Who doesn’t like to comment? Who doesn’t like to have a voice?
No one, right?
We all like to comment. We all want to comment and get great results out of it. But, that’s not the problem. There isn’t enough time or energy to spend for commenting on all blogs we know.
So, what can we do?
Great, question.
That is why we have smart commenting.
Smart commenting is about picking out bloggers/blogs to interact with and interacting with them on a consistent basis.
There are two steps to smart commenting:
- Finding blogs and Picking out the best ones.
- And Interacting with them (Actual commenting).
Experiments can reveal a lot of things, small details that we forgot about otherwise. The commenting experiment that I have been doing gave me an upper hand on these small details; I saw several of them, simple but yet complex in its own nature.
Today, we will talk about the first step in smart commenting (we will also talk a bit about the experiment itself).
Finding blogs
Finding blogs was my first challenge. You see, to avoid any others factors kicking in, I had to find new blogs for this experiment. When I started the experiment, I thought that this would be an easy task (It is, but not as easy as you would think it is).
The difficulty of this task, for the most part, rests on our experience.
If you are an experienced blogger, you have a better idea on finding blogs. But, if you are just a new blogger, then it might be hard for you.
I solved this challenge using various methods:
Comments on other blogs
I checked out the comments section of others blogs that I already knew. I checked out the profiles and comment luv links of the comment authors (Gave me an idea on who they were, their niche and whether they were a good candidate for the experiment).
When you are looking for other blogs to comment on, I recommend you check a blog you know. Check the comments (See if the comments are well thought and written – this given a idea on the personality of the blogger them self). Also check the comment luv links and profile links (twitter, blog page etc if available) of the commentator. This will help you to understand who the commentator is and whether they are a good blogging partner to work with. Checking the actual blog, blog posts and the community there (really check the community – tells you whether the commentator is working hard to grow a loyal community within his blog) gives you a better understanding of the person himself/herself.
Top Commentators Widget
In a way, this is related to the previous section about other blogger. The top commentators widget of other blogs will give you an idea on who the most active person is (there is higher chance for a person on the widget to be active blogger and a suitable blogging partner to work with – especially with networking).
Social Media
Social media is a big helper, especially with commenting. In Twitter, the best way to find bloggers to interact with is by searching through the follow list (check the list of people your fellow bloggers are following, the people in the list will most likely be other active bloggers whom you can interact with). But, be careful, there are lot of bloggers out there who use automated methods (following people in bulk) just to get more followers – so you want to choose your candidates carefully. Same thing can be applied to G+ and Facebook (Check the circles and likes).
Your Own Blog
Last but not least, you own blog is a great source to find people to interact with. Go through your comments (Do you already visit the sites of your active commentators? If not, do it. Read their posts and reciprocate the comments). I have always been a bit lazy on visiting my commentator’s sites. But, lately I have been giving the activity more attention.
Other Means (Forums, Blogmarking sites)
There are also other means such as forums and blogmarking sites (Such as Blokube, Blogengage) to find bloggers to interact with. But, frankly I prefer other sources over these (I tried it, and found it a bit more hard to find new folks – new folks who really care and comment).
The next step in the process is picking out blogs.
Picking Out The Best Ones
As I mentioned earlier, you can’t comment on all the blogs you come upon – you have pick out a handful of them. How can we do that? Well, it depends upon the person itself. In this section, I will share the things I did to pick out bloggers.
The Comment/Profile
If I came upon the blogger through commenting section, I looked at their comment (See if it is worthwhile), their profile and the number of comments they left.
The comment gives me an idea on the personality of the person. If the comment is really into the subject, then I can assume that he/she would be a great addition to my own community (hence I can comment on their blogs and convince them to visit mine).
The profile comes in handy when I find the blogger/blog through Social media sites and other means such as Blogmarking sites. The profile gives me a deeper understanding of the person him/herself (whether they are an active networker, sharer, influencer or just a normal twitterer. The number of comments give me an idea on whether the person is active within the community (of the blog through which I came upon them).
The Blog
The first impression that I get from visiting blogs has helped me to sort out a lot of bloggers (First impression = clean design, awesome, usable and relateable content along with a good site speed). If any of these things are messed up, then the blog is out of the game (unless, they have exceptionally awesome content).
The comments in the blog has helped me understand whether the blog owner spends a lot of time on building an active community within their blog (this isn’t about the number of comments they get, it is more about the quality of the comments themselves).
So far in the commenting experiment, I have only had a few (10-15 blogs) who have “passed” my first challenge. Some bloggers didn’t have a clean design, while others lacked awesome content or a good community to support the blog.
The Wrap
Initially, I planned to stop the experiment and announce the results today. But, so far I have been doing great (But, I think a bit more data and experimentation can pull in more results and therefore more things that we can talk about and improve in our normal commenting style).
For the next post (next week), we will be talking about the commenting part – deciding to leave a comment, commenting style, choosing an appropriate comment luv link and all other stuff that is associated with commenting itself.
Meanwhile, you can help me out by leaving your feedback.
Do you have a way to finding new blog/bloggers to interact with? If so, what are they? If not, why?
Do you pick out bloggers? How do you do it?
Do you want us to address any specific topics in the upcoming post on actual commenting?
Image Credit: Original Author.
Hi Jeevan,
blog commenting is truly awesome for several reasons such as self-branding and link building. I sometimes wonder why people do struggle to find blogs to comment on. Nothing could be easier, as you described perfectly. I find new blogs to comment on also by subscribing to certain keywords via Google reader. And once I found a suitable blog to comment on, I subscribe to its RSS feed via Google reader.
Of course, it’s highly important to visit the posts of our blog commentators…
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend recently posted..Effective Blog Commenting Strategies For Network Marketers Part 6
Hi Oliver,
Yes, of course. I think it is mainly because their lack of knowledge to comment (or how effective it can be), their ignorance or maybe they just don’t care. That is a good way to find blogs (I didn’t think about that, thanks for the tip!).
No problem. Appreciate you stopping by
Hi Jeevan,
I have to be honest, I never thought to look at someone’s profile. I usually just click on a ComLuv link and if they have something interesting, I will comment. Sometimes people don’t come back to my blog, so I tend not to go back unless it is something that really sparks my interest
You have some really good ways for anyone just starting out to find blogs that they can comment on.
Hope you have a wonderful day!
Linda
Linda recently posted..TwitterFeed Alternative
Hey Linda,
Well, I don’t do it very often, but it is a great strategy to sort out. Same here.
Thank you Linda. Appreciate your comment!
I usually pick blogs to comment on, and my number one basis is usually the content (and of course, I should be able to relate to them). There are some blogs that I always go back to because they always have interesting articles and I always learn something new from them. Now, how do I find these blogs/bloggers? I usually think of blogs with themes that interest me such as information technology, cooking, food, health, lifestyle etc. If you go to a certain food blog for example, you get to also find other links of bloggers who also do food blogs.
Elena Anne recently posted..Exercise and Arthritis: Prevention and tips
Yeah, that is what I used to do (nowadays I focus more on looking at the commenting section of other blogs). It is a great method to find appropriate blogs, pick out the best ones – the ones that interest us – and engage with those bloggers.
Anyways, appreciate the comment, Elena.
I usually find blogs either through comments on my or other blogs and also in various blogging communities that I am a part of. There are some great blogging communities and tribes out there that are such a great resource!
Stacy recently posted..101 Proven Ways to Get More Blog Comments
Glad that you do, Stacy. Thank you for sharing that. You are right, there are a lot of great communities out there – communities which can lead us to more blogs and more communities
Hey Jeevan, this was a superb article my friend, I really LOVED it.
As for your feedback goes, here are my answers…
A1: I stopped searching for new bloggers. I’m trying to focus on building a great foundation first and worry about getting new eyeballs for later.
A2: If I really feel in the mood to get to a new site, I normally see what great bloggers (mostly my friends) RT on twitter.
That way I know the content must be exceptionally good!
A3: Not sure, I think you covered a lot here so I bet that upcoming article is definitely going to be interesting to read.
Nice job Jeevan, really like what you guys are doing here, keep it up!
Sergio
Sergio Felix recently posted..How To Install A Free WordPress Theme From Your Dashboard
Thank you, Sergio
Of course, build the foundation first
I do use Twitter – but these days, I find it hard to hard new blogs to read on, I think.
Thank you, Sergio. Appreciate your feedback!
Hi Jeevan,
and this method is always very effective.
I really liked this website and I enjoyed your friendly style writing. When I was new to blogging it was also a learning process for me to find new blogs but by the time I am much familiar with the exploring of new blogs. I first tried Top Commentators Widget method
Pete Goumas recently posted..What Is Mythology
Hey Pete,
Glad you liked Blogprenuers. Hope we can provide you with more useful tips in the coming future. Yes, it all adds up over time
The love the idea of picking up the one’s from “Top Commentators Widget”, it actually indeed as those bloggers are the one who are active in blogosphere and helps us in building links initially…
Raj recently posted..Samsung Gets 9 Million Pre-orders For Samsung Galaxy S III [Report]
Glad you liked it, Raj. Yes, those guys are the community builders, engage with them and make them come to your own blog
Hello Jeevan,
I have access to some high dollar blog research tools that bloggers could usually never afford. I can use them to assist anyone in finding the best blogs in their own niches. I linked to my review of just one of the tools I’m using in the post I’ve put in the regular url field linked from my name. There are others.
The blogs I identify usually aren’t CommentLuv enabled already, but we can reach out to them and suggest they join our community. Anyone interested can contact me for more details. We should all get our blogs listed in these tools – and I can do that for us.
Gail Gardner recently posted..Facebook iPhone App UI Change: Videos and Pictures on Social Media – Future of Engagement
Hey Gail,
Thank you for linking, Gail
Of course, we could build an awesome community if we work together. I will check it out. Thanks!
Hi Jeevan, first off, brilliant article.
Secondly, I’m new to this blog. The funny thing is, is that I was doing my daily routine of searching for new blogs of interest and commenting on blogs that I currently follow.
One of the main ways I go about this is through Twitter. I create Twitter lists and assign each one a relative visit frequency based on how often that blog has new content, how much traffic and interaction it gets and so on.
I also use my feed reader to keep up with the latest content from all the blogs I follow.
Blogpreneurs is awesome so I’ll definitely be back for more!
wpliving recently posted..5 Tips for Choosing the Right Premium WordPress Themes
Hey Will,
Welcome to the BlogPreneurs community, bud. I’m so glad to see you here. Using twitter to find new blogs to comment on – is a fantastic idea.
Thanks for the awesome compliments about the blog. Greatly appreciated.
Have a great weekend.
-Dev
Hey Will,
Thank you and Welcome
Twitter is indeed an awesome way to keep up with blogs and to find new blogs to comment on.
I sure hope you do
Hi Jeevan
Useful and practical info with actual “how to” steps – great stuff.
For me, I did all the things you mention and still do from time to time, but you know what, the blogs I comment on most… are the ones where I like the bloggers.
Simple human nature, you be kind and respectful to your commenters and they will become part of your community.
Super post as ever.
Keith Davis recently posted..RealPro – the ultimate Real Estate theme from Genesis
Hi Keith,
Yeah, that’s kind of the same situation for me – only that every now and then – I get an urge to do more commenting and go find more blogs to comment on – but, I never keep up things, I only comment consistently on blogs I really like.
Thank you for the comment, Keith. Appreciate the feedback!
Hi Triple J and Dev,
Excellent tips! Checking for engaging, successful online entrepreneurs is the first step for effective blog commenting. You seek out winners. Birds of a feather flock together.
I like a blog with plenty of comments. A post which adds a ton of value too. If leaders provide immense value and attract other leaders I am happy to connect with the individual and leave a value-packed comment too. Again, leaders hang with leaders, attract leaders, and boost the authority of all high energy folks who join the network of friends.
People view you in a different light if you leave value with your comments on an authority site, of course, on a persistent basis.
Thanks for sharing your insight Triple J!!
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..Home Business Tip – How to Sprint into Your Frightening Uncomfort Zone
Hey Ryan,
Thanks!
Of course. But, these days, there aren’t many blogs with high number of valuable comments – most of the comments are just plain old thank you – that doesn’t add anything of value to the post. But, then again, it is good to be appreciated.
No problem, Ryan. Thank you for stopping by!
Jeevan,
Great post and very true. Blog commenting is a great and powerful way to build up a fan base and, even more importantly, find connections and acquaintances that will likely work with you.
In fact for a “newer” blog I think it is still one of the single most important things they should be doing. (That and writing solid content…no need to worry about other things early on)
Great advice and wonderful article!
-Steve
Steve@Affiliate Marketing Tips recently posted..10 Surprising Reasons Why You Should Become an Authority Affiliate Marketer
Of course, Steve. Blog commenting is very powerful. A new blogger can indeed use the power of blog commenting to kick start his new blog. Solid content and awesome comments – very good combination
Thank you for the comment, Steve!
I never thought about me being picky about where I comment, but in some instances I probably do. Mostly I comment on blogs I frequent the most and usually visit blogs from content I see passed around on twitter. I also tend to visit blogs outside of my niche because I love getting views about various subjects that might differ my mine own and that feeds my thirst to comment more.
There are some blogs where I will read the post, but might not comment if I feel it doesn’t have a “call-to-action” for me to work with, but I will say, it is a wonderful way to network, make new friends and extend your blog reach.
Sonia recently posted..2 Smart Tips Why People Buy People
I don’t usually read blogs outside of my niche, but I guess it is a great idea to do so – refresh up the mind with some other topic, maybe even get some post ideas while we are at it.
Yeah, I have had those situations in which I have hesitated to comment due to poor call to action (too many comments have also discouraged me from commenting as I have felt that my comment wouldn’t be much of a value).
Anyways, appreciate your comment here, Sonia. Thanks!
Hey Jeevan,
I bet you’ve been having a great time with this experiment. Locating new blogs to visit and comment on is always a lot of fun. It was for me when I was starting down this path.
So I haven’t really been seeking new blogs out but when I did I took some of these same measures. I mainly would just check out the comments either on my blog or from the blogs I visited and follow those links. After seeing if their content was something I enjoyed reading then I would start reading their content and commenting as well.
When I connect with someone new on a social media site I will go read their profile and then follow their link back to their blog. I’m always trying to locate people in my niche that I can relate to so that’s mainly what I do.
Loving this experiment and looking forward to your results.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..The Social Media Path
Adrienne,
Yes, I did spent a lot of time on finding the blogs and selecting them. But, now I am focusing on commenting on those blogs and getting more results
Yes, I can see your strategy of commenting back and engaging with people who engage with you, Adrienne. That is indeed an effective way (I hope to follow that path, hopefully I can do it).
Thank you for your feedback, Adrienne!
Much appreciated.