I love commenting on blogs. It makes me feel like part of a community and I do it a lot. I also have my own blogs where people leave comments for me, so over the years I’ve read more than my fair share of blog comments. And one thing I’ve noticed is – there are a lot of people out there who have no concept of blog etiquette. Maybe they think they’re writing a letter or something, or maybe they just don’t realize the whole world can see their message.
Anyway, to address just one of those blunders, here’s why you should avoid leaving your blog name on comments.
You look stupid: There. I said it. You just look stupid. “Hi, Jane. At my blog, XYZBabies.com, I talked about this exact same topic and I said…” Look. We all know where your blog is. It’s linked to your name!
Most blogs these days have the same format for comments: You enter your name, your URL (your BLOG address) and your email address. When your comment is accepted and published on the site, your email address is invisible, but your name automatically becomes a link – back to your blog. You just look stupid when you include your blog name in your comment, like you don’t know how comments work. Why would I want to visit the blog of someone who is apparently a nit-wit?
You look spammy: This kinda goes back to the “You look stupid” thing because you think WE’RE all stupid enough to fall for your spammy comment. If we want to visit your blog we will. We’ll click on your name which is linked to your blog – assuming you’re intelligent enough to add the URL when you enter your comment.
You’re being intrusive: Including anything in your comment, other than your comment, is intrusive and distracting and it pulls readers away from the content. The purpose of comments is to build a community, engage readers in a discussion. Nine times out of ten, when you include your blog name in the comments, you capitalize or bold it or it stretches across a page. You do something to draw attention to it which distracts the reader. You’re actually being rude!
What should you do instead?
Leave comments that contribute to the conversation and engage other readers. Leave intelligent, thought provoking comments that make readers sit up and take notice. In other words, if you impress those readers with your wit, wisdom and expertise and give them a reason to come to your blog, you won’t even have to mention the name of your blog. They’ll happily click on your name and follow your link.