Every once in awhile someone asks me... Karen Anne... how do you keep getting so many comments on your posts ? What's the deal ? What is your secret ? What can I do to get that many comments on MY posts ?
OK. I have shared this with those who have asked... by private email... but hey, why not just let the secret out ? What is my "secret weapon ?"
Alright... Here's the deal... <she said, laughing to herself about how totally dumb she thinks that phrase sounds... >
I... care. So... I not only reciprocate... I do more than that. I comment on things others skip over.
I have written 919 posts so far. [The 971 on the chart ---> includes 52 posts in draft mode.] About half of my posts are real-estate related. Perhaps the other half are split between social commentary stuff... like "marriage equality stuff, and women's rights stuff"... or some political posts... or just some plain ol' personal stuff about my life, my daughter, my sweet kitty Mollie T Cat, my old teaching days, my family, or even just about me.
So... it's a mixture. But... out of my 919 posts... I have only received 53 Featured Posts. Only 53 Gold Stars. Not bad, but not real good, either. That averages out to just a smidge under 7 Gold Stars for every 100 posts written. Still... nothing to write home about... so to speak. But that's ok.
The reason I am sharing this is... I average almost 30 comments per post... and very, very few of those posts are the "Featured Post kind"... the ones that really pile up the comments.
So why such a high average of comments on my posts ? My easy, Ultra-Sneaky, Top-Secret Secret is... because I care enough to not only write posts... but I go out of my way to make comments on the posts of others... especially Newbies.
As of today, just from the points I got from commenting on the posts of other Active Rainers... I hit 400,000 points. JUST from commenting.
Sure, I have received 26,918 comments, but I have made... 29,025 comments.
Give to other Rainers, share with other Rainers, even jump in and defend other Rainers when some smart aleck is attacking them in a post or a comment. Giving is the way to make it happen.
Do that enough, and people start subscribing to your blog. They start looking for your posts. They get to know you. And they start commenting on your posts.
Also... who and what you comment on can make a difference.
When it's time for me to make my "daily comments..." while many, many Active Rainers run straight to the Featured Posts Blogroll to read and comment on "all the good stuff..." or all those "Gold Star posts" that everybody else runs to comment on... I go to the Newbie Posts. Remember how you felt when you were a Newbie, you finally wrote a post, and nobody commented ? Well...
Or... I will pick out some of the Listings posts that almost NOBODY comments on... and very simply say something nice, something complimentary about that agent's listing.
It's a "help them feel good" kinda thing. Also, if a member of the public pulls up that post... it can really help that Listing Agent if the buyer who looks at it... instead of seeing a big BLANK for comments, they see something really complimentary about the Listed house. You have to help others here on Active Rain. You just gotta do it.
I'm not looking to be Number One. I just like to feel really good about what I am doing.
To quote the title of a really good recent book... You have to be a "Go-Giver." What goes around... really does come around.
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