As you know, I've always allowed Anonymous comments on this blog. Sometimes you just want to leave a comment about a touchy subject or one that is of a very personal nature and not always attach your name to it. Maybe it's regarding a strained relationship, lack of finances, failing health, etc. Thankfully, I haven't received many mean anonymous comments with the exception of two which I had to take the liberty to delete because they were angry rants and unnecessary. This brings me to point number one....
1. Leaving Anonymous Comments- If a blogger has chosen to afford readers the ability to leave an anonymous comment, be respectful. It's shameful how I've seen some people hide behind the cloak of anonymity making it easy for them to be rude, mean, negative and just all around nasty to the blog owner or even in the form of a reply towards others who have commented before them. Many seem to feel these days that because they cannot be seen behind their computer screen that it is okay. Hurtful comments can really bring someone down long after the offhand remark is type into the comment box. Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.
2. Leaving Public Profile Comments- Some people have no shame, profile picture and name attached or not, they feel entitled to voice their opinion at the cost of someones feelings. It's all about them making sure their thoughts on a subject are heard. Likewise, they feel the same way about replying to others who have commented before them. A classy woman does not harm other people with her words and make them feel uncomfortable in an effort to ensure her viewpoints are made known. Be mindful of the fact that bloggers choose to put a lot of their personality, their family, maybe their home, their experiences and sometimes their faith into their posts and if you do not agree, simply do not comment. There's no need to start a war online. I'm constantly amazed by the people that attack another blogger's post content. I always think to myself that if they don't like it, why don't they just move on to another site they'll enjoy more?
3. Making the Effort to Comment- Nobody knows the importance of comments after a thoughtfully-written post like another blogger does. You see, there are many times that one pores over just the right images to use, often re-sizing them and using editing tools to pretty them up on top of the time spent writing and editing one's thoughts and speaking from the heart on certain matters. It's somewhat demoralizing to spend sometimes hours preparing a post and feel as though nobody is listening. I realize many blog readers are not blog writers themselves and therefore may not understand this side of the blog but it's something to be mindful of. While bloggers don't begin a blog for the purpose of applause or comments, rather it is their passion, interests, hobbies that keep them writing, everyone appreciates the connection that comes from interacting with their readers.
These days I find a lot of people are very much consumers. They see images or a great piece online and quickly read through it, get what they need and move on. It's such a selfish attitude in my opinion. I'm certainly not perfect in the commenting department but I do try to leave a few comments per day on other blogs after reading posts and visiting others via Facebook and Twitter to keep the relationships going or to say hello when discovering a new page.
4. Shameless Self-Promotion- There's nothing worse than having someone visit your blog only to promote themselves and that is all. You know the type, they include a link to their blog as if clicking on their profile name wouldn't simply take you there. They sometimes include their latest giveaway even though they don't really have much of a relationship with you and it can feel like spam. Likewise, most bloggers have an e-mail address so if you need to share something that doesn't need to be shared with a crowd via comments, just send a direct e-mail.
5. Blog Comment Reciprocation- As blog writers who know the importance of valuable, helpful comments and sometimes re-assuring and uplifting someone else if they've really put themselves out there with a personal topic or a video they've produced, it's kind to give them a quick lift by leaving a little message. Even if the blogger who left you a comment only has 22 followers, they are no less important than those who follow you and have 2200 followers. It really is common courtesy to say thank you for the post, let them know you visited and read their post and what your thoughts were. The bloggers that I connect with the most are always the ones who make the effort because you know what? It tells me that I'M worth their effort. Isn't that what manners are really all about anyway? Letting others know that you value them and want to make them feel comfortable and that they matter.
What are your thoughts on blog commenting etiquette?
XO
*Photo Credit: (1)
