Welcome to the newest Ruby’s Reads Debate! I’m am beyond psyched to welcome Jenny and Logan to the blog today. They’re going head-to-head over a passionate issue. Their question? Should bloggers respond to comments left on their blogs? Hear their arguments, and decide for yourself!
For the Pro side:
- Jenny from Supernatural Snark
Bio: I’m a graphic designer and wedding stationer who runs a business from home creating custom wedding invitations for brides who want something unique to them. I also happen to be a severe book addict. Severe.
For the Con side:
Bio: I love books. I love reading books, writing books, thinking about books, looking at books, smelling books, and generally just being around books. Most books are better than most people.
Twitter: @loganturner
Get ready, get set: DEBATE!
Logan
What I’m about to say is no doubt unpopular, and may even paint me in a negative light, but I’m going to say it anyway: when it comes to comment replies, nobody cares. Well, okay, some people care sometimes. If you have a burning question that you need answered, or you’re buddies with the blogger where you left the comment, you might want a response. But the average “hey your blog is cool and I read this entry and I’m saying something neato bandito about it” comment? Not so much in need of a reply.
I barely have time to comment on other blogs, so replying to comments on my own posts is not a priority. Judge me if you want, but in my experience the blogs that are the most vocal about the rudeness of bloggers who don’t comment back on their own posts are the very same bloggers that don’t actually respond. I’ve been burned twice and have learned my lesson: when it comes to comment replies, nobody cares.
Jenny
Let me start out by saying I was previously unaware that some people viewed a blogger not responding to the comments left on their own blogs to be the height of rudeness. I don’t ever expect a reply to a comment I leave on someone’s blog, but I’m always thrilled when it happens.Now that’s out of the way, I’ll say that I always try and respond to the comments left on my blog, not because I think it’s rude not to (not at all), but rather because I want my blog to be more of a conversation than simply me posting an opinion and leaving it at that. I want people to talk to me. I want to talk to them. It’s part of the reason I started the blog, and while Logan’s statement saying no one cares whether or not I respond to what they’ve said may hold a great deal of truth, I like to respond anyway to create that sense of interaction I’ve striven for since I started blogging.
Logan
I can’t even tell you how many posts I’ve seen where people say “If I see that a blogger isn’t commenting back on their posts, I won’t read their blog.” And yet when I comment on those blogs, I’ll check back and not see a response to my comment. Hypocrites! I decided after that point that I was just going to do things my own way.
My biggest problem with comment replies is that I, as a reader, so rarely remember where I left comments. Yes, I have my Google Reader list, and I tend to visit the same blogs over and over, but I don’t want to have to read old comments on old entries AND leave new comments on new entries. I don’t want my readers to have to hunt for responses either, which is why I don’t leave them unless it truly calls for it. Too often the conversations become one-sided with the blogger answering back only for the sake of posting a response. Is it actually stimulating real discussions? Aren’t there better places for conversation (e.g. Twitter)?
Jenny
I’m so surprised Logan! I haven’t seen any posts like that, I feel like maybe I’m out in left field all by myself completely ignorant of the happenings in the blogosphere. Awesome.I agree that my responding to those who leave comments isn’t necessarily inspiring scintillating and in-depth conversation, but I do like that my readers know they’ll get a response from me if they ask a question or offer up a differing opinion. Twitter is obviously a better place for blogger interaction, Logan’s right, but to me, responding to comments makes me feel more involved with the blog and my readers. It may be that responding is in part a self-serving action–making me happy and creating a feeling of community, however illusory, for me, but that alone is enough to make me continue to put in the effort of responding.
Logan
Jenny, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, in this and in all other blogging ventures – do what you want! I may not always respond to comments, but I do read and appreciate each and every one, and if something is particularly thought-provoking, I’ve been known to chime in. I just don’t make a habit out of it. I tried for a long time, and it’s not something that works for me or my schedule, in general. I’d rather spend more time reading other blogs! 
Jenny
I couldn’t agree more Logan, I think every blogger should run their blog as they see fit and do what works best for them. If you don’t have time to comment or respond to comments, don’t kill yourself trying to do so and take all the fun out of reading and sharing your thoughts on books. For me, most of the enjoyment comes from blogger interaction, and part of that includes responding to comments on the blog itself in addition to blog hopping and commenting on other bloggers’ posts, but that may not be something practical for everyone. Thanks to Logan and Ruby for letting me be a part of the debates!
And thanks to Jenny and Logan for participating in this month’s debate! It was a pleasure to have you both!
Now, what about you? Have something to add?
How do you feel about bloggers responding to comments on their blogs?
Do you try to respond, or do you feel it’s unnecessary?
Join the debate!
To me, commenting on a blog shows a willingness to interact. Something about that particular post caused them to stop, click through, and comment. And so I almost always respond to comments because I figure if they want to interact, it goes more than one way.
When bloggers don’t respond to blog comments at all or infrequently, I don’t stop reading, but I do stop commenting. I don’t necessarily see the blogger as rude for doing so, I just feel that my comment is wasted or it’s not appreciated. Like Jenny said, it’s about creating a feeling of community.
My pet peeve is when some bloggers only respond to a few select comments. I actually feel like my comment is being judged as to how worthy or important it is. I don’t comment much on those blogs, either.
I have to say, Amanda, that your dedication to responding to comments is one of things I love most about your blog, and it always keeps me coming back. I love it, and I try to show the same kind of effort on my own blog. I think it’s important to acknowledge anyone who takes the time to leave a comment, and I get excited that each new comment will start a new conversation.
Unfortunately, commenting is something I struggle to make time for as it is, and at times, replying to comments is just beyond me. What you said about the comment being wasted saddens me, because I would never want anyone to feel that way because I failed to respond. That would never be my intention!
As for bloggers who pick and choose which comments to respond to? That’s just bad manners. I don’t blame you for not commenting much on those blogs, I’d feel the same way.
For me, the only way I can actually KNOW my comment is appreciated or valued is when the person responds to it. If I receive no response to my comment, how do I know? I don’t. And when it comes down to time and commenting on someone’s blog, I’m going to go to the person who [almost] always responds to their comments.
Now you’ve scared me. I will never not reply to a comment you leave on my blog, Amanda. I treasure each and every one that you leave me.
P.S. Gotten anything in the mail lately?
I don’t expect people to respond to EVERY COMMENT of mine. It’s about responding to comments in general. You know, most of the time. That’s what is important.
Yes! As a matter of fact, I did get something in the mail. lol. I loved it! Thank you.
On a related note, I don’t think that everyone views commenting the same way we do–as a venue for discussion. A lot of bloggers have said that they don’t reply to comments left on their blogs–instead, they try to leave a reciprocating comment on the other person’s blog. And while this is nice, it doesn’t exactly do much to create community. At least, not in the way I envision it.
Oh, you’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it. I saw a “Got Giraffes?” one when I went to zoo recently, but I didn’t have time to buy it. So I researched purchasing a custom-made one, and thought, Why not go whole hog? Hence the gift.
I echo Ruby’s feelings exactly. I struggle to find time to comment in general, which I feel bad about, and then when I also had a hard time commenting back on my posts, I felt even worse. The blogging shame spiral! Ahhhh!
I guess I’ve been operating under the assumption that every blogger loves getting comments and appreciates them. I get giddy when my email notification comes in. Is there any blogger that doesn’t? Like Ruby, not responding is not meant to be insulting, and it pains me to think it’s perceived that way.
Gah. This is why I keep wondering if I should give it all up.
Plus, I don’t want to feel guilted into responding! And the blogging shame spiral is right. I’m constantly pulling myself out of that one.
I’m a hit-or-miss comment-back-er. I love reading comments and, when I have time, I try to reply. But that’s kind of scattered. I like those blogs (I think it’s mostly WP that has this option) that, when someone responds, it shoots you an email (like yours does, Ruby!).
The comment reply notification was one of the major reasons that I finally decided to make the switch to WP! It’s invaluable. I love the way it brings people back to the blog, and keeps the conversation going. (Er, sometimes. Sometimes people either ignore me or unclick the option. I assume.)
Same here! The WP comment reply system is much easier to do from my phone, too. So there may be an uptick in my comment replies from now on!
Ooh, I haven’t explored the answer-by-phone feature. I’ve been wondering about it, though.
What a great debate topic! I try to respond to most comments left on my blog, but I have to admit Logan’s argument is convincing!
I try to respond to all my comments and I have it to email the user when I do. That being said when I was on Blogger I didn’t because a person had to a)subscribe to all comments or b) come back and look. To be honest unless it was a discussion post I never went back to look to see if someone responded to my comment. I do love the interaction but I by no means think it is rude if someone doesn’t respond to my comment on their blog. Sometimes it really is just me saying that I appreciated their review and in those cases a thank you is not necessary
I am tomato/tomato on this one LOL
I don’t expect people to respond to comments on blogger, unless it’s someone I that I already know does it (Small, Jenny). I don’t have enough time in the day to chase down responses to comments that I left on different blogs, and my memory isn’t good enough to keep them in my brain for that long. If it’s, like you said, a discussion post, I’m more likely to remember it. And if I know I want to check back for a response, I’ll keep the post open in the tab. The ease of keeping track of conversations on WP blogs is what puts it leagues ahead of Blogger, IMHO.
OMG, Blogger was so hard to deal with responding to comments. I may not have developed my feelings if I’d been on WP all along. Now that I am, and I see how easy it is, I’m much more likely to reply.
I agree! When I switched to Blogger, the commenting system was one of the main disappointments for me.
I agree that Logan’s argument is convincing, but I also think that people should lead by example. I can’t expect others to respond to the comments I leave on their blogs if I don’t do the same on my own. I like to think that responding to them on my own blog encourages other people to do the same.
Great point. It’s always nice to come back to a blog and see your comment has been responded to. (Case in point!)
Very true, Ruby. And it stings when you see you haven’t gotten a reply, which is probably why I started going all-or-nothing, and emailing responses directly if I was going to be selective.
Thanks so much for asking me to be a part of the debate Ruby! It was a blast:) It’s fun too to see how everyone else feels about this topic – like I mentioned above, I never knew some people considered it rude not to respond! I just like responding, even if no one comes back to the blog to see if I have or not:)
I don’t think you’re the only one who didn’t know that some people consider it rude not to respond to comments. I also think that people don’t think that much about commenting at ALL. Usually, when you ask someone if they think people should respond, they say yes. Then, when you ask them if they do so on their own blog, they have to say no.
Thanks for participating! It was a lot of fun to have you and Logan do this debate. It added extra spice!
Maybe I just read the mean girl blogs. lol
Comments are the barometer with which I measure the success/failure of my blog. That GFC number was very small consolation for me on the days when I opened my inbox only to find it empty. (On the weekends, Shelf Awareness doesn’t even come! *sob*) I’m grateful for each comment I because I’m always secretly afraid it will be my last. So, for completely selfish reasons, I like to respond to comments in the hope that the commenter will someday return and–joy of joys!–leave ANOTHER comment.
But, also, I like to respond to comments for the same reason that Jenny does. I started my blog in an attempt to find and become part of a community. Discussion is part of that. Sometimes, I have serious discussions. Sometimes it’s just an exchange of witty (hopefully) repartee. Both have immense value in terms of forming relationships. And that, honestly, what I’m aiming for here. Furthermore, I can’t control whether or not people respond to comments on their own blogs. What they do there is their own choice. The only thing I can control is what I do on mine. The best I can hope for is:
a) Leading by example
b) Providing a place where the kind of community discussion I want to see comes into fruition.
I’m also with Felicia on the issue of Blogger’s inferior comment system. There, I said it. It’s inferior. It’s like using walkie talkies, but only one receives. I moved to WP in part because Intense Debate stopped working and Blogger’s comment system didn’t cut it.
FINALLY, having said all this, you need to know that I’m not a perfect comment-responder. I don’t manage replies all the time. But I do try.
Personally, I probably tend to approach comment replies like Jenny does, though I TOTALLY understand some of the points that Logan made as well (especially about forgetting which blogs you left comments on). On my own blog, I reply frequently to comments, but I only reply when I feel like I have something to say. Even if I don’t reply to a comment though, I definitely appreciate it! I also send out e-mails when I respond to a comment, because I don’t always expect people to check back. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on that tactic, even though it can be pretty time consuming!
I always love the email system! So helpful for my addled brain.
Great debate. Initially I rarely replied unless someone asked a question, but I always went and visited that person’s blog and commented there. Then I settled into a community of bloggers that respond to comments religiously. I make more of an effort to comment reply to everything, but there are times when the comment is so brief and/or it’s just one of those days and it doesn’t happen. But I always read & *huggle* everyone that stops by.
I do agree with Logan…there are a number that demand it and never try to reciprocate. But I try to have my blog reflect me, so I try to love on my commenters and hop on over too.
Amy, that was a point I forgot to make! Thanks for the reminder! I always try to comment back on blogs that leave me comments, especially new ones. I’m not perfect, but pretty successful at keeping up with it. I would much rather go respond to that person’s latest post as a way to reciprocate than to just comment back on my own blog. If we all love comments, then we should spread them around instead of hogging them!
This is my problem! I want both! I want people to stop by my own blog, but I also want to participate in discussion. I can’t do that if we’re both commenting on different blogs. But, I’d probably be less likely to comment on a blog if that person never commented on mine.
By virtue of the fact that I know how busy I am, I am certain that the blogs I frequent have very busy bloggers. That being said, I love it when there is an interactive response when I have taken the time to leave a meaningful comment. It makes me feel as though what I had to contribute matters and it is not just another stat for the site. However, I do not expect a response. This is really quite an issue and I was interested in reading the post, agreeing with many points and some not so much. I follow a large number of sites and have at times been offended by the things said about those who leave comments. I get that spamy comments are not what is wanted and that is certainly understandable, so putting them aside (we all know who they are), I do not think all comments should be treated as if they are. When I first started following blogs, I just wanted to let the blogger know that I was there taking the time to appreciate their hard work even if I did not have something profound to contribute and that was the purpose for many of my thanks for the awesome post comments. I have since stopped commenting so frequently, unless there is something more for me to say because of not only time constraints, but also because of the comments about those who do not comment in the manner a blogger would rather see. A blog belongs to the blogger and they can say what they want and if I do not like it I do not have to follow. If a site wants to respond to me fine, if not that’s okay as well, but please do not make me feel like I am wasting my time visiting and leaving a comment, that’s just common courtesy. Thank you for this very interesting and controversial post
I agree! Commenters can say anything, and I hope my opening example didn’t imply that those comments are unwanted! I only used that as an example that not every comment I leave is brilliant and insightful (if only!) and I, too, never expected a reply to those, so I also didn’t see the point in replying to those comments on my posts. Commenting is a polite way to let the reader know you stopped by and comments are thus always appreciated, regardless of content. Denise, you can come spam me anytime.
Are you blogging now? I know for awhile you didn’t have one, because I tried to comment back to you and there wasn’t one linked. But I definitely appreciated your comments.
[...] Reads Debate: Should Bloggers Respond to Comments? with @sprntrlsnark and [...]
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