Is It Pointless To Comment On ProBlogger?

I don’t spend much time online over the weekend. It’s my break period, to be with family and friends and away from a keyboard. When Monday morning comes around, one of the first things I do is check Google Reader and catch up on blog articles. I read a good article today on ProBlogger about writing outlines for blog posts. The post had been up for a day, so there were 80+ comments. Why bother writing one myself, right?

Commenting On Big Blogs Feels Worthless

Most articles you read about improving your visibility online will point out the importance of regularly commenting on other blogs. It demonstrates that you’re adding value to the online community, it brings people back to your blog, and generally creates a good impression.

All of that’s true for small to medium sized blogs. I’m sure I’m the same as most, I feel great when people take the time to comment on my posts. I’ll make an effort to check out their blog if they have one, try to engage with them in return. I can do this because my comments come in small enough numbers that I can effectively respond to all of them.

That impact doesn’t seem to apply to larger blogs though. If a single article picks up a lot of comments in a short period of time, is the writer going to feel the same need to engage? Probably not. Even if they are going to make that time to engage, new readers don’t know that and may be discouraged from adding to a huge comment thread.

No Benefit Means No Motivation

I rarely comment “just because”. I’ll comment on a blog because I want the writer to know how much I appreciated their post. Or I’ll comment on a blog because I want to disagree with a point or engage in discussion.

If the article has lots of comments then I feel that the impact of anything I write in praise of the writer is going to be reduced. I’ll also feel that any points I made in criticism or in discussion are likely to be overlooked. Whether that’s true or not, if I feel that my comments provide no benefit either to the blog writer, myself or the general discussion, it’s natural to be less motivated to take the time to comment.

Just Say It

I write a lot about trusting your hunches when it comes to design, and going with gut instinct when it comes to design. Same applies for commenting on big blogs. If you have something to say, then say it. Don’t let yourself be demotivated because you think your comment will get lost in the crowd.

I used ProBlogger as an example because it’s a good demonstration of how feelings can be misleading. I’ve added comments to threads at ProBlogger even if 100 or more people had contributed before me. Those comments have still, sometimes, had an impact. Darren Rowse has responded to them, people have linked back to my site from them.

More surprisingly, those comments have had the same kind of impact as when I’ve been in the first two or three comments on articles in blogs of similar size (ProBlogger or otherwise).  If there are a lot of comments then people reading them are likely engaged in the conversation. Less people might read your individual comment than if you were first or second to respond, but more of those people are likely to be engaged with what you wrote.

Why The Hell Do You Have A Commenting Strategy Anyway?

If you’re just commenting to bring in traffic to your own site, then what’s the point. Even if you’re making sure to avoid just writing “great post”, you’re still only commenting for your own ends. You’re only really going to engage if you comment because you want to.

A commenting “strategy” should be no more than two things; find good blogs that post interesting articles, and make some time each day to read and comment. Don’t target specific blogs as “must comment”, don’t stop commenting on a blog because it doesn’t give you any traffic benefit.

Your comment is your own, and your contribution is unique. That doesn’t change whether you’re the only person commenting on a blog, or you’re the thousandth person to write something. If the article made you think of a comment, write it.