If you haven't heard yet, Jerry Newman has challenged us seasoned bloggers to seek out AR Newbies and write a blog about them to introduce them to our subscribers, associates and the rest of the AR community.
On that note, I'd like to now introduce everyone to Joleen Brann who hit it out of the park with her first post, What's your bottom line?. In traditional AR fashion, she was bombarded with dozens and dozens of comments and didn't know what the netiquette was in responding to comments.
This is a common concern for many newbies and I'd like to address this and provide some advice for Joleen and other newbies on the topic of responding to comments on your blog. I'd like to preface this though with the fact that these are just my personal opinions based on my own experience here as a member of the AR community. Other members will have had different experiences than me and will, of course, have their own opinions on comment. These are just mine.
First and foremost, most consumers don't comment on blogs; it's just not their nature but if they do, respond immediately!
This is key in establishing a connection with the consumer. The same can be said for the AR community that takes the time to comment on your posts. DON'T IGNORE THEM!!!
Personally, my opinion of a blogger who just throws up posts and is never seen or heard from again is like throwing a party at your house, inviting every over and then leaving. In otherwords, be a good host and don't hesitate to engage with your guests. Isn't that what a good host/hostess is supposed to do?
Secondly, while you don't need to comment to every single person if you don't want to (or don't have the time), a group response is totally exceptable. Now, while there are those who will disagree with me on that one, most of us completely understand that responding to dozens of "great post, thx for sharing" comments is a waste of time.
However, having said that, I caution you about only responding to a select few and excluding others, especially if you don't have that many comments; some bloggers get slighted by bloggers who do that. Also answer any comment where someone has specifically asked you a question and would like an answer.
Lastly, don't be afraid of asking someone to leave your party too, especially if they've become rude, obnoxious and belligerent. It's your house (blog) and your party (post) and you can manage it anyway you want; everyone else is just a guest. If your guests can't conduct themselves in a mature and civilized manner, then it's time for them to leave.
Now, having said that, that doesn't mean kicking someone out (deleting their comment) just because they have a different opinion than you and may not agree with your post.
As long as they have politely stated their position, then they haven't done anything wrong (also check out AR rules & guidelines). Some of the best posts are those where there is a healthy and lively debate of opinions and a professional discussion of ideas going on in the comment thread between the author and the guests.
There is so much stuff about AR that a newbie needs to learn in order to become an active and productive member of this community and like most babies newbies, they need to learn to walk before they run.BABY STEPS NEWBIES!!! Don’t try to do everything from the get-go.That is a recipe for burn-out!
If I can impart anything on a newbie, let it be this – HAVE FUN!!! If you’re not having fun and making new friends, you’re doing something wrong.Don’t worry about the small petty stuff (like points, rankings and features – that’s a whole other post) and just get out there and blog!
Photos courtesy of flickr: premasagar laughingsquid antigone78
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