The Importance Of Comments and Replies on Your Blog
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at
12:51 pm
You are currently browsing comments. If you would like to return to the full story, you can read the full entry here: “The Importance Of Comments and Replies on Your Blog”.
Filed under: Blogging • General • Internet Marketing
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Mandy (4)
Adrienne (3)
Harleena Singh (3)
Julie (3)
Mayura (3)
Steve Hippel (3)
Terry Conti (3)
Donald (2)
Glen (2)
Jas Kaur (2)
Twitter: johnmcnally54
Very useful information Barry. I have now installed “WordPress Thread Comment”,and I’m extremely happy with it. It makes the replies look good, and Google likes it, so it’s a win-win plugin (that rhymes.)
John
.-= John McNally´s last blog ..M&B Brewery 1960s Band =-.
Hi John
Thanks for leaving a comment. I’m really pleased that you have installed the plugin. Doesn’t it tidy the place up, and like you say, Google likes it to.
Have a great weekend John, i’ll visit your blog upon my return.
Regards, Barry
Howdy Mr. Wells,
Thanks a million, friend.
My blog now sports the bling as per your recommendations.
Have a grand day, brother!
Barry
.-= Barry´s last blog ..Admit You Are a Slave and The Truth Shall Set You Free =-.
Hi Barry, thanks for leaving your comment.
I’ve popped over to your blog and it looks good. I’m pleased that you have given the plugins a go. Please let me know if you notice an increase in traffic.
Take care my friend, speak soon.
Regards, Barry
Hey Barry,
Hope you are well, Thanks for the heads up on these plugins I already mhave “comment luv”, its great but I will look into the other two!
Theres a great free tool on the net for selecting and finding blog posts that are directly related to your niche for good quality backlinks and ranking, you can look into and get it here, BTW no affiliate link to the full version, a paid for one, (you don`t really need that)!
Anyway its called “comment Hut”, you can get it here http://www.commenthut.com/
Enjoy Barry….Ed.
.-= Ed´s last blog ..Selling on eBay-Successfully Takes the Willpower of a Dieter? =-.
Hi Ed
Thanks for letting us know about Comment Hut, i’ll have a look into that. Have you noticed a difference in traffic since you started to use it?
Things this end are ok at the moment. I have to go back for more tests next week, fingers crossed for that.
Thanks for stopping by Ed, please let us know about your results with Comment Hut.
Regards, Barry
Hey Barry,
Thanks for the info here. I definitely think I’ll be making the change to recent comments ‘& replies’ <—good stuff!!!
In reply to your question about other plugins and sticking with the comments theme I like the 'top commentators' and 'seo super comments'
which you might want to check out.
An not on the comments theme but an absolute life saver is the wp db backup plugin – my insurance in my ongoing love hate relationship with wordpress!!
Cheers,
Rob
(** RJB **)
.-= ** RJB **´s last blog ..The Super Sneaky “How To Get Over 1.3 Million Safelist Credits In 3 Days” System =-.
Hi Rob
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’m really pleased that you liked the post.
I’ve seen the top commentators in action and it looks really good. I may make use of that one.
I haven’t seen the seo super comments but will look into it. Did it increase your traffic quickly or over time?
Backing everything up is very important and as there’s a plugin to do it for you, we should all take advantage of it.
Thanks for sharing the info Rob, i hope that my readers will take advantage of your advice before its to late.
Take care my friend, Barry
Hey Barry,
It’s hard to say exactly how much it increased traffic as it’s based on improving seo by collating all posts made by one person onto a new page…bottom line is: free plugin, super easy to install, recommended by many WordPress Optimizing Experts (like Yoast) so I reckon it certainly can’t hurt
Rob
(** RJB **)
.-= ** RJB **´s last blog ..The Super Sneaky “How To Get Over 1.3 Million Safelist Credits In 3 Days” System =-.
Hi Rob
Thanks for popping back and letting us know more about the plugin. I certainly agree Rob, If it’s free, recommended by the experts and easy to install we’d be foolish not to make the most of it.
Thanks again Rob, catch up soon.
Barry
Hey Barry – can you point me to your blog post that discusses how to have an image included with comments?
Thanks mister.
Barry
Hi Barry
I haven’t done a blog post to cover that but will do in the future. That’s no good to you now though….
Visit http://en.gravatar.com/ and sign up for an account using the same email address that you used when you registered with WordPress, (for your blog). Then upload a photo and you’re good to go my friend. Every wordpress blog that has this activated will automatically show your photo when you comment.
Its really that simple my friend, just be sure to use the same details as you did on wordpress and they’ll automatically link up.
If you do have any problems let me know and i’ll do what i can.
Regards, Barry
Twitter: michaelpedzotti
Hi Barry, I have 1 (commentluv) and 3 (subscribe to comments) from your list and my current theme provides the threaded comments feature. I enjoy visiting and commenting on other blogs and notice that more than half (just a guess) would not have subscribe to comments installed. Without it the only option I have to know if/when my comment is approved or someone follows up with another comment is to bookmark the site or subscribe to blog updates (which wont notify of comment approvals). In any case, keep up the good work of spreading the news about the great plugins. Michael.
.-= Michael Pedzotti´s last blog ..Every 100 visitors is worth $240 =-.
Hi Michael
I know exactly what you mean about blogs not using these plugins, or any that follow up on comments being left, and replied to. I quite often leave a comment and then try to retrace my steps the following day to read the reply. It can become quite time consuming and i’m not always successful at finding them so i miss the reply. I could bookmark them but if i bookmarked them all…phew. I much prefer this system as it’s all automated, meaning i can get on with my work and just check my emails as and when i need to.
Another great feature that goes with these plugins is the fact that conversations are started and continued with them which helps build relationships.
I’ve only been using them for a week and the results are very impressive.
Speak soon Michael, take care, Barry
Twitter: sallyneill
Hey Barry, I love that your sharing the love now, always nice to reward the commentors.
There are just so many useful plugins out there, they certainly make the life of a blogger much more easier.
Speak Soon, Sally
.-= Sally´s last blog ..Five Commandments Of Blog Hopping =-.
Hi Sally
Thanks for popping over, it just goes to show how well these plugins work. I’ve found i’ve had a lot more comments since i started to use them and haven’t noticed my pages opening any slower.
All in all i’m very impressed by them.
Speak soon, Barry
Dear Sir,
The wife and I have been thinking about the image attached to my posts as advised by yourself and we both agree that we like the picture beside your posts better.
Can anyone use your photo or is it reserved for your own use only?
Perhaps you have one from another angle we could rent?
Just asking.
you know whoo
.-= The Other Barry´s last blog ..Death In The Fast Lane – The Crazy Concept of Pedestrian Crosswalks =-.
Hi Barry
That’s a very strange request. The only time i’ve been asked for my picture was to place it on the mantel piece so as to keep the children away from the fire.
The purpose of placing a photo on your blog is so that your readers can relate to you.
If you wish to change your photo all you need to do is go to The Gravatar site and upload a new one. It will automatically change the existing photo, where ever it is placed, within a couple of hours.
I hope that helps Barry, if i can advise you further please get in touch.
Regards, Barry
Twitter: thublogger
Great post Barry and you’ve nailed down the basics. I would add a little more and that is to have the ability to include your twitter in the comments so other users can follow like Twitterlink Comments. Also adding a Retweet post for those who don’t like to comment.
I’ve had readers who tweet instead of commenting. So that’s another system which also brings back more traffic and thus a boost to your site. Using the TweetMeme Retweet Plug-in helps wonders with this.
Finally, the Thank Me Later plug-in is another awesome addition. When users comment, you can send them an e-mail thanking them for their participation and if you want give any freebies. I have used this and it’s been working great.
.-= Thu Nguyen´s last blog ..Sharing Ideas – Let That Be One of Your Muses =-.
Hi Thu
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I have thought about the twitterlink as i know some people don’t like to comment and as a result i have added the Bookmark and Share button below each post, which allows people to tweet about the post. However i find it quite slow and may swap them over.
I received an email yesterday thanking me for leaving a comment and was quite impressed by it. I may look into that as well Thu.
Thanks for passing on the info, i’m sure that many of us will make use of it.
Regards, Barry
Hi Thu
Thanks for the heads up on the twitter plugins. As you can see i’ve now added them and they seem much better than bookmark and share.
Thank you for improving my blog, i really appreciate it.
Regards, Barry
Twitter: blokube
Hey Barry,
Nice Post. Blog commenting is one the easiest way to get targeted traffic, backlinks.. etc ! I spend 30-60min daily to comment on other blogs.
Thanks for sharing this great Post.
~Dev
Dev | Technshare recently posted..Technshare Monthly Report 3: May 2010
Hi Dev
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I’m finding that i am also spending more time commenting on peoples blogs, but the rewards are starting to appear.
Thanks again for your comment Dev, i’ll be over to your blog at some point today.
Regards, Barry
Twitter: thublogger
No problem Barry! I have to say, the retweet button looks much better than the social buttons on your blog. I’m more likely to press the TWEET button.
Also I’m going to eliminate my bookmark and share as well which seems to be dormant. Better to focus on a few which you already are building traffic from than none.
Thank you for bringing forward this discussion and also the twitter box below was a very nice!
Thu Nguyen recently posted..The Beginnings of Prominent Social Networks Online (Part 1)
Hi Thu
Thanks for popping back and letting me know your thoughts on the plugins.
I agree it does look much better and to be honest my blog loads much quicker without Bookmark and Share. Which, i have to agree, was pretty much dormant.
I’ve already had my posts tweeted to twitter, so the improvement was pretty much instant. Thanks again for pointing them out to me and for the ReTweet.
I’ll be over to your blog soon Thu, catch up then my friend.
Respect and Regards, Barry
Hi Barry,
Looking Very Nice Now!! Well Done!
Just reading the comments and now I have a few more plugins to add to my blog!
I like the idea of the “Thank Me Later” plugin. I was wondering how the gurus were doing that. I have visited a few blogs where I have received the thank you emails.
I have comluv installed on my blog, however I have had a nightmare of a time trying to register with them. I have tried a dozen times and for some reason it won’t accept my email address to my site. Have contacted support and no help what so ever. I think the plugin is fantastic, but pity about the people that operate it, no help at all.
Hope all is going well with you. See you back here soon!
Cheers
Jacinta
Jacinta Dean recently posted..“The Law Of Attraction” – By Karl Moore
OK Update!
I just clicked on my comluv link and it worked! OK I am baffled!
Jacinta
Jacinta Dean recently posted..“The Law Of Attraction” – By Karl Moore
Hi Jacinta
I’m really pleased that it is now working. If the problem comes up again try these links:
If it says you have a bad URL visit this link and enter your URL, (i had to do this twice):
http://comluv.com/member/unban-url/
If that doesn’t fix the problem then submitt a ticket here:
http://comluv.com/wp-admin/support.php?page=tickets
I also found a post on the subject by Andy Bailey, the creater of the plugin:
http://comluv.com/news/what-to-do-if-commentluv-is-not-showing-the-latest-post/
You may need to copy and paste the links Jacinta.
I hope they help my friend.
Catch up soon, Barry
Hi Jacinta
Thanks for the compliment. The new plugins seem to work a treat and have improved the blog very well.
I also like the Thank Me Later one but as yet haven’t used it, although i think i will in the future.
I also had a couple of problems with comment luv, but Andy Bailey soon had it sorted out for me. I’ll sort out some links for you and get back you ASAP.
Barry
Twitter: michaelpedzotti
Hello again Barry, what is the name of the plugin you use to put the Twitter box at the bottom of the page? I was looking through the 9000+ plugins over at WP and either used the wrong search keywords or something. Anyway, thanks in advance. Michael.
Michael Pedzotti recently posted..Hidden value in blogging
Hi Michael
Thanks for popping back. The plugin is called Twitterlink Comments Its a plugin to show a link to follow the comment author on twitter if they have entered in their username.
I hope that helps Michael, catch up soon my friend.
Regards, Barry
Twitter: Brandon_Connell
The most important one you mentioned is “subscribe to comments” because the followup comments are what brings me back. I comment on so many blogs that I simply cannot remember them all, and the chances of me seeing a reply is very small unless I receive an email notification.
Brandon Connell recently posted..The blog family
Hi Brandon, thanks for the visit and for leaving your comment.
I agree Brandon, subscribe to comments probably is the most important one mentioned as it brings the people back, like you say. Not only that but i also like it as we can see other peoples comments (and views, ideas etc) without having to visit the blog every time.
I’m amazed that a lot of blogs i visit still haven’t added the plugin. It makes the blog owners work so much easier and helps with so much. Like you said Brandon, the chances of seeing our replies (from comments on other peoples blogs) are pretty slim without being sent an email.
The real beauty of the plugin is that it is all automated, except our replies of course…..
Thanks for the input Brandon, catch up soon my friend.
Regards, Barry
Twitter: alljessilicious
Hi Barry!
Good info here! I’m checking out some of the plugins that I didn’t have yet.
Thanks for the tips – always good to learn how to better improve my comment system, as I definitely want to encourage lots of comments. 
Cheers!
Jess Webb recently posted..The Ten Commandments of a Website Design
Hi Jess, welcome back.
Since i’ve added these plugins my comments have nearly trebled, and i think the blog looks much better as well.
I have also just added KeywordLuv by Stephen Cronin. I had to search google for that one as WordPress couldn’t find it.
Best of luck Jess, catch up again soon.
Barry
Twitter: michaelpedzotti
How has the SEO Super Comments plugin been working for you Barry? It looks like an innovative way to create the appearance of dozens more pages on your blog by the installation of one plugin. That is impressive.
Has it helped with visitor numbers or some other traffic statistic?
Michael.
Michael Pedzotti recently posted..A simple solution to a bogged blog
Hi Michael, i said i’d catch up soon, but never thought it would be this quick, ha ha.
The SEO Super Comments plugin places an extra page on your blog for everyone that leaves a comment, which in turn helps for SEO.
I haven’t looked into the stats as yet but the comments have increased slightly since adding it.
I would recommend installing it Michael and try it out for a month.
Hope that helps my friend, Barry
Hi Barry, I finally made the time to do this, especially about what’s going on with the 100 comments challenge. These are great enhancements to anyone’s blog. The information on your blog is like walking out of a fine upscale restaurant after finishing a great meal.
Terry Conti
Terry Conti recently posted..THE TOUGH GET GOING & THE WEAK GIVE UP
Hi Terry, thanks for leaving your comment.
I’m really pleased that you have added the plugins to your blog. I’ve just come from there and they look good mate, you’ll notice the difference very quickly. When you do please pop back and let us know about it.
Your latest post, for the 100 comments challenge, is quite a grabber. I think you’ll have some good comments left for that one Terry.
I’m also doing the challenge, but it will have to wait as i’m about to gop and see my mum for a few hours.
Catch up again soon my friend, best of luck for the challenge. Barry
PS. Thanks for the compliments about my blog, i really appreciate them.