First up as a little update, I would like to thank all those who linked to me in this week’s Group Writing Project on Problogger. I wrote a post called 5 Ways To Piss Off An Entrepreneur which was received very well. In total I had new commenters which I always love, and a whole load of pingbacks (7 in all). I noticed that quite a lot of people posted the whole list of 343 entries to their blogs, but I won’t do that!
Getting back to the topic in hand, on my weekly round through the blogosphere a while back, I commented on a particular bloggers post. He was fairly high profile (I won’t mention names, as in reality he is a nice guy) but after waiting for a few weeks I didn’t get a reply back. Now my comment wasn’t spam; it complimented his blog, blogging style and in the mix I asked him a few questions as well.
When I checked back on his blog a few days ago, I realised that someone else had commented after me in the same sort of admiring style to the author’s work. However, the author had written a reply to that person’s comment and had neglected mine without even thanking me for dropping by. Now, just so you know that I wasn’t being fussy, the same thing happened to me on someone else’s blog. It’s been driving me up the wall, and I wanted to talk about how (as a blogmaster) you should respond to commenters.
People don’t actually have to comment on your posts. For most of the time (bar the spammers) they do so out of kindness and generosity, and mostly always have nice things to say, humorous comments and great attitudes. In return for this, all it takes for you is to say at least 1 word, “Thankyou“. Being a good host is not only key for blogging and being on the internet but it relates directly to real life as well.
Most of the time, people pay for customer service and quality/class. Look at Apple. Although their iPods are way overpriced compared to the cheapy MP3 players you can get out there, and their rivals Zen, they still sell bucket loads more than their competitors and have the majority market share - but why is this? As well as having a flashy website which is easy to use, the word iPod means “class” in itself. Also, I happen to know that Apple have great customer interaction. Whilst their Warranty may be short, they live up to their word and I have known people who have got a brand new iPod for free to replace their 11 month old broken one. That’s brilliant!
Customer Service in shops and retail is just as important. Responding to the customer, creating a sense of bonding and trust can only help your cause. If this relationship can be established, you can also encourage repeat buying as your consumers know your work ethic and generous attitude to business. Now if the “high profile” blogger had responded to my comment, then maybe I would have taken him a lot seriously and my respect for him would have increased no doubt. I know I’m 1 in a few thousand for him daily, but it all adds up. Stay loyal to the people who have made you - your customers.
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6 responses so far ↓
1 Matt (mithrill) // Sep 24, 2006 at 2:51 pm
I totally agree with you on this one Adnan. Customer Service is a must for any business to be/stay succusseful and what makes a blog any different? How can a blogger expect readers to continue to participate on the site if they receive no response. In my opinion it would be better to turn commenting off if your not going to respond than to leave open comments hanging. Personally, I respond ASAP on my blog, that is when/if I ever get a comment
2 adnan // Sep 26, 2006 at 7:36 am
That’s true, having no comments would also mean less spam - although my Akismet is doing a pretty good job of filtering.
Yeah I always respond to comments, and always thank the people for commenting, as without their support I would be nowhere. Lol I love customer service, and when I see some select blogmasters who can’t be bothered to respond to opinions, it annoys me!!!
“Thanks for your comment Matt!”
3 Matt (mithrill) // Sep 27, 2006 at 1:01 am
People who ignore comments on their site annoys me too. Akismet is great…and I’m willing to deal with some spam if real people are commenting on my site. By the way, thanks for all the comments you’ve written on my site in the past.
4 Flee The Cube // Sep 27, 2006 at 7:50 am
I can understand the sentiment, as I often don’t get responses to the comments that I post. However, I just try to look at it from their perspective. If a popular blog is getting even 20 comments a day, it would realistically take 40-60 minutes a day to respond to everyone. I for one, would definitely not be able to find the time, so I’ll understand if you don’t reply to my comment
5 Andreas Bard // Sep 28, 2006 at 9:47 am
Another great post Adnan, where I hope you will comment my comment =)
I agree with you, and as you say all it really takes is a “Thank you”.
// Andreas Bard
6 adnan // Sep 28, 2006 at 6:13 pm
Matt - absolutely no problem mate. I actually enjoy being a part of the blogging community by commenting, and I love talking and “building contacts”. If I hadn’t of replied to my faithful commenters I would never have met you Matt! And this site would not have been here! So thankyou.
Cesar - actually I hadn’t thought of it from that perspective. I suppose with the most popoular “Technorati Top 100″ blogs they must be getting comments every second (including the spam), so moderating and answering must get pretty tough. But I consider myself as an exception lol, and love replying to my visitors!
Andreas - thanks mate, and I have commented about your comment! By a major blogging thanking their community (which I know they do anyway), it gives their audience another reason to stick around, as they’ve built up a relationship with the blogger. That’s the real key to being successful.
I’ve actually noticed that its getting harder for me to reply to my comments. Maybe this blog is getting way more popular, maybe Im lazy. Eitherway, I will always find time to respond to you whether it be in a few hours and or a few days! And if I don’t respond, please feel free to contact and have a go at me!
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