Recently I was approached by an Ivie colleague who monitors our blog, because one of my family members discovered my posts and had a great time commenting on each one. The trouble with these posts was that they were really just intended for me; excess praise and childhood memories—great things to talk about, but just not in the context of Ivie’s blog comment section. As I discussed this dilemma with some friends and colleagues, I realized that there was some confusion on the part of what really makes a good blog comment, so I thought I would address the topic in this month’s blog post! The do’s and don’ts of blog commenting:

DO let the blogger know that you enjoyed reading their post.

DON’T include unprofessional personal experiences in the comment (ex: “Wow! What a great writer you have become since you were in my 3rd grade class! This article is much better than the story you wrote about your dog running away from home.”)

DO include professional experiences in the comment (ex: “Great perspective on Facebook’s newest features! I enjoyed running into you at the Social Media Conference in Austin last month!”)

DO let the blogger know that you disagree with their point of view; but in a constructive way (ex: “While I understand that there are benefits to using LinkedIn, I have to disagree that it is the most powerful social media tool available.”)

DON’T leave unconstructive negative feedback (ex: “That was an awful post.”)

DO leave links to other relevant articles (ex: “Interesting insight into corporate social media policies! Check out Social Media Today’s article on a similar subject here: _____”), but DON’T spam.

DON’T write a book. Most people skim comments and they more than likely won’t want to read a comment that is as long as the blog post itself.

DO proofread! Correct grammar and punctuation allows you to appear knowledgeable in your field

Commenting on blog posts is a great way to be noticed by others in your field and over time it allows you to establish your expertise. Use the above do’s and don’ts to create solid blog comments that both the author and other readers will enjoy reading. Happy blogging!