Where Have All the Comments Gone?!

Recently I received an email from one of my bloggy buddies, asking: “Where have all the comments gone?!”

I started this blog at the beginning of 2013, and I have to agree – I got a lot more comments on my blog posts back then.

Nowadays – well, anybody would think I blog in a cone of silence, or that people are too scared to speak out!

When Comments Were Big

Here are just a few of my posts from the early days, all of which generated over a dozen reader comments each:

• “Stories of Bad Birthdays” 
• “Pros and Cons of Gel Nails”
• “Top 3 Fashion Fails”
• “Changing Views on Tattoos”
• “Working from Home: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

Feel free to have a look – go on, I’ll wait 😉 . Apart from anything else, you might be interested to see how my writing and blogging skills have improved since then (or at least I hope they have)!

However when I dug deeper, I realised that most (if not all) of the comments were left by other bloggers – because nobody understands how exciting it is to receive a comment, like another blogger!

Blog Link Ups

Many of these comments came through blog link ups. When you joined a blog link up (or linky party), you were expected to comment on the blog posts of at least some of the others who had joined – and they were expected to do the same in return.

Linkies were a great way to find and connect with other blogs and bloggers, especially if you were just starting out, and I was an enthusiastic participant for quite a few years.

But then … I got busy with other things. And I didn’t want to join a linky if I couldn’t honour my commitment to reading and commenting on other blogs.

The downside of linkups was that sometimes I felt like I “had” to read and comment on blogs that I really wasn’t interested in.

Maybe it was the “good old days” of Aussie blogging, when it was all still fairly new. Or maybe I’m the one that’s changed, as I know that there are still linky parties out there like:

• Life this Week with Denyse Whelan Blogs;
• Open Slather with Alicia at One Mother Hen;
• Zen Tip Tuesday hosted by Min at Write of the Middle;
• Mid Life Share the Love, hosted by Leanne at Cresting the Hill and Sue from Sizzling Towards Sixty.
• and the Lovin’ Life Linky started by Leanne at Deep Fried Fruit.

But quite apart from the huge role link ups used to play (and probably still do for those who join them), I do think blog comments have dropped off over the years.

Where Have all the Comments Gone?

So where have all the comments gone?

I put it down to a combination of factors:

• Many readers are on their phones – and it’s much easier to type a comment on a desktop.
• Privacy reasons – I know that many readers don’t want to leave a comment where anybody can see it.
• Most blogs (including mine) now have extra security measures in place, to stop the avalanche of spam. For example, the first time somebody comments here at Middle Aged Mama their comment isn’t published until I’ve had a chance to read and approve it, which I know isn’t ideal from the commenter’s perspective, but is unfortunately necessary in this day and age. Or, you often have to do things like fill in a comment form, type in the numbers shown, click on all the picture squares that have cars in them – the list goes on, and it’s annoying and it’s painful and you have to REALLY want to have your say to be bothered in the first place.
• I’ve also had to turn off comments on blog posts that are older than a couple of months, again because of the tidal waves of rubbish comments they generate.

But all is not lost in the blogosphere! Instead of comments, these days I’ve noticed people are more likely to comment or message me via Facebook or Instagram pages, or email me directly in response to my weekly email newsletter. And why not – it’s quicker and easier as they just have to hit “reply”, and it feels much more personal.

Hooray for Genuine Readers!

It’s quite common for me to post here on the blog and to not receive a single comment. But that’s okay, even if brands are no longer flooding my inbox with requests to work with them (because they think I don’t have many readers, or that my audience isn’t engaged). Because *I* know the truth.

My blog might not look like it’s getting engagement – but I know it’s still there. And I am SO grateful to anybody that reads, follows, or comments here on my blog, newsletters or social media.

Comments might be rare these days, but that makes them all the more precious – because I know that what I have now is a genuine readership, rather than folk who only visited and commented because they “had” to.

I’m curious to know what you think prevents people from commenting on blog posts – or if you’ve never commented here before, don’t be shy I’d love to hear from you!