Did you know leaving comments on blogs, articles, and other posts helps improve your communication skills?
I recently came across a statistic about online engagement from the Neilson Norman Group study.
It said:
- 90% never contribute
- 9% contribute every now and then
- 1% contribute regularly.
These numbers are applied to blogging and comments too. I was shocked that 90% of blog readers are missing out on a chance to improve their communication skills.
Top 4 communication skills commenting improves
Your Listening Skills.
Commenting helps you listen to not only what the writer said, but how she/he said it, and why? Respond to something specific the writer wrote, something the writer implied, or something the writer omitted.
Your Feedback Skills.
Commenting helps you practice how to give useful feedback. Feedback, according to dictionary.com, is a reaction or response to a particular process or activity. The writer wrote something and posted it for the world to see. Depending on the type of communication, writers need to know not just if, but how, their writing is impacting their target audience. Encourage a writer by leaving a comment that engages you and the writer.
Your Writing Skills.
Commenting helps you practice writing clear concise messages. It also helps with your summary and paraphrasing skills. Commenting also gets you in the habit of citing your sources.
Your Empathy Skills.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the emotions of others. I find that people have a hard time identifying emotion, unless they are the big ones. Commenting is a way to help identify the subtle emotions at work, before they become bigger. This skill is important because it increases your emotional intelligence by allowing you to identify and respond to the emotional content of the writer. We all look to connect with other online. Being empathetic in your comments increases feelings of connected-ness.
So now that you know why you need to comment, let’s tackle the next big hassle. What do you say?
How To Generate Comment Content
I have been part of the 90% who read something and never commented on it. I have also been a part of the 1% who has commented regularly. Sometimes I need to take a minute to gather my thoughts. As the cursor blinks in the box, I find it hard to leave a comment. If you are like me, here are ideas for generating the content for your comment.
1. Respond to something the writer said, implied, or omitted.
Writers of blogs or articles don’t usually have time to exhaust a topic. They may only write about a certain facet of a topic. Comment about something the writer wrote that you have never heard before. Or comment how you plan to use the tips or resource suggestions they provided. Comment about an implied thought not explicitly stated in the piece. Depending on your knowledge of the content, comment about facts or ideas that were omitted.
2. Respond to the writing style.
Some writers have great tone voice. You can hear humor, passion, anger, and even pleading in a piece. Comment on how the tone of the piece connected with you. Some writers are extremely quotable. Comment by telling them which quote you liked and why. Some writers use great analogies and metaphors to convey their points. You can leave a comment saying what you liked about the mental picture that their examples, analogies, or metaphors conjured in you. Comment by complimenting something they did or admitted in the post.
3. Respond to a triggered thought related to the content.
We have all read something that reminded us of something. Comment by telling the writer about it. This could start a whole other conversation.
4. Respond with a question to keep or deepen the discussion.
If a writer is presenting him or herself as an expert, it is a great time to ask a question. Even if they aren’t an “expert”, and you just like their point of view, ask their opinion on something. This is personally my favorite way to comment.
I want to help you become a better communicator. Commenting on blog posts is an easy way to practice your skills. Commenting helps you identify the value in what was written. By commenting on it, you are further solidifying your learning.
So, why wouldn’t you comment?
For a few more tips on leaving a comment check out these resources:
- Mrs. Yollis Third Grade Class video gives superb tips. It is my favorite!
- Bob Dunn gives good tips on how to get your post noticed.
- HubPages gives some do’s and don’ts when commenting
photo credit: Martin Gommel via photopincc
Practical and useful. 🙂 Thanks Julia!
Thank you Brian! And thanks for saying so!
I run into this a lot with book reviews too. Blog comments and book reviews are ways to “repay” people for some of the wonderful free or cheap content that we produce.
Good stuff, Adam! I am guilty of this myself and yet am always frustrated that almost no one comments on my own blogs. Maybe I need to initiate some reciprocity? 🙂
writeonbob Julia actually wrote it, but yes it is a great post. Thanks for reading!
Love this post, Julia. Not pushy, just informative. Great job on this. I love the ” Top 4 communication skills commenting improves.”
Julia,
Agree with Adam. Stimulating, very informative, yet not pushy. We have had talks beyond these comments that has not only brought us closer and know a lit more of each other, but exchange opinion. Learn from ourselves. It has lead to take actions.
I heard the other day that a blog should be the start of a conversation; an open invitation to jump in and comment and couldn’t agree more. Its really important to point out as well that interaction between readers and comments should be part of it.
When I comment I expect not only to interact with you, but with the other readers.
Let’s get all better by commenting:)
Thanks. Enjoy your Thursday.
Diego.
Julia – nicely written post. Engaging, informative and to the point. You make a good persuasive argument. Blogging, to me, is about building community. Commenting is a great way to do so.
newmantarag Thank you! You are right. Commenting is a great way to build that community. Can you share a great relationship or interaction that came from comments on your blog?
diegohijano You are a prime example of the relationships you can build through commenting! I remember a few interactions we had before I started writing for Adam. I like that ” A blog should be the start of a conversation: an open invitation to jump int and comment.” I like that visual. As I continue to blog and tweet, I am going to try to incorporate that!
BrianFranklinAlexander I am glad! Thanks for saying so 🙂
spiritualtramp I like that analogy! Comments are like little gifts we can repay people for what they produce. Thanks for commenting!
Julia – my blog is relatively new. I am still figuring out how to drive traffic so not a lot of comments yet :-(. In general I think people are afraid of “putting themselves out there”. Thanks for the reply!
newmantarag You are spot on about putting themselves out there. It can be overwhelming. It could also be a time and memory thing. I have read something great and thought “I’ll comment on that later” and then i forget. So there are lots of reasons people don’t comment but be sure to encourage comments from the jump. As you post more consistantly, and you encourage commenting, folks will warm up. What’s your blog? I’ll head over there and practice my communication skills by commenting 😉
AdamKSmith Thanks Adam. I had to really careful not to sound self serving. LOL! But commenting does improve your skills if you are aware.
writeonbob We all do it! I know I am guilty too. We all get frustrated but the moment I step and comment on other’s blog you never know what might happen. What’s your blog? I can send some reciprocity your way 🙂
Julia! That is super cool of you. I blog at familysportlife.net. I am way excited to even have a blog to practice my writing and share my experiences. Plus, my husband and I blog together which makes it even more special. I love supporting people in their endeavors so I will always strive to create a place for people to grow.
Julia,
Until I read your post on asmithblog.com, I did not know
that leaving comments on blogs, articles and other posts helps improve my
communication skills.
Thanks for taking the time to do the research and to write
the post.
I’d like to become more intentional about taking advantage
of opportunities to improve my communication skills.
By reading your post, I understood that commenting helps to
shape our listening (I’m assuming reading) skills. For me, that alone is reason
to be more dedicated to commenting.
Thanks for posting for the world to see and for me to read.
Thanks for wanting to help me become a better communicator.
You might be interested in knowing that my comment to your
blog post is my FIRST EVER comment to any blog post. I read lots of them. Now
that I’ve read your post, I’m going to comment on more of them.
How did you stumble upon the Neilson Norman Group online
engagement statistic?
Great post man, I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject lately. One other method I’ve seen talked about and used myself is adding additional resources or links to other blog posts on the subject. Often some of the most useful comments are where people post a link to a service or app that I’ve never heard of that solves some common problem related to the post.
timothy_kenny That is a really good idea…adding other resources. Glad you liked the post!
Wow that statistic is way larger than any I would have guessed! 90%!
I never thought about commenting as a way to improve communication but you are spot on. It definitely makes sense.
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Hi Julia!
Stopping by to say “hi” and thank you for a wonderful post. This is my new pastime–commenting on thought-provoking posts such as yours. This not only helps my writing, but also engages the creative thinking skills.
I believe people just don’t want to take the time to comment–or may think they have nothing to say. This is sad. We live in such a fast-paced society, we pop in, pop out, and just can’t be bothered.
I’ve not seen a post on this topic before. It was very timely. Keep up the great writing!
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