What Is The Value Of A Comment?

5 Songs

• Skyfall- Adele (Theme to Skyfall)
• In My Life- The Beatles
• I’m On Fire- Bruce Springsteen
• Over You- Cassadee Pope (The Voice)
• Pictures Of You- The Cure
• American Pie- Don McLean

If you aren’t paying attention there are actually six songs listed above. iTunes says those are among the top 25 songs I have been listening to and I could use those six as inspiration for about 36 more posts, no exaggeration.

But that is not what we are here for because today we are talking about the value of a comment and the search for meaning is probably a big part of why/how we could write those other 36 posts I mentioned.

It has been a few months since I installed the Comments Evolved plugin and began offering my readers multiple ways to comment. Google+, Facebook, Livefyre and DISQUS are all available for your use and in theory that was supposed to energize the comments here. Multiple options were supposed to make it easier for people to comment and that was supposed to start the fire.

Traffic Increased & Comments Went Down

Based upon my unscientific study of the last few months traffic has increased and comments have gone down. The increased emphasis on Google+ has definitely brought new readers and new subscribers but the posts don’t receive as many comments as they used to.

Of Dads and Daughters is one of the best posts I have ever written and in the old days it would have generated three times as many comments as it has now, but it didn’t. Part of me doesn’t care because I write first for me and then for you. Writing is like breathing for me so this happens regardless of everything else.

But I am a seeker of answers and someone who works with social media so there is personal and professional curiosity about why things changed.

Some of it might be tied into my own participation on other blogs having dropped and some of it might have something to do with the type and quality of content here.

And that brings me to the question of what is the value of a comment?

What is A Comment Worth?

This is not the first discussion about comments here. You are welcome to read Blog Comments Are Not Currency and What Is The Value Of Comment Sense? and see if the line of thought is consistent.

I am torn about comments because they remind me of the big jar of Jelly Bellys I sometimes buy at Costco. I love some of the flavors, like others and some I dislike because of the awful taste.

The really good comments provide insight and or inspiration. They educate and motivate you and those are wonderful things. Comments help you recognize you are not in a vacuum and that can be a good thing too.

When I first started blogging I was shocked to see that I had readers. It seemed crazy to me to see that people not only read my words but were motivated to say something about them.

Hell, it reminds me of the opening of American Pie

A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while

It feels good when people tell you they love your writing and that you made them laugh, cry and or get angry. It feels good to make others feel because it means you have managed to steal some fire from the gods and have harnessed the power of lightning.

Because when you want to be a published author who just writes there is merit in showing those that hold the purse strings that you can do this.

Contradictions

I know how to game the system so that traffic continues to increase and the comments keep coming. Some of that can be done by writing “how to” posts, especially when you cover basic blogging tips.

Some of it can be done by writing nothing but controversial posts or by spending time commenting everywhere. You can do it by writing about how much you love being a parent and writing stories about what that involves.

Do those things and make the rounds and people will come and comment.

That is not a knock against those who do that, because I did it and who knows might do it again. But you don’t last at this game unless you enjoy it and for me I am ultimately focused on doing things my way because it is what brings me joy.

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring