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creating community with blog comments

How many of you get comments on your blog that say something along the lines of...
"I love this post! Come check out my blog! http://mynewblog.blogspot.com"

I know I get at least a few a week. And the truth is, I only go check out those blogs sometimes. So how DO you leave a "good" comment? The kind of comment that builds relationships and encourages friendships?

Here's 3 tips to help you create community when leaving blog comments!





1. Respond to a specific line from their post. 
Did they have a specific line that really stuck out to you?
Quote the line in your comment, and tell them why it stuck out to you.

2. Share a short personal experience.
I wrote a post awhile ago about what to do at Disneyland when you're dog-tired. I LOVED the comments I received because they really helped me connect with my readers. Why? Because they shared their OWN experiences from being exhausted at Disneyland, and I was able to respond back via email and chat with them about our similar experiences.

3. Ask questions!
Did their post make you wonder what makeup they use? Or how they plan their blog posts? Or where they got that cute scarf? ASK! I love when my readers ask me questions because it allows me an opportunity to chat with them about things we both love. Which establishes that bond between us. It also often gives me blog post ideas, because if one person wonders what my skin care routine is, they probably aren't the only one.

What do you love to see in your comments?



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26 comments:

  1. Hi Brooklyn! This is my first time on your blog and I have to say I am in love. The topics you write about are so thought-provoking and a dash of funny thrown in :)

    I just got married two weeks ago and we are in the process of starting our own blog to keep our family in the loop on what's going on in our lives. Not only did we just get married, we also just moved across Michigan to start new jobs. I have been envisioning writing content similar to yours.

    I'll definitely be sticking around!

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  2. Great post! Check out my blog too!

    Haha, I'm so kidding. I have a love-hate relationship with generic comments. On one hand, I like that someone took even 30 seconds out of their day to comment, but at the same time I wonder if they read my post at all and if this was just a way for them to get their own stats up without trying too hard.

    I feel like it can be hard sometimes as a commenter too, because a lot of times I'll read a post word for word and love it, but I just don't have anything further or meaningful to say back, so I always wonder if I should leave the dreaded generic comment (without a "follow me back" though. I don't like pressure.) just so the blogger knows I read it and liked it. Leaving your own story in return can be a good tip though! I'll have to think harder about trying that when otherwise all I can think of is "great post!".

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  3. Community is by far my favorite part of blogging!! I love it. Great tips, girl!!

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  4. this is so true! honestly, if i get comments along the lines of 'come check out...', i typically think it's spam. might not be, but .... anyway, i love getting to chat with my readers. =)

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  5. Great tips! I love getting thoughtful comments like what you've outlined above :) I try to leave thoughtful ones where possible as where!

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  6. This is great Brooklyn. I love tips on blogging. Loving your posts!

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  7. These are so great. So often I feel like people just scroll through and comment on photos. They don't really comment on the content! Thank you for sharing.

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  8. I love this! And making new connections with bloggers. You're adorable :) I guess I just normally commented this way without realizing what exactly I was doing. Self promotion has to be done the right way..and not in comments. Great topic.

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  9. Great tips - I feel like really reading and responding to someone can do wonders for community! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. I love these tips!! Thank you so much for them. I will for sure use these when commenting from now on :)

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  11. I wish I had more time to comment back to people who comment. I try but its hard sometimes.

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  12. This is a massive deal for me. i hate the sort of comments you get that are like 'great post' and that's it. If they only thought it was a 'great post' they could have just 'liked' it. I don't know if it's just me, but if I'm going to leave a comment for someone, I'll ensure it's thought out and they'll appreciate it!

    Thanks for this post. Good to know others think the same!

    Katie <3

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  13. This is great! I hate generic comments! It's always great to find what the person is talking about and continue with the conversation just like when you talk to someone in person! <3

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  14. Agreed! Nothing more annoying than generic comments! :) I love when people read the post and continue it like a conversation just like you would in real life! <3

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  15. I agree. It's so obvious when someone is just posting to try to get views on their blog. I would rather get fewer quality comments than lots of ones that are insincere!
    http://www.thecrushworthy.com

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  16. Great tips, I love them. Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Thank you so much for this post! I love your blog.

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  18. Great points! The second one, about personal perspectives, is the one that I find the most valuable, both on my blog and others.

    That conversation is so awesome because it's a solid personal link towards understanding the person reading your words... and seeing bits of your perspective reflected (or transformed) in them. :)

    Cheers to many more of these conversations!

    ~ lauriel

    EyeForElegance.com

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  19. I try to always leave a question at the end of my post so I do like when people answer it, but I really just like when a comment is genuine - length doesn't even matter, just knowing that they took the time to read and then comment is really nice ♥

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  20. These are awesome tips. It takes a lot of time to build really strong, organic connections with your audience, but I have to say it's one of my favorite parts of blogging - the getting to know other people and share in the similar aspects of the human experience. It's such a beautiful method of communication when you think about it.

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  21. thanks for writing these tips out. actually was thinking about writing a similar post. i usually take the links out if all people say is 'great post, check out ___" even though that may get annoying, i do love that there are a handful of thoughtful people that i always love connecting with. :)

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  22. I love making connections! I've been making more and more bloggy friends lately and it makes me so happy! Great post!

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  23. I love the blogging community since we are so active on commenting on each other's blogs. I just like to write without formulating everything. I ask questions when I want to.

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  24. These are great tips for someone leaving comments on a blog. I think it would be great to have tips for the actual blogger to encourage their readers to be more engaging as well. :)

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  25. I just posted something similar last week! i agree...leaving good comments on other blogs is so important! i also think it's just as important to make commenting on your blog easy, and to respond to comments that are left!
    great tips!! :)

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  26. These are great tips. I tend to call out the things that really struck me in a post.

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