Building a Good Comment
The other day I wrote a post: Defying the odds: thoughts on commenting. I got some good replies to it, and it got me thinking... what makes a good comment? What can I do to compose something in response to a post that holds value? Something that the OP or others will read, remember, reply to, and perhaps deem worthy to upvote. I am by no means an expert. I am just learning like a lot of us here, but I have some thoughts and philosophies on how I am trying to work with comments moving forward.
Start with a praise
This may seem obvious, but I always try to start with a praise of the persons post. Something specific that I liked about it. If it is a picture, really look at it, what draws your eye to it? Is it the subject? The way it is laid out? A lot of times the staging of the photo is just as important as what is in the photo.
The same can be true of any other type of post. Whether it be about food, or tech, or crypto, or travel. Find something you genuinely loved about the post and let the person know. It will go a long way to establishing your credibility as a constructive "commenter".
Ask a Question
Another thing that I try to do with each comment is ask a question. I like to find something in the post that I want to know more about. It might be a part of the post that they touched on, but wasn't super relevant to the main topic. It could also be a question about how they feel about a specific concept that relates to the post. If it is a picture and they didn't provide a lot of information you might ask where it was taken, or what type of camera they used to take it. If the original poster is someone from a different country and they post something about food or an event they attended, this is a great way to learn about a new culture. Dig in and get to know the person you are commenting to.
Choose Wisely
I take part in some of the photo contests @photocontests. It is a pretty cool idea, especially for newer members. It gives you something to post and it starts helping you build towards some bigger upvotes. Part of the contest is you get experience by making comments. When I started I found myself simply making comments like "nice post" and "awesome picture" just so I could get my five comments in for the day and get my 5xp. Now I try to keep my first two points in mind. If I can't offer at least a sentence or two of praise on the post and I can't ask a thoughtful question about it, I don't comment on it. Sure it makes my morning routine go a little slower, and it takes me a little longer to get to posting my content, but I feel like it is adding more value to Steemit as a whole.
In the same way, this is also how I treat my feed now. A lot of minnows join Steemit and it is a mad rush to get followers. So you upvote stuff and leave superficial comments on posts hoping they will hit that follow button. As many others have pointed out to me via comments in my posts and discussions on Discord, you will grow followers much more quickly with comments that have "meat" vs. lame two word posts. Remember Steemit is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time, build those relationships, pause for a moment and really dissect peoples posts. This will allow you to leave those comments that build followers, and relationships. Plus who knows, some of those comments may give you inspiration for your next post and sometimes figuring out what to post next is the hardest part!
How about you fellow Steemians? Do you have any patterns or philosophies you try to follow when commenting? I look forward to hearing from you!
If it comes from the heart and has value it will be a great one in my opinion!
@bozz, this is a really cool post topic. I am not sure that I have ever heard of anyone talking about quality comments.
One thing that I try to do is include the person's Steemit ID. And for me if, I am not able to attentively read the post , then I decide it is best not to comment.
I enjoy commenting on my "frinds" posts. By friends I mean the blogger I already got familiar with in discord or in previous comments. with those people you just stop thinking about how good is your comment or is it positive? is it long enough? ist .. is it ..
you just say what's on your mind and it's usually something amazing ;)
you just need to be yourself
Then when I figured out my comments for my frends are better then my other comments, I started considering everyone on steemit a friend or at leas a potential friend
That encludes you by the way 😉
Great comment and a great philosophy! I agree that things just kind of a flow a little better when you are familiar with the person you are commenting to.
Great post, I find it difficult to write good comments, but I will try and practice. I agree that comments are very important in steemit and that there are a lot lame ones. I can not think of a question right now ...
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by bozz from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
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The element of praise is good, so long as it is genuine. But the asking a question stage is good advice. It gives the comment an opportunity to lead to a conversation. Not all of them will, but some do. Some of the best comments I have received have been of this nature. Feedback, questions, advice, and from there many comments follow.
The two word comments, or ones that show that someone clearly didn't read your post are just ignored by me. But great comments get my attention. It's not difficult, as I am sure you have noticed. Just takes time and patience. All the best.
I will be honest, sometimes I can't think of a question. It may be a great post, I just can't think of a question. Sometimes in those cases, I just upvote it and don't leave a comment. That is okay I think. You are showing your support without having to be fake or make something up.
Very true, a question doesn't always spring to mind. I like that you say to not fake it. It probably seems obvious anyway. Good advice. All the best.
So, what you're saying is... if I say "follow me/follow you" and "good post my friend".. IS NOT adding value. (yes, just a little morning pre-third cup of coffee sarcasm here)
I understand people are feverishly wanting to earn money here, have a following or have their posts appear in the trending and hot tabs with their potential earnings closing in on the 1k mark.. but I get tired of seeing the begging, link dropping in another's post and the like.
Yeah :) that is the kind of thing I am talking about. I read a good post that suggested you sign your comments to maybe easily lead others to your page and get them reading your stuff. I hope I would never link to one of my posts in the comments to someone else, but I feel the "signature" is overt enough that it is helpful without being conspicuous. Thanks for the comment!