Guidance & Etiquette on Posting Blog Comments
The number of bloggers continues to grow. This is great! There is so much information to be shared and blogs provide real-time, easy to access platforms for sharing. We all have our favorites – blogs that we bookmark and eagerly await the writer’s new pearls of wisdom.
What I have noticed, and I am sure you have noticed it too, is that while the blogs are terrific – the comments – not always so much. In many cases the comments represent no more than a snapshot of the inane, ludicrous, pejorative, useless, and off-topic ravings of the masses. I recognize that you can choose to remain anonymous when you post a comment, which is why people feel free to write things under cover of anonymity that they wouldn’t say if they were standing before someone.
Equally irksome is the people that post comment on blogs for purely self-serving reasons. The comment is hardly worth reading, but after a quick glance downward there it is: a link back to their own site!
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The collaborative nature of the Internet and the wealth of information is by far the cornerstone of what makes the online community so impressive – at least from my perspective. Here are some quick guidelines to make sure your comments are read and value-add:
- Don’t use epithets or other similar language when posting comments. If you want to leave a comment, make sure it adds some value. Otherwise, it is simply a waste of time.
- If you want to include a link, think first – if your comment is void of value and just says – this is good but look here, it most likely won’t get posted. I won’t post those; BUT, if you have something so say, even it is contrary to my opinion and you link to your site; absolutely I will post it. That’s me – some bloggers will not randomly publish a comment that is self-serving no matter what.
- “First” as a post is lame – go get a life!
- Add value – comments should be worth the time of the reader – if you want to be contrary, go ahead, but don’t do so for the sake of just being contrary. Have a reason.
So, get involved, be part of the community, and be interesting!
This blog's author, Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write, provides executive career services including resume and cover letter preparation, job search / interviewing strategies and professional branding including how to effectively use LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media in your career.
Visit CareersDoneWrite.com to learn more about how we can put your career in gear with interview catching resumes and professionally written career documents.