I feel like I’ve been wanting to ask the rough questions here lately, so… here goes. I’ve been talking about reading blogs, what makes me read and stop on a blog and what makes me skip it altogether. I’ve been thinking, lately, about what happens next.
Usually, I will read a blog post, one I stumble upon on social media, one I spot on my blog hopping session, one I see shared in another blog post, and so on. I will read it and devour the words one by one, nod along or shake my head, smile, sometimes laugh, even.
After that, some people will just leave, close that browser’s window and travel to the next thing. Some people will share the post on social media, with a comment, with nothing at all. Some people will bookmark it, save it for later reference or sharing.
If I like the post, I’m personally very fond of leaving a comment.
⌨️ Why I still comment on blog posts
I’m trying, as much as I can, to give some love back to the book blogging community. We’re a community of hard workers and I feel like this doesn’t get recognized enough. To be completely honest, I feel like we should all have massive thrones with books everywhere all around us because, let’s face it, we work really damn hard and maybe 0,5% of us are actually making a tiny little dime out of this.
I’m not here to talk about why we don’t or why we should make money with book blogging and everything, because it’s a tough topic that would make this post even longer than it already is. I’m here to talk about hard work and recognition, yes, and I’m here to talk about interaction.
I love commenting because it leaves a lasting impression. I love commenting because for me, if shares and views and likes on social media matter, of course and bring that rush to my heart, comments make me the happiest. People leaving comments on my blog post make me feel that rush, that happiness, that recognition and validation (yes I’m going there) a thousand times more.
☂️ Related blog post: The truth about book blogging statistics.
I joined the blogging community to start conversations about what I write, whether it’s reviews or bookish lists or blog posts just like this one. I’m leaving comments on blog posts because I want to do the same.
? What makes me comment on a blog post… and why I won’t
If I’m being logical, I guess many things make me want to comment on a blog post. Taking this chronologically….
- If the blog post is pretty (yes…. going there), there’s a chance I will stay longer to read it attentively. If I stay and read the blog post, there are more chances I will leave a comment on it. I know. Pretty is a very subjective notion, obviously. I’m just saying if I can’t read the blog post because the writing is indecipherable, if it’s just big blocks of texts and so on… the chances are low.
- If the blog post is engaging… there’s an even bigger chance I will want to stay and chat with you afterwards. Then again, engaging is a very subjective notion, too and it all comes to the blogging voice. The way a blogger writes, with passion and love, really shows.
- If the blog posts gives me something. Like, an interesting list of books with books I’m curious about, a review that makes me think or want to scream, a discussion that makes my brains cells turn round and round, and so on.
- Additional points if the blog post asks questions. Whether it’s simple questions at the end of the blog post, making me want to answer and interact, or ask questions thorough the blog post itself. (Like, why I’m commenting on blog posts…. well, let’s hope, hello hi)
YES. All of these arguments are, like, completely subjective, but so is commenting. If some people don’t feel like commenting on your posts, I try not to take it personally. Not everyone will love everything you write.
If I’m being unlogical, sometimes what makes me comment on a blog post is just pure gut feeling. Sometimes, I stumble upon a blog post and I know I’ll want to comment on it, interact with the blogger, fall platonically in love with everything they do because they seem way too awesome okay.
Sometimes, even if I want to, even if all the conditions are reunited, I don’t comment…. because:
- I don’t have time,
- I don’t know what more to add to the topic and I don’t want to leave a generic comment. If I’m going to say something, I want to say something more than “great review” or “great blog post”.
When I don’t comment, but still appreciated the blog post, I leave a like, I keep it in my bookmarks to share it on my monthly wrap-ups, I retweet it on my twitter account, to show appreciation for it, still.
☂️ Related blog post: How to write a great blog post.
? Do you still comment on blog posts…. as much as before?
I’ve been thinking about comments and how, lately, it seems like these are changing.
I’ve been blogging for over 5 years now and, as an old dinosaur in the community, I’ve seen things change. I’ve seen them grow, too. I’ve seen people come and go, friends start and give up on blogging, designs and book blogging standards changing and growing, too.
I’ve seen bookish people thriving on social media even more than on book blogs, making these new places their main bookish places.
People don’t write blog posts anymore, they write threads on twitter. People don’t post blog posts, they review books directly on bookstagram. Most of it all, people might still comment on blog posts, but most of the interaction now seems to happen elsewhere, now.
When people are talking about book influencers, they’re sharing their instagram handle or their twitter handle, not their book blog’s, their website. For me, my book blog is always the core, the heart of everything. I don’t have bookstagram and I do have twitter, but twitter is more of an extension to it, not a main media. For me.
For most people, though, it seems like social media have been growing into being main medias and therefore, main conversations, interactions and things are just happening over there. Where I’ve seen conversations grow and friendships bloom in blog posts comments over the years, I’m now seeing people thriving and becoming fast friends on social media.
This makes me wonder…. do you still comment on blog posts?
Sometimes, I feel like commenting is sort of old school, now. People comment and interact on a tweet fast and easy instead of blog hopping. People leave their thoughts on a blog post’s tweet rather than on the blog post itself. They talk about a book on a comment under a bookstagram post and review instead of on the blog. Because, maybe, the review doesn’t even exist on a book blog itself.
It’s easier, quicker, maybe. But are all the conversations happening on social media now, or do comments still have a long and healthy life in front of them?
If you ask me…. I love comments and I hope they last. I love looking back at them and the conversations I had, while my twitter interactions quickly get lost in the sea of thousands of tweets per day. Not my tweets, by the way. I’m an awkward bean okay. Social media might be instant, but it doesn’t feel as lasting.
If you ask me…. I love commenting on blog posts directly and hope to continue. I feel like it recognizes more the work people put in their blog posts themselves. The formatting, the layout, the research, the images they spent hours trying to find and the sentences they tweaked here and there for hours until they’re exhausted.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there aren’t research in twitter threads of book recommendations or a caption on instagram, I know there is, too. I also know that some people enjoy and would rather communicate this way and have their main bookish platform on social media. It’s good and I’m not criticizing this in any way! To each their own preferences.
I’m just saying, when it comes to interaction, and on blog posts, I want to make an effort to appreciate book bloggers on their website directly and that’s the way I really like doing it the most, too.
☂️ You might also be interested in: Why I will and won’t read your blog.
Where do you interact the most with the bookish community? On social media, or on book blogs directly? Where do you prefer to interact, now?
Do you also feel like comments on blog posts feel more validating than other kind of statistics? I’d love to chat in comments!
Twitter ☂️ Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin’☂️ Support the blog
I do comment on meaningful or thought provoking posts, like this one. I don’t leave generic comments but then, I am relatively new to this. I enjoy reading poetry, short stories and people with interesting thoughts. I find it rewarding. ?
Oh thank you, so happy you enjoyed my post <3 <3 I'm glad you find it rewarding as well, thats why I love it so much 🙂
I know I always feel like I’ve written something worthy of reading when I see that there is a comment on one of my blog posts. It’s nice and there’s that sense of acknowledgement as well as accomplishment, especially if you’re a small or new blog in a pool of big and well-established blogs. And like you said, it is that starting point to a discussion and that is often the point of posing questions at the end of a post so if there is something to say, one’s comment thread is the perfect place. Yes, interacting on social media is good as well but to me it doesn’t have the same feeling as writing on that blog post and I will only ever use the social media if I don’t see a comment box enabled.
I’m happy to hear I’m not the only one feeling that way! I love comments because I feel like deeper conversations start out that way, too and it’s lovely to see that a blog post echoed with someone so much they take the time to leave a comment. Never fails at making my day <3
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! <3 <3
I love commenting on blogs, I think it’s a good way to stay active in the community and being a part of something. I have a Twitter but find it a lot harder to use than WordPress Reader. I too hope that commenting lasts, I love seeing and replying to the comments I get!
Yay another comment lover 😀 I think that commenting is really different than social media, in the end, but personally I love the good old comments so much <3
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
Yes I do comment. I also am on Twitter. However, it sometimes feels like I’m more “seen” on blogs. Don’t know if that makes sense.
Oh but it does make sense! I think that we’re all different and all more at ease on one platform or the other. It’s easy to feel a little drowned on social media where everything happens so fast and tweets are quickly disappearing in the timeline. It feels more, calm and a bit slower here 🙂
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! <3
I comment on blogs where I feel I can add meaningfully to the discussion, or if something moves me. Sometimes a blog is so perfect as is, I just add a good post. If someone shared a particularly heartfelt story I’ll do a thanks for sharing (because if someone told you there battle with depression, how much can you say) if there’s a question, I’ll answer. But some days I’m busy, so reading the blogs is an accomplishment
I agree with you, I love commenting when I feel like I can add something to the conversation or start a conversation, too 🙂 and we can’t always be there, either, even if we want to, life gets busy ahah 🙂
thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! 😀
“I don’t know what more to add to the topic and I don’t want to leave a generic comment. If I’m going to say something, I want to say something more than “great review” or “great blog post”.”
^100% this. A lot of times I liked a blog post just fine but don’t have anything to add, so I just… don’t. I am newer to WordPress (and really to blogging, compared to some veteran bloggers!) so I’m just starting to “like” posts I enjoy, bit I try to at least do that now even if I don’t leave a comment. I also work at a computer all day, so when I get home I don’t like to use my desktop. This means most of my blog reading happens on my mobile, and it is just kind of unwieldy to comment sometimes – so many weird autocorrects!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one feeling that way! It’s just a personal preference, I just… I feel a little awkward just writing down great post, while having nothing much to add.
Ohhh I can understand that, too! I don’t ever blog hop on my phone because I prefer reading posts on the bigger screen, but I would be SO annoyed at having to comment on my phone too haha, it would be such a hassle, I get that! (especially with my phone being in French and commenting in English… ugh the autocorrects would be terrible, haha.)
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts!! <3
I think I’ve gotten better with commenting – before I was way to anxious to ever comment on a post but now it’s not so bad! But, I’ve noticed that I rarely get comments on my posts so I don’t know if thats a good or a bad thing ?
Ahh I’m so, SO happy to hear that you’re a little less anxious to comment now. I get that, I used to be so anxious about it all when I first started, too. It took me ages to write a comment and ages to re-read it and ages to… actually delete it, because I was too nervous ??
Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to tell if it’s good, or bad, it depends on how you view blogging, some people are content with writing their thoughts and reviews and it all, while others want to reach for tons of views, others want comments… It depends on how you view it all 🙂 If it helps, I feel like, for me, what really helped me in creating and solidifying connections and getting comments was, as anxiety-inducing as it can be… trying to put myself more out there, visiting other blogs, commenting, tweeting about my blog posts… etc 🙂
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts on the topic and wow, sorry for the long answer back ahah. <3 <3
I agree with so much of this. I try to comment on blog posts because I enjoy it and because I know bloggers appreciate it. Mostly I don’t comment because I don’t have time or, like you, I’m not sure I have much to say in response to the post–and that IS pretty subjective. Like, do I have nothing to say because I’m boring? Or because the post itself didn’t say much? It varies.
I have also seen other people say they think conversations are happening elsewhere, which is disappointing to me. It’s certainly “easy” to comment on Twitter, but the character limit also makes it easy to be misunderstood, to have a tweet taken out of the context of the threat, to not have the space to be nuanced, etc.
I’m so glad to hear you share my thoughts, thank you so much Briana 🙂
I agree that it’s all pretty subjective. Sometimes, even if a post is perfectly good and I enjoyed it, I just find myself nodding along and agreeing with it, but having nothing to add. That’s okay, too! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
Such a thought-provoking post!! I think like you about basically everything you said. I prefer commenting on blog posts because it helps a blogger to keep track of readers’ reactions much better than a simple retweet does (and it feels more rewarding?)
Bloggers usually put more time in a blog post than in a tweet (even if only because structuring a post with a header and tags takes more time than typing on Twitter). Commenting on posts feels like recognizing a blogger’s hard work and showing them that readers care.
I think the same about bookstagrams, because pictures and aesthetic require a lot of time too.
Ahh thank you, Alice, I’m so happy you enjoyed it 😀 I feel like blog comments are so rewarding, too, it makes me feel like people have things to say about what I wrote and want to start a conversation and this makes me SO happy 🙂
OH yes, I so agree with you on that. Bookstagrammers are INCREDIBLE and I admire their work so much, I don’t know how they have the patience to do this all, it’s incredible.
This is an amazing, introspective post and, I think, a much needed conversation. Of course everyone has their media preferences, but as a new book blogger at 34 years of age – it’s super confusing. I often ask – should I be tweeting this? Posting on instagram? Just my blog? Goodreads? Let alone I don’t use Facebook, Tiktok, or snapchat. With all these mediums, it’s also hard to break into the book blogger scene. After all, I got into book blogging not for the dime, but to find like minds like me.
I live in the midwest, where there are few book clubs, authors never come to our city or even near it, and it’s rare to find someone with my reading tastes. That is a bit lonely and, well, we all want people to talk to about our hobbies! With so many mediums, it’s hard to connect and find people, because interactions are spread out all over. Perhaps this is my age talking, though.
I do enjoy the different mediums, but for me I longed for a ‘hub’ to chat with people. Recently I created a book readers discord for it, which is yet another medium. But it’s slow going recruiting people to join it and I’m sure there are others out there. Plus, it’s hard to focus on providing content for that medium and four other mediums at once.
I comment on blogs because, like you, it means a lot to me when I receive comments. And I -want- to discuss. I -want- to connect. Usually what drives me to connect and comment on blogs are people that connect in return. Not because I’m ‘recruiting followers’, but because it’s nice to have someone who connects back more than just posts on media.
But, hey, this 34-year old is trying to get into all this media! I never thought my young niece would know more about technology than me!
Oh thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts on all of this, this means so much! <3
I agree, there are so many different mediums, it can be a little tricky trying to find out where to stand and what to do. I honestly think that the best thing is to try it out and then see which one-s are the best for you, depending on what you like the most! Some people love taking pictures of books and aesthetics and such, while others like being on twitter and others enjoy writing longer blog posts and having a little blog platform. I feel like focusing on just a couple of them, the ones you like the most, will help you in not getting too overwhelmed and enjoying yourself, too 🙂
I'm so happy you enjoy blog comments though! I hope you'll be able to make connections and find your footing in the community 😀
I still love blogs and comment on them (almost) every morning. I don’t like taking book photos or typing on my phone, so I’m not an Instagram fan. I’m trying to review books on Twitter this year, but my Twitter analytics tell me that nobody reads my tweets, so it’s a bit pointless.
Yay! I’m so happy you love blog and blog comments too <3 Right here with you on instagram. I personally LOVE bookstagrammers and all they do, but for now, I don't have the patience to try it out haha 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment! <3
I comment! 🙂 I comment a lot on blogs because like you receiving comments makes me happy so I try and return the favour and spread the love 🙂
I also don’t mind generic comments because people are busy and it’s sometimes just nice to know someone read your post even if they don’t have much to say other than – “I enjoyed your review”.
Great discussion post!
Oh thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed this post 🙂 I’m right here with you, I love receiving comments and I love giving them out, too, feels like giving some love all over and I like the feeling ahah 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
Great post, Marie!
Yes, I love commenting on blog posts! I’m a bit of a grandma compared to a lot of other bloggers in the book blogging community; I’m simply too lazy to keep a bookstagram going and Twitter isn’t something I use specifically as a book blogger, so my blog is my main outlet as a book blogger.
I agree that there’s nothing more satisfying than when someone leaves a comment on your blog post and it’s such a nice feeling to know that other bloggers want to interact with you – and it’s a feeling I want to make sure I’m paying forward. 🙂 I think it’s the best way to let someone know that you appreciate the time they’ve taken to write and format the post, and it always feel like such a safe space for bookish conversations. Conversations on Twitter can easily turn to spats that don’t really get us anywhere, whereas commenting on a blog post gives us more time to construct a reply that gets what we want to say across.
Thank you so much Jess, so happy you enjoyed it! 😀
It’s so nice to see someone who has their blog as their main outlet, too! I feel like there are so many people turning to social media as their main outlet, but personally I prefer keeping my blog platform 🙂
Oh I’m happy you feel that way, too! I just love appreciating bloggers that way, it just feels right. I love it so much when I see bloggers taking the time to comment on my rants and posts, I want to give other people that same happy feeling! 😀
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment <3 <3
You are absolutely right! Sometimes I would see a lot of people coming and reading my posts but not even ONE comment. And sometimes I don’t care how many people read it, I will feel 100% better about a post with fewer people reading but one comment than my most visited post with no comments at all. Getting a comment is so rewarding.
So, here I am, leaving a comment and hoping this doesn’t stop.
Ahh I’m happy you can relate to this post and enjoy comments, too 🙂 I have to agree, they feel so rewarding and always make me happy.
Thank you so much!! 🙂
I’m with you Marie! I know when I receive a comment on one of my posts it makes my entire day <3 The fact that someone enjoyed my writing and took the time to let me know just makes my heart fill and all the effort I put in worth it. Since I know how much it means to me I try to comment on other blogger's posts too when I enjoy what I read. It's giving back to the community, like you said, and supporting all the hard work that all of us bloggers do on here, mostly without pay, but for the sheer joy of it. Thank you for this post! <3
Oh thank you so, so much <3 It just makes me so happy that you're feeling this way about comments, too. They always warm my heart and I'm trying, with the time that I have, to make people feel that way with my comments too 🙂
Thank you!! <3
I interact more on blogs than anywhere. Facebook, too, but it’s one specific group. I wish I could comment on more blogs than I do. I will use the generic “great review”, but it’s mostly because I have issues with my wrist and fingers (I’m old). There are days where I can’t comment at all, but I try to make up for it later when I’m feeling better. This is a great post. 🙂
Oh I wish I could do more too, but we only have so many hours in a day, we can’t do it all 🙂 I always find it so wonderful when people take the time to leave a comment, whenever they can and are able to, it always makes me happy <3
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! <3 <3
Time is indeed our most valuable commodity and there is indeed only that much of it in a human life. If you’re not cutting down on the time you spend on the social media, you’re going to end up with a virtual social life and little amount of real things done. If I’m commenting, it’s because the issue strikes me as a relevant one and I’m appreciating the blogger’s vision. As a rule, I’m not leaving negative comments or go into polemics with bloggers whose opinions I don’t share. Life is too short.
Agree, we can’t do it all and nor should we, we have a life outside of the blogging world,too 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
You’re welcome! It’s definitely tough since I want everyone to know their blogs are important. Sharing on twitter has been helping me.
Same here, I wish I could make everyone feel like their blog and work is important. There’s only so much time in a day!
I think we all do our best and most people understand. 🙂
Yes let’s hope so 🙂 <3
🙂
I recognized myself commenting lesser some time last year and ever since, I’ve made it a point to take out time and blog hop. It’s also a great way to find new blogs and fresh opinions on things so I love doing this. Nowadays, commenting has become a habit for me. I comment on almost every blog post I read because I consciously focus more on taking in information and interacting than reading more blogs. Views are good, but comments are much better.
Also, the fact that I hate the short lifeline of things on social media drives me away from them. I spend barely 15-25 minutes on social media a day, and frequently forget twitter exists. This means all my time is still going on blogs.
I loved reading your opinions, and found myself agreeing with a ton of points. In the end, social media is winning nowadays and blogs aren’t. But blogs aren’t dead zones yet, and I think it’s still what people go back to when they want lasting connections.
I’m so happy that you make this time to comment, I honestly appreciate it so, SO much and I’m certain other bloggers do, too <3
I so agree with you, I value comments and the conversations they bring SO much! Social media can be good and fun, I mean, I'm on it and I sometimes like interacting there, but it's quick and short lived while blogs just feel more… I don't know, solid and certain and I love that 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment. I'm just so happy you think about lasting connections on blogs, that's exactly how I feel and hope it will last <3
Marie this is such a great post! You make some really good points here!
I hadn’t thought about it a lot until now, but the main reason I comment on a post is if the content is interesting or if it’s about a book/piece of media I’m directly interested in.
The main reason I don’t comment on a post is time. *cries* I sometimes only have a little bit of time to blog hop, and so I’ll read several posts but not comment, rather than reading just one and leaving a comment. I’m trying to change this though!
I’ve been trying to comment on most posts that I read, instead of liking and dashing off to the next one. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep this up throughout 2020! You’re definitely right though, it’s much faster to comment on social media. But I think blog comments feel a little more special because they take more time/effort? Perhaps that’s just me!
Oh Kate thank you so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed this post! <3
I'm right here with you on that: if I love commenting, I lack the time to do as much as I'd like to, unfortunately. I'm always trying to leave blog hopping for when I know I'll have more time to focus and therefore maybe comment and interact more, too <3
And I agree! I feel like they take more time and effort and they feel so rewarding <3
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment!! <3 <3
Great post, Marie! I try to still comment as much as I can, but sometimes I get too busy in things happening in my life and can’t always comment as much as I would like. I do like to go back and read through all of my feed though and try to blog hop at least once a week if possible. I think I interact more through blogging than with social media. I’m not on Twitter as often anymore and I haven’t done bookstagram in so long (but hoping to maybe get back into bookstagram this year).
Ahh thank you so much, Ashley! <3 I so get that, life happens and we can't comment as much as we'd like to sometimes. I'm trying to be okay with it, even if sometimes I feel a bit guilty, we can't do it all! <3
And oh I hope you'll get back into bookstagram, I'd love to see you on my feed again 😀
Thank you for your sweet comment, Ashley <3
Even with your blog title, I am surprised no one has commented yet!
I will comment if I can leave a meaningful comment. As you says it is a community here on wordpress, and it is nice to chat. But, it is a two way street. If I can’t be bother to comment others blogs then I can’t expect any one to comment on mine. And indeed to understand may be reader like my posts , but can’t think of a decent comment to make.
I think commenting is important and it builds a community and friends.
Great post. Great title. But, it is a shame out of the 40 likes no one commented, which means what…
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! I agree with you, I feel like commenting really builds a community and a friendship if you’re lucky and that’s the most amazing thing for sure 🙂
♥ Loved reading this today. My main reason why I sometimes don’t leave comments is because I don’t feel like I have anything to add. This is true in IG too.
As to where conversations are happening nowadays, talking on social media is really so much easier. It feels great too. But you know, there’s nothing like those good ol’ fashioned blog comments. I haven’t given up on them either. I appreciate them so much!
Something I’ve noticed is that in blogs from outher industries like fashion or makeup, people don’t really comment on them anymore. At least not like we do. Those blogs are for readers, so they’re all about the views. Comments aren’t really important for them. But for us, we’re not just a group of bloggers, we’re a community that lifts each other up supporting each others’ blogs. If you look at it that way, it’s kind of amazing ♥
Ah thank you so much, Pam, I’m so happy you liked it <3 <3
I get that, I feel like it's so much easier to leave a quick comment and chat on social media than it is on book blogs. Yet, there's something special about those comments, maybe because you're jumping through more hoops to leave one?
YES exactly! That's exactly what I was thinking as I drafted this post. Other kind of bloggers don't see that many interactions on their blogs, even when they are "big" bloggers with loads of followers. I find that so special about the book blogging community, how we seek and still make connections through good old comments. I hope this continues <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3 <3
I’m trying to comment more in 2020 and I can see its effects on my stats as well. It’s really good to interact with book lovers and its not just the book love, I made friends and I would love to connect with them.
I comment on blogs directly. I’m also very active on Instagram these days and I comment there as well. I like QOTD thing in Instagram that make me want to answer them and I’m trying that in my blog posts as well.
I don’t know if comments are more validating than other kind of statistics but I would love to chat.
I’m so happy you’re having a great time connecting with other bloggers! It’s amazing, isn’t it, getting to chat more that way and somehow, slowly, making connections and even friendships. I love that so much 🙂
I’m happy you’re liking instagram comments, too! I feel like lots of conversations are happening over there too 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I have to admit that I have sometimes commented on a the link to a blog post that was posted on Twitter, rather than on the post itself. I am not entirely sure why, sometimes it’s as simple as it not being a wordpress blog and me not wanting to go through the hassle of whatever their platform requires. But I have also noticed that I just don’t engage as often as I used to, beats me why though …
I get that. I feel like sometimes it’s just easier to answer to a tweet than to leave a comment, especially if you’re like, on your phone, need to log in or do some complicated things to leave a comment on the blog post, directly. I think that’s why comments make me happy, too, they take a bit more time, I guess, I don’t know haha.
Engaging and interacting can be EXHAUSTING. when you’re just not in the mood for it or just… well, on a break or feeling burnt out or anything else, I feel like it’s easy to step away from these connections and engaging altogether. It’s wonderful, but exhausting at times.
Thank you for your comment Kat! <3 <3 <3
Yes, it’s definitely easier, although tweets are obviously a restriction on how much you really get to say (with the character limit and all).
It can be exhausting and I think you are doing great (<3 you already know that), but lately I just haven't found the energy to really put my heart in it. The thing is, if I do comment, I don't want it to be some half-assed thing or one liner, I actually want it to be something that either sparks a conversation or lets the other person know I really read what they wrote.
Yeah exactly, I can ramble on and on with comments haha 🙂
thank you <3 <3
It can be hard to find a commenting balance. I try to leave comments that truly say something, but sometimes I cheapen out on that.
Ahh yes I so get that, commenting is an art somedays ahah. I always try to leave the blog hopping sessions for when I’m feeling inspired and in the mood to engage. Commenting comes easier these times 🙂
Thank you so much!! <3
Nice post topic! I love to receive comments!!! I enjoy leaving them too! Sometimes I’m frustrated when I really want to leave a comment and the comment feature is not cooperative for some reason! I think another frustration is with the huge number of blogs in my inbox! I have time to leave comments on only a few per day. So I choose the ones I’ve had interactions with in the past or whose subject line jumps out at me!
Thank you so much, Carol! <3 <3
I get that, sometimes leaving comments is SO complicated, the commenting system just does not want to work and it makes me want to scream haha.
Yes! It's a little frustrating, but we only have so many time in the day, we can't read all blog posts 🙁
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! <3 <3
WordPress and Instagram are where I interact the most. Twitter never appealed to me as it’s athread as you’ve said. I love reading a post that is built, that has more than two ro three sentences. But I will only comment on what really talks to me. I won’t comment for the sake of commenting. If I have nothing to say I’ll like but won’t comment. Great post Marie!
Thank you so, so much, Sophie, so happy you enjoyed this post <3 <3
Right here with you, I always do my best to leave comments on blog posts that really talked to me, in a way <3
Thank you! <3
I feel bad I can’t read and comment on blog posts as much as I used to now that I’ve started college, but I still love commenting when I can! I don’t usually sit down to read any posts unless I know I also have time to comment, because I comment on 90% of the posts I read. The reasons why I wouldn’t comment are:
1. I don’t have anything else to add
2. The blogger doesn’t respond to comments (I assume most bloggers read their comments, but I don’t like that feeling of shouting into the void without some sort of response. I understand some bloggers don’t have time to respond to everything, and that’s fine, but I want to have a conversation!)
3. The blogger doesn’t comment on my blog as well (This one is less of an issue, but if the blogger doesn’t respond to my comments and doesn’t comment on my blog, I tend to comment on their blog less so I can use my time to talk to people who have a back and forth with me. I subscribe to so many blogs, I have to prioritize the bloggers I’m closer friends with!)
Ahh we’re one and the same! I don’t sit down and start reading posts unless I know I’m going to have some time in front of me to read and comment, too. Unfortunately we can’t do it all with the time we have 🙁
Thank you for sharing your reasons, that’s so interesting! I feel like we have pretty much the same ones. I’m always looking for a conversation, so when I don’t see a blogger answering to their comments, at all, it makes me a little sad.
Thank you so, so, so much for sharing your thoughts! <3 <3
Always good to get a comment, it does prove you have stirred the writer into action by what you have written.
Agree! 🙂
My book blog is definitely still my main platform. My instagram is severely lacking, for starters! I definitely comment on blog posts and I’m trying to increase it more – I bookmark the comment threads because they are often taking place while I’m at work and then I get to what I can when I can. I agree about not wanting to leave generic comments though – if something doesn’t engage me or there isn’t a post on the blog that actually catches my attention, I won’t comment: some of the comments I get, I feel like I’ve got because I’ve said I’ll return what I can, it doesn’t make me feel like they’ve engaged. But I still appreciate the time they’ve taken to stop by! This isn’t something I’ve really thought about before but you make such good points here.
I’m so happy to hear your book blog is still your main platform, too, yay! Book blogs are so wonderful <3
I agree with you! I appreciate every single comment, whether they're short or long, they're showing appreciation and it's so wonderful <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Lindsey, I'm so happy you enjoyed this post <3
I love it when people comment on my blog, because it usually means it provoked them to think. I do comment a lot, and use twitter a lot, but for my twitter , while of course has bookish discourse, is more of way to connect to the other communities I’m a part of. I do watch a lot of booktube, and probably comment more there than here.
Agree! I love seeing that people want to start a conversation with a comment, it’s so wonderful to see that something we wrote made that happen 🙂
Oohh that’s so interesting to hear. I have to say I don’t really watch booktube at all, so I have no knowledge of it whatsoever. Do you have lots of conversations in comments on booktube? 😀
Thank you so much for your comment! <3
Great discussion Marie! 😀 ? You know, I’ve never really thought about my interaction before! I try to leave good comments, but I’m so like you where if I don’t have anything more to add then I just leave a like to show that I still read the post! Otherwise, I try my hardest to leave a meaningful comment. I love commenting on blog posts because I agree it’s a really great way to show your appreciation to the blogger’s hardwork!
As for social media… I do a lot of liking, but I’m not as interactive there. I agree with you, nothing feels like it lasts on social media because it feels like it’s gone in an instant!
Ahh thank you so much Meghan, so happy you enjoyed it! <3 I'm so happy you love commenting just as much as I do. I feel like it's such a lovely way to show our appreciation and to start conversations and friendships, too! <3
I couldn’t agree more! ?
i LOVE this post! I’m someone who tries to write comments on every post I read. I know how amazing it feels to have comments left on your posts, and so I try to leave comments myself. I think there are a few reasons why I wouldn’t comment on someone’s post. For one thing, I might not have time. I read dozens of posts, and sometimes I just don’t have the time to leave a thoughtful comment. And if I can’t leave a thoughtful comment, i won’t leave one at all. Another reason I won’t leave a comment is because i might have not really enjoyed the post. the last reason I won’t leave a comment is if I feel like I have nothing to add to the conversation! I think this goes back to leaving thoughtful comments. This is such a great post Marie xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Ahh thank you so much Melina! I’m so happy you love leaving comments as well, they feel so rewarding and always make me so happy <3
I agree though sometimes we just lack the time to do it all and showing our appreciation can come in different ways, too 🙂
Thank you so much! <3
I pretty much interact the same across the board whether that be on blogs or Instagram or twitter. I going through blog posts of people I am following everyday and I like every single post. I share reviews or different topics that I think other people would like to read on my twitter. There are some posts that I only like and don’t read because I don’t want to get spoiled for a book I haven’t read yet. Some review posts I read and some I don’t it just depends on if I trust the person writing them to not spoil anything. I’m trying to comment more but sometimes I just don’t have anything to add to what was posted and I like you don’t want to just post a generic comment.
Oh yes I get that with reviews! I’m sometimes a little wary of reading them because I’m scared of spoilers, but I love reviews so much. I like when I know for sure I can go into a review without getting spoiled ahha 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3
Yeah I’ve been spoiled a couple of times for books I want to read so I am very careful now. I only read ones from people I know don’t include spoilers or those who warn you when they are coming. You’re very welcome!! It’s a great discussion post!!
Yes, me too! I’m always trying to be careful ever since I just read a spoiler right away and… it ruined a book and I’m so sad 🙁
Thank you again!! <3 <3
For me, over the past year and a half, it’s been hard for me to read as many blogs and comment on them. I usually bookmark for later to comment, and forget! But also, there are times I don’t have much to say, either to the conversation being had or in general. There are a few blogs I can think of immediately that I HARDLY EVER comment on.
I haven’t had luck with interaction on social media, and I wish blogs would remain the primary outlet for bloggers, but alas!
Love this topic, and love seeing how everyone feels about it, too!
I get what you mean so much! I tend to bookmark a lot of blog posts for later, but sometimes I forget and sometimes… well, I find the time only weeks afterwards and I feel a little awkward about it haha 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! <3
I interact the most with the bookworm community on both social media and blogs. I feel like every day I’m either commenting or answering a comment. I have more followers on social media, so I could be having more conversations there, but it depends on the day.
I don’t have a preference for where people interact with me. I love getting comments on blogs since I used to not get any. I also used to not get many comments on social media too, so I like getting comments there as well. I guess I’m still riding the high of my blog getting more attention. I’m happy if anyone reaches out at all.
I see comments on blogs as a bit more personal since they are less common even when I encourage them.
I’m happy to see you interact on both, on social media and on blogs 🙂 I feel like we can have great conversations everywhere, but yeah comments on blogs seem less common somehow sometimes, than tweets everywhere ahah 🙂
thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
This is a great post! I’m trying to comment more on blog posts now to generate some conversation between bloggers.
Thank you so much!! I’m happy to hear that, chatting with other bloggers on blogs is wonderful 🙂
Ironically (I know) I wasn’t going to comment on this, but I felt like I needed to. I’ve only followed your blog since August (slightly longer since you were always showing up on my Reader), but there are two important reasons I love following your blog (beside the amazing content, of course).
1- You’re one of the few bloggers/book lovers I know that don’t rely heavily on social media. Despite my age, I actually dislike social media and tend to stay away from it. Because of that, I never had much opportunity to interact with others over book-related things. That’s one reason I was so happy to find book blogging. I hate seeings so many people turn to Twitter and Instagram, etc., and I’m really glad to see that there are others who do still rely on the blogging community instead.
2- After two years of running my blog, I would have “likes” occasionally, but you were one of the first people to comment on anything, and that meant so much. In fact, it encouraged me to want to take my blogging more seriously because I finally felt like someone was listening. Plus you always take time to like and respond to your comments. I love that. And that made me want to start commenting on other blogs more, hoping to spread more of that love to other book bloggers who might feel underappreciated.
Oh, okay so this was your plan all along, making me cry with gratefulness and happiness and ah okay thank you ?? you’re way too sweet and I am, so so, so honored to have you here thank you ??
I’m so happy you found your people and community on book blogs! I feel like, yes, there are many people turning to social media, but many people staying on book blogs, too and that’s wonderful, because we can all find our little community and our people there. At least ,I hope we can <3
And oh this makes my entire week ahh ? I'm so, SO happy I could encourage you to blog more and hopefully have more and more fun with it, this makes me so happy. <3
As for answering to comments, of course! It's why I blog and I just want to talk and answering to everyone is my priority always, to spread hopefully a little love in the community, too <3
THANK YOU, your comment made my entire week <3
I’m still commenting but less than before as social media has taken over and its much easier to reply comment on IG or Twitter than blog. With blog, when I’m browsing with phone, I need to login as put my details according to the blogger’s account eg: WordPress/Blogger or their comment setting (disqus) and its tiring to that all the time.
Oh yes that’s a valid point! I feel like it’s easier to just leave a couple words on instagram or twitter than it is on book blogs, especially when you’re on your phone and need to log into tons of different things ahah 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts 😀
I love commenting on blog posts! Whether or not I do definitely depends on my mood that day plus my level of interest in the post, and also not wanting to leave a generic comment; if I like the post but don’t feel up for a comment for whatever reason I’ll definitely “like” it via WordPress, and likewise on Twitter I’ll sometimes retweet any cool posts I see. For me my blog is definitely still the main platform and bookstagram/Twitter are extensions that I don’t use as often but yeah it is definitely changing as more people move there?
Ahh yay! I’m so happy to hear this <3 I agree with you, commenting depends a whole lot on my mood and on the time that I have, and…. on the blog posts I will read, too, obviously 🙂
I'm glad I'm not the only one sensing this shift. I feel like main platforms are social media and blogs are an extension of it, somehow, now?
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! <3
I absolutely love getting comments on my blog. It really is validating that you’ve written something that someone read and related enough to to take the time and leave a comment. 🙂
I try to leave comments with every post I read, but sometimes it just doesn’t speak to me and then I don’t know how to comment.
Social media is a great way to get more people to your blog, but I guess I’m a dinosaur because I don’t really know how to fully use Twitter. I know the basics, but I feel like there are so many more features that I don’t understand well haha
Anyway, great discussion post Marie! 🙂
Agree! It feels so validating and it just makes me so happy to chat with everyone 😀
I feel like twitter and social media isn’t for everyone, or just not everyone finds themselves at ease with all of them. If I can help with anything though, about twitter, I will happily do so, feel free to let me know <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3
Thank you so much! That is so nice of you to offer <3
Of course, I’m always happy if I can help! <3
I try to comment on most posts! I’m a baby blogger^TM and have received my first ever comments on my blog today and it made me sooooo happy!
I also think it’s a great way to engage with other bloggers. I find commenting is far more personable to things like twitter or instagram and it’s so much easier to start a discussion on blogs too.
Thank you so much for your insight as well. Not just this post but the last couple that you’ve done, particularly relating to being a better blogger. <3
Ahhh this makes me so, so happy, comments are so wonderful and they always warm my heart, I’m so happy you received that joy too. And WELCOME to book blogging I hope you’re having fun 😀
I agree with you, I find comments more… well, somehow they can get longer but they can start awesome discussions, too. <3
Oh thank you so much, this means so much? I'm so, so happy I could be helpful and please, please let me know if there's anything I can help you with, I'm always happy to! 🙂
Of the three places you mentioned, Twitter, Instagram, and blogs, I have had the least interaction on Instagram. I used to spend a lot more time there, but as amazing as the art is, I wanted to talk about books. I get more of that back and forth on Twitter, blogs, or Goodreads, even if Insta is the flavor of the moment.
Ohhh that’s interesting to hear! I guess that instagram focuses a lot on beautiful bookish aesthetics and somehow maybe invites less conversation than other kind of platforms. It really is the flavor of the moment though, you’re right! 🙂
thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
I love getting comments on my posts, because it’s the main way I can tell that people are reading and care about what I posted. I also leaving comments and I really try an do that as often as I can. I’ve been blogging for a little over 12 years now – things have definitely changed, but I know there are still a lot of blogs out there that comment and appreciate them in return.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I’m so happy you love comments too, they’re just so wonderful <3 <3 <3
Thannk you so much for sharing your thoughts, Lauren <3
I’m very insecure when it comes to blogging. I’ve only been doing it a year and in my head, it feels like being back at High School sometimes where there are those ‘popular’ girls/ bloggers and I don’t know if you’re supposed to talk to them because they all seem to know and talk to each other in a little clique.
I feel if I comment on someone’s blog they’d be looking at my profile like “Why is she talking? She can’t sit with us.”
I’m 38 but still have hangups.
Oh no,I’m so sorry to hear you’re feeling that way! <3 I personally don't think there are cliques, I just feel like, it's like everything else in life, there are people you will get along with and others you won't, but you will find your little group, I'm sure of it, don't give up! 🙂
thank you for stopping by! <3
I like commenting on other blogs and I like seeing comments on my own, even if they are generic. A generic comment lets me know who was there and that they wanted me to know they were there so I can go check out their blog post, especially new readers to my blog. I like finding new blogs to follow and comment on and if I read a blog post I try to leave a comment so they know I was there.
I’m happy to hear that, comments are wonderful indeed 🙂
I personally prefer commenting on blog posts too, mostly because I’m terrible with social media. I’d love to get better with Twitter and Instagram, but I can’t ever imagine using it in favour of commenting on blogs! It’s just so much more direct to respond right there on the post.
Great post! 🙂
I agree! I find it much more direct to comment on the blog post, too and it allows us to have longer conversations, too 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment Laura <3
I totally agree with you that most of the conversation has moved on to Twitter and Ig, and personally, I hate that. I mean, it’s short, it’s less meaningful, and I see Ig as a chit-chat platform, if not mainly a photo platform. I don’t understand people leaving full book reviews there. I’ll never read them, because Ig is for quick scrolling, blogs are for reading. So I use both Ig and Twitter mainly to divert more people to my blog, that’s where the real deal is ? Also, I’d like to point out a subject that has struck me personally recently – a lot of bloggers don’t check their spam. And somehow, a lot of true comments end up there. This is a great post, and I also agree that I won’t post a generic comment just to comment something, ever. ?
I feel like things are changing and, if some people are comfortable and happier leaving full book reviews on instagram, good for them! Personally, I tend to stop and read longer things on blogs more than on instagram, where I tend to scroll a little quicker ahha 🙂
Oh yes that’s such a great point! I always check my spam, even if I do it unregularly, so some true comments might wait a while there, but I always check to make sure I didn’t miss anything sweet there <3
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment and for sharing your thoughts! <3
Yup, well if they like to do it then good for them, but I scroll faster on IG, like you. 🙂 You’re welcome Marie! <3
Glad I’m not the only one 🙂 thank you again!! <3
? I am one of those people who enjoy leaving valuable comments in the comments section of other people’s blogs.
However, if I happen to notice that the owner of the blog does not respond to comments (which can be deduced by reading the comments section), I will refuse to leave a comment of my own.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! So happy you enjoy comments as well. I agree, I appreciate it all the more when I see the owner of the blog replying to their comments 😀
? You are welcome, Marie, and thank you for publishing an intriguing topic!
Thank you!! I’m happy you liked it 🙂
I personally prefer commenting way more on blogs than on Instagram (which is the only social media app I use). I love leaving long, ranty, and rambling comments, and with blogs it’s super easily to do so. I tend to only comment on a blog if I have what to say, and I’m very bad at being concise.
I will say that I comment on a post by post basis. I tend to have more to say when I read discussions, so I comment on about 85% of the ones I read. But if there’s something in a review or Top Ten that captures my interest, I’ll usually comment. If I have nothing to say I’ll usually just like a post. It always frustrates me when there’s no like option on a post, because even if I have nothing to say, I want to show I read and enjoyed the post in some other way.
My other main reason for not commenting on posts though, is time, as you mentioned. Sometimes it can take me a while to think out what I want to comment, and if I don’t have time for that, then I won’t comment. Just recently I read a really great post and had lots to say, but I couldn’t figure out how to phrase everything, so I ended up just having to leave the post with a like after a day or two of trying to formulate my thoughts into a comment. It’s a lot harder to get nuance and emotion right in writing, and I never want to leave a comment that I don’t think properly conveys my meaning and emotion.
Ahh you’re just like me! I love rambling too and I really like especially to leave comments on discussions, since they’re the ones usually making me want to comment and talk the most, too 🙂
I also get a little frustrated when there are no options to like a post, I like to show my appreciation this way, too, when commenting doesn’t work… or doesn’t even exist in some blogs.
OH YES exactly! I so get that. I sometimes read brilliant posts, but it takes me a while to craft an answer to it, so I leave it for later on. Or sometimes, I just can’t find a way to express myself, so I keep it in stock and will share it for others to enjoy too 🙂
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts on the topic!! <3
I adore commenting the old school way :’) I think it’s more appreciated by fellow bloggers because, like you said, blogging is & can be A LOT of work. It’s more permanent & therefore more validating; it ~is~ about discussion, so engaging in conversation is satisfying, and it’s a way to really share your admiration or appreciation. If I liked the post a lot, adore the blogger, I try & engage with a meaningful comment 🙂
YAY! this makes me so happy, I love how they make me feel, so happy and grateful and I find it wonderful that people take the time, in a world where it’s SO easy to just like a post and move on, to share their thoughts in a comment <3
Thank you so, so much, Macey, you're wonderful <3 <3
Hoohoo!
Great post! ♥ I love commenting on posts and I usually don’t comment for the same reasons you do. For me, most interaction is on Twitter. But I’m more than happy about every single comment on my blog. As you said, it feels somehow more validating than other statistics. It gives direct feedback and not just “yeah somebody was on your blog”. It shows people actually think about what you’ve written and want to engage with you. It’s the loan for the work. But yeah, most of that has gone to social media. People seem to comment on the tweets in which I share the link to a blog post more often than on my blog itself. But oh well, by now I’ve accepted it, I guess?
Love,
Kat
Ahh thank you Kat, I’m so happy you enjoyed this post <3 <3
Yes exactly, I feel like comments on the blog itself are more… permanent somehow and I love looking back at them, too, while tweets get easily lost. But yeah, it feels like the interaction and engagement is moving on to other platforms, I guess that's how things grow too 🙂
thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts!! <3 <3
I’ve been interacting more on Twitter recently since it’s easier to read there. I haven’t blog hopped in a while simply because I didn’t have the energy to put into it. Anyways, I love commenting on blog posts though have questions at the end do make it easier! Personally, I love receiving comments!
Oh I completely get that. It feels easier to engage on twitter than on blogs because blog hopping and reading posts takes a bit more energy. When I can I love to do it and show some love with comments, but it’s hard to find the time, all the time, too 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the topic, Cam!! <3 <3
Ah! I had such a heartfelt response to this and it seems it didn’t submit yesterday! 🙁
I don’t remember all of it, but I’ll try:
I absolutely love the fact that you don’t rely specifically on social media for your book stuff. Despite my age, I highly dislike social media and always stayed away from it, so I found it difficult to interact with people about books and writing and related things because none of my IRL friends were really into any of the same things I was. So many bloggers and YouTubers now rely so much on social media for communication or to get to know their fanbase, and I’ve never felt comfortable like that. I love that there are others who still rely on things like book blogging. It might seem more “old school” or “more work” but I personally love how it seems more personalized, and the conversations or thoughts seemed to be more in tact. Also social media is way stressful at times. Seeing blogs and having the opportunity to comment and discuss things seem so much better and more relaxing to me.
I also love comments. I was never big into commenting myself, but you helped changed that! I blogged for over two years without anything more than the occasional like on my posts. I got a little discouraged by it, but then you were one of the first people who commented on one of my posts and it made my week. I was soo happy, and that’s one of the reasons why I started taking blogging more seriously. Anyone can hit a like button, and while it’s appreciated, having people comment means people are actually reading and listening to what I have to say, and I love that feeling that I can actually create content people take time to look at. And because of that, it makes me want to leave comments on other posts so they can feel that same encouragement!
Ohh your comment did went through, I’m just a little slow at moderating them every now and then, I’m so sorry!
THANK YOU, really, I appreciate your comments so, so much and I’m just so happy that you love comments and that I could inspire you, in a way. You’re wonderful, thank you SO much <3
This is a wonderful discussion and one I haven’t really thought about so I loved reading it even more as it makes me think.
I have been in the book community for a year now I think as I didn’t book blog before that but twitter and bookstagram are definitely big platforms now. Most people are talk to on bookstagram, don’t have a blog and do everything on there. I do really like bookstagram. I spend less time on twitter, I used to go on a lot but I just don’t think I’m good on twitter haha!! So it does make book blogging take more of a back seat but you still have people who spend most their time on blogs, it was my original form of talking and I definitely think I love it.
As you probably know i love to write long comments because you can really get into a topic on a blog without running out of characters and it is easy to read so it is my favourite for in-depth discussions and to talk about so many different things!! This quote you said “I joined the blogging community to start conversations about what I write” definitely resonated with me, I love getting to talk to people about things I’m passionate about and blogging is a great platform to do this is such a deep way for me!!
Great discussion, I really loved reading it!! <3
Oh thank you, Sophie! I’m so happy you enjoyed this post and that it could make you think <3
I feel like we all have our favorite platforms, some love bookstagram while others adore twitter and some others prefer blogs 🙂 I SO agree with you on that, what I love about comments is that I can ramble on and on and on haha 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment! <3
I mean… we all need a book throne, right? 😉
A lot of the time, when I *don’t* comment, it comes down to time & energy constraints. (Sometimes it’s because all my brain is providing when I ask it for a comment is an ‘uhhhh…’ sound and some white noise!)
I do think that sometimes – just sometimes – book bloggers can stick too rigidly to our niche when it comes to commenting and interaction. We see ourselves as *book* bloggers, first and foremost, which is fine, but means we have a limted audience, and aren’t spreading the book love as affectively as we could be.
Plus, y’know, books don’t exist in a vacuum – they’re a reflection of the entirety of humanity: culture, society, history, politics. If we create a vacuum, we starve our book blogs of the context and insight they sometimes need!
…I think I went off on one. Oops! When I lose sleep, I tend to sound like I swallowed a Victorian dictionary, and also can’t seem to stop talking. *face palms*
We really really do need book thrones ahah 🙂
Yes yes exactly, time and energy and well sometimes we’re just TIRED, that prevents me from commenting a whole lot too, obviously. We’re only humans after all 🙂
This is such an interesting point of view! I know I personally read about 90% of book blogs, for sure, but I also love reading lifestyle blogs and such and I do love to read and comment on their posts, too, even if yes, I probably do it less often than I do it with book blogs 🙂
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
Oh, I 100% agree with this assessment, hands down. I will definitely leave a like on a post if I enjoyed it or even if I don’t have time to write a comment like I want to (because, like you, I never want to write a comment just for the sake of writing a comment, but to actually give something meaningful), but I definitely prefer to comment if I’m able to, because I want to recognize the blogger’s hard work and let them know that their post at least resonated with at least one reader, you know? Nothing makes me feel more accomplished, proud and heard as a blogger than discussions through the comments, though likes are nice, too. Comments just feel much more personal and help bridge the gap of feeling like you’re shouting out into the void and no one is listening, sometimes.
Anyhoo, great post, as usual! I just love your discussion posts! <3
I so, so get what you mean and that’s exactly why I comment, too. When I appreciated a blog post, I always want to do my very best to show some love and comments just make me so happy, both to receive and to give 🙂 <3
Thank you so, so much Nicole, you're so sweet <3 <3
Yes, exactly! And comments from you always make my day, especially since I know how busy you are, so it means a lot you’re willing to take some time out of your day to offer your thoughts on my thoughts! <3
Oh Nicole you’re too sweet ahh ? of course, I always love love reading your posts! <3 <3
Great post! I agree that it’s important to give some love back to the blogging community. I love comments because, as you and other commenters have said, it tells me that people are reading my post and that they care about what I have to say.
Thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed it! <3 <3 I'm glad you feel the same way about comments 🙂
I definitely used to comment more when I first started out, especially (selfishly) because I noticed that if I took the time to comment on someone’s post, they are more likely to take the time to view my most recent post and return the comment on it. But lately I have noticed a significant drop off in interaction on mine and other people’s posts which surprised me! I had never considered that most people might have made the permanent jump from blog to social for their creative and bookish outlet. It makes sense, though it is pretty sad. I still LOVE my blog, and feel the most comfortable interacting and getting my news from here rather than social media. Here’s to the steady few that hold it down!
I’m so happy I’m not the only one that has noticed this. I’ve been feeling a gradual change for a while though, whether it’s by seeing people who used to have blogs, really focusing their time and energy more on these other, new outlets. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, if they prefer it that way, great for them! I’m just like you, I prefer interacting this way, too 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
I don’t always comment if I don’t have anything to say. And then I’m less likely to leave a comment if I see that it’s a one-way-street of commenting. Like the author of the blog post never comments back or there’s no notification of returned-comments. And then there’s stuff like comment forms not working or like Blogger recently stopped working for commenting! I can’t login or anything! So annoying.
My other thing is that I’m an author. If I come across a blog post that speaks negatively about a book (it’s the blogger’s right, I get that) then I am DEFINITELY NOT going to participate. It is not in the best interest of my career to get involved with negative reviews. I lean towards commenting on discussion posts (like this one) or personal posts or posts in which a blogger loves a book and I’m interested in that book or have read it and loved it too.
I agree with you, I love chatting and it makes me a little sad when I don’t see my comments being acknowledged. I 200% understand when it takes time, hell I’m busy myself and tired and can’t answer everything really quickly, either, but I always make a point to do so, as much as I can 🙂
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I’ve only just gotten back into commenting on blog posts. In between ruts and unannounced hiatuses I had written any in a while and when I sat down to write some they all felt inauthentic and I couldn’t bring myself to post any of them.
I only started blogging in 2017, but blogging seems almost entirely different now than it did then. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to hop onto Twitter or Instagram to read short little reviews and threads, and I love that everyone has so many different platforms to use to express themselves but I also really miss how blogging as a whole, used to feel.
Loved reading this! x
I feel like blogging is growing and changing and these new, different platforms are bringing something new, for sure 🙂 if people turn to them, I want to believe that good old blogs still have their place here, too <3
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! 🙂
I love this post so much, and I definitely agree with everything. I’d add that, for me, the voice of the blogger can be important because those with a friendly, or sympathetic voice will make me feel more comfortable to comment and start a discussion even if I haven’t yet talked to them. I definitely agree about being more awkward on twitter (and I hate bookstagram, haha..) and it feels like, I don’t know, people are WATCHING what I’m saying there? (I know that in reality no one is! I don’t even have a big following.) But because my reply to someone will appear in my followers’ feed, the pressure is ON, haha. Also, I feel like you can write long comments under a blog post, but that isn’t possible on twitter – not that tweets can’t be valuable and part of a nice convo, but blog comments and twitter replies are super-different.
I agree about the like button – this is why I love wordpress, it’s so nice to be able to give a nod of encouragement or support without having to write out a comment. Also, definitely agree about featuring posts in monthly wrap ups. 😀
Oh god I’m so, so happy you feel the same way! I 200% agree with you about the voice. There’s something about the way a blog post is written that will make me feel more comfortable and less nervous about leaving a comment, too. And, like, even if someone seems friendly on twitter, I’m very less likely to try and engage there than on a blog comment, because I feel… YES watched in a way, and so much more nervous about every tweet ahah.
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment, so happy you liked this post <3
I completely agree! I feel like blogging means so much more to me than likes and views. I do love seeing a spike in my views, but it means so much to me when a post gets multiple comments 😀 It makes me feel like I put something out into the world that people actually wanted to see
Yes exactly! Views and likes are appreciated of course and they always make me happy but there’s this little something more about getting comments that warm my heart even more <3
For sure ☺️
Wonderful post, you really had lots to say on this topic!! First, I wanna day I don’t quite see the blogging going down for the treads/insta ? or maybe I just don’t pay too much attention.. I always find a BUNCH of blogs to visit through discord or bloglovin’ or the wp reader – too many for me to keep up with all that ahaha
I agree with you for not commenting a generic comment! Most of the time that i’d read without Commenting is because of that. Either it’s a top X of books I have neither of them read/on my tbr or virtual wanna read, or I have no idea what I wanna add to it.
Other times I’m TRYING to comment something, but you need to sign on/do a backflip to comment and I just erhh.. let it go and pass my way xd too much of a lazy to do that, and sometimes it makes it harder if i’m on mobile or running out of time.
I just like to do both- i feel like blogposts are a less spontaneous kind of thing were it needs planning and you can’t do like 5/day thus you need it longer and on a particular thing only. While social media can have LOTS MORE per day and we can just have a casual chat where you can’t really do on a blogpost specific to X. The use of both are just very specific in my mind where social medias and blog posts compliment each others.
Thank you so much Kristina, so happy you enjoyed this post! 🙂
I’m not saying that book blogs are dead AT all here ahah, I just feel like there is SO much happening both on twitter and bookstagram and everywhere else, too. There are still way too many blogs for me to keep up, as well, don’t worry about that hahaha.
I agree that they both complete each other well, when you think of it! Blog posts take me entire weekends to draft while a tweet takes me… well okay an hour because I’m anxious but still, that’s less time hahaha 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
Reblogged this on THE BLOGGING STATION.
I do cross-share my blog posts/reviews across my Instagram and Twitter but I still enjoy striking up conversations on blogs and will make the effort to do so (time permitting). I feel like it shows more appreciation, as you say, for the hard work bloggers put in <3
I’m happy you agree! <3 There's something special about comments on blogs directly that make me so happy <3
I feel like I have a similar system for why and when I’ll comment on a blog post to you. I’ll comment if I have time and feel I can add to it or have questions. If not, I’ll only like it to still show appreciation to the author’s work.
I’m so happy you feel the same way about commenting! thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I agree with you SO MUCH on this post. Look, I am never going to read a book review on Instagram, I am just not. Fine for those who do, like you said, but it’s not for me. Ditto threads on Twitter. Like- I might find some initial interest in a book on those sites, sure. But when it comes down to it, I won’t buy a book based on it, I need the long format reviews. As for what makes me comment/not comment… a lot of it is, like you said, TIME. I hate how little of that I have. So I have to be really picky with what I comment on, honestly. Like- I can read through posts at work, if I am lucky, or with the kids around. But I can’t comment in either place, so if I have saved a post for commenting, it’s probably because I really loved it and feel I can contribute! I also try VERY hard to comment back, just because again like you said, it’s great to find like-minded people in the community and also it just seems nice. So in THOSE cases, I won’t comment if the tab has been open for more that 2 weeks and I keep refreshing and STILL flat out cannot find anything to say. I don’t want to be the “great post” commenter either, so I try very hard to have something thoughtful to say. If I genuinely try and can’t find it, then I have to call it quits and move on.
Ahh I’m so glad you can relate to this post, Shannon <3
I mean, I like bookstagram and twitter and I enjoy scrolling down, reading tweets and most of it all seeing the gorgeous pictures, but…. there are only rare times and for a couple accounts where I will read entire, long captions, so I won't read entire reviews on there, either.
That's exactly me, too! I can't read blog posts at work at all though, but when I can take some time to do so, I do my best to save the ones I feel like I can bring something more to, or start a conversation, too. There's only so many time in the day and sometimes, no matter how much I want to comment, if I can't find anything to say… I just won't.
Thank you so, SO much for sharing your thoughts on the topic, Shannon! <3
I want to comment on the irony of this post having 158 comments as I’m writing this – which I LOVE. This is a great discussion point and something that I think bloggers need to consider. If I have posts that I don’t receive any comments on, I like to assess why – because I write blog to drive conversation and thoughts about what’s being read. Fantastic post as always! ❤️
I, well I kind of didn’t realize this was the number of comments until you mentioned it and now I’m shook a little bit ?? I’m just so happy to see that comments are still well and alive and that we can have such amazing conversations on the blogosphere, this makes my entire day <3
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment, I'm so happy you value comments as much as I do <3
Well, you made me want to comment! ha! So, I don’t often comment because, like you said, I don’t really feel I have anything to add. Also, I am just learning how many amazing blogs there are out here! It’s quite incredible really…so, I’m just soaking it all in at the moment. from a ‘bookish’ sense, I used to call myself a bookworm. Is that even a thing anymore? But, I haven’t read much in the last few years for a variety of reasons…I was always annoyed in school (many moons ago) when I ‘had’ to read something and pick it apart. I love reading just for the sake of reading…and I tend to ponder over things rather than try to have a discussion about them. Often, something from a book, or poem, or essay I have read will pop back in my head years later…and it makes a impression…something maybe I didn’t pick up on…maybe I matured? Maybe I had more life experiences? Who knows…I’m that person that might reread the same book every few years, just to see what I missed. At this point, I feel I have so many things in my head…I can’t get them all out…I have a list of actually engaging and interesting topics to write about (I just put them on a list so I can move on and not drive myself crazy), but then I go to write one of them, and have no idea where I wanted to go with the idea…and so it sits….Squirrel. I know. Anyway, so for comments…I’m that person that thinks of a good comment – hours or days later…and can’t recall where I wanted to put it…kind of like thinking of a good one liner well after the timing is appropriate. But, that’s the nice thing about blogs…they’re still here, and you can find them again. And, yea, I also don’t want to be the person that says, “great post,” and moves on. So, I just move on…I’d be curious to know, from those of you that are long time bloggers…do you appreciate those sort of comments? Great post, Marie 🙂
Oh well this makes me really happy! 🙂
And I get that, about classes somehow turning you off reading, at times, this used to happen to me, too. I love to think you have to find your way back to it, the books that will really matter and make you love reading again 🙂
Personally, I enjoy ALL comments a whole lot, because they all mean someone cares enough to take the time to write a word, small or big. Obviously I appreciate comments initiating conversation, too!! 🙂
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Aww! Thank you!
I’m somehow very late to see this post, but it looks like it’s gotten a whole bunch of people to comment! LOL! I agree that commenting seems to be less common these days. It always surprises me when I interact with someone and they mention something about a post I wrote, but I had no idea they had read it. That happened to me recently with a giveaway winner who I had never heard of before—she ended up telling me about all these things she loved on my blog, and I was really surprised because I’d never “talked” to her via the comments!!
Ohhh really? Well that’s such a wonderful, wonderful surprise! This actually happened to me recently, too, when I saw myself mentioned in a blog post and I had no idea this blogger read my post, because they rarely commented. It’s such a good surprise when this happens though!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Nicole! <3
I also feel the same way! I love receiving comments on my blog posts, it completely makes my day, so I try to leave as many comments on other people’s posts as much as I can, which nowadays is not as much as I would like, but still, I’m doing my best! While I do have (a very inactive) bookstagram and a twitter, I also feel my blog is the “core”, so it doesn’t make much sense to me to move my interactions elsewhere, I don’t know … Loved reading your thoughts on this! 🙂
Ahh I’m glad to hear that!! Comments always make me so, so happy and me too, I try to do my best to leave some love on blogs even if sometimes… well, I lack the time to do it all haha 🙂
This is a great post and I like your insights given that you’ve been in the bookish community for so long! You’re right about social media though. I feel like everyone is migrating there. I get way more comments on my tweets than on my blog. I think people just prefer short, casual posts nowadays over the formal structure of a blog. Not everyone wants to read a whole blog post.
I still comment on blogs but I admit I don’t check my dashboard very often <3 But there are bloggers like you whom I do appreciate (Even if I forget to comment sometimes)!
Oh thank you so much, Frankie, so happy you enjoyed this post! <3
I agree with you, I feel like people are just turning to social media more because it's easier and quicker to read and reply than on a blog post. That being said, I personally love how a blog post can convey so much about a topic, a little more in depth, and I don't know, I'm old school I guess ahah 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3
Yes yes yes!! I could not agree with this more, Marie. I especially love what you said towards the end about how comments recognize the hard work bloggers put into their posts, their sentences, formatting, etc. ♡ It’s so true. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a notification for a new one & I always try my best to leave one when I appreciate/enjoy someone else’s to let them know, too. ♡ I am not on social media, either & the fast-pace of it all isn’t for me. Hopefully blogging & commenting will never die out.
Ahh I’m so happy you can relate to this too <3 I just love comments so much and they make me so happy as well. let's hope this trend will last <3
Oof, I completely agree. People seem to want to interact more on social media rather than blogs and that makes me kinda sad because nothing makes me happier than getting a comment on my blog post! The amount of commenting I’m doing these days is much less as compared to earlier because university barely leaves me with any time to blog hop and comment.
This semester though, I’ve stumbled upon a sort of mandatory course which is super boring but like you can literally do anything you want and the professors don’t seem to care? So now twice a week I seem to be blog hopping during those classes XD
That’s literally what I’m doing right now, lol.
Agree! I feel like maybe it’s easier to get on social media and I completely get that, but there’s something so special about someone taking the time to leave a comment. <3
AH that's so great I wish I could get back to uni just for that that would be amazing??
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts, Charvi, you're so sweet <3 <3
I also feel the same way about commenting, I loved your post by the way!❤️
Aww thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed it <3 <3
I will admit that I don’t comment on blog posts as much as I would like to. Sometimes I will start reading a post and when I’m done reading it, someone talks to me or I have an emergency of some sorts (which makes me forget afterwards), sometimes just like you I don’t really know more what to add and I don’t want to let generic comments. It all depends on the blog itself, the person behind it and everything. But as often as I can, I try to leave a comment because I really feel like they matter more than any other statistics. Like, they are the ones who break the barrier of the internet… making these little numbers become people, with feelings, emotions, and people who you might have inspired or helped in a way. Despite writing to express my feelings/ideas, I also write in the hope that people will read and find something useful in it, so it always feel amazing to have feedbacks ? Thank you for this great post Marie!
Yes yes that’s exactly it! They are what makes just numbers become a little something more and it always, always makes my day to see them appear on my feed, it’s the most wonderful feeling <3
Thank YOU so much for all of your support always, it means the world ?
This is such a wonderful and topical post as usual Marie! I’m definitely one of those bloggers that use social media as my primary form of interaction now, and I’ve found it’s kind of easier to keep up. Even though I still do read some blog posts, it’s so much easier to interact using other forms of media. But yes, I appreciate every comment and I adore reading them!
Oh thank you so much Jeann, so happy you enjoyed it! <3
I can understand that! It's easier and quicker to interact via social media than on blogs, but comments have that little something special that makes me so happy <3
I feel this. I rarely get comments on my blog posts any more. Someone actually commented on my linked in about instead, which was surprising but might have been better in the blog.
I feel like things are changing a little bit, with social media and all…. guess it’s a new thing to get used to 🙂
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I agree with the points you made in this post! With the existence of social media platforms, it’s understandable that people would go there a lot more than book blog to interact. And because of this it makes me extremely excited when someone comment on a blog post I wrote! It’s not easy to get people to comment on blog post so when a kind soul does that I can’t thank them enough!
I think putting questions at the end of your blog post really help to invite people to comment on your post. In a way, you give them something to say and they can also avoid giving generic comments too.
Thank you so, so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed this post! <3
I agree with you, I always try and leave questions and I like when other people do, it makes me feel like they're looking for a conversation here, too 😀
Thank you for shedding light on the importance of commenting on blog posts. Your insightful article not only highlights the significance of engagement but also emphasizes the sense of community and support within the blogging sphere. Your tips are practical and encouraging, reminding us all to contribute and connect with fellow bloggers. Well-articulated and immensely helpful
Thank you for addressing an important aspect of the blogging community – the art of commenting! Your insights on the value of comments not only shed light on the supportive nature of the blogging world but also encourage a sense of community. Your post serves as a reminder that leaving thoughtful comments can truly make a positive impact and foster meaningful connections. Keep up the great work in promoting engagement and appreciation in the blogosphere
Thanks for addressing this important topic! Your insights into the reasons behind blog post commenting habits are eye-opening. It’s a reminder of the value of engagement and community-building within the blogging sphere. Your article has inspired me to be more proactive in leaving meaningful comments. Keep up the fantastic work!
Great post! Your insights on the impact of comments are eye-opening. Engaging with content truly fosters a vibrant online community. Thanks