I mean, it's so much easier to think of something to write as a comment. You've already provided me with the subject matter.
Picking one part of your post to focus on or thinking of another good point to add isn't as difficult as coming up with a whole post all on my own.
And while we're on the subject, how do you leave a quality comment on another's post? Do you just blurt out whatever comes to mind, or is there an art form to it? Are there techniques that can make your comments have more GUSTO?
Content Is King & Comments Are Content
When hearing the term Content Is King, many feel the pressure of writing another article. It can build until you're stuck in your head and creativity goes out the window.
Instead of falling victim to the self pressure trap, try reading other people's posts and leaving a few comments.
@sidwrites has been publishing all sorts of helpful tips about improving your posting abilities. In one such article, he writes about SEO and how Google bots crawl your posts in order to rank them.
Did you know that Google spiders (bots) also crawl comments? Leave a quality comment and you help improve the SEO for that article. Why?
Because if Content Is King, then engagement is the key indicator of which content sits on the throne. Google has its algorithm and it knows the type of content it wants to see ranked high.
But it doesn't ignore the human element of engagement. In fact, some of the largest websites are built on engagement. Just take a look at Twitter or Facebook. How high do you think their Domain Authority (DA) is?
It's More Obscure - But Comments Help The Commenter
You don't get a boost in SEO for your comment on another's post, though it does help HIVE overall. What you get is to get out of your own way.
When struggling for a topic to write about, I often take another person's post and focus on a smaller part of it. Here's a great way to come up with post ideas.
In that same article by @sidwrites above, he mentions that reblogging a post is a way to create an Internal Link.
So what did I do yesterday? I wrote an article all about reblogs! The article had nothing to do with Internal Linking, so it wasn't copying. I took it in a completely different direction.
Engagement Opens Up The Possibility Of Networking
As your journey on HIVE proceeds, it'll fail if you try to do it all alone. This is a social place where it takes teamwork to succeed.
And somewhere down the line when you're ready to embark on your own great project, you'll be glad for all those comments you left in the past. From that network of people will be the help your project needs to succeed.
Comments Warm Up Your Fingers & Get The Creative Juices Flowing
Sometimes the reason we struggle to write is only in our fingers. We know what we want to say, but it's not coming out how we want it to land. Warming the writing fingers up by leaving some comments can kick you out of that rut.
Personally, I find the insight another person provides in their writing often sparks creativity when I wasn't feeling it before. It could be an inspirational post or simply put something in a way that gets me thinking.
I never leave a comment without reading at least the majority of another's hard work. For one thing, that's a good way to put your foot in your mouth and author will know it. Another reason to read before commenting is so you don't deprive yourself of that creative opportunity.
Unwritten Rules About Leaving Comments
If you're comment consists of, "Hey great post. Can you please visit my blog?" That's not gonna get you anywhere.
Leaving a comment is not about you, it's about contributing to the post or offering support to the author.
If you decide to drop a link or an image, it's best to make it relevant and something the author would want to see/read.
When you come across an author you may want to collaborate with, say so, but be open about your invitation.
Instead of just dropping your own links, tell them you write a similar blog and would like to perhaps collaborate. Leave them a DM address so they can get back to you if they decide to.
And from my own personal experience: come in all hot telling the author where they are wrong will only start an argument or more likely, get you blocked. It can be tough sometimes, but it's best to choose your words carefully in such instances.
Finally, unless you already have a relationship with the author, avoid short (one sentence) comments. Think of it as you introducing yourself to the author. It's your chance to make an impact so give it a bit more than a One Liner.
Oops, I Posted Again
Well Dang Nabit! I went and posted again. Well...that doesn't mean I can't still go fill up other posts with comments. And hopefully you caught on by now that leaving a comment is considered posting anyway.
Thanks for reading...
See you in the comments section...
And as always...
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