Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Blogging Etiquette

I've been wondering about a few things on blogging, and have seen different practices. Since this is sort of new to many of us, I'll just throw out the question and be sure to chime in if you have an opinion (and I know you do). I get a few comments on each blog, some of them are questions, some of them are very nice compliments that I intend to thank you for. I don't want to ignore any of them, but is it right for me to reply in the comments section in my own blog? If I do that, people will have to come back later to see my "Thank You" message. Easier if it's a question, since people would be more inclined to revisit the blog to look for the answer later. I know sometimes I'd blog surf and see something nice and leave a comment. Chances are I won't be able to find that blog again even if I want to. Sometimes people reply to the comment through email which means you have to have the commenter's email address. Most blogs are not set up to include an email address, and most of us are not comfortable posting our email addresses in the body of the comment. Most of the time email works well for me with my friends; then since I'm an email junkie with multiple email addresses, if your reply went to my "group" email address, it takes me days or weeks to find it. Another option is to start a new posting to answer all the questions. I don't think it's very efficient, since everyone will have to wade through other people's questions and comments to find what interests you. And again people will have to come back to see the Thank-you's. This seems to be the way columnists work, five people would ask the same question and the writer answers them in one sitting. There is yet the last option that I rather prefer. When you receive a comment you go visit the commenter's blog and say a few nice words. That seems to make everyone happy. After all, we are all in this blogging community and we all contribute to it. What do you think?

4 comments:

Lynn said...

I think this is a very legit question, one that I've discussed with a IRL friend and blogger. If somebody comments on my blog, I like to comment back to them, but if there is no email posted on a blog, I cant always do it. So I try to respond to their blog but some people dont have blogs. It's a tough call, but I have dont your idea of commenting on that person's blog if they have no email address to respond to.

Lesley said...

what she said...

Mrs Shed said...

Good question Vivian. Not sure how to answer it. I have made responses to my comments a couple of times.

I have also made comments on my friends blogs so they know that I actually read them.

Anonymous said...

I don't know, either! I kind of think it is okay just to read their comments and appreciate they wrote them, without feeling obliged to respond in any way in particular. But, I may be WAY off base.

If someone leaves a question for you in the comment section, I think it is probably up to them to revisist your comment section a few days later to see if you have answered them...but, when it is just a comment that doesn't NEED a response, I, personally, think it is fine to just read it, appreciate what was expressed and go on. If you were socially obligated to reply to every comment, you would eventually find yourself too bogged down to blog! (I am thinking here of some of the blogs I enjoy following that regularly get 80 or more comments left on every single post. Those blog owners can't possibly respond to each and every comment individually or they would never have time left to write future posts!)

So, I for one, give you permission to read MY comments without feeling like you need to respond in any way. Reading them is response enough!

(Let me place this disclaimer, though...I am fairly new at blogging myself and as such I am no expert on the subject!)

~Monica