Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina · 2 minuta čitanja · ~100 ·

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Does Every Comment Merit a Reply?

Does Every Comment Merit a Reply?

Thank You! | Appreciate Your } = Comment.


 

I like being on beBee more than any other social network. That is the reason why I am sometimes a bit too critical towards some things I noticed here that could, in my opinion, diminish the pleasure of social networking. 

After my post about clogging hives with irrelevant content, I decided to write about another topic.

As a reader primarily but also as someone who gives a try at writing occasionally, I ask myself should writers reply to every comment on their articles.

Dr Ali Ananni in his post The Spontaneous Writer said: "Expect no feedback. Write because you are in the flow and don’t block the flow with feelings of fear of criticism, or lack of feedback."

I thought the same about blogging when started writing on beBee.  But now I write expecting feedback in the form of comments and am grateful to those who share their insights on my posts. I am sure that most bloggers on beBee expect and appreciate comments too.

If so, why they do not reply to every comment on their posts.

Does every comment merit a reply?

According to some statistics, far less than 1% of people who read online leave comments. If people take time to comment on my posts, they deserve at least a few minutes of my time and responses. I apologise if I failed to reply to your comments sometimes. :) For me, responding is as time-consuming as writing a post. It can be repetitive but also stimulating when comments are insightful and relevant to the topic. Sometimes it's hard to find a reason to respond to generic comments given the same way by the same persons. But I appreciate those comments too because of their good intentions. To me, it is not only about acknowledging comments (commenters), it is also about encouraging conversation. After all, it is my purpose of being on beBee.

Being on the other side of a stick, as a reader, I notice that some writers selectively reply to comments, usually to the same group of friends and followers. It is discouraging, and readers are less likely to comment again if they repeatedly don't receive responses.

In the beginning when I just joined beBee I had similar experiences. At first, I thought my comments were not worth a reply, but after a while, I noticed the pattern in responding mentioned above.

Another group of writers are those who don't bother to reply at all. They just leave their posts and disappear while at the same time being active on other social networks. Sadly, some of these writers are from my field that is already poorly represented with only a few active members and a lack of posting.

Fortunately, most writers engage with readers and reply to almost every comment no matter how long the comment thread. Two of them deserve admiration while coping with dozens and even hundreds of responses. Those heroes of social media engagement are Ali Annani and Phil Friedman. No other words are needed just take a tour through their blogs.

On beBee, there are many more writers whose blog posts attract commenters regardless of topics because their comments are dignified with a reply, not ignored. 

I don't expect all writers to agree with this point of view. Everyone has their own perception of engagement on social media as well as the reasons for writing.

However, one question bothers me. When intentions behind comment are not good, should such comment be dignified with a reply? I am still in doubt and mostly guided by intuition.


What is your opinion? 

Do you care when an author doesn't reply to your comment? 

Do you feel obligated to reply to every comment?

 

                                                                       I would very much appreciate your comments.

 

 


 

Komentari

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 6 godina#54

#90
Ken, there is no need to apologise. I understand that your work is of the utmost importance. 😉🎅 Thank you for commenting now. I am glad that Jim also commented because he gave a different view on this topic. Perhaps I have a wrong perception of the social media community.

Jim Murray

prije 6 godina#53

I probably don't respond to comments as much as I should. But I do read them all. Most of them, lucky for me, are kind of agreeing with whatever I was writing about, and so there's kind of no need to respond other than to acknowledge. I personally don't care about getting a response to my comments unless I am asking a question. But overall, I like posting here because, except for the odd crazy Brian MacKenzie rant comment (LOL) , people here are pretty quite civilized, which I consider rare and wonderful on social media, which has, for the most part become kind of a cesspool.

Ken Boddie

prije 6 godina#52

I fully agree, Lada, that comments on our posts, particularly more so when they are constructively and thoughtfully appended by others, deserve our time and effort to submit an appropriate response. Furthermore, I firmly believe that, after we hit the publish button, we are duty bound to monitor our posts for subsequent comments (hence enforcing the uniqueness and social bonding of this platform). I have always been somewhat 'miffed' when some of my comments (many of which take some time and effort to formulate) are ignored on the posts of other authors. It follows that I make every effort to avoid creating similar offence or annoyance to commenters on my posts, by directly responding when they are genuine (ie not from trolls or doubtful 'bots') and aimed directly at me and my post. Sorry that I appear to have missed this post first time around. I can only plead guilty and throw myself on your mercy, with the possible saving grace that I may have been fully occupied at that time of year (December 2017) in assisting with the near impossible task of worldwide present delivery via ultrasonic sleigh and big red boomers. 🎅

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 6 godina#51

The latest article by Ken Boddie prompted me to stir my honey barrel and share this old one. https://www.bebee.com/producer/@ken-boddie/is-commending-the-commenter-a-matter-of-a-pinion

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#50

#86
You're right, Ali. Life makes us both teacher and student. Thank you.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#49

#84
That's very nice of you to say, Ali. You are always a gentleman. But we all know who is the teacher and who is a student. :-)

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#48

#79
Let's just ignore the intention behind the question (if there is). My husband is waiting for me to go out for a Sunday walk but I wanted first to write a few words as a reply to your comment. :-) In my comment, I was just wondering about the fact that many times after replying to someone's comment I didn't receive any further feedback. I didn't even know whether a person read my response. That's what I meant when I asked myself about the importance of continuing dialogue and how to achieve it. Sometimes a lack of continuing feedback is due to a glitch in the notification system (as I experienced more than once) but sometimes it's because a person has written their comments in passing, as one of many. But most times it depends on an author of a post and his ability (and credibility) to attract readers and encourage further conversation with them.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#47

#68
Martina, I am intrigued by your question, "Is it really interesting to see dozens of comments that aren't dialogues?" You got me thinking. I wonder whether receiving so many comments and answering them without achieving further and continuing dialogue with commenters is blogging without purpose? The continuing dialogue with an engaging audience is something we can see in posts by Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee. I still have so much to learn from those people who have mastered the art of dialogue.

John Rylance

prije 8 godina#46

If do discover what it is let us all know the secret.#76

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#45

#74
Yes John it crossed my mind that a lot of responses means I must be doing something right. I only need to discover what it is. :-))

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#44

#71
Simply said and true. Thanks, Jim.

John Rylance

prije 8 godina#43

#73
Lada, perhaps one solution when faced with lots of comments and feedback is to every so often post a coverall saying thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far. This is something which happened a lot on LinkedIn, especially on group sites. Also it can provide a chance to draw together strands or summarise what has been said. I realise this is something you have done and can and does open up and extend exchanges of views as it has done here. Hold on to the fact that since you are getting a lot of responses you must be doing something right. Look at all the posts that struggle to generate two or three or for that matter any responses.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#42

#66
Yes, I think this subject is worth discussing because to give feedback, not only on posts but also on comments, is the essential part of blogging. It is like giving feedback on feedback. Thank you, my friend, for joining the conversation.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#41

#70
Thanks Randall. I shared this post on Linkedin too, and all commenters agreed that every comment doesn't merit a reply. One of them said that acknowledging comments by a 'Like' should be enough and responding is only for comments that extend the conversation or represent an alternative viewpoint. Different people, different opinions. Every comment in this thread to which I responded merit a reply, not just because I feel obligated to respond but because everyone expressed their opinion regarding the post topic and different answers to the questions I asked that prompted me to reply.

Randall Burns

prije 8 godina#40

Great post Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic and I've pondered these same questions myself. I do believe in the philosophy of write for yourself and don't expect any feedback although I do appreciate and generally acknowledge any feedback that I do get. Generally comments are initiating a dialogue which is a 2-way street and I will interact if I'm engaged with the topic, but as with you I am guided my intuition. Regarding your question of, "When intentions behind comment are not good, should such comment be dignified with a reply?", I ignore them, too busy with better things to do than to engage in what I perceive as "negative" or "trolling". As Ian Weinberg states, which I agree with , "Also important is gratitude and value contribution - making something better than before you engaged with it.".

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#39

#63
Preston, you said that commenting helped you to meet great clients. It reminds me of Deb Helfrich and how commenting has worked for her too. Many others built personal and professional relationships based on blog comments and then extending the conversation beyond the comments. So you never know where the opportunity lies and who might be reading your comments and responses.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#38

#60
Great lesson about interaction on social media, Martina. I apologize if I offended you unintentionally.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#37

#61
I didn't know that, dear Ali. Hope you are feeling better now. If good wishes could heal, you would immediately become healthy. :) Your comment beautifully summed up what I want to say with the post. "If we have time to write we should have the time also to respond. If we don't have it then we should make it." I would only add what I said to Manjit that by responding to comment we express our appreciation and respect to a person behind the words, something we often forget.

Bill Stankiewicz

prije 8 godina#36

I make an attempt to always try to call or respond to requests I receive via email, phone call, or in meetings. At times if I cannot help I do say know but do provide other contacts that may be in a better position to help.'

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#35

#49
My thought also, Debesh. John Rylance have opened the topic on lack of responding to comments on Influencers' posts on Linkedin that was one of the reasons, among many other; that many people gravitated to beBee.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#34

#44
I have nothing to add, but I would like to thank you for commenting. :-)

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#33

#40
Brian, I agree that your writings are not fit for mass consumption. :) But it's OK to me. You have found your niche and enjoy being controversial and defending your arguments in replies to comments.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#32

#34
Phil, yes I noticed that person while reading your comment threads. But perhaps, and forgive me for my naivety, the person just wants some kind of interaction by asking questions or is frustrated and angry, not on you, but on what you are presenting.

John Rylance

prije 8 godina#31

Two words sum up the difference between those who respond to comments and those who don't Ownership and Accountability. A great deal of the posts made by Influencers were written by someone other than the by liner. Secondly they did not feel that had to respond to those who challenged the pontifications. Unlike the majority of those like yourself who welcome comments enjoy the debate and inter-change of ideas. Personally I don't mind my comments not being acknowledged as long as I see that comments etc. are being made. #46

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#30

#38
I agree, Nicole. That's what I mentioned in the post. Putting effort and thought into comments, and being ignored, it can be somewhat disappointing. No ill feelings, just another life lesson. :)

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#29

#36
Dear Paul Walters, thank you! Your comment merit a reply. :-) Sometimes a few words in response to a comment make a reader's day.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#28

#28
John, I am on Linkedin too, and I never commented on any of Influencer's post, not just because of what you said, but because I couldn't relate to most of their topics, unlike the posts by Unfluencers. Thank you for joining the conversation. I don't expect all writers to agree with me about replying to every comment. I feel appreciated when an author responds to my comment, and I think that most commenters feel the same way. :)

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#27

#27
Hi Pamela. I never comment on my phone because it's difficult to type without errors. I use it for reading, sharing, and giving "relevants". The phone is the main reason that many people give one-word comments. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who fears Susan. 😂😂

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#26

#17
Dear Franci, I agree with your comment. I can only add that I am not fond of one-word comments, and I said it many times. On this matter, I more appreciate receiving the "relevant" to the post. But we are all different, and I accept it.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#25

#30
Ian, thank you for commenting on almost every my post. I'm glad that you think of them as relevant and worth commenting. For me, your comments and responses are always food for thought, or in Manjit's words, very nutritive. My comments, on the contrary, are more low-calorie. 😂 Thank you for enriching this conversation.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#24

#37
Manjit, I'm so glad that your hands are better and you are able to write again. When it comes to responding to comments and interaction in general, you reminded us of one important ingredient, and this is LOVE for people as Ali Annani shows us continuously. Responding to every comment is actually showing respect and love to a person behind those words, what we often forget.

CityVP Manjit

prije 8 godina#23

If you see comments as nutritious then you will dine with them and the way Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee pulls nutrition from a comment is authentic to who he is - and I term this "love for people". I am actually going to respond to Ali Anani with a post of the same name this week to further elaborate on what was initially an offline conversation between him and me. At Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess has brand presence and so that also serves a specific relationship, in her case, she provides a specialty area and is a leading representative of this area and the term "Grammar Goddess" is a part of that relationship. When it comes to hostile responses, they represent the opinions of the person giving them and here it depends on our own sensitivities and values. There are people who naturally want to probe but for me, my first thought is whether the negative comment has narcissistic qualities - to the point of trying to evoke some kind of response, without any desire to add value. The difference between constructive dialogue and destructive dialogue comes with both learned and felt-experience. At the end of the day comments are based on context for me and my context is different and what is appropriate for me. For me one size does not fit all.

Paul Walters

prije 8 godina#22

Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic . If its worth a reply then simply do it or, if not the relevant button does the trick. Your pieces however ALWAYS warrants a reply.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#21

#19
It's good to see you, Kevin. I like your posts as well as your comments such as this one. Many times I've seen comment thread that is more interesting than a post itself. I always "envy" those writers whose responses to comments and ability to conduct a long and intellectual conversation makes the thread so interesting and attracting to new commenters. Unfortunately, we can't all be Friedman, Annani, Pashuk.. .. :)

Ian Weinberg

prije 8 godina#20

Greetings Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic I'm coming in at the tail-end of this dialogue. Don't feel obliged to respond to this - I know that it must be getting a little tedious at this stage. My thoughts: I only comment on posts which I feel are relevant and where my response is a value contribution to the subject and to the dialogue. I don't respond to disparaging, troll-like comments unless I'm in the mood to do some sparring (but I've grown out of this). I make a point of responding to all other comments out of respect for the individual that's taken the trouble to contribute. I also derive significant value from engaging with writers of substance - similar to writing the post, the need to get thoughts aligned in the comment enhances my understanding of the concepts. I'm generally not put out if no response is received to any of my own comments. Thanks for initiating this conversation.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#19

#16
Phil, I really mean what I have written about you, and your determination to reply to every comment. I'm already exhausting writing replies to these comments. I can't even imagine responding to hundreds of them and always having something new and thoughtful (and a bit provocative) to say. I share your point of view that every comment made in good faith deserves a reply or at least an acknowledgement. Such approach encourages engagement that is more than evident in the comment threads on your posts. And intellectual (more or less) exchange of thoughts and ideas is what it's all about on social media.

John Rylance

prije 8 godina#18

One of the recurring talking points on LinkedIn was that Influencers never responded to comments. In one way it wasn't surprising since there were often 100s of comments. What annoyed people most was the lack of response to requests to justify their often contentious posts. The lack of response or exchange of views was one of the reasons many gravitated to beBee. To answer the question no it isn't necessary to answer every comment, but it is to reply to some, particularly those that add to the points made, and more so those that may challenge premises raised.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#17

#14
Thomas, I like your comment. You said that responding to comments should be about information content not just socializing in print. Can it be both? We are socializing through conversation, and I see commenting and responding to comments as an informative conversation.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#16

#23
Dear Susan, your two cents are worth every penny. :-) I am so glad that you share my point of view although you have to deal with commenters on five platforms. I admire your effort.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#15

#13
Harvey, I said almost the same in my post on the purpose of being on beBee. I am more a consumer of social media than an active participant, in terms of writing. That’s the reason why I’m not posting constantly and don’t compel myself to write just for the sake of writing. Instead, I read a lot and try to comment on the posts with the topics close to my way of thinking. I agree with you that a conversation (commenting) on social media is not for everyone especially when it comes to opposing opinions. Great comment, as always.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

prije 8 godina#14

Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic, I do my best to respond to EVERY comment, no matter what. And I post regularly on four or five platforms, so sometimes it's a chore. But if a reader takes the time to say anything -- anything -- that person deserves to know I saw it and appreciated it. We all want to feel appreciated, and I feel that when someone takes time out of their valuable day to say anything. So, my two cents' worth.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#13

#11
John, your comments, unfortunately very rare, always make me think and are difficult for replaying. I am aware of your disappointment with social media in general. I am new to blogging and am still excited about all the process from writing to interacting with readers. Though I noticed things that I don't like, there are many more things that make me spend my precious time on social media, particularly beBee. You said that most people believe they have something important to say or share but unfortunately, that's not true. I agree with you to some extent, but this doesn't diminish the fact that indeed there are people who have something important to say or share, on beBee too. I do not live in an illusion that I am one of those people. I am here to engage with my online community, sometimes to discuss and share some thoughts and ideas I find interesting. Glad to hear from you, John. Good luck to you too. Hope to see you in the next thread.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#12

#10
There are moments when with all my will to reply to comments I just don't know what to write because of the comment itself, in a good or bad sense. I just can't find the right words. Then, hitting the Like button seems the most appropriate solution.

Kevin Pashuk

prije 8 godina#11

Great topic Lada! Comment streams can be an intriguing continuation of the core ideas of the post, or they can be clutter... (You can tell I'm a raging introvert allergic to small talk... "Nice post!", "Thanks", "You are welcome"... add nothing to the conversation. I do feel that those type of comments can be replaced with a 'Relevant' (if the stats were working correctly and actually inform you of who liked your comment or marked your post relevant - the names disappear when there are multiple likes)). (Note the embedded parenthesis... Sorry for the bad sentence structure Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess. Back to the first type of comment... those that add to the conversation. IMO, they are typically better than the post (especially with my posts). That conversation is the essence of why I get involved in Social Media, and why I will always try to respond.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#10

#8
Mohammed, you said it's best we reciprocate to someone's thoughtful comments, with our own feedback and gratitude. The point is what about other comments that are not thoughtful or relevant to the topic but more thank-you-for-the-share kind of comments, or one-word comments. Can one-word sentence ( wow or great) be considered as a comment?

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#9

#9
Thank you Debasish. Your comment is one of those generic comments I mentioned in the post that are difficult to find the reason to respond. Nevertheless, I appreciate it.

Harvey Lloyd

prije 8 godina#8

I am more observer than poster on social media. I have observed some of the same trends you stated in your post. With each comment io make or post i read you begin to understand who is looking for conversation, who is just throwing their name out and many other agendas. In honesty i would have to admit when i first weighed in on social media i treated it as a conversation i would have with anyone in person. I really got schooled that its really not a conversation for everyone. In posting we all have an agenda. Mine is observation and exploration of ideals that are different. Like a new social group you have to wade in slowly and figure out each person and if the comments or likes are appreciated or not. I am with you though. If i do post and someone takes time to comment i am appreciative and respond. Even if i don't like their comment. They took the time from all the other noise and read my post and commented. It is a dilemma with rules i guess that are different than physical social settings. Great conversation.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#7

#5
Perhaps you are, but I'm not fine if I don't reply to your comment. :)

John Prpich

prije 8 godina#6

I remember when I used to be excited about blogging, I made an effort to talk about issues that I didn't feel were being addressed hoping for a conversation, I was interested in what others were thinking. I stopped blogging because I've come to realize that most people are thinking the same thing, right or wrong and that killed my interest. There's so much white noise out in the world that social electronic conversation has become of very little interest. People are close-minded and really not interested in changing their perspectives. Most comments are repeated over and over again, which tells you that people won't even take the time to read what others have written, so they repeat themselves. I call it drive by social conversation, here's what I think, thanks, have a good day. Most people believe they have something important to say or share, unfortunately, that's not true. Thanks, Lada, Good Luck.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#5

#3
Me too, Pascal. Responding is a very demanding if you want to write more than just a thank-you-for- commenting reply. It's even more demanding when you want to write responses to comments written by some great thinkers on beBee. I have a feeling that my little grey cells are going to explode trying to write an equal insightful reply. :)

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#4

#2
Thanks for the feedback., Ana-Maria. Great to know that you think the same way about responding to comments. Do you care when a writer of the post doesn't reply to your comment?

Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris

prije 8 godina#3

It depends on the comment. Some of the comments are there just to express gratitude to the author, or include someone else in the loop so that they can read the buzz also. Other comments are more interactive, offering different perspectives and perhaps even questioning the assumptions of the author. The latter tend to require more attention, perhaps even a reply. Whatever the case, I'm fine if you don't reply to any of my comments :-)

Lada 🏡 Prkic

prije 8 godina#2

#1
Fair indeed. :)

Pascal Derrien

prije 8 godina#1

While I don't always leave a comment on what I read (mainly because I have nothing to say), I always reply to those who take the time to drop a line on my posts, now sometimes (most of the time actually :-)) my answers don't match the insightful and smart comments or pointers but at least I acknowledge them. In the end I find answering to comments pretty hard

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