A glance at my posts, the comments below them, clearly shows that I vote liberally on those who leave comments. I focus mainly on the top level comment a person makes, (their initial comment), although vote on subsequent comments a person may make depending on the quality and value I see in them; I don't mind throwing larger votes and those go to people who engage with passion and personality and those who nurture the relationship we share.
Several people who regularly comment to me are beginning to get repetitious which makes me want to pull back, it's lazy, and I often see people simply paraphrase my post briefly - that is, say what I said in slightly different words. I also get some AI comments which can be easy to spot; I don't like them. Those don't get votes because I feel they are commenting just to gain a vote...sometimes I downvote them though, and that's still a vote right?
I recently received a comment giving me some advice about a photo I had on a post, it was unsolicited advice, meaning I hadn't asked for it - those who know me well know I don't like unsolicited advice, especially when it comes from strangers. I know why people do it though; it gives them a sense of validation in their otherwise boring, uninspiring, lackluster lives and (usually) it's also done to improve their diminishing sense of self-worth. I guess they think they're helping but I see it as selfish and intrusive and I don't vote on them.
I ignored the above commenter, it came from someone who has never engaged with me before, or if they have it was so forgettable that I forgot it immediately.
I'm fortunate that a lot of the comments I receive have value to me though and I don't take that for granted hence the comfort I feel in upvoting most comments left for me.
I started here in June 2017 and over that time have built some relationships (through commenting and engagement) and have posted as well as my limited abilities allow. Commenting has been one of the most valuable elements to the growth of my account, (now over 311,000 HP), but along with the comments I've made on other people's posts has come a vote; I believe the two go hand-in-glove.
A lot of people who comment to me do not vote on my post...they're just fishing for a vote.
I don't call them out on it, just judge the comment on its merits, respond commensurate to it, and offer a vote (mostly) although it's usually a small one. I understand too, that many smaller accounts don't have much of a vote value due to low HP (because they probably extract all their rewards)...but it seems like a common courtesy to vote on a post that one has commented on. Doesn't it? (I mean, they earn curation from voting after all.)
The fellow called 
Here's what the results look like.
I value those people who comment on my posts, it keeps me here to be honest, the engagement.
I don't know everything about Hive, but I think so many people get it monumentally wrong when it comes to comments. Laziness, arrogance, ignorance, stupidity? I don't know, but I know a lot of people could be doing it a lot better and if they did their accounts would grow a lot faster. I don't mean just from a few comment votes, I mean by larger posts votes and exposure gained because those who I regularly comment back and forth with often get big votes on their posts as well. It's bonkers that people don't see this and try a little harder.
Anyway, I know I'm not going to change opinions, attitudes and behaviours but because I care about the blockchain I'll waste a little more time making some suggestions on how people can accelerate their account value (and enjoyment) through better commenting behaviours.
I'm sure there's other appropriate do's and do not's but those above are probably the top ten for me. I'd like to add one more little point though:
Power up - I know some people struggle financially (some people do here in Australia as well ) which is why there's so many third-world posters on Hive (and a lot of scammers too) but extracting all your Hive each month and not powering up anything at all isn't a good look and does nothing to help the community thrive. Extract some if you must, but every time you do also power up 10-20 percent of what you want to extract. Your account will grow and people like me will see what you're doing and probably feel more comfortable to upvote you some more.
When I see a post I like and feel like giving it a bigger vote (my 100% upvote is about $3 now) I always check the account if I don't already know it and if I see no power ups I simply won't vote it, or give it only a small vote. I'd rather support those who operate in less greedy ways and who offer some support to the community.
So that's it, a bit of a rant I guess, a passive one, but something I think is really important for newer or small accounts.
I make almost $2,000HP in curation each month because I've built my account and am lavish with upvotes, but I need to see value when I give an upvote; value for the community. I enjoy upvoting comments and sometimes give 100% upvotes to them, curangel curations and so on - I see that as a reward for the person who commented and not just for the comment itself but for what they do consistently: Powering up, passion, personality, effort, valid commenting, manners and so forth.
We each have our ways of doing things and that's ok; some are more productive than others, some help themselves and others hinder themselves...which are you? Feel free to make some comments.
I'm especially interested in hearing from those who comment only to seek a vote but do not actually vote on the post they comment on, I have some 'special' prizes for you folks.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
