Does Every Comment Merit a Reply?
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.
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Komentari
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 5 godina #71
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 5 godina #70
Ken Boddie
prije 5 godina #69
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 5 godina #68
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #67
You're right, Ali. Life makes us both teacher and student. Thank you.
Ali Anani
prije 6 godina #66
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #65
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. :-)
Ali Anani
prije 6 godina #64
Your engagement and responses Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic to comments here is the proof that you mastered the art of dialogue. We may learn a lot from you as well.
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #63
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.
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #62
Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic, for what it’s worth, my experience is that engagement comes in many forms. Most is in goodwill, whether just a few kind wirds of praise or in the form of an extended detailed critique. I welcome it all, even criticism — as long as the criticism is on topic. This includes genuine wuestions, too. But I have also found that some question are framed with a clear undertone if criticism. For example, “Do you really think what you’vebstated holds up in the face of x, y, and z?” And I personally dislike that form because if someone takes issue with something I assert, that person should take responsibility for their position. And not hide behind the question. If, say, you think some comments are valueless, say so plainly. And we can talk about that. Don’t pose the question, then argue with the responders. IMO. Cheers!
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #61
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 6 godina #60
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #59
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 6 godina #58
Simply said and true. Thanks, Jim.
John Rylance
prije 6 godina #57
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 6 godina #56
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 6 godina #55
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 6 godina #54
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #53
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 6 godina #52
Great lesson about interaction on social media, Martina. I apologize if I offended you unintentionally.
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #51
Lada, I can only answer for myself on the reasos for “migrating” from LI to beBee. I came as a writer who was tired of having my access to my self-elected followers limited arbitrarily by LinkedIn because it wanted to eliminate competition to its annointed “Influencers”. Javier \ud83d\udc1d beBee promised in print to distribute 100% of my articles to 100%!of my followers 100% of the time. And ther was an expectation raised that there would be on beBee’s publishing sub-platform equal treatment for all writers and there would not be any arbitrary tiers such as designated “Influencers”. BeBee has pretty mich kept the first of those two promises. Whic is commendable and is what keeps me here. For the record, regarding the second, beBee’s performance sseems to me to be lacking, as a tier of favored members was created in the form of the beBee Brand Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are, in my view, contingently compensated affiliate marketers. But that is not what concerns me. What concerns me is that they are given special promotion via the beBee Embassy (I thiink it is called), in effect creating a corps of appointed “Influencers”. While the critera for such appointment appears inconsistent and amorphous. I sm not sure this comment is rxactly germane, but I thought we should keep the history straight. Cheers!
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #50
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 6 godina #49
Ali Anani
prije 6 godina #48
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #47
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.
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #46
Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic, your kinder interpretation is understandable and might be correct ... if there wasn’t a history of aggressive remarks on other posts that I’ve chosen for the most pat to ignore. I believe that if one is asking for additional factual information in good faith, it is incumbent upon the “asker” to first run a simple Google search because very often the information is available with a few keystrokes. So why burden the author if one is not asking for an opinion? Cheers!
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #45
You are spot on about the lack of interaction from arbitrarily designated “Influencers” on LinkedIn. A number of causes factor in. A great many employ ghost writers. A decent ghost writer can adopt a voice that fits with the client Influencer’s “brand.” But it’s much harder (and more expensive) to pay a ghost to deal with questions and exchanges because the conversation cannot be fully controlled. And I suspeect that a high oroportion of Influencers are too vapid to do that themselves, even if willing to take time away from activities that more directly generate revenue. Cheers!
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #44
Debesh Choudhury, i am anal compulsive about not having too many or confusing typos in a comment. Since there is no edit functtion available, this is what I do: Bloch and copy the original comment to the clipboard. Open a new comment box. Paste the original comment into the new box. Correct and post. Then remove original comment. Takes only a few seconds longer than using an edit button. Cheers, my friend.
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #43
I have nothing to add, but I would like to thank you for commenting. :-)
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #42
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 6 godina #41
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 6 godina #40
Debesh Choudhury
prije 6 godina #39
Debesh Choudhury
prije 6 godina #38
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #37
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 6 godina #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 6 godina #35
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 6 godina #34
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 6 godina #33
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.
Gert Scholtz
prije 6 godina #32
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #31
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 6 godina #30
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 6 godina #29
Paul Walters
prije 6 godina #28
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #27
You will forgive me if I multiply the number of comments to which you may feel an obligation to respond. But because I generally expend a significant amount of time and effort answering the comments on my posts, you've raised a question that very much interests me. We've talked about short comments of the "great post" variety, and we've spoken of longer, quite substantive comments. Ian has mentioned troll-like and other outright hostile comments. But there is another type that is rarer, but which I've run across recently on a couple of my posts, for example, on my latest "Artificial Un-Intelligence" (https://www.bebee.com/producer/@friedman-phil/artificial-un-intelligence). That is, an essentially hostile comment cloaked as an innocent question or request for additional supporting information. The hostility consists of the questioner's expectation that you have misstated something and cannot, therefore, answer the question or supply the information. The rub is that you can, but such is not necessary because the information is available to anyone who bothers to do a simple and quick Google search. The commenter doesn't know this because he or she is lazy and isn't really interested in the answer, except insofar as he or she expects the question to embarrass you. This is a new mutation of trollism that wastes an author's time because, unlike a blatant attack statement, a seemingly innocent question needs to be answered.lest the author be made to appear unfriendly. I hope that the majority of the community will begin to recognize this new form of trolling for what it is. Cheers!
Mohammed Abdul Jawad
prije 6 godina #26
Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic Let's be thankful to those who sum up words to make meaningful comments. Perhaps, those who practice simplicity take delight with their brevity of expressions.
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #25
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 6 godina #24
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #23
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 6 godina #22
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #21
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 6 godina #20
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 6 godina #19
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 6 godina #18
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #17
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 6 godina #16
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.
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #15
Kevin Pashuk
prije 6 godina #14
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #13
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?
Phil Friedman
prije 6 godina #12
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #11
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 6 godina #10
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #9
Perhaps you are, but I'm not fine if I don't reply to your comment. :)
John Prpich
prije 6 godina #8
Debasish Majumder
prije 6 godina #7
Mohammed Abdul Jawad
prije 6 godina #6
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #5
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 6 godina #4
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 6 godina #3
Lada 🏡 Prkic
prije 6 godina #2
Fair indeed. :)
Pascal Derrien
prije 6 godina #1