The Ten Commandments Of Blog Commenting
Most of us visit a lot of blogs everyday and leave comments on the ones we like. Some people leave comments on other blogs hoping to get noticed and possibly gain more traffic. Others leave comments because they want to participate and make new friends.
Both reasons are perfectly valid. What a lot of people tend to forget, however, is that there are best practices for everything, including blog commenting.
Here are the Ten Commandments Of Blog Commenting:
1. Read before you write - Before writing your comment, make sure that you have read and understood the post. Firing off a quick comment only to realize that it was totally unrelated to the post won’t get you any new visitors. Be sure to read your comment before submitting. I’ve made a lot of embarrassing typos just because I was in a hurry to submit my comment.
2. Be Polite - Good manners are essential when commenting on other blogs. You wouldn’t go to another house and behave inappropriately right? It’s the same thing with blogs. Just because you’re not interacting face to face doesn’t mean you can act like an idiot. If you’re polite and well-behaved, you’ll find that it will be easy to forge new relationships with other bloggers.
3. Smile - Emoticons are great for adding a little oomph to your comment. A smile can make a huge difference. If you’re giving the author a compliment, smile. If you’re voicing a different opinion, smile. A smiley gives off a friendly vibe. Trust me 
.
4. Contribute - As much as possible, try leaving a comment that adds value to the discussion. Comments like, “Me too!”, or “Wow nice!” are generally frowned upon and give the impression that your opinions are not worth reading. Personally, I don’t mind comments like these since I’m an off-topic kind of guy heh, but for other blogs, it’s better to leave comments with value.
5. Don’t be condescending - When pointing out errors in the post, or disagreeing with the author’s opinion, do it in a nice way. You may be the world’s smartest person but you don’t have to rub it in everyone else’s face. Voice your opinions in a friendly manner and you’ll be sure to make new friends. Remember, the really good ones don’t need to brag.
6. When in doubt, ask - Anytime you come across a post that you would like to comment on but can’t because you don’t fully understand it, go ahead and ask for clarification. Most authors would be happy to expound on their original post. Most blog authors appreciate it when their readers show interest in the article by asking questions.
7. Make a good impression - Commenting on other blogs is another way of marketing yourself and your blog. If the majority of your comments are obvious hit and run comments to gain backlinks or to get into the Top Commentators list, you’re not painting a good picture of yourself. Writing meaningful replies and responding to other commenters are good ways of leaving a good impression on the blog author and his readers.
8. Never flame - If you feel the need to comment on a post that you don’t like or an article that you completely disagree with, don’t start a flame war. Insults, name-calling, and sarcastic comments won’t give you new readers nor friends. If you can’t help but feel antagonistic towards the author, don’t waste your time and energy. Just leave. There are thousands of other blogs that you can visit.
9. Humor goes a long way - Everyone loves a good laugh. Try injecting some of your comments with a little humor. If you can make the author and the other commenters laugh, there’s a good chance that they’ll visit your blog and become regular readers.
10. Come back - You’ve done all the things listed here. What’s next? You have to try and go back to the blogs you visited and continue to contribute. That is the best way to get noticed. Most blog authors notice people who regularly leave comments, and usually become a regular commenter on their blogs as well.
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July 17th, 2007 01:05
Great post! I agree!
Seriously though, you’ve really hit on a lot of key points with regard to commenting on other people’s blogs. It may not seem like it at times but each comment you leave on a blog is a pointer back to yourself.
Regarding your last point about coming back, I appreciate blogs that provide the ability to subscribe to the comments with an email notification. While it is usually possible to add the RSS comments feed, I find that much more bothersome than simply checking the box and getting notified of a new comment. That results in me visiting the blog with much more frequency.
July 17th, 2007 01:11
@Derek:
Thanks, I agree too
July 17th, 2007 01:27
Opal just added on my site, “[Make sure you read all the other comments so you don’t miss something like an answer to the question you’re posting!]”
July 17th, 2007 01:32
@Bush:
That’s good advice buddy
July 17th, 2007 01:44
Great post!
I’m often guilty of the first point
July 17th, 2007 01:49
@Thomas:
Thanks! That happens to me a lot too
July 17th, 2007 02:12
Haha I usually don’t leave a comment without reading the whole post
. But seriously that list is bang on, follow those steps and you will be the best commentor our there! lol
July 17th, 2007 02:20
Great post buddy . Even i make a lot of typos while commenting . I will try to correct this thing .
July 17th, 2007 02:22
Somebody should make a championship belt or trophy for the best commenters
July 17th, 2007 02:23
@Madhur:
Thanks buddy. I have a high typo rate haha .. I need to work on that
July 17th, 2007 02:49
Nice job, buddy
I think eventually with all these different articles (including this one) our little group of blogging friends have been writing lately we could probably start a whole new blog geared towards blogging etiquette 
July 17th, 2007 02:55
Wow nice, greet site here. Visit my site now it’s the best in the world ever
Ha ha,
I have made lots of these mistakes. I always make sure I read an entire post and try to read all other comments, unless there are pages and pages of them.
I don’t think i’ll ever be able to stop making spelling errors but I will try. My blog is pretty new and I’m a novice at all this who like many is trying to get serious so I spent the first half of yesterday visiting blogs and commenting on things I like. I have noticed a steady increase in visitors today so I guess it does work (well I say steady, I’ve had 10, ha ha). I have not gained any adsense revenue though so I guess I need to just keep commenting and attempting to input decent content. No matter how much someone comments on my site and vice versa I’m sure if the content is not up to scratch then revisits will be rare……..
Right better go write some decent content before anyone comes to visit.
July 17th, 2007 02:57
@Mike:
Thanks buddy!
This post was a little longer than my usual ones. After I finished reading the whole thing for the first time I thought “Did I just say those things? But I’m supposed to be shy!” haha
July 17th, 2007 03:00
@Forest:
10 did you say? Make that 11 now
Hope you get lost and end up here again sometime
July 17th, 2007 04:31
Peace and howdy ??
Objection your honor!!!!
Objection rejected!! Actually you’re right, i agree for you
But i suggest after this u may add 7 more because i love number 7 and love if you end this with number 7.
Best regards
July 17th, 2007 06:39
[…] The Ten Commandments of Blog Commenting - My buddy Baron serves up a great list of ten things you should consider when making comments on blogs. […]
July 17th, 2007 06:55
You know that humor might also go the wrong way? (See what I mean?
) Great post, by the way!
July 17th, 2007 07:32
i think u just said it all!! but can i make a suggestion?? what about bloggers replying to their visitors comments…. there should be Ten Commandments Of Host Interaction with readers!!!
:):D
sometimes i just dont visit blogs more than two times cause i comment and i get no response like im invisible… i think no one likes to be ignored…:D ok now some smiles to give that friendly vibes :D:)
July 17th, 2007 10:58
Excellent piece of advisory. I love point 3 and 4 and sometimes guilty of point 1 (typos). For point 10, make that come back often. If make really good comments, chances are the author or some commentators may talk to you in the comments and it’s your chance to interact.
Good sensible comments attract readers to visit your site to learn more about who you are!
Cheers
Karen
July 17th, 2007 11:15
@Forumer:
Of course, there’s always the iReply movement hehehe
7? Hehehehe
@Grace:
Lol thanks
@confessing7girl:
That’s a good suggestion for a new post
@Karen:
That’s true.
July 17th, 2007 11:30
Excellent post!
adding it to this week’s wrap up. 
I wrote an article on commenting a while back also, as a guest post on Freshblogger.. Challenging Yourself To Comment -
I would add a commandment number 11 - put a sign off at the bottom of your comments.. Typing your name, email address and URL into the boxes provided for comments is fine and dandy and I recommend you do it every time but sometimes people don’t realize they can get to your blog that way. So at the bottom of the comment you can put something like this -
Snoskred
http://www.snoskred.org/
July 17th, 2007 11:43
@Snoskred:
Thank you!
That’s actually a good suggestion. There are people who forget that a commenter’s name usually contains the link to their blog.
July 17th, 2007 12:17
[…] The Ten Commandments Of Blog Commenting- Brown Baron writes about the ten unofficial guidelines about commenting. […]
July 17th, 2007 13:02
[…] Brown Baron, who has one of the coolest avatars, just put up an outstanding post about the 10 Commandments of Blog Commenting. Not only that but Brown Baron includes some of the most popular, well respected bloggers in his […]
July 17th, 2007 16:29
Love the list!
The “Read Before You Write” Rule is sort of true.. sometimes after reading just one sentence, some would comment right away w/o even understanding what the author wanted to express.
July 17th, 2007 16:31
@ChiQ:
Thanks! I’m glad you found your way here
July 17th, 2007 16:47
So Thou Shall Follow these commandments before commenting in this post?
July 17th, 2007 16:55
@kuanhoong:
As much as possible.
Of course on this blog, it’s as casual as it gets
July 17th, 2007 19:48
[…] want to be clear understood : I`m not posting a critique to THIS GUY, nor to THIS POST. Is just an attempt to put out another point of view (where is case) or to make things […]
July 17th, 2007 20:05
I just hope (1)
you will (2)
have time to (3)
read (4)
and laugh hard (5)
abvout the (6)
abberations (7)
I allowed to (8)
be posted here : (9)
http://five4all.com/blog-baron-brown/ (10)
July 17th, 2007 20:32
@Valentin:
I read it. I had a good laugh too
July 17th, 2007 20:56
thats why i love the ireply movement!!!!
July 17th, 2007 21:16
A great list. I have been thinking of creating one for my blog for quite some time now, it looks like you have beat me to it. I’ll just link this post up so that my readers will be able to know the ten commandments of blog commenting.
Happy Blogging!
July 17th, 2007 21:22
@confessing7girl:
Haha thanks
@Karlo:
Thanks for the compliment!
July 17th, 2007 21:32
Awesome Post, Brown. Emoticons rock and also humour.
July 17th, 2007 21:37
@Shankar:
Thanks for the compliment buddy
July 18th, 2007 00:03
Great post !
I was bad on point 2 a lot of times,
Just self host a couple day back. Check my new blog (wordpress).
Thank you again for your kind words abt the wishes in Kuanhoong’s blog.
Jamy
July 18th, 2007 00:06
@Jamy:
Thanks!
As for the wishes, you are very much welcome
July 18th, 2007 02:39
Wow, nice!
I kid, I kid.
I think I am sometimes guilty of number 10. There are just so many great blogs out there, sometimes it is hard to remember that you haven’t been back somewhere in a while. It is very easy to lose track at times.
I am such a fan of number 7. I had a grand old time commenting over on Mike’s blog over at Ordinary folk. I personally feel that most posts can be better with some humor in the comments.
July 18th, 2007 02:43
@Andrew:
I agree. When done properly, humor in comments is a fast way of making new friends
Of course, I rarely do it since I’m a bit shy
July 18th, 2007 02:46
ahh on this i had to come and comment!!!!!
u shy Baron????? humm i dont think soo… or maybe u hide it too well ;);)
July 18th, 2007 02:48
@confessing7girl:
Hehehehehe
July 18th, 2007 10:17
That is a truly excellent list man. It would be so nice if everyone could follow it.
Shine on,
Aaron
July 18th, 2007 12:05
@Aaron:
Thanks buddy
July 18th, 2007 15:36
Hi there,
I comment to make friends on the blogsphere.
but now i realized that sometimes i voilated 2nd point.
Shall follow it now onwards.
Thanks for sharing these great points.
Have a nice day!!!
July 18th, 2007 16:59
@Sunil:
Thanks
Hope you come back to visit
July 18th, 2007 17:03
These 10 commandments are just too GOOD
If everyone here in MBL could read this would be wonderful.
THUMBS UP
July 18th, 2007 17:08
@Janice:
Thank you for the compliment
Hope you drop by more often
July 18th, 2007 22:51
[…] Brown Baron wrote an amazing article on The Ten Commandments of Blog Commenting. […]
July 19th, 2007 11:14
Are you in some advisory council?
I was wondering since you’re giving some great advice with good reasoning! Great job!! BTW, I was late commenting here since you insisted me in point #1 but I’m sorry couldn’t follow # 4 
July 19th, 2007 12:36
@Benedict:
Haha thanks buddy!
No. 4? That’s ok, I’m always off topic too hehe
July 19th, 2007 15:20
I like point no 5….as most of the readers from search engine write something without reading what is written and trying to criticize…
July 19th, 2007 15:39
@Mr. Byte:
That’s true. Sometimes they get disappointed that your post wasn’t exactly what they were searching for.
July 19th, 2007 21:43
Search engines are always not intelligent enough to sent the correct users
July 19th, 2007 22:14
@Benedict:
That’s true buddy
July 19th, 2007 22:19
You can kinda tell if someone really read the article by glancing at what they wrote in the comments. Usually longer comments are more thought out and complete, and the reader really has some value to add to the discussion. I like to ask questions to the blogger and the other readers to help build the discussion. Very few times will I feel like leaving something of little value, such as “Great!” or “Cool!”
I guess this is also why I have been known to talk to people on the phone for 30 hours in a month.
July 19th, 2007 22:28
That’s a lot of calls
July 19th, 2007 23:57
more important than any of those comments:
stay true to yourself while commenting.
(and here is on of these thing for good measure:
)
July 20th, 2007 00:16
@hubs:
That should be the given
July 20th, 2007 05:21
haha, all of these should be given. except for may be #10. These are all just basic social niceties.
July 20th, 2007 05:25
Yes they are.
July 20th, 2007 16:42
You’ve written a great post, consolidating what should be commonsense (but it never hurts to spell it out for yourself and others)! Following these suggestions is bound to increase one’s karma.
July 20th, 2007 17:19
@Meg:
Thanks! It’s true that sometimes the most obvious things are easily forgotten. Thanks for the compliment
July 22nd, 2007 09:09
[…] The Ten Commandments of Blog Comments The Baron has spoken. He went up the digital mountain and came back with knowledge. He was generous enough to share it with us. If you are going to comment on blogs you should follow these rules. […]
July 24th, 2007 13:23
I began an experiment last week by removing comments from several of my blogs. Thus far, I’m happy I did it, and I’ve been researching and searching for good posts about commenting for a post of my own. I’ve stumbled onto a great post here which I’m sure I will add as a link when I finally write my post on comments.
July 24th, 2007 13:40
@Kuanyin:
Thank you for the kind words. I’ll be sure to check out your post once it’s live
July 25th, 2007 06:30
[…] my religious background or my strange heavily sarcastic sense of humor but when I stumbled onto the Ten Commandments of Blog Commenting while researching a future post, I simply couldn’t help myself. Without further ado, I give […]
July 25th, 2007 16:19
Very well written and good points. thanks for sharing!
July 25th, 2007 16:35
@Terence:
Thanks for the compliment buddy!
July 25th, 2007 22:49
Off-topic, I really like how you subtly add the comment number in each comment box. Did that come with the theme or did you code it yourself?
Hope all’s well.
July 25th, 2007 23:51
@David:
Thanks for dropping by! The comment numbers came with the theme.
July 25th, 2007 23:53
You’re very welcome sir. Thanks for letting me know.
July 30th, 2007 09:35
Fantastic. This is one I missed, I’ll be sure not to next time
July 30th, 2007 11:12
@Bobby:
Thanks!
July 30th, 2007 12:25
[…] BrownBarons 10 Commandments of Blog Commenting A great post from the one and only Brown Baron. […]
August 2nd, 2007 02:52
Great post…I don’t see comments from any of the usual “mean bloggers”…I guess they are all at Bloggers Connect today being “mean” in person
I love the emoticons here…need to figure out how to add them to my site!
August 2nd, 2007 04:46
Hi Jackie! Thanks for the compliment
As to the “mean bloggers”, maybe they’re busy pestering someone else haha.
August 15th, 2007 04:14
[…] more commandments geared towards commenting, I recommend that you check out Brown Baron’s Ten Commandments of Blog Commenting. In the meantime, here’s my set of rules for getting along in blogland: Read more […]
August 20th, 2007 11:29
[…] (and you too) Go read the Brown Barons 10 Commandments of Commenting I’ve recommended it before and now again! Great information! Also, read the girl’s way […]
August 20th, 2007 12:21
I too make mistakes in commenting, as well as posting, spending a quiet amount of good time is necessary to publish quality articles.
August 20th, 2007 13:59
@Praveen:
I’ve made a lot of mistakes too buddy. I’ll probably make a lot more hehe.
August 24th, 2007 13:52
You make great points. I’d like to see more politeness in general on the web
August 24th, 2007 14:47
@Lukemeister:
That would be a great thing, I agree
August 29th, 2007 21:51
Nice list you got there, I always do the first one… read first..
if I didn’t read the entire post, then I wont comment as I already clicking another link coz either I don’t like it, or its boring…..
August 30th, 2007 20:33
@AskaX:
Haha that’s true
September 4th, 2007 23:27
I don’t understand what this is about, but I wish all of this people would just check out my website by clicking my tap up above
Serious tough, if you ever think of adding more commandments to the list, here’s a couple suggestions off the top of my head:
1) skimming trough other comments before posting your own won’t hurt, and it will minimize the chance that you come across as a eager jackass who’s more prone to talking than listening.
2) avoid shamelessly plugging in your own website; do not do it at all, unless you really think your plug can offer a relevant perspective to the conversation.
3) Do your best to be honest and straightforward. Don’t disguise compliments as plugs and likewise.
September 4th, 2007 23:30