For a new blogger there are many facets of this marketing technique that need to be conquered.
From choosing right topics, to avoiding writing block, marketing those posts…the list goes on and on….
Unfortunately, bloggers are often too easy to get caught up into design and making the site look pretty, more techie…and adding all kinds of bells and whistles, that they over look one of the biggest, most important, and most valuable aspects of running a blog site: building a community around it.
Blog is more then just a place to publish your own articles and make things look pretty.
When you have things to share on your blog that help people improve their business, their life, they will keep coming back…And even though most of them are too shy to comment (not realizing what an opportunity they’re missing to build the relationship with the blog owner). There are always those who will post a comment.
One of my clients has emailed me last night excited about the comments she’s starting to receive on her blog but now sure how to handle it.
If that’s sounds like you, here are few suggestions sure to get your blog moving into the right direction.
- If you’re using WordPress make sure you have Akismet plugin installed to keep 99% of your spam comments away. You can find this plugin simply by going under Plugins in WP settings and searching for it.
- Once in a while a spammy type of a comment will show up, that one you will have to just manually mark as spam
- WordPress gives you an ability to moderate you comments. Make sure you use that feature. Most people mistakenly think that its best use is to catch and delete all the negative comments…I would not always agree. Now if the comment is a blatant spam, or a down right rude and hostile, then definitely do mark as spam and don’t give it a second thought.
- On the other hand if the comment is not positive, but could open up a great discussion on a subject, by all means, approve it and offer you point of view. This can actually lead to a great conversation even though there might be a difference of opinions – as long as every body is respectful of the other side.
- In reality, you can expect only about 1-2% of all comments to be negative so it’s really not that big of a deal if you don’t make one.
- Don’t ever change edit other peoples’ comments. That can pull some legal issues with it. In simplest terms, it changes your status from blogger to publisher and it can get serious from there.
- If the comment is something you can pull a lesson out of for other people, don’t be afraid to pull it and write a post around it.
- Always be respectful of other people’s ideas. We all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. Keep that always in mind while responding.
- Now, the positive comments are the easiest to deal with. But don’t take them for granted. If you’re putting out good content, people will want to give you feedback. If they took their time to read your post and comment, you should take your time to read and reply to their comment.
After all, that is how you start building relationships and community around your blog. 
How do you handle comments on your site?
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- How To Attract More Traffic To Your Site
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Yes, Aleksandra, I agree completely with your article. To improve your blog you need feedback. Who better to trust than those turning on their computer and heading to your webpage for information that they like and will assist them in achieving a more productive lifestyle.
The process of blogging with information that engages the reader and forces him/her to participate is a central artery to success. By allowing your readers to comment and your responding to those comments causes the reader to become part of the team. They will love you and assist you in building a profitable business.
I feel, however, that if a comment doesn’t sound write you should edit it. It is always important to be courteous in business so you should contact the submitter first before making any meaningful changes to his/her comment.