This is a great topic! Thanks for opening up the discussion!

One of the things I find very interesting and would like to know more about is the engagement level of whales. I know you personally read every comment on your threads, unfortunately, this seems to be more the exception than the rule. And I am not going to blame the whales, as they can easily get hundreds of comments each time they post.

So asking as someone who likes to get out of his own blog as much as possible and engage with people in their space, what kind of comments draw you to a person in such a way that you feel compelled to visit their blog and see what they are writing about?

To put it another way. How can minnows stand out in the comment section of a post that could have hundreds of other people vying for the OP's attention?

Of course I have my own parameters of engagement in my posts. Things like Showing you actually read what I wrote, contributed something worthwhile to the discussion, and come back to respond if someone chooses to continue the conversation by responding to your comment, are all indicators to me of someone who is looking to engage in the community.

Interested to hear what draws you out of your own blog to look at someone and see what they are doing? Or is your primary method of curating to take care of people in your comments, and stick with the list of people you are already following for your feed?

Thanks for the opportunity to pick your brain! Very interested in how this thread develops!!!