Steps to Follow for Commenting
Follow these instructions to write quality comments. Initially, this will feel formulaic and may seem that way to a reader, but over time your commenting skills should evolve so that this is second-nature and your writing will flow easily.
1. Carefully and Thoughtfully read the blog post.
2. Reflect - what do you think of the post, and about the topic?
3. Begin your comment with a greeting: ex. "Hi Jimmy, …", "Thank you Bill, …", "Dear Jane, …", etc.
4. Compliment the author in some way - what did you like about the post?
5. Ask a question, or add meaningful information/content.
6. Close with your name: ex. “Sincerely, Mike.”, “Best wishes, Mike”, “Keep up the good blogging, Mike.”
7. Proofread your comment - you should have used good language/grammar. Ask yourself if the tone is correct, so the comment is understood in the way you meant it.
8. Ensure your comment does not reveal personal information.
9. Click submit!
Author Replies
Once you have authored an original blog post, it is important you return to / monitor the post for comments. Commenters deserve “author replies”.
When a person comments on your blog it is a compliment to you, because you have written a post someone found interesting and engaging! Moreover, understand the value of a quality comment: it will require you to think more deeply about what you’ve written and perhaps validate your positions or change your mind.
It is important for authors to “reply” to comments, if for no other reason than to thank readers. Most of the time though, it will be important to tell the reader more about the subject in response to his/her question, or to counter an argument the commenter has made.
As you did in your original post, keep the tone familiar and stay in the 'voice' that you used in your post. Try not to be confrontational, even if you’re feeling a little defensive about what has been written as a comment.
