind. I LOVE LONG COMMENTS THOUGH. And exactly, the longer the post, the longer my comment, generally. soooooooooooooo. This is not as long of a comment as usual. (but I really like your long comments, they make me giggle.) Baaaiii.
Dang. You're smartness has been DONE. Heh. (Although I would've giggled, trust me. I'm easy to amuse.)Pfft, real spam is like "buy my green bean cucumbers for your carseat that's halfprice on the cruise to vietnam." WHY CAN'T SPAM AT LEAST PRETEND TO SOUND HUMAN??? I don't mind short comments! I DON'T. And I've left freakishly short comments on your blog before basically saying nothing but flailing over some gif or other and then disappearing into the gloom again to watch episodes of whatever latest show you've recommended to torture me.
Most of the time, I second-guess myself before, during, and after commenting. The question "was my comment okay?" often bugs me after I leave a comment. I also worry that someone else will say what I said, but he/she will end up saying it better. But I also know that I can't keep doing that and I shouldn't because this isn't a competition where we fight for the attention of the post's author (or maybe we do?). I guess my point is, that's not exactly what we're trying to achieve, right? Commenting is supposed to be a way to hear other people's thoughts on the matter being discussed and everyone has various opinions.I don't know if that made sense at all (see, here's the second-guessing). Before I start embarrassing myself more, let me just say that short comments are ok as long as they're not generic. In general, I follow this rule: If I can't say anything that doesn't sound generic, then I won't comment on that post. I will find another post that appeals to me and I'll comment there.
If it makes you feel better, I ALWAYS LOVE THE COMMENTS ON MY POSTS. I never put judgy eyes on them. 😉 I don't really expect everyone to read ALL the comments on a post, so I don't worry if I (personally) say something that someone else already said. Hey, it's bound to happen. I don't think most bloggers would get angry over that. I LOVE to hear everyone's opinions on a topic, although I feel slightly slack if I don't get to reply straight away. >.>DON'T SECOND GUESS. YOU'RE AMAZING. x) But I can hardly talk, because I'm always fussy about blogging-commenting-insecurities. HEhe.
So I really don't mind short comments, sometimes they are really great and especially when it is a person I know that visits everyday it's a way of them showing hey I was here. Usually those people I notice are regular followers will sometimes leave long ones and sometimes leave a short sentence. I appreciate them all. Even the I give you a cookie now give me ones, I even appreciate those and will visit them back and if I like their content will leave a more meaningful comment. And if I never see them again, then oh well missed connection on their part. I'm guilty of the short meaningless comments too, I am sure we all are. I agree sometimes I just have nothing to say or I feel bad because the most recent posts they have put up don't interest me at all but they might come to my blog daily, I always have the biggest dilemma with those because then I struggle to find something interesting to me in one of their posts. I always try to visit back ( I used to always reply on my blog as well but lately I've been slacking on the responses on my blog posts because I've gotten so busy with overtime at work and my child (and the husband asked me to cut back on my blogging time) so I figure people would rather get a return visit then a definite response to all somments they leave on my blog, but I'm still trying to respond to them all sometimes it just takes a week lol
I think we've all basically confessed to sometimes being guilty of generic comments ourselves. Hehe NOW I DON'T FEEL SO BAD. But yes! YES! Sometimes I wonder if I should reply to comments or visit blogs, especially if I can't squeeze in both. I usually just reply, but I think visiting other blogs means more, especially if (like me) you're on blogger and it doesn't alert people of replies. Gah, I hate that. I want to change my commenting platform, but so far all I do is whinge about it and not actually ACT on it. I'm so bad. 😉
Girl it's A okay. There's enough thunder to go around [; THANK YOU <33 AND I JUST CAME HERE TO SAY THAT WHENEVER YOU COMMENT ON MINE I JUST GET A SMILE ON MY FACE (: You're the best at replying to comments lol. I do get the comment insecurity though, sometimes I feel like a broken record.webblog: Hamster Shampoo 393789572now this shall post
I think the content of the comment is more important than the length. If it's a real comment or opinion, and not just "great post", then it's totally valid.Also, Supernatural gifs are always appropriate and loved. You can never go wrong, and there is a gif for EVERY situation.
EXACTLY. See, you like summed up my long rambly post in like 2 sentences. You're brilliant. ;)I'm very extra sure there's a Supernatural gif for EVERYTHING. I could probably always have the exact right reaction gif for like any occasion, hehe. Although I PROMISE I won't always use supernatural gifs! (Just like…every second day, right?!)
I think the hardest part is coming up with something fresh and original to say. I hate those 'good post' comments (you're right, THEY'RE NOT COMMENTS) and so I wouldn't dream of leaving one. So I'm in the mindset of, if I really can't think of anything to say, then I should just not say anything. Because generic comments like that make it look as though you haven't even read the post (which I guarantee a lot of people who leave them haven't) and so I'd rather not come across that way.Short comments are great, if they're an opinion or a gateway to a discussion or even a genuine comment about some specific they liked. It's all good and I'm appreciative of every one, no matter what the length, just as long as it's not a 'comment-baiter' type one, who's only leaving those two words so that they might get a return comment. It just goes against the whole point of things!
Hah, those generic comments. Sometimes I also get annoyed like 'ugh, why bother' when I get them but at least it's still better than nothing and they actually took time to leave marks on my post so I still appreciate it, like, A LOT! I agree that what's important is the content, not the lenght, because through the content you can actually see whether the readers really pay attention to your post or if they merely read in one glance. But, Cait, hear this, I might me in the minority about this one, but *whispers* overly long comments also annoy me sometimes…… bc I'll always be like, 'okay so what's your point?'*/whispers*
****I might BE. Ugh, typo:(
Ask and you shall receive, Cait 😉
Alright, cryptic much. Haha. But seriously, if a post contains questions, I'm much more inclined to comment. As for short comments, I don't mind. Not everyone has the time to write epic comments, so even a line or two are welcome, so long as they're on topic and not those annoying generic comments of "Great post! Visit my blog?"
Not everyone can THINK of epic long comments! (I know I can't half the time. *sigh* I would love to be an epic commentor, but usually I'm just leaving a bunch of dribble that people probably sigh at.)
My problem with leaving comments is that I want to comment ON EVERY SINGLE POST EVER WRITTEN BY YOU. As in, if I like your blog, I'll be cyber stalking your blog for every new post and try to leave a comment. But sometimes I don't have anything to say other than "great review" or "haha that was funny" and that just frustrates me so much! I try to only comment when I feel like I can make the blogger realise I'm not just trying to get more views on my blog. I personally love comments (in any size) because if it's a nice and meaningful one I'll take it! If it's just linking up to their own blog then I just mark it as spam and carry on.
We need a LIKE button, right?!! XD Hehe, although that would kind of encourage never commenting, but whatever. I appreciate comments just to tell me who's been reading, so YES I totally get where your'e coming from.
My commenting philosophy is: It doesn't matter how much you say, it's what you say that counts. I think as long as it’s obvious the person put the effort into commenting, then that’s what matters, right? Some people are just concise and can say something meaningful with few words; and others are more elaborate and wordy. Either one is fine with me! Thanks for sharing Cait, and great post! <3
*salutes Confucius* That is good advice actually. ALL BEHOLD ZOE'S EPIC COMMENTING ADVICE. Seriously you summed up my post in like 1 sentence. x)
You know what? I don't really care too much about length. It's more about the quality than the quantity. And I know people SAY that all the time while secretly counting shit in their heads, but I really mean it. I've had one-line comments that have made me snort beer all over my keyboard. Then I've had others where people were clearly just fishing for me to go visit their blog. Which is fine, I get it, and I'll respond and go do the same thing on their blog. But the comments that were obviously spontaneous, that show someone took the time to really think about something I wrote? Well, they'll just make my whole goddamn year. And I still feel star struck when my favourite bloggers comment on my little barely existent blog (*ahem* Cait *ahem*). Definitely my favourite comments are the ones that turn into a conversation. I've made some amazing friends (including my best friend) through blog comments, so I've learned to never underestimate their power!
Quality over quantity. I agree. I don't mind if it's 5 words…just so long as they're words to me. Like for a conversation, not just a link back. (And if people comment here, I go to their post…which I should probably like, say, somewhere so people know..Mmm.)AW. SERIOUSLY?!! YOU MAKE ME BLUSH. I'm so happy that my comments are completely dribble, because I won't lie…usually I'm just fangirling all over the place about nothing and hehe, I wonder if my comments are even worthwhile. BUT SERIOUSLY. Day = made.
Oh I totally agree. Sometimes finding the "perfect" thing to say is ridiculous hard. 🙁 And I feel like I've left the suckiest comment in the history of ever. *sigh* BUT I TRY. And yesss…I feel like if you leave a super "good post" generic comment, you don't even have had to read the post. 🙁
Heh, I totally get that! I mean I can lie and say "numbers don't mean anything" but hey! I DO like to see a post with lots of little comments. *whispers* I can understnad that about overly long comments. I appreciate them because the commentor actually took TIME and wants to speak to me and it makes me haaaappy. But on a post where each comment is a mile long I have been known to get overwhelmed.
I'm quite happy with short comments, or long ones. The only ones I don't like are the very short ones, e.g. "brill", followed by a link to their latest blog post. I may be being mean, but I can't help but think the person is just trying to advertise and may not even have read the post.
Glad you guys like my suggestion! I use it frequently. :)~Sarah Faulkner
Great post! I love your discussion on this subject.
Also…do you know how long it took me to scroll through to the bottom of this post so I could even write a smart alec comment?! 161. Not too shabby my dear!
Oh, short comment are perfectly fine, except I hate the ones that are so generic and cookie cutter that you can tell the person is just hopping from blog to blog leaving the same cut and pasted comment and has no real interest in interaction. I get it, we're all busy but want to return courtesies and such, but…come on!Long, thoughtful comments are my favorite. But short ones are great too, especially if they make me laugh. Wendy @ The Midnight Garden
All comments are OK. For example.. sometimes (this post is a GREAT example) everything has already been said on the subject. So people might only have something to say like "the comments on this post are fun to read" or "i agree with what everyone here said". I would prefer people to say that then to just pass my post by and feel like their small comment isn't ok. The ones that suck that are short are actually the ones for memes where it's almost like the person didn't even read your post. I still comment and visit that blog back though and show them the same love I show other comments.
Yah, those are the hardest. I always try to say at least one thing that shows I actually read the post (you know, something beyond "great/interesting character, I really like him/her"), but it still sometimes gets redundant. Especially after commenting 24 times in a row… But I don't just want to not comment, you know? And I really do love reading all the linkups.the writeress || barefoot in the snow
Sorry, rambling again…Cool blog, by the way! Though, I'm trying to steer clear of reviews for a bit, at least until I finish my current stack, which is entirely too high at the moment.
I'm completely new to your blog and to be honest what caught my attention was the Supernatural gifs. But I'm so glad because I really loved this post. I rarely comment on a blog because I always thought of the comments section of anything (mainly YouTube) as home to tormented souls. But I'm trying to reach out to more bloggers and I think comments are the way to go. So yay! I'm glad I found you and look forward to warming up my comment skills on further posts!
*throws salt at you* Sorry, precaution for Supernatural fans BECAUSE YOU NEVER DO KNOW. *throws holy water at you* Yup, sorry about that too. AND IN OTHER NEWS: I'M COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH SUPERNATURAL. IT IS MY FAVOURITE THING OF EVER. AND ERMAGERD. S10 IS GOING TO KILL ME. AND ALSO THE CHARACTERS PROBABLY.*waves* But welcome to my blog anyway, I hope you like it. XD
Yes, they're kind of frustrating really. Or when the whole comment is just devoted to "why-you-should-follow-me" instead of actually getting to know me. I'm not a stat people! I want to be friends and chat about books!!
Har…har har har… I apologise for the excess scrolling too, by the way. 😉
It's like people forget they're actually talking to people. WE ARE NOT STATS! WE ARE HUMAN BEANS!
I totally get that comments can get redundant…especially when lots of people have commented. 😐 I personally don't mind reading the "same comment" because everyone voices their opinions differently! As long as it's YOU saying something to ME and not like a "cookie swap" then I'm happy.
I love your comments! Both they and your blog posts are always guaranteed to make me giggle. I have been known to save yours to read later so I've got something to look forward to.
Short comments are perfectly alright! As long as it's meaningful not spammy we're totally cool because there are days when you are just not feeling like going on a long and rambly commenting spree(like today!). 😀
I have only had one spam and I have been blogging for almost a year now, so I don't think the problem isn't too out of control. I have never had moderation on my blog either.
I saw your tweet, and couldn't not comment on this post! Honestly, I'm not good at leaving comments because I usually have nothing to say. I think a lot before commenting; most of the time I simply give up and don't comment at all because it's stressful, which is sad because I want the bloggers to know that I've read their post. 🙁 I have no problem with short comments, since mine are often short too. As long as they're meaningful I'm totally ok with them. =DI have a lot of commenting-insecurities, and it's reassuring to hear that I'm not the only one. Amazing post, Cait!
Okay, I seriously tried to close this tab and I couldn't until I left a comment. I just couldn't NOT comment on a post about comments XDDDI'm okay with short comments on my blog. I get REALLY UBER EXCITED over long ones like YAY THIS COULD TURN INTO A REAL CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF MY READERS (bonus: NEW COMMENTER HI I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE you like my blog? GRHEIGERHGRTHTY)I don't actually comment back like that…(well sometimes I do) but that's always what's going on in my head XDANYWHO about short comments. I uber love long comments, but I like short ones too just because "EEK you read my post and it was comment worthy even if all you said was 'Lol, I love this. Thanks, you made me laugh'."I just love comments in any shape, size, or form. Oki I commented, now I won't feel bad when I close this tab XD(also, I love commenting on your blog because you DO reply to every. single. comment. And that just rockets your level of awesome up way higher than it already was.)
(that comment was way longer than I realized XD)
I also worry a lot about comments, at first I didn't comment at all because I was afraid my comments wouldn't be interesting. Nowadays i am doing better, but especially short comments make me doubt myself. I mean if I only have one line to say is it worth daying it at all? Sometimes I want to comments on a post, but there just isn't enough in a post to comment on. That's also one of the reasons I tried to write more during my weekly recaps about what happened that week, because it's much easier for people to comment on that then only on the books I got that week.I also make a lot of typo's an usually re-read a comment, but I just know I won't catch them all. Even in my own posts are a lot of typo's. It's embarassing, but my spelling and grammar just sucks and sometimes it just takes too much effort to cathc all the typo's and mistakes.I also find it it difficult to reply on short comments on my blog, because sometimes I just don't know what to say except thanks for stopping by. So yeah I hate leavign short comments and usually feel like I have to leave at least a slightly longer comment, because else I don't feel like I contribute much.Great post!
Comments are tricky and fickle little things. When I first started blogging, I have to admit it (and I feel SO MUCH SHAME BECAUSE OF IT), I was a crappy commenter. I usually just left a one liner that didn't really look like I had read the post (which, of course, I had). But I didn't give myself time to precess and think of something informative and worthwhile. And then I started reading the comments that bloggers were leaving on other blogs (and sometimes my blog). They discussed, they were longer than one sentence. They ENGAGED. And then I kind of realised I had been doing the whole comment shebang incorrectly. And here I am now spending hours commenting because I like to leave something that represents the thoughts that a post causes in my mind. OPEN THE FLOODGATES, THE THOUGHTS ARE COMING *screaming* I can get REALLY carried away sometimes when it comes to commenting. I've actually left comments Longer than the actual post before … oops. But I do it because I like the post. I do it because I have thoughts and feeling and I AM A REAL BOY. Ahem. Personally, I love to receive any and all comments on the blog (except ones that mean nothing like "great review". WHY? WHY WAS IT GREAT? GIVE ME SOMETHING HERE). My favourite ones are the novel length ones, which are usually the kind of ones I strive to leave, as well. Also, random side note (YAY). If I am commenting on a blog for the first time (or first few times), I am kiiiiind of different. I'm a bit more formal with my thoughts and there's no capsing and Pinocchio references … but once I get comfortable with a blogger and we interact then the beast that is me rears its head. Like in this comment. :DALSO: I am pretty sure I'm notorious for my typo-riddled comments. I never go back and read them and pretty much just hit 'publish' as soon as I comment vomit on a post, and then I read back over it AFTER it's been published and my entire being fills with shame at the typos and the awful HTML and just GAH. But for some reason, I just don't change my ways. It's a problem, Cait. It's a real problem.
I wish I was better at leaving short comments. I tend to get lengthy in response to posts (particularly ones that excite me), and then I feel bad for hijacking someone else's space with the essay I just wrote. (So I'm going to try to be shorter here…) I did enjoy your post!
I personally don't mind getting short comments that are actually longer than 5 words. But then when I go to write a short comment, I feel like I'm disrespecting the blogger's hard work in a way. But sometimes, there just isn't anything to say that hasn't already been said. Loved this discussion! Definitely an interesting topic. 😀