Blog Comments

Making money blogging is an interactive affair, involving you, the blogger and your readers. It can be made even more interactive by allowing your readers to comment on your posts.

I struggle with comments, whether to leave them enabled or not, and whether or not to be bothered moderating them. At the present I have comments enabled, and I don't moderate them, at least not before they are posted. Occasionally I have removed a spammer, or someone who for whatever reason decides to leave an inappropriate comment.

But to be honest, I don't get many comments, in fact very few, so most of the time I don't have them enabled. I do have an "contact me" link which allows my readers to email me if they so desire, and I respond.

Commenting can be a hassle, especially if you try to respond to them all. On the other hand, allowing comments can bring traffic to your site, and keep your readers reading longer. The idea that a reader can post their thoughts on your blog in real time and let other readers see it, is kind of nice in a bloggy sort of way, increasing your familiarity with your readers and giving you instant feedback on your site. This is one of the hallmarks of blogging, connecting and talking with your readers and when it works, it can be a beautiful thing. In my case, and the case of some others including Steve Pavalina, one of my own blogging heros, they can be more hassle than they are worth. I guess it comes down to an individual decision, and you deciding what you want to do.

However, lately I find that many of the comments I get, especially on some of my other blogs, tend to be a little spammy. You know the kind, "Great blog" with a link back to the commenters site. Instead of adding quality to your blog, what these do is potentially pull readers away from your site, sending them to the commenter's blog. This is not necessarily a good thing.

So it's up to you, but for most sites I recommend not having them, or at the very least having comment moderation enabled. At least you get a chance to see them before they end up posted on your blog. Personally, I have comments enabled on some blogs, and not on others, and on one I allow comments but I moderate them before they are posted.

Comments do add that level of familiarity between the blogger and the reader, and they also can be a good indicator as to how your posts are doing. If someone reads your blog and takes the time to post a comment, it's often a sign they enjoyed what you said, and will be back for more. It's also a chance for you to see what people like, what rings their bells, and also opens the door for some reciprocal links.

If you do choose to leave your comments enabled, make sure you read them each day and respond if a comment needs a response. Remember, like other things you do each day to earn money from the internet and specifically your blog, they are part of the business, albeit an optional part.

So...I think the above is a bit of a blog post mess...I was all over the board there wasn't I? The long and short of it is, leave your comments enabled as long as you have time to check them and respond, and the comments you are getting are worthwhile and adding to the value of your post as opposed to taking away from it.

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