5 Great Things to Say in a Blog Comment (Here and Elsewhere)

Bloggers love to read their comments. And blog commenting is a key part of the give-and take life we live out here.

But sometimes reading posts leaves us unsure of how respond: we don’t quite know the best way to tell the blogger we stopped by.  Let’s face it… we are all lazy sometimes and don’t bother.

I understand that totally. I’m guilty too of the “Read and Leave.” But I have found that commenting on posts allows me to think more closely about the writing. It helps see how and why I spend time writing my own blog in the first place. And I recommend it.

So, I’ve assembled the Top Five Ways to Respond to Blog Posts…keeping in mind that just about ANY response (other than defamation of character) is welcome on blogs. Blogs should be open places of conversation and discussion.

That being said, I’ll start with number one, the most controversial:

1. “I Disagree.”  Many/most bloggers are opinionated bastards who reside in fanciful, flowery, one-sided universes. And they need a good shaking! SO, if you don’t agree with their rant or have another viewpoint to share, please DO say so. Of course, it’s always a good idea to support your side of the argument with some kind of evidence or logic.
2. The Quote. Speaking of evidence, why not include your favorite part of the post in your response? Cut and paste it and tell the blogger why you liked catchy phrase or idea you liked. Similarly, you can follow up with ….
3. The Question. This can simply be “What the hell do you mean by______?” Sometimes, it can be “How did you come up with this idea?” or fun existential questions like:
   • Why do you think this is true?
   • Who inspired you to believe this?
   • Do you think you would feel this way if you hadn’t drunk two double lattes prior to writing this post?
4. The Story. You see a bit of yourself and your story in the post, and you want to tell the writer a little bit about yourself. So you start your comment: “This reminds me of when I ….”  or “I can totally relate to this because I…”  For me, these comments I write sometimes become blog posts of their own, which I link back to the original, inspiration post.
5. The Resource Link. Something in the post reminds you of another great post you’ve read elsewhere, and you just have to share it with the blogger.  You tell the writer and share a link, maybe to your own blog, or to somewhere else.