I Love You, Commenters

by Marian Schembari on July 19, 2010

If you haven’t noticed, I now have a fancy new widget called “Top Commentators”. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a super-cool WordPress plugin that refreshes every month to list the people commenting most frequently here on marianlibrarian.com.

I did this for a couple reasons. First of all, you guys are so freaking awesome and I adore you. While sometimes people click on commenters names to see who they are, it’s not the most frequent occurrence. People will be MUCH more likely to find you if you’re link is in the sidebar. Secondly, I love comments! This is not new information. However, I want to keep encouraging you to leave your thoughts here and hopefully knowing that the top five of you will be listed every month will motivate you to comment!

On top of all that, I created a Twitter list here, where anyone who regularly comments will be listed (“regularly” just means I’ve read your name more than twice). The reason for this is so a) I can keep tabs on you and what you’re up to, and b) you guys can get to know each other! Follow one another on Twitter and keep the conversation going when I’m not around (aka “sleeping”).

I briefly installed CommentLuv, but I didn’t like how removing Disqus got rid of my threaded comments. Responding to every comment is something I take a lot of pride (and effort) in, so removing the conversation aspect took the heart out of my blog. So, Disqus has basically blackmailed me into staying. Sorry, y’all.

Anyhoodle, the best thing about having this site is the community that’s developed. I’ve made some kick ass friendships via phone, email and met many of you in person. Throughout the year I’ve been blogging, my ability to actually be a real, social, person has increased like nobody’s business. And it’s all been because of you and your support and kind words. Well, except you, asshat.

So keep on chatting – I’m diggin’ it. I’m curious though – how do you encourage and reward your commenters?

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  • http://twitter.com/marianschembari/status/18918125396 Marian Schembari

    {latest post} I Love You, Commenters http://bit.ly/alBFmy

  • http://www.domesticsluttery.com Siany

    Yay! Comments!

    Domestic Sluttery goes through waves and bursts with comments. That post I bash out before going to the pub for a meeeting will have loads, and the one I think is really popular is ignored. I can't predict our readers at all. But y'know, I kinda like that. We don't have much call for actual conversation, as we're product led (most of the conversation in our community happens around our Facebook page instead). So instead we ask questions. We get our readers to join in a discussion we're having – whether we're doing a poll about gin, or talking about how to hide from housework.

    It's just talking, saying hi and having a bit of a chinwag really, isn't it?

  • dianeshipley

    I love these ideas – just noticed today that I was on your Twitter list, which is a fab idea. Thank you!
    I love how The Bloggess usually picks a comment of the day. I'm sure that motivates people to not just comment, but to try to comment in a witty/interesting manner. It really adds to the interactivity over there. I haven't had any super-creative ideas myself yet, but I do try to reply to everyone who comments. I know if I comment on a blog that has very few comments, and I don't get any response, I feel like the writer isn't that interested in their readers, especially new ones. (Which I totally don't relate to, as I've always been grateful for every comment.)

    I thought WordPress had a plugin to thread comments, btw. I like threaded comments and CommentLuv (I know the latter brings me traffic from other people's sites) and plan to install both (if possible) when I get around to moving back to WordPress.org.

  • http://twitter.com/alexisgrant Alexis Grant

    I made the list! Feel like a celeb. Maybe you should re-title it, People Who Obsessively Read Marian's Blog.

  • Amber Garner

    I'll let you know how I reward/encourage commenters someday when I actually work my way up to a regular following on my blog, haha. For now, I just try to reply to everyone!

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Aaaahahahahaaa! OMG, I totally should title it that.

    Also, if it's not obvious already I HUGELY appreciate your participation and awesome contributions. You're the best!

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    No dude, thank YOU!

    And The Bloggess is the perfect example of encouraging comments. She's got CommentLuv, a widget called “Recent Comments” and “comment of the day”, which are all brilliant ways to encourage commenters in ways that aren't smarmy. It seems to me like she really appreciates her little (huge) cult following and really tries to reciprocate by giving those who contribute a big space on her blog.

    As for threading comments, yes, WordPress DOES have a plugin, but since I've been using Disqus the threaded comments don't change over with the rest of them… I don't know why this is. A friend told me they don't share the information. Hence, blackmailing. I would leave it, but since I respond to most comments there's just a whole list of my responses in no particular order, meaning the conversations totally lose their meaning. Which is a total shame…. :(

  • http://johnpatten.com John Patten

    “Anyhoodle”… damn I wish I had come up with that one. Together, you and I are completely destroying the English language. Love it.

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Yeah, I've found the exact same thing – posts I spend ages toiling over get little-to-no interaction, but posts (like this one) that I whip up in 30 minutes start getting comments immediately. I used to hate it, because I felt that my hard work was being ignored, but I like that it resembles real conversation more than post-I-write-just-for-comments.

    Asking questions definitely works, but I often seen bloggers doing this in a way that sounds like they're trying to too hard. It needs to sound natural and that's something I worry about all the time.

    Chin wagging is fun – especially when there's some Siany around ;-)

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Humph. You say “destroying”, I say “improving on”.

  • Antonia Harler

    Hey sugar, You can have threaded comments without discus! See my blog! It's just a click in the settings of WordPress. Let me know if you need to know how! And woooooot i made list! Hope you are awesomely awesome. There's an email coming your way!

  • nblades

    Yay! I made the list. Feels like high school cheer all over again. Comments are a nagging problem for me over at my blog. I know that people are reading but I have a hard time enticing them to comment. But now I see that I'm definitely going to have to get a little more creative with how I encourage people to leave a note.

  • dianeshipley

    Oh, I see. Yes, Disqus has you right where they want you in that case! x

  • dianeshipley

    Have totally found this to be true myself – I'll write a very considered, artfully worded post that gets 1 comment (from my mum) and dash off a quick one in 15 mins that gets 20 comments and several RTs. I'm learning how to balance what I want to write with what brings in readers and gets people engaged, which I know is a topic you've previously addressed, Marian.

  • http://twitter.com/marianschembari/status/18933703305 Marian Schembari

    How do you encourage and reward your commenters? http://bit.ly/alBFmy

  • http://twitter.com/MarianSchembari/status/18933703305 Sara Gallagher

    RT @MarianSchembari: How do you encourage and reward your commenters? http://bit.ly/alBFmy

  • http://cleopatradoesthenasty.wordpress.com/ Glynnis

    This is such a great post, Marian. And such a good example at why you kick ass at what you do! You blog in a way that is interesting, informative and super relate-able. I don't have much to add as far as rewarding commenters goes, but I am considering a candy incentive.

  • http://www.completelynovel.com Anna

    Marian – just wanted to stop by and say how much I enjoy reading your blog! It's a real breath of fresh air in terms of social media advice and as I am trying to improve my own blogging skills (as well as help out the members of my community) it's also fantastically helpful. I heard that you were at the Future Book event in Soho last week and disappointed that I didn't get to say 'hi' and 'thanks' in person.

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Anna, you are SO SO sweet, THANK YOU. I was indeed at Future Book last week and had I know such a kind gal was among the masses I would have stayed longer. Unfortunately, I suck in groups so was only there until 8. If you're in London we should abso-positively-lutely get coffee, mmm-kay? Excellent.

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Glynnis, I adore you in every way. The end.

    p.s. Candy incentive = awesome.

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Oh, I know you can do threaded comments simply with WordPress, the problem is changing systems. When I disabled Disqus all the conversations were muddled because apparently Disqus doesn't transfer the information over to WordPress. That's why I say they're holding me hostage – it will ruin the blog conversation if I leave :(

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Apparently only 1 in 100 people actually leave a comment so I wouldn't feel too bad. It's taken me ages to get people commenting, but I've kind of come to terms with the fact that I'll never be one of *those* bloggers. But that's okay! Anyway, I think your blog is lovely, and if you're worried about not having enough comments I'd definitely consider something like the WP plugin or CommentLuv. Nothing like a little bribery to help your blog!

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Hey man, that's the best place to start, so keep it up!

  • http://www.jargonwriter.com Melissa Breau

    Wanted to say I, too, liked Anyhoodle. And am super excited that I made the list …. :-D

  • http://Desirai.com Desirai

    What a great idea! I may have to implement something similar on my blog. Getting blog comments is so much more difficult than getting comments on facebook. I should probably sit down and address what the differences are. Maybe it's just the content. Thanks for giving me something to think about.

  • http://lifeforward.onsugar.com/ Shayna

    Love this… and not only because I'm one of the top commenters (mostly b/c your blog is awesome, fyi) — I feature good comments/questions/discussion points in follow-up posts — for example, in a discussion on girls' childhood ambitions a commenter pointed out that in her time in Japan girls played with paper dolls depicting various career paths… like a bride, so that warranted a post on the wage gender gap in Japan, in which I linked to the commenter's site.

  • http://lifeforward.onsugar.com/ Shayna

    For whatever it's worth I rather like Disqus as a non WordPress user — I like that I can have replies to my comments – and only my comments – e-mailed to me… b/c getting 100s of emails is just more than I can deal with so if my choices are all comments on a post or no comments I generally go with no comments.

  • http://imcelebratinglife.com/ Moondancer

    Great tips…

    It's always a good idea to recognize your commenter's, and so I do have WordPress Plugs that reward my commenter's. I really love CommentLuv, and have that installed on all my websites, I recently installed it on my newest site. I also use Top Commentators.

    When my traffic picks up, I'll start recognizing the bloggers who bring in the most traffic to my site via referral. I'm thinking I'll do the top five. I do that with my other websites and have always had great results from it. Interestingly enough, it's usually the top referrers on those sites aren't a direct link, it's usually someone who clicked on my name, after reading a comment I left.

    I also do a weekly spotlight type post where I recognize either a commenter or someone's blog I've stumbled upon. I haven't initiated it on my newest blog, but I will.

    I definitely appreciate my commenters and always try to think of ways to let them know, how much they're appreciated. I try to make my virtual homes a friendly place to visit.

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Hahaha! So glad… Plus, I also totally adore you ;-)

    Your content particularly lends itself to some great comments. I bet you get some stories! I once wrote an entire blog post based on a comment I once received (http://bit.ly/8CB6CY), but I haven't done it since. Maybe I should consider bringing it back…

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Hmmm….. recognizing the bloggers who bring in the most traffic…. I'd never really thought of that. Do you just use Google Analytics to figure out who that is? According to my own analytics, besides social media sites, the bloggers that bring in the most traffic are the high traffic sites I comment on. So it's not really the bloggers themselves that are responsible. The bloggers that have me on their blogrolls in the like? They comment here and are featured as a Top Commentator.

    I like the idea of a spotlight post, too. I did one a few weeks ago with one of my favorite sites – Shatterbox – and then never did it again. Am hoping to get back in the swing of things though now that I'm back to blogging regularly after my move.

    Seriously though, Moondancer, you've contributed some great tips!! Thanks a million!!

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Oh my, Facebook is crazy! I don't know if it's because you actually *know* the people on FB, but I noticed the same thing. Once I've actually spoken to someone (on the phone or in person), they do tend to comment on my blogs more – whether it's out of a perceived duty or because they're more interested, I don't know. But it's also funny how little my “real” friends actually read this blog and take the time to comment. Ooooh, this sounds like a blog post waiting to happen… BYE!

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    That's actually a really good point, Shayna, I hadn't thought about that. You're totally right, though. Often times I'll comment on a blog that has LOADS of comments and I'd love to see if someone has replied to me. But then of course I start getting dozens of emails every day and it drives me crazy pants. Knowing if my comments has been replied to is waaaaay more helpful than I've seen on other WordPress sites. I was starting to feel poo about ditching CommentLuv so fast, but now you've totally shown me the error of my ways ;-)

  • http://eemusings.wordpress.com eemusings

    I hate Disqus, but it really is a pain to lose all your threads!

    I’m pretty sure Comment Luv enables its own threads in comments, too. If I ever go self hosted, that’s what I’m using.

  • http://johnpatten.net John Patten

    So, I haven't installed Disqus nor CommentLuv yet. I'm just running a free WordPress blog. However, I have bought Thesis… which is much more complicated to install than I thought… gotta get private hosting… gotta find a techie person to help… but my question is… starting out, would you have gone with CommentLuv over Disqus? If you had your time back, that is?

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    I actually installed Thesis on my own and it wasn't that hard. Not sure what's making it so complicated for you? I'm horribly technologically challenged but I used BlueHost for hosting and just uploaded Thesis to my WordPress site. Pretty easy, actually. Well, easy(ish).

    As for your EXCELLENT question, I think I'd probably go with CommentLuv. Maybe I'm saying that because I'm annoyed with Disqus, but I'd REALLY like to offer my commenters a way to showcase their own blogs by linking to their latest blog posts. I unfortunately can't do that with Disqus, nor can I even change over without messing up my entire site. That said, what I mentioned above still stands – I like how Disqus emails you if someone has replied to YOU only, but I bet there's a way to get a plugin or something for CommentLuv so it does the same. That wouldn't be a deal breaker for me….

  • http://lifeforward.onsugar.com/ Shayna

    Sometimes there are comments that point out something that either makes me rethink my position or gives me a new angle on it — I try to keep my blog to topics related to the wage gap and body image, which keeps it on topic for my visitors but sometimes leaves me brainstorming to get ideas, so I love when a visitor gives me a new place to go, and am ALWAYS happy to thank them in the post :-)

  • http://twitter.com/marianschembari/status/19004175282 Marian Schembari

    My commenters are the greatest people IN THE WORLD: http://bit.ly/alBFmy

  • http://twitter.com/renoweb Reno Lovison

    I got on today to see what discussions there might be about commenting and how to increase comments. This is a great idea.

  • rebekahkoi

    I don't have my own blog … yet. But if I start one I shall end most posts with a question :) Seriously, I just found your site and I freakin love it! You made my day. Keep writing- you offer the great information, keep people smiling and inspire us!

  • http://marianlibrarian.com Marian Schembari

    Oh my, you are so sweet – THANK YOU! Way to make MY day :0)

  • http://www.senorstag.com stag do

    I Love You graphics. I Love You MySpace Images and Picture Codes are located below. CoolMyspaceComments.com is #1 source for Myspace Comments, Comment picture codes, comment graphic codes, image codes, comment graphics and glitter animations with comments.

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  • http://twitter.com/DustBunnyMafia Dust Bunny Mafia

    I like this idea. Totally worth trying out on my own sites.

  • http://feeds2.feedburner.com/cardiogirl/jkaK cardiogirl

    I have a similar widget called Top Commenters Gravatar and it works the way yours does however it shows the gravatar in a widget in the sidebar. Clicking on the gravatar opens their blog.

    On the entry page of my blog it shows the top 12 commenters from the last month and on individual posts it shows the most recent 12 commenters.

    So the first person to comment will show until the 13th comment and then it keeps refreshing on those individual posts every time a new comment is left. It’s actually last-commented, first-noticed if you will.

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  • louis giordano

    president oboma should be ashamed of himself after awarding the medal of honor to this poor marine!!
    he never did salute him

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