Sunday 4 January 2015

How I Reply to Comments


A while ago, I promised a post on how to make time to reply to all those comments you get. For some reason, I seem to be putting this off, but here I am, finally with this post! I hope it helps you.

Make a certain time of the day for answering comments. For me just after breakfast while I'm waiting for Leo to finished using the bathroom so I can go in is a great time to answer some of those comments. Just think about which part of the day you're sitting around doing nothing, and put it to good use.

Use those scraps of time. Ok, so there is plenty of time in the day that could be used to better use. Think about those tiny scraps of time that you're not doing anything. You could answer some comments while waiting for the pasta to boil, while you're waiting for everyone to arrive to watch a movie or even when having your morning cup of tea.

There is so much time that we don't even use. We don't think about it as time really, just a period where we wait. If we used this time, we'd realise, just how much time there is in the day!

Read your comments ahead of time. I like to read my comments ahead of time. Just read them thoroughly and enjoy them. Then I leave them to simmer. I think about what people have said and a think about what I could say in return.

This helps you have a basic idea of what to say in reply, truly enjoy a comment and speeds up the replying when you come to it. Remember, you can do other things while you think, but you can't while writing the comment.

Not all replies have to be long. Ok, this may sound mean, but you don't have to write a super long reply to every comment. Just make sure your reply is a good one, that it means something.

Short comments like 'Love this post,' can be replied to with a short answer like, 'Thank you for visiting my blog, I'm glad you enjoyed it.' Though it might not seem interesting, at least the readers know you've read their comment.

Replying to comments comes first. I know a lot of bloggers struggle with replying to the comments they've been given long with all the blogs they want to leave a comment on themselves.

While I definitely think that leaving your own comments is important, replying to the ones you've been given is even more so.

What I like to do is create an order for answering and leaving comments in. First I answer the comments I've been given, then I leave my own comments on the blogs I follow, then I go and comment on the blogs of everyone who left me a comment.

This way I get everything done, I know what I have to do, and if I run out of time, I've gotten the most important bit out of the way. Remember, you can leave a comment at any time, but you can't pick when your readers will look for a reply.'

Those are my FIVE tips on how to make time to answer those comments. I hope this helps and really didn't mean to sound like I was preaching, if I did, I'm sorry. I'm feeling really weird at the moment!

Most of my posts at the moment seem to be all really short, really boring, or long and preachy. Which I'm really sorry about. It's mainly because I'm not sleeping very well at the moment. So sorry this content is rubbish at the moment, but I hope you at least got something out of this post!
 -Kat

21 comments :

  1. This is super helpful and very eye opening. I'll definitely spend more time replying to my comments. :}

    Thank you for this. <3

    xx Nicole Rose

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haha, I usually have a problem with trying to comment because it's hard for me to find time (like once I begin school again I can only comment so much). These are great tips, though! Thanks Kat!

    xoxo Morning

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Replying to comments is hard for me in the term and I'm only homeschooled, I'm amazed at how well you managed with everything you have to do!

      Delete
  3. I find time to reply to comments, but I never really leave any comments on other blogs. It makes me feel so mean! T.T

    Your content is not rubbish, Kat! I can assure you that everything will be fine... So stay strong. <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Writing your own comments is hard, isn't it?! I really need to do more of it. I don't do too bad at leaving them, but I never visit stranger's blogs unless they visit mine because I simply don't have the time!

      Delete
  4. *whispers* I don't think your posts are ever preachy! And short posts are just FINE. Don't worry. ;-)

    I agree with this! I'm actually struggling with finding time to reply atm.... I try and reply to all my comments AND visit the commenter's blog, and then I need time to get to my own bloglovin' feed. 0.0 It's getting a bit crazy recently. I hardly ever get to bloglovin'. *sigh* I'm replying to comments from like 4 days ago right now, so It's like my 2015 resolution to be more on TOP and not waste time pinteresting when I could be commenting. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww, thank you Cait!
      I'm really struggling with replying at the moment too! Just look how long it took me to reply to this! I've got that same resolution, but with replying, leaving and visiting, it's leaving me with no free time, and hey! I've don't even have an average sized blog.

      Delete
  5. I usually reply to my comments as soon as I approve them, so I always do it in batches! And I might not always do my rounds of commenting on other people's blogs but I always reply to my comments!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to do the same, but then I turned off approving them so now I can't do that and it's even harder, oh bothers! I believe in it being most important to reply to a comment before leaving another.

      Delete
  6. I love replying to comments but I never really know what to say. I love your posts Kat and thank you for the amazing tips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What if people think what you've said is silly, what if they disagree?! I know the feeling, but trust me, just replying makes people happy!

      Delete
  7. I love this!
    I always leave my comments for a bit, it's like when you have a conversation with someone, and then you walk away and think 'I should have said that, and that' and you keep thinking of things that you wish you had said. To prevent that happening with comments, I often read them, think of replies to them, and then move on to the next comment. If a comment sticks out, I'll often think of more ways to reply throughout the day.
    The only problem with this is that I often forget to reply.

    I like the idea of commenting in your spare moments...I've never really thought of doing that :)
    Though I often don't reply to shorter comments which are just "love this post"...I dunno, I just don't feel those comments have 'substance', I guess. I mean, I love comments, but I prefer people to comment when they actually have something to say. If they loved the post, what did they love about it?
    That may make me sound a little snobby...but it's what I think.
    What really irritates me though is when the commenter has obviously not read the post. I once did a reverse Stacking the Shelves, where I had to return a massive stack of unread books to the library. Someone commented "hope you enjoy your new books, visit our blog [link]".
    I mean, come on. At least look at the post if you're going to comment on it. I had made it obvious I was returning the books in the picture. I was holding the stack...in front of the library...with a sad face!!
    Sorry, that happened months ago, and I'm still really annoyed. I don't think I'm ever getting over that.

    Wow, this comment was longer than I was planning...I'll stop now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who does this! I think if a comment sticks, then it's a true sign that it's a great comment and well worth writing.
      I know what you mean about those comments. It's hard to have spent all that time writing it and then people aren't even bothered to find something about it that they liked. They just say 'Love it' and move on.
      I've come to the conclusion that those people who don't read your blog aren't reading for the sake of it and are just trying to get you to read their blogs. It's hard to keep blogging when that happens, I remember when that happened to me once and I was so upset I deleted the comment. Properly too drastic, but hey! They properly wouldn't even noticed.
      The other thing that annoys me is when people REPLY to your comment, but it's so obvious that they didn't even read that. Like, why are you replying to these comments if you aren't bothered about really reading them?!
      Oops, I've turned this into a moaning session, sorry!
      I love long comments, thanks so much for taking the time to write this. I really enjoyed reading it!

      Delete
  8. Great tips! I always try to give a nice reply to all my comments. I usually like bloggers who take the time to answer all of their comments with something other than "Thanks".

    ~Noor

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It's hard replying, but worth it! I really enjoy seeing what people have to say to me and I hope to leave them something in return.

      Delete
  9. Great tips! I always reply to my comments. Sometimes it can take quite a while to write, but isn't the whole point of having a blog connecting with other awesome people?! =D And sometimes replying starts an interesting discussion. =3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Writing comments takes up a good portion of my day, I'm not a big blogger, but compared to when I first started, I'm spending a long time writing and replying to comments, but you're right. Blogging is about connecting and commenting is the true reason why we do it, so we should take the time to reply. It does, doesn't it? I love it when people come back and reply to my reply. That's always nice! Thanks for visiting and reading:)

      Delete
  10. Wonderful post, hun. x You're very encouraging.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! This has made me glow:)

      Delete
  11. Orbison didn’t have an easy life, for reasons of both ted baker outlet temperament and circumstance, but that never made him bitter or despairing. Instead, he found a way to root down into the things that made him strange—that dreaminess, isolation, and cheap ted baker dresses pervasive sense of fear—and pull an inexplicable power from them. He needed his glasses, in more ways than one. Orbison died young, ted baker dresses sale of a heart attack at fifty-two, but not before making a remarkable comeback.

    ReplyDelete

If posts are the brain of a blog...then comments are it's heart - Neal Kind