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!
jan says
It is so much easier to comment on social media or email. I agree. But when I do comment on the blog, I notice that all I have to do is start entering my name, email etc. and it automatically appears to be selected so that is a plus, so not that hard after all and possibly if you’re worried about other people seeing your comment, wouldn’t that be more so on social media? Just thinking out loud. I know I do worry about some of the things I honestly say and wonder if it will come back to bite me (where it hurts) one day.
Janet Camilleri says
The auto-fill is great, but for me it only happens on my computer. Just another reason why I prefer to comment on that than when using my phone!
Denise says
I read your blog quite a bit and enjoy your take on life. If something really stands out, I’ll comment. I also appreciate that you don’t do sponsored posts, as a lot of bloggers these days rely on them for income (which I understand), but I don’t really care about. I think there are so many blogs now that it is difficult for readers to take the time to comment. And I despise the picture squares and will absolutely not comment if there is one!
Janet Camilleri says
Thanks Denise, lovely to hear from you and especially when you say such nice things about me and my blog 😉
Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au says
I still get a lot of comments on my posts, but I think it’s more to do with how I engage with other bloggers – I read and comment on a lot of Midlife blogs and I co-host #MLSTL just for Midlifers and there is a lot of commenting, sharing and engaging on that linky each week. What you give you definitely get back. The less I connect, the less reciprocation I get, and non-bloggers rarely comment because it’s pretty scary for them – and I get that.
Commenting is about relationship and it’s always a two way street. If you’d like to have more comments again, feel free to pop over to #MLSTL or leave a comment on my blog – I always reciprocate. Otherwise I guess you just turn off the comments and go with engagement elsewhere. x
Janet Camilleri says
Hi Leanne! Thank you for the reminder about #MLSTL – I’ve added it to the list of linkups in this post. I’ve just read the rules that those who join MLSTL only have to comment on 3 links – that sounds very do-able! Might have to pop by this Wednesday x
Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au says
We’d love to have you any week you have free Janet – you write just the right sort of posts for it (this one would be perfect too!) xx
Janet Camilleri says
Hi Leanne! I was all set to join this morning but stopped when I realised I needed to share 5 links on social media …