Home : Blogs : Rich Jacobson Your Kitsap County WA Real Estate Broker : Kitsap County WA Real Estate

"What is Comment Junk Mail?" - Blog Tips for Rain Drips

Okay, so I went out to our mailbox the other day...

<----This is what I found....

I tell ya, it gets SO annoying! I mean, seriously, do the postal workers have some kind of sick contest going to see who can stuff the most junk mail into residential mailboxes?

Maybe in addition to the National "DO NOT CALL" registry, we should have a "DO NOT MAIL" registry?

This is the real mail I had! --->

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Today's Blog Tip for Rain Drips topic is "Comment Junk Mail"

In our last time together, we discussed how many newbie AR bloggers 'booby trap' their blog articles by stuffing them full of annoying and distracting self-promotional links, banners, and graphics. Instead of generating valuable consumer-oriented content, their blog reads like a cluttered billboard. It creates unwanted distractions that derail us from having meaningful dialogue.

The same can be said of the 'Comments' section of posts here on ActiveRain.

I called Bob Stewart the other day (You all know Bob, our newly appointed Rain god and all-around good guy?). Well, I asked him how things were going in his new role. He replied, "I'm up to my armpits with trying to diplomatically clean-up comment SPAM." Wow, does that sound exciting, or what? (relax, Bob, we're going razor clammin' Friday!)

And so, in support of Mr. Stewart's efforts, I thought I would touch on the subject here as well.

What exactly is "Comment SPAM?"

Well, before we define comment spam, let's look first at the purpose of 'Comments.' Keep in mind that this is 'conversational' blogging we're dealing with here. And as such, one of the primary purposes in publishing your articles is to 'engage' your readers, to stimulate two-way communication; to evoke a response as you educate and inform.

As the Reader, your comments are in response to what the blog writer has conveyed. The views (comments) that you express should serve to further the dialogue; they should 'support' the topic being discussed. As a reader, 'commenting' is your opportunity to add or provide a valued opinion/view/perspective to the conversation.

Conversely, anything inserted within the confines of your 'comment' that doesn't lend itself to the topic at hand, or doesn't serve to further the discussion, is counterproductive to the purposes of conversational blogging.

It's SPAM!

Now, unless you have a really ultra sophisticated filter on your e-mail system, you invariably receive varying amounts of SPAM every time you access your e-mail. SPAM began as annoying, unsolicited advertisements in our e-mail. Nowadays, the term 'SPAM' is applied to any form of unsolicited advertising or promotional marketing - whether it be IM spam, chat spam, cell phone spam, and blog spam.

Once again, many times, we simply play "Follow the Leader" as we blog-a-long in the Rain. We assume that since someone else is 'doing' it, then it must be okay. We're creatures of habit. We're used to branding everything and anything with our contact info. We've got our websites on shopping carts, ink pens, refrigerator magnets, coffee cups, key chains, bumper stickers, and the list goes on and on.

And so, whenever we leave a comment, we quickly add-in a link to our website, all of our pertinent contact information, and some quick & creative little 'motto' or 'logo.'

Maybe the SEO Fairy spoke to you in your sleep and instructed you to pass on the "Link Love" to your fellow Rainers!

Well, guess what? It's SPAM. Unwanted, unsolicited, and unnecessary.

One other thing to keep in mind: When you're commenting on someone else's article, remember it's THEIR blog, not yours. If you really feel it necessary to promote your business, services, website, etc., then do it on YOUR own blog!

If you really want to achieve greater success in your blogging, and attract more valued readership to your blog, then comment on other's articles with integrity and substance. Add to the conversation, don't' derail or distract it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * CLARIFICATION * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My primary point in this post is not to criticize the 'length' or brevity of one's comments, but more the 'content' of one's comments. Comment SPAM is blatant self-promotional advertising within another person's post. It would be like standing out in front of your competitor's office, handing out flyers to people who are walking in.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

social-media-is-a-conversation

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail: kitsapagent@gmail.com

Posted by Rich Jacobson Your Kitsap County WA Real Estate Broker on 10/22/2007 02:20 AM

Comments (128)

Blog Tips for Rain Drips in the ActiveRain Channel

blog tips for rain drips, comment spam, ar newbies, activerain community support, help, faq

Generate short URL

Post is included in group: Active Rain Newbies
Post is included in group: Blog Tips for Rain Drips
Post is included in group: HELP/FAQ (Read 'Purpose Statement' Carefully!)
Post is included in group: Social Media Marketing
Post is included in group: Web 2.0

128 Comments on "What is Comment Junk Mail?" - Blog Tips for Rain Drips

OCT

2007

Rich - I liked this post a lot. I am fortunate that I don't receive a lot of junk comments, but I get them sometimes, and they are really irritating, especially if you are attempting to respond somehow. This should really be required reading before beginning one's AR journey. Keep up the good work!

Nice post here Rich...just kidding. I add on thanks for sharing if it's something about family deep stuff or something but it's an add on to the comment.

I not only get comments like you are mentioning here...but it's the same people and the same comment and though it's not a big deal to me it may be to others. I suppose it's nice to know these same people who have been here quite awhile stop by to read my stuff.

Now...this is nothing compared to a long time member who is now spamming a majority of us with links to his most recent posts or stuff he wants us to read...this I will report to Bob....because this guy knows better.

Oh...did I get off the subject?

I guess the main point I'm trying to make is that I don't down the ones who only comment a short phrase because it's no different than other posts where people are just joking on non substance things not pertaining to the post either. It's all in the matter of the poster and what they want to allow isn't it?

Jason - it's been fun watching people such as yourself embrace blogging here on ActiveRain and become so accomplished. Always pass on what you've learned to others...

I love the thought of a "do not mail" list. I say we all call our local congressmen about this or maybe the AR juggernaut will be able to get it done? Unlike the do not call registry at least there won't be much arguing with the proof needed to file a complaint - either there is junk mail with your name and address on it or not!

Hey good post! I can't stand the junk mail and maybe someday they will figure out how many trees they can save if they stop it. lol Thanks for the post

RICH - I try to do this when I have a chance. I am actually working with a specific newbie right now (I volunteered to do this on Bob's "Do you remember..." post). She needs some good, basic instruction on things that are not as intuitive.

Thanks very much for your compliment. I only recently discovered and subscribed to your blog. I like your perspective on things.

It is absurd how much garbage they cram in there. We went out of town a few days awhile back and when we got back they had stopped delivering the mail because the box was too full. I only had a handfull of valid mail, the rest was junk. They had stuffed so much junk in there they couldn't squeeze anymore in, so they filled a box at the post office for us (how nice is that?). I had to go get it and sort throught it as well. There oughta be a law.

Sally - it's unfortunate when members feel it necessary to actively solicit our readership. In most instances it has the exact opposite effect. And I understand that many times, our comments are point-driven to some extent. It's mainly just comment sense and common courtesy...

GABE!!!...where the HECK you been? Nice to see your K-9 face in these parts!

Rich: So what is appropriate here? I admit, the continuous ones who don't say anything but nice post I don't know how to answer but with a simple "thanks".... and I usually can tell (after awhile if it's just a for points thing....) I noticed I added on the "thanks for sharing" to your six pack post....you're free to delete it :) I did go to a few of yours you mentioned there....hmmm.

Great Post! Ok, just kidding but it is a good post. I will tell you though, I don't see a lot of spam anymore , do you? Maybe I am not reading enough of other people's comments. Sometimes I intentionally don't read their comments as I want to respond to the post and not impressions I pick up from others. That may not always be best and I do sometimes read comments. But if that article is HOT, I just arrow down to the bottom and start writing. I guess both ways may have merit. Conversationally some readers attract the same readers who,like to talk to each other, comment post after comment post after comment post. I wonder sometimes why they just use their cell phone and get it over with,lol.

Well, I said my peace, It was a good post you know, and a Good Job. And Rich, BTW, Thanks for sharing! :-)

My word is camocamo hummmmm Must be where one puts his walletwallet, in his camocamo's

I think the quality or type of the comment is dependent on the quality or type of post.

If the nature of the post is a dialog (a question or opinion etc) then, yes the comment should be of substance (an answer or opinion - although expressing agreement with the opinion is an opinion too) to add to the conversation.

However, many posts are not necessarily soliciting that kind of response, they are more of a sharing nature, and just validating the post by saying something like "nice photo", "thanks for sharing" (an experience, story etc.) or some other polite remark or admiration is appropriate.

One person's Spam is nourishment to another, it's all about making comments appropriate to the type of post.

BTW...nice post! : )

Nice post, thanks for sharing, and good job!

I really don't know how to respond to comments like that. Did they read my post? What part is nice...The photo? Good job...For what? It's hard to dialogue when all the commenter does is grunt.

BTW can you send the SEO Fairy to my blog tonight?

Junk mail is Valuable!

It's great for RECYCLING! I hope everyone is RECYCLING their junk mails!

Spam mail is another thing. Hard to recycle virtual Spams, LOL.

Ashley - No problem. I just hope you don't mind getting spiders in your bed...

The mail is always something you only look for the bills?? The box always has a new credit card application everyday and I did register with opt out for these to stop!

Rich- I get short comments on my blog but I am still glad to receivew them because it lets me know who is reading and then I can click on their name and go and see what they are up to. Sometimes, it is a shy person who just does not know what to do on the Rain yet. I don't get spam comments with self promtion stuff very often, maybe once or twice. I just do not make it a practise to judge others motives and I am not going to make assumptions. I have some great supporters who comment on my posts every day and they are loyal readers who may be in a hurry and just say hi and that they are there for me. That does not bother me because they will also write other lengthier comments. Katerina

Nestor & Katerina - it's not really a mtter of motive as much as it is simply good netiquette. While some people may practice comment spam unknowingly, many do it deliberately and for improper motives. It becomes increasingly more important when you wander out into the greater blogosphere.

Gary - I can Opt Out??? Do tell!....

Kim - I have a more cost-effective and environmentally sound solution: Don't create the junk mail in the first place!

Deborah - I would agree that comments many times reflect the nature, tone, and depth of the article. But SPAM is SPAM. To deliberatly 'dump' your website link, and various marketing poop is unnecessary and inappropriate.

William - it's hard to read through all the comments, especially when there are so many. I usually take the time, and see what others have added to the discussion. Many times the comments are more engaging than the article itself!

(Hmmm....'belimbing'....the art of tree surgery, perhaps? No, that would be 'DE-limbing. Maybe the pursuit of self-awareness for branches?)

Sally - my primary emphasis here was not necessarily the 'length' of one's comments (although that is an issue for discussion at some point), but to mainly address comment SPAM. Maybe we become used to it. Maybe we're just used to seeing it all the time. But I think consumers are really turned off by it. If our desire is to attract consumer clients, then we should be more acutely aware of what things annoy them or cause them to click through to another blog....

Michael - Don't go 'postal' on me!

Rich, So well said, Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I just delete such Spam-Comments and don't feel guilty one bit.

One last thing: Please don't use Active Rain's "email me" to solicit your business.

Mana - Don't get me started on AR e-mails for Solicitors!.... I usually just e-mail the person to explain what comment spam is. Most people are just clueless. There are some though that are pretty blatant!

I have to say I don't see as much spam on AR. Now my outside blog gets a bunch. The porn, pills, and jewelry I just ignore (akismet takes care of them) but the ones from India linking in the comment to another agent in the US just set me off. Not to mention the local agent who was kind enough to leave a link to his search page. Rich I don't like spam but spiders I will take.

Hi Rich, now I follow you, I thought you meant that "fluff" comments were Spam too. You're right the self promotion stuff would be irritating (I have not personally had that happen on my posts - yet) and it's really only tonight that I saw a comment with it on a post. At least it's the first time I have noticed it anyway, so thanks for pointing it out!

My first response to comments made on my post is.....
Thanks everyone for stopping by and commenting.
I really do appreciate the fact that someone has read what I posted and I want to acknowledged that fact.

Now, for those who's comments are more that a 'nice post', or 'good job'.....
I will respond individually and personally, but including all in one comment, bolding the name of the person I'm responding to.
I might have to do this a couple of times depending on how many comments I get but I don't want to skew my numbers by sending out an individual comment for each that i receive.

Does that make sense?

Rich, when I respond to comments on my posts, sometimes all I can say is thank you for commenting. But, I try to do that in one comment box and not address each one individually just to say thanks. The ones that took the time to say something meaningful gets a better response back because there is more to say. I also get spam Associates promoting their product. hummmmmmmm Did you notice I featured your post in Week in Review? The one on Abusing the AR referral Network?

Also I have found that the comment section can go off in a different direction that the poster meant it too.

Comments. One of my most engaging activities, reading, commenting, writing and reading comments.

I respond to all comments with a thank you because I greatly appreciate folks reading my posts. That said, I often get comments that are easily identified as "comment spam" because the comment has nothing relating to my original post. We suffer these fools not so gladly.

Often the comments raise the level of discourse and value of a post to a point where I go back and add a NOTE: to my post to incorporate the comment.

Comments are wonderful because it raises a post to a conversation and we can learn from each other.

Now, for the hijackers, these fools I do not suffer gladly. If I get a link in a post, unles it is innocent and linking to an authority to raise the level of information in the post, I mail the person and ASK them to remove the link, while thanking them for the comment. If they do not respond, I BLEEP the comment. If they argue about it, as some do, I BLEEP the comment.

We don't have to be held hostage by commentators. I had one member repost a long, self serving, unfriendly comment about 8 times. He wanted to argue and insert his particular business model as the solution to all problems in the real estate world. By continuing to repost his comment, he was trying to control MY blog. We don't have to submit to hijackers. As I told the member, if he wanted to make his views public, he can do it on HIS OWN BLOG. I've gone on too long, but this was a VERY important post and I thank you for bringing this to folks attention. I asked Bob if a member could be blocked from commenting and the answer was no. He offered to write a note to the member, which I declined. I don't want folks running interference for me. I just thought it would be a good idea if we could block folks if we can show that they are hijacking our blog. But, I can handle it with a BLEEP.

As for the junk mail in my mail box, I welcome it because the money the Postal Service collects from junk mail subsidizes the cost of first class. Or, so they tell me. I also found my landscaper in a local community newspaper.

I'm on all the lists..it doesn't matter... they will use masked addresses...I am even getting calls day and night solicitations which really should stop. SEO is great for exposure but we also created a monster because you now open yourself up to every hot dog salesman out there.

Rich - Thank you for clarifying some of the fine points of blog etiquette. While still a 'newbie' to the blog world it's apparent that this is an ever-changing medium and we will all learn and grow together.

I have been guilty of the short 'nice post' responses. Primarily because that's what it was - a nice post. I was not aware that that is seen as some sort of SPAM. I will certainly be more cognizant of what I write from here on out.

Thank you.

SPAM keeps coming no matter what, but at least it can be limited by members' diligence.

I can honestly say that I don't think I've been spammed here on AR. Unfortuntely, thre are many out there willing to jump on the bandwagon. I bet it will get worse in the future.

another kind of comment spam...There's a newbie who is walking around ActiveRain moaning that he was done wrong because he did not know any better than to use a group (the group was taken down because of his scam and the three scams before it) to get his days AR comments in, in 8 minutes. Posting the same or similar comment on oooooooooooold blogs to get your daily adult requirement of AR comments in does not carry on a conversation. It is gaming the system. To me it is comment spam even if he did not put in branding, links, logos, contact info. Saying "Welcome" to new bloggers on posts that were written in January or February... and September 2006 does not carry on a conversation, it just gets you points.

It is a matter of common sense... almost tomorrow and you have not got ten comments in? Tough luck. You don't have to make 10 comments in a day.

When that member has mulitiple AR IDs and is welcoming members who are setting up multiple IDs it looks like more gaming the system. I'm glad AR got rid of the ratings on posts.

Rich,

I love your posts, and commented on only a few because by the time I find them its already so heavily responded to. But I will comment on this one, because it does have merit. The commenter's here have brought out at least two sides of your post, one being that some kind of comment, even a short one, can have value, and keep the topic alive for a bit longer by putting it to the top.

The other comments spoke of replying to comments on your own post either in a group reply or all at once. I see both done in this post, what do you think is more correct?? Or does it matter??

Again good post and keep up the good work, and of course, thanks for sharing!! Mike Norvell Sr

Rich - this topic cannot be discussed enough. When I find comment spam in one of my blog posts I email the offender and very nicely ask for them to clean up the spam (that's when they leave links and all kinds of irrelevant stuff). Many times, the offender has deleted their comment completely and have never come back to my blog - others they respond defensively and a few other times they thank me because they did not know.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO:

Rick and Ines - Miami Real Estate

305.blah blah blah

www.wearethebestever.com

"...It was a good post you know, and a Good Job. And Rich, BTW, Thanks for sharing! :-)"

I swiped that from William Johnson because it is a sincere and touching comment, and speaks from my heart. Or, his heart?

Anyway, if you don't like junk mail, write the above on the letter, put it into the postage paid envelope, mail it, et voila! The USPS subsidy for 1st Class postage has been enhanced.

Nice post - Oh wait I am not suppose to say that.

Honestyly I thought I was suppose to comment nicely to a post I enjoyed I truly thought this was the polite way to respond. But I guess not I am sorry if I have offended everyone on AR.

Great post on open houses...I totally agree!

Rich, this is the type of comment that frustrates me the most! Some comments make it clear that the person didn't read the post and others make it clear they didn't read THE WHOLE POST. I remember one where I used snow skiing as an analogy for our slow real estate market and I got several comments about skiing! This kind of happened here when you got comments about mail spam and not about comments themselves. But, the self-promotion ones are worst. Thanks for writing this, I'm glad it was featured!

Rich...

I am not sure why, but I rarely get 'comment spam'. It could have something to do with the fact that most of my posts are for fun :)

Nothing beats a well thought out comment. Do you know that sometimes I do comment just my quota? There are days when I just don't have the time to do more. So at least once a day I go in and find 10 Blogs that are worthly of a comment. There's always someone out in the rain that could use a comment :)

By the way I can't resist what I am about to do...You teed it up nice and pretty :)

I'll stop using this when Google sues me :)

Now perhaps that adds little value to this post. I think that all depends on how many members get a chuckle from it :)

TLW...ROAR!

I have often wondered about the inability of those who read to provide meaningful comments. That is of course until I started to follow the links back to those who comment and read some of their posts. I find that they are often consistent. Meaningless comments often reflect meaningless posts.

And then sometimes that is not the case. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, the inspiration to provide a meaningful comment is lost. The only thing that comes out is "Nice Post!" or "Good Job!" or even "Thanks for Sharing!"

Wish we had read something like this first before we started commenting regularly. Think that was about six months ago or so.

From time to time when we're in more of a hurry than we should be, I think we've written things like "nice post"and "thanks for sharing", though we usually try to add something about the post too. Sometimes better than others.

I think one of the minor downsides of our points system lends to blah comments that come under time constraints, real or imagined. There are many upsides to our points that far outweighs the incidences of comment spam. We think the most important of those is that comments lead us to each other. They keep us involved, and out of that we get to know each other a little better, which as we all know, makes for good online friendships, and more.

Here, the deadline to record a comment for each day is 10pm. Frequently we find our day such that we've up against that timeline, which leads to a rather uncomfortable place for me. It's that time management mix-up, "I'm-in-too-big-a-hurry" mindset that leads perhaps to more comment spam than anything, at least for us, and perhaps for many others. I know this place, and it is one we're trying to watch out for.

As you recall, you found us because we did not know how to comment within the community guidelines, and that led us to becoming part of AR, and a lot more.

best

Sometimes a "thank you" or a "nice post" or a "good job" is all that's really necessary. I, for one, would rather someone leave a short comment than no comment at all.

What I do with junk mail, I find all postage paid envelopes, and cram all the other junk mail into them, lick em shut and mail them.

Wish I could do that with email spam.

Don't you love it when a comment says, "Nice post, for more in this subject go to my website here www.--------.com" ?

I think that is caused by someone who has received a tip that a good way to increase traffic to your site is to comment on other's posts. But they weren't given any more instruction than that.

Not to take this off-topic but there is some sort of Do-Not-Mail registry. =) When I check public records through our MLS some of the savvier homeowners have added themselves to it and their addresses do not print up when we do labels.

Rich -did you notice, the length of the comments on this post? It's probably 5 times longer then the average. To me the idea of comments, is in deepening the learning, so I always read them, just like I did right now. First of all, I want to make sure, that some one did not already say the same thing, which happens very often. Then I just stay quiet. I see a lot of people, skip right to making a comment, but in the meantime they could have missed some important point or the way the conversation was turning. Oh, we are so in love with our own words.

May be one way to think about it, is being at a party where there is a group discussion. You have to listen to what everyone says, otherwise you will look stupid repeating what was already said, or taking the conversation in another direction. This is a long way of saying - READ THE COMMENTS. It can greatly reduce Spam and make for a smarter conversation.

On the other hand, acknowledging that someone read my post is very important to me. If I am totally off base, hopefully that could come out as well. I like all comments, but I Love the smart ones. In both ways, I respond to all: I think it's impolite not to, just like in a personal conversation. Thanks for a great post.lol.

I wonder if the cure for comment spam would be to just remove all points for comments. That would probably do away with "great job, thanks for sharing, etc." The hijacking links should just be deleted as soon as they are discovered.

Good Morning Rich:

Great response to the AR Community. I think we forget our intentions with AR and use it as a form of "Craigs List". I am fairly new at blogging and AR, and have been curious about the groups and how they relate to bloggers comments sometimes. I have been careful to choose groups and post articles that pertain to the groups background. But I guess like SPAM, some AR bloggers just blog with no intent to make a connection to the group they are bogging to.

Is it spam to copy and paste the same article over and over day after day? Now that takes creativity and effort!

Nice to hear from you!

kimberly

I am on the do not mail, and do not call list. It must be renewed every five years or so. Buffini provided us with that information as part of our item of value program for our clients and family. Hopefully, someone will figure out a better system to stop Spam in emails, blogs, and all computer programs. It just seems so wrong to me.

Junk Mail Resolution Award!

My good friend to the North, Marty Van Diest, wins the award for being the most creative with Junk Mail:

"What I do with junk mail, I find all postage paid envelopes, and cram all the other junk mail into them, lick em shut and mail them."

Promise...last comment...hehe.

Links..you were talking about advertising memememeeme.

Nope...don't get much in mine although I have responded with a "please don't" to the ones that do....funny, people get all defensive and stuff and don't come back....oh,well..maybe it's the kind I don't want anyway.

Rich,

I feel your pain!! I wrote a post about this not that long ago myself. It got some interesting feedback as well. Maybe if more people talk about it, more people will know.

Now, I do something different with junk mail. You might want to try it yourself. I take the self-addressed, postage paid envelopes and I stuff the other junk mail I get into it. I always omit anything that has my name and address on it, just in case. Then I mail it back to the company that junk-mailed me. This way, I get to give them some of their own medicine and they hve to pay the postage twice. Maybe when they realize that this is going to be a costly venture for them, they'll stop. Try it, it just might work for you.

Interesting position Rich.....I agree with you that many comments often seem somewhat "shallow". I'm cuious if the amount of points granted for comments has anything to do with the "lack" of substance.

For example - If someone were to write a similar comment/response to the blog that was similar in size should they be granted more points? Since currently they aren't and we are all very "busy" people I'm curious if a change in the structure would cure the SPAM.

What do you think?

Some blogs are of interest but don't leave much room for a lengthy comment or question (especially the youtube videos). Other times I find myself prattling on and on...

Rich, I think this is a very timely topic. It seems that I've been seeing more and more comments that include links back to other blogs that are not relevant - completely self serving to try to drive more hits on their own sites. Nice to see all of the different solutions offered up here, some that I had not thought of. This should be required reading for all newbies to keep them from heading down the wrong path from the start.

This is a topic that hits home with all of us I am sure. I have had a few folks try to hijack my blog posts as Lenn mentioned. I just hit the delete key and let them know they are welcome to write their own post for their clients to read. If they respond rudely, I delete that too.

Lisa - yes, it's been an ongoing problem here for quite a while. It's simply one of those issues that bears repeating... thanks for your comments!

Randy - thank goodness for the 'Delete' button!

Jennifer - many times comments simply reflect the nature and depth of the article. Nothing wrong with that...

Ryan - I don't believe that they award any more or less points based on the length of your comment. I know there are word requirements for your posts, but I don't believe there are any for your comments. Again, my point here wasn't necessarily a criticism for comment 'depth,' per se, but more comment 'content.'

Andrew - Most of this stuff is simply common sense and common courtesy. We're just creatures of habit when it comes to marketing. Effective blogging just requires a different mindset.

Sally - we need to get into good habits in our blogs. And especially good habits as they relate to consumers, and how consumers view us. Do we truly want to attract potential clients to our blog? Then we need to generate consumer-valued content, not just glorified ads and branding blitzes!

Frances - Self-promotion flies in the face of conversational blogging. It tells the consumer that WE'RE more important than they are. It places all the focus on US, how great WE are, rather than generating valuable, relevant information for them.

Kimberly - thank you for stopping by! I really liked your observation:

..."some AR bloggers just blog with no intent to make a connection to the group they are bogging to."

This begs the question, "How does one make meaningful connections through your blogs?" Who is your intended target audience? Do you even have one?

In blogging, you make meaningful connections with potential clients by engaging them through your writing. You provide good, relevant information in such a way as to reveal your personality, perspective, and passions. Simply 'dumping' your website link and redirecting them to a static, one-sided conversation isn't going to result in a meaningful connection.

Vicki - as much as points lend to the problem, I don't think that doing away with them would resolve this issue. People will continue to self-promote regardless of points.

Faina - I couldn't agree more. If you're going to take the time to comment, we should do it well. The challenge is that most of us are busy. I am like you, though. I want people to know that I value their readership and comments!

Maggie - I gotta find that registry!!!

Kelly - again, my primary focus here is not the 'length' of the comment, but the 'content' of that comment. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts here!...

Mail box spam is like getting eflyers is to me. Spam all over again. I am tired of both.

Gary - It can certainly be argued that the point system inherently promotes meaningless comments. But at least it does encourage commenting nonetheless. You take the good with the bad. What we're dealing with here, for the most part, is simply falling into the same patterns of marketing and self-promotion that we all have employed for so long. Blogging effectively to consumers takes a whole new mindset and focus. Some just take a little longer to catch on.

Susan - I don't have a problem with eFlyers, as long as they're from agents in my market. I don't care for the Statewide MASS mailing flyers. Waste of time as far as I'm concerned...

Herb - so true! It reminds me of the line from Forest Gump, "Stupid is is stupid does." Something like that!

TLW - I don't think anyone would dare SPAM one of your posts. Who in their right mind would want to deal with the fury of TLW?

Loved the sign. Nice chuckle to start the week off nice!

Diane - you totally cracked me up!... I love those 'Egg-on-Your-Face" kind of comments!

Rebecca - by all means, continue to politely respond by your comments. That isn't my concern here whatsoever. Just don't use the comment section as a place to advertise your business, services, or website.

Mike - blatant plagiarism!!...

"Nice Comment"..."Thanks for Sharing!"

Ines & Rick - GMTA. I follow the very same steps. Most people appreciate the kind instruction. Those that get defensive and adverserial are the ones you really don't need frequenting your blog!

Mike N. - I think it's simply a matter of personal preference. There is not a right or wrong. I find it easier to respond to each comment separately. I am in and out so many times throughout the day, that I find it hard to post a bunch of responses all at once. But that's just me. I know individual responses can be misconstrued as bloating your post's overall comment activity. Personally, I don't much care. I'm not here for points. I think my readers deserve to be acknowledged.

Rich,

I have to agree with Deborah - one man's spam is another's nourishment. : )

Did you know, per capita, Hawaii is the largest consumer of SPAM in this country, but it's made from prime cuts of pork, not PEOPLE. (That's SOYLENT GREEN.) If your SPAM is green, take it back to the store where you bought it, provided you didn't already eat it. If you turn green after eating SPAM, see your doctor.

Aloha from the land of SPAM musubi.

Georgina - thank you for your helpful insights and trivia regarding SPAM. After all is said and done, to each their own!

Maureen - it's unfortunate that we have to remove features to prevent 'gamers.' Personally, I think it would be much more fun to simply strip them naked in a public forum (reveal their identity) so everyone (consumers included) could see them for what they really are!

Diane - just you wait. Your time to be SPAMMED is coming, trust me!

(what's GMTA?) I feel goofy

Danielle - "Member Diligence?"...one can only hope!

Ines - oh come on! Surely you've spent enough time in AOL chat rooms or text messaging on your cell?

Great Minds Think Alike....

Carol - short response comments ARE NOT Spam. While they may not add meaningful content to the discussion, they are certainly appreciated. What we are dealing with here is blatant advertsing and self-promotion with the confines of someone else's blog article. It's like if you were to stand out in front of your competitor's office and hand out flyers to people walking in....

Hey Rich, Quite the conversation you got going here. Maybe I'm just blind but I really don't see much comment "spam". I've received almost 15,000 comments and have had to delete less than 10 for spam. What is that .07% or somethin'.

As for short comments or long comments I could not care less. All are welcomed.

I do like like spam and eggs though. Especially with a little corn beef hash on the side and a biscuit. The little flaky ones with lots of melted butter. About a half dozen of them. :)

Bryant - it seems to go in waves. With so many new members, it becomes increasingly more and more prevalent. Me and my boys love SPAM when we camp out. Those little Vienna Sausages are good then too!

Neal - yeah, no kidding. So much for transparency, huh?

Lenn - most astute observations, as usual. Many times the comments become more engaging and illuminating than the original article. I love that! I enjoy when the free exchage of views and opinions are encouraged and flow....SPAM throws up a log jam into the process!

Rich - Thanks for clarifying that. I was starting to feel kind of guilty for acknowledging others posts with "nice post" or "good info". LOL Sometimes brevity is key - other times not.

I agree that it's rude (aka Spam) to try to hijack another persons blog with links and ads. Precisely why we each should have our own.

Thanks again for clearing this up. Now I won't be so hesitant.

Missy - yes, I noticed that you included me in your "Week-in-Review." Thank you ever so much! That was perhaps one of the best WIR I have ever seen here on AR....Great job!

ROTFLOL! I know a couple Rich, but that one went right over my head.....thanks for adding to my repertoire.

Nancy R. - makes complete and total sense. We should always strive to reward our readers by responding to their comments, at least, as a minimum, to the ones who commented in depth or greater length. I find it very annoying to read a post, leave what I consider to be a meaningful contribution comment, and the writer never comes back to acknowledge my comment, or any comments for that matter. How Rude!

Ines - I could simply say "HABM" but you have black hair!

Whew! Man, that took FOREVER! Thanks everyone for your valued and insightful comments!

It's brown Rich.....but that's oK....it's definitely not blonde (I got that one)

Hey, I'm a GUY! What do I know???

I am thinking...

That the "King Of The Drip" should let it rip about ...

Sending contact messages that read...

"I wrote a new post...Please comment on my post" :)

TLW...ROAR!

TLW - for shame, for shame! Who would ever succumb to utilize such pressure tactics???

Oh, by the way, I just wrote a new post. Can you go check it out and let me know what you think?

Doh!! I have to admit that when I fist started I wrote a few nice post comments... Since then however, I have tried to kick them up a notch. TLW makes an excellent point as well. I got one of those contact messages and had no idea who the guy was. To make it even worse, I read his blog and it really sucked...

The New Members...

Are doing it because they don't know any better.

I think "The King Of Drip" will handle it :)

It does suck when you go over to the post and it sucks :)

TLW...ROAR!

The word picture of comment SPAM is priceless!

"It would be like standing out in front of your competitor's office, handing out flyers to people who are walking in."

Like comment spam, such an action as described above would be Unwanted, Unnecessary, Unattractive & Unappreciated.

Rich~ I'm fairly new here on AR but it seems like I'm seeing less and less of the spam links in comments so hopefully the word is out. In terms of length of comments, sometimes people just cut to the chase and make their comments short and to the point. Other people take the long way around. My guess is, if we meet these people in person, their comments match their personalities.

Lisa - personally, I don't mind the short, brief cursory comments. We've all done them. Sometimes there just isn't much to add to the conversation, but you at least want the writer to know you were there, and read their post. It's those blatant self-promoters I don't much care for. They're like those pesky neighbors who walk their dog past your house every night, and never bring a bag & shovel...

Lola - Unbeilievable, but right you are!

I liked your last reponse to my last comment.

"we need to get into good habits in our blogs. And especially good habits as they relate to consumers, and how consumers view us. Do we truly want to attract potential clients to our blog? Then we need to generate consumer-valued content, not just glorified ads and branding blitzes! "

There are a few other "types" that aren't attracting consumers as well.

In any case...i came back to read the rest of the comments...I love a good crack up..

TLW's....

It does suck when you go over to the post and it sucks :)

Okay...I admit ...I clicked on a couple of them too....whoa....and they want me to subscribe?

Hey, you wanna read some posts that SUCK? Just take a trip down memory lane, and look at some of my early stuff. YIKES!!!.....

Rich, what an excellent discussion and comment trail. Seems like all the usual suspects are here, and it's a pleasure to watch them poke fun and shine, which is the essence, we think, of good, provocative writing.

Now that we've KA enough, lemme know when it's ready, and we'll tell you where to overnight the next load of razor clams.

thanks again...

Gary - overnight the next load of Razor Clams? Man, that's like asking me to give up my firstborn son! How about a sample from the next batch of homemade smoked salmon?...We'll keep the Razor Clams in the freezer here as hostage until you can find your way up!

OCT

2007

Sometimes "good post" or "thanks for posting" or something similar is all that comes to mind. You read a post, its good, but its late and you don't have some creative genius of thought going on that brings anything other to mind. But you enjoyed what the person said and it was meaningful, so you leave a comment "good post" or something like that. Never it is meant as spam or as being insincere. It takes a lot of time to read posts and a lot of time to blog. Sometimes "good post" or "thanks for posting" is all the time there is in life. To hear that people do not appreciate that someone took the time to read their post and make an acknowledgement is well, just rather shocking. Personally we appreciate it when people drop by a post of ours and leave even a little comment.

Hey, Bob & Carolin.... My definition of "Comment Spam" had nothing to do with the length of the comment. It involves people inserting unwanted and unsolicited advertisiing, i.e., websites, links, etc. into the comment section of someone else's post. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with saying "Good Post!" or "Thanks for Posting!"...so please, don't be SHOCKED!!!

Rich, this is my first time reading your blogs and i liked this one! You know the funniest things in life are the most true. I look forward to keeping a lookout for more of your blogs.

Thanks,

The Keutla Team

Keutla Team - Welcome to the ActiveRain Community! Thanks for stopping by and reading my article. Let me know if you have any questions as your get your feet wet in the Rain!

I like what you are saying here... People do need to be creative and write their own blogs not sponge off of other peoples blogs. It takes time to write something of substance and it is not the place for others to be promoting themselves. Thank you for your intelligent analogy to junk mail.

OCT

2007

And did you beg people to go read those? I'd never ask anyone to go to my first ones....I knew they were bad. :)

In any case....soak it up people!

OCT

2007

Well I am a "newbie" and overwhelmed somewhat. I certainly appreciate reading your blog and the comments made as well. It gave a good perspective of what AR is about to someone like myself who doesn't have any experience blogging. The intro and analogy was good too. Thanks

Tatyana - please feel free to drop me an e-mail with any questions you may have along the way, or simply give me a phone call. I am always available to help out new members..... thanks for stoppin' by and sharing your thoughts....

Laura - we need to write words of substance, especially substance that will be helpful, beneficial, and practical to consumers (potential clients!). Your phone number, Website URL, catchy logo & slogan aren't going to keep them interested and engaged...

OCT

2007

Point well taken. Now as for the spam mail, I think we should all take every piece we get and put it in one of the postage paid envelopes and drop it back in the mail. Can you imagine the costs and aggravation to the folks on the receiving end...the one's who sent us a bunch of garbage with a prepaid postage envelope to begin with?

OCT

2007

I am a fairly new convert to blogging, but I have been involved on forums for quite a while. One in particular (Pirate4x4) is brutal if you don't have good manners... just rough if you do have good manners. One of the things that is not looked upon well is the "me too" post. I guess part of that has carried along into my blogging. I do it more in this environment than I do in forums, but I try to stay away from those me, too" comments.

There are simply SO many good posts every day that I have little trouble finding 10 (or 20) posts I can give a good comment to. I also know that it is just bad form to spam the comments area with a overblown sig. That said, I like to call it out right in the comments area. I will thank the offender for spamming my comments. Often, they have no clue that they are being quite rude.

Finally, I try to minimize the number of comments I make on my own posts. Simply bolding the name of the commenter and putting all of the current ones together works for me. But, that is largely so that I can have a truer picture of how many OTHER people commented on a post.

Lane - for so many of the finer details of blogging netiquette, one size doesn't necessarily fit all. It sounds like you've found a nice groove that works for you. Of course what works here on AR doesn't necessarily transfer to your own outside blog, but this is certainly a good place to start.....

MAY

2008

Rich - I have to agree with Celeste. Does it really matter if someone writes a short comment? I would never discourage anyone from making a comment (not even a short one) on anything that I post.

I would be happy to get a comment on my posts. Oh wait a minute, I don't post.

JAN

2009

Rich: I think you hit the nail on the head with the SPAM subject here.. We still see this often. Not nearly bad as it used to be... The word must getting out.

NOV

2010

Thanks for the timely post... a good reminder to all of us. I love when another reader adds to the conversation (agreeing with me or not), but sometimes it's nice to get those "atta girls." I know I've learned a lot by reading others posts.

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?

Rich Jacobson Your Kitsap County WA Real Estate Broker

Silverdale, WA

More about me…

Keller Williams West Sound Realty

Address: Silverdale, WA, 98383

Office Phone: (360) 499-6367

Cell Phone: (360) 440-4758

Email Me

Providing Knowledgeable Empowerment and Relentless Representation of Real Estate Clients throughtout the Western Puget Sound, including all of Kitsap County WA, and portions of Mason, Pierce, and Jefferson Counties.

"Helping You to Successfully Achieve Your Next Adventure in Life!"

Rich Jacobson

Create Your Badge

Listings

Links

Archives

Find WA real estate agents and Silverdale real estate on ActiveRain.

Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.