The Perks of Not Being a Comment Wallflower

For the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume that you’re a good writer and that you’re eager to contribute to the blogs and sites that you value.  Some blogs, websites and social media feeds, however,  are intimidating and seem all but impenetrable to new bloggers. Even if you feel that almost-primal urge to leave a comment, sometimes an aspect of the site stops you in your tracks. Other commenters are too negative, the site owner never responds, there are too many comments or you just feel like you don’t have anything positive to contribute. The thing is, though, that if you are a good writer then you inevitably do have something to contribute. These feelings of despair and anxiety are normal– we’ll work through your shyness together.

It’s easy to convince yourself to not leave a comment. It’s hard to work through that reasoning, especially when you’re suffering from social media anxiety.

Hostile Environments – With some websites, it seems like you’re on the moon and you’re walking around without a spacesuit. You’ll either be ridiculed or ignored. This is especially true of leading news sites and communities like Reddit. While those negative reactions are sometimes going to happen, you have to put yourself out there. It’s worth it.Test Yourself – Leaving a comment on an article you felt a connection to is a great way to test yourself. You’re a writer—you CAN come up with something original to say. Even though writing a perfectly phrased comment takes effort, you’re full of new ideas and it’s completely worth it to get those thoughts out there.

Blog comments can’t be used as a main strategy in any marketing, branding or SEO campaign. They’re not going to make your blog an overnight success. They are, however, a good way to get your name out to real people that share your interests.

Friends and Conversations – This one is kind of obvious. It’s like going to a party and meeting some a really cool people who become your new creative peers and drinking buddies. The conversation is great, and you end up making some real friends who appreciate your work. If you don’t go to the party in the first place, you will meet none of those people. In this case, comments are the party.Names, Opinions and Links – When you get your name out into the community, it needs to be associated with what you do. If you leave insightful comments, people will think about you later because of what you said, not who you are. If you make positive contributions to enough conversations, people will even begin to look to you for input.Hyperlink - Plus, leaving a comment lets those interested parties find your blog through a simple hyperlink. You won’t be getting thousands of new readers from that little no follow link, but you’ll make it easy for the people who actually matter to contact you. That’s how good blogging relationships start.

Overcoming your anxiety and getting yourself out there are great, but comments also allow you to challenge yourself. As writers, we’re always aiming to improve our craft. If we’re not striving to learn something new at least a few times a week, we’re not much more useful than TMZ employees speaking at an internet privacy conference.  It’s not easy, but you’ll need to step out of your comfort zone and expose yourself to some of the harsher elements of the internet.

Leaving the Perfect Comment – So, you liked a piece of content. You want to comment, but you still don’t know if it compares to what anyone else has to say. You’re a little bit nervous. Why did you finish the article? What kept you engaged? What did you personally relate to? What haven’t other people pointed out? Basically, find out how this blog post or article relates to you personally and explain it. Give your own insight—it might be buried under a layer of clichés and anxiety, but you’ll find it if you look hard enough. Rocky ran up all 72 steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art—it wasn’t easy, but people remember him for it. A perfect comment has the same effect.

Leaving quality comments is essentially for any aspiring blogger or writer. It’s a great way to network, challenge yourself and get your name out there. There will be trolls, elitists and other undesirables. Sometimes the site owner won’t respond, and sometimes your voice will be lost– but the end result is worth it. Comments are a great way to help you get from the sidelines to the starting lineup—they can’t be your only strategy, but you probably won’t succeed without them.

Dustin Verburg is a writer and musician from the wilds of Southern Idaho. When he’s not combing his beard or fighting mountain lions, he writes about internet ethics, good blogging practices and white hat SEO. He writes for Page One Power, a link building company that focuses on relevancy and transparency.

Tagged as: blog comments, Blogging, social media

Dustin has written 1 articles .

If you like This post, you can follow Bloggers Passion on Twitter.

Subscribe to Bloggers Passion feed via RSS or EMAIL to receive instant updates.

View the original article here