What we learnt from yesterday's comments about comments
Tuesday
Wednesday
Time taken to write post
1 minute
3 hours
Length of post
12 words
908 words
Effort expended
negligible
considerable
Number of daily website visitors (measured in double decker busfuls)
7 buses
8 buses
Number of comments
41
54
• An effortful post can get more comments than a effortless post
What sort of blogposts get more comments? • Posts about universal topics which everyone can relate to (e.g. food, TV) • Posts on topics (or news) about which readers have strong opinions • Posts that are short, sharp and to the point ('quickie' posts) • Posts about blogging (e.g. why do people write comments?) • Deliberately interactive posts (e.g. quizzes) • Deliberately provocative posts • Posts that pose a question
What sort of blogposts get less comments? • Posts about places that readers have never visited • Posts about things that readers have never experienced • Posts so long that people don't have the time to read them • Posts so long that the comments box doesn't appear on the main screen • Posts so comprehensive that there's nothing more to add • Posts that are informative rather than opinionated • Overlooked posts (i.e. those more than a day old) • Posts made at weekends
Conclusions • It is worth writing effortful posts • It's hard to write a comment when you have nothing to say • Just because people don't comment doesn't mean they're not interested • Just because people don't comment doesn't mean they're not appreciative • Some effortless posts get comments, but a blog with only effortless posts will get none • Sometimes comments boxes are much more interesting than the post they're commenting on • People who only read blogs via RSS or newsfeeds are missing out on the comments, and on commenting • An effortful post can get more effortful comments than a effortless post • Gratuitous comment whoring is shallow and vacuous • You like my London stuff even if you don't comment on it (roll on August!) • It's great to read comments from readers who don't normally comment - thanks • You're all lovely
