Bloggers choosing between Blog Readers and Blog Commentors
I am seeing an increasing number of bloggers reward and interact with blog commentors more than blog readers. While it is true that a blogger can communicate easily through comments with a commentor, it is also true that a blogger can communicate easily through a post with the reader. Because of the thirst for more blog traffic, many bloggers are slowly starting to choose between blog readers and blog commentors, creating a thin line between different site visitors.
Blog Readers and Blog Commentors
- Active Blog Readers : Blog visitors who usually read more than they comment.
- Active Blog Commentors : Blog visitors who usually comment more than they read.
Site visitors who comment and read a lot at the same time usually become either more active commentors or more active readers, since they notice bloggers appreciating their comments more than anything else. Why waste energy doing something on a blog when the blog owner is only looking for more comments, right?
Active commentors are being chosen over active readers
The blogosphere is taking a turn where more and more bloggers are slowly starting to focus on earning money, even if there is no product to sell. Such bloggers are forcing themselves to come up with some kind of a product or writing in order to make money. Top and active commentors on such blogs are usually rewarded, since more comments usually mean more money for blogs. At the same time, top and active readers are unappreciated and left behind on such blogs.
Sure, a blogger cannot communicate via a comment with a reader who does not comment, but are blogs only supposed to interact with those who comment, or are blogs and bloggers supposed to interact with everyone who visits the blog?
Thank you for reading.
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( May 29th, 2007 at 8:55 am )
hey, I like the subliminal message of your post, Bes
Once again, I’ll compare blogging with teaching:
Some teachers have their favourite students who participate in discussions, ask lots of questions, do their homework. But if that teacher targets his/her lecture only to those students, in my opinion he/she needs to change the profession. Each and every student in the classroom should benefit from the lecture, not only a few chosen ones, although the teacher should keep encouraging students to actively participate in class and provide their feedback.
( May 29th, 2007 at 1:42 pm )
Vivien-inspiration, thanks for the comment. What “message.“?
Yes, each and every student is probably learning, and not every student is going to interact with the teacher and help the teacher learn also. If one focuses only on people who respond actively, what will happen to those who do not respond all the time but love to observe and analyze too?
( May 29th, 2007 at 6:05 pm )
Weeeeeeeeeee! There’s a comment feature on this Google Reader Mabob thingy!
I’ve been reading everything via rss, so I haven’t been an active commenter. ^_^” I hope you haven’t lost faith in me. 
( May 29th, 2007 at 11:36 pm )
Birdie, awesome!
Long live Google Reader “Mabob”! How have things been?
Because of your comment, you are an awesome reader and an active commentor too.
Don’t worry, Birdie is on the “Check regularly to see if she is back or not on her blog” list. I am glad you commented. Thank you. I will try to see if you are on AIM now. 
( May 30th, 2007 at 2:21 am )
When somebody reads more than 20-30 blogs everyday, it is hard to believe that he/she will have enough time to comment on all of them. This does not denote a lack of interest. If I see somebody coming back to my blog everyday, I’m happy for that, regardless if the person comments or not. This was very hard for me to get: bloggers want comments, reward top commentors, some of them even doing almost everything to see a huuuuge line of comments under each post (actually I know only one who has this evil desire and I’m sure you know who that is).
I read a lot of blogs. Until a week ago, I was so old fashioned that I never used a feed reader: I just remembered and typed in the addresses of the blogs I liked, every morning. (Now I’m a bit overwhelmed and I’m training myself to use Google Reader). I’m a loyal reader, although not much of a commentor. There are blogs I read since last summer and I never left a comment on them. This does not mean that I don’t like them and I don’t care about their topics. It’s just I did not feel like writing. Nothing more, nothing less.
( May 30th, 2007 at 12:39 pm )
Simonne, good points. I might add, from my own observation and experience so far, that when someone reads blogs thoroughly and has something useful to add to the conversation, even if the response is simple, it becomes hard to leave a comment on every blog and every post that one comes across. Though I have seen people visit way more than 30, even 50 blogs and leave that many comments a day. Many of their comments, however, are simply acknowledgments to let a blogger know that a particular commentor has read the blog. Some people are able to leave a lot of good comments, though it seems more and more bloggers these days are valuing the number of comments you leave and not what you leave in a comment.
Same here: I have to use the feed readers more [Google Reader and Netvibes]. I also have a lot of comments that I need to comment on, and I read them regularly. I sometimes leave really long comments, so I usually try to wait before I comment so that I can express things I want to, instead of simply leaving a comment. That waiting time usually results in the bloggers in question getting impatient and not leaving a comment in return on my site, thus indirectly or even directly telling me that they value the number of comments I leave more than the information I leave within a comment.
Thanks for the comment Simonne.
( May 30th, 2007 at 12:51 pm )
It was my pleasure, Bes
( May 30th, 2007 at 2:40 pm )
What I find is that in some people’s blogs, there is so little to comment on. If they’re secretive, and are very vague and don’t actually give any details; or blog little things that are unnecessary (I went to school… I ate lunch)… it’s hard to leave a meaningful comment. That is a lot of the reason why I personally may be an active reader quite a lot of the time, rather than an active commenter.
It’s nice to have comments, but I personally feel if the comment is not meaningful, and simply a recap of what I have blogged about, I do not feel any connection and need for this comment. I’d like people to interact with me, as if having a conversation, sharing thoughts, ideas, opinions…
I still do not know what RSS means and feeds… I’m still very behind in the Internet World [lol]. I suppose I should look into it sometime…
( May 30th, 2007 at 5:26 pm )
Simonne,
.
Jess, thanks for the comment. Many blogs try to post about things without actually being open, like many personal bloggers. These days, I am seeing many personal bloggers blogging more about what others say about other things instead of what those bloggers themselves think about something.
Many comments are indeed recaps of what the post is about, like “I agree, bye
” or even paraphrasing the post. I am guessing some people feel that such a comment is good, or that they must comment and paraphrasing is the best thing to do since it is easy and can consume a lot of words and lines?
In real life, many people do say “I agree” and then they remain quiet. However, online, such a comment somehow does not convey the same vibe and message as it would when said online. I am guessing some words or messages have different meanings or effects in the written online world compared to the offline world where they are said.
I am the same, so I will post soon about RSS feeds, which should hopefully tell both you and me more about it.
Thanks for the great idea.