Damn, it's quiet around here, we say. No one has commented on my post. That sucks balls. And the price of steem - sssssheeeesh.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you're too busy to spend much time commenting. Ugh. The too-busy lament is our go to, right? However, I'm calling it like I see it - if you don't take the time to comment, you shouldn't even be here.

We all know that deafening silence of posting only to have no-one comment on our work. It's disheartening. We also know the feeling of being excited that we got a comment, only to get a shit comment - those hilariously inappropriate adjectival phrases that go something like this:

'A bountiful and resplendant post'
'I like your work. It is so sad. Please write more ambidextrous philanthropy'
'Nice work, sir. You like me. Thankyou'.
'An excellent and curious post. I like'.

Those ones seriously make me giggle - please don't stop, Mr 25's, as it does amuse me, though it doesn't make me want to go and interact with you. I hope that you have the ambidextrous fortitude (no, I don't know what that means, I'm being resplendently facetious) to read the tips below, and take them into account. Perhaps you'll throw your big words away and say something more meaningful and valuable. Comment like a boss.

The thing is, it's quiet because we're not bothering to engage. Spend a whole heap of time engaging with people, and you'll get engagement back. I'm taking my own medicine this week and upping my engagement and comments, because I love this platform and want it to BUZZ. And I'm responsible for that, just as much as everyone else is.

1 Comments make People Smile

You know that feeling you get when someone comments something meaningful on your post - a little hello, a bit of gratitude, some extra knowledge or an acknowledgement of what you've said? Feels good, doesn't it?

We can choose every single moment to make the world a better place or make it worse. Our thoughts are contagious, either inspiring and motivating people or causing them despair. We have the power to make people happy or make them depressed. How we interact with people can change their day, their week.

So if you're scanning through a post and think 'I'm too busy to comment' or 'they won't even notice I was here', think about the difference you could make to someone's day. That's bound to have the knock on effect of making you feel good too.

2 I Don't Care What you Say, This is A Social Network

This is a social network. This is a social network. This is a social network

I can't stress this enough. Talk to anyone who's been here for a while, through all the ups and downs, they'll tell you that they came for the crypto and stayed for the community.

Fuck all the people using bots to get on trending pages and looking out for themselves - that's them. This is us. We're a collective. We're freaking awesome as a team, and lonely and sad when we're not.

Think about the role YOU play in steem society. Are you just out for yourself? Reckon you'll survive on your own for long? There's people here whose work I love, but I won't upvote them because they never reply to comments or interact with anything I say, so I dont even bother to visit them anymore.

3 Screw the Ghosts, Love the REAL followers

Aw, you guys. You know who you are. You come back all the time for a kind word, even if it's a small 'hey!'. I know I've got tons of ghost followers, but I don't care about that. I care about you. I'm gonna go visit you in a minute (when I've finished this post, coz like, I'm busy innit?) and love ya back coz I'm YOUR real follower too. See Point 1 & 2. Oh, and sometimes you upvote me and resteem me, and that's kinda cool too, and awwww, we help each other survive this crazy SteemWorld, amirite?

4 Rewards Just Rain Down On You

Okay okay, we're here for the steemolo too. Kaching and all that (sssh with the price of steem right now - go read @carlgnash's post about making steempower whilst the sun ain't shining here and power up baby!

• @abh12345's Engagement Leagues can earn you steem (and friends - see point 1, 2 and 3) - if you can beat the crew at the top, imagine the applause and worship!
• Check out @curie's comment contest here
• You might even get upvoted by a whale or a dolphin, sometimes gaining more reward than a post itself! I've heard tell that one day one person got a 20 SBD upvote! Say whaaaaaaat!! I'm pumped when I get 0.01! It all adds up baby!
• Check out @steembounty - you can WIN for commenting on posts! Sharpen your pen! Check out new bountys here.
• You might send traffic to your site when people see your name so often they start getting interested in your work, and therefore might upvote your own content.

5 It's About Adding Value

If I was an outsider, and was reading a post about something interesting, and saw all the wisdoms and dialogue that followed in the form of comments, I'd be really interested to get on board. In fact, it was one of the things that turned me into a blogger here, because I hate rattling around Wordpress or other blogging sites with lots to say but no one to talk about my content with. I learn alot by what other people have to say about what I've written, or the posts they've pointed me to. That adds real value to the knowledge base here.

What if your amazing comment just wowed a Steemoutsider (what do we call those peeps here?) and they decided to come on board!??

Tits don't add value - @torico made that point a few days ago. There's plenty of things that add value, but I'm a bit over the shit posts that people ALLOW here by not downvoting or flagging to say: you aren't really adding anything to the reputation of Steemit in the real world. If visitors come and see shitposts with no interaction, what example is given here?

6 Empowering the Little Fishies

All you really need is one person to show you that you are awesome and they're off!

I've seen redfish start here with no clue how to make a pretty post or write well, or even know what to talk about. Once you start commenting and interacting, it's like you're giving people the power to explore their own potential.

If you do this at a crucial moment, the human spirit is so receptive - what if you were the one that encourage brilliance just by popping by and commenting on an aspect of their work? The stuff they do well? The best little snippet of their post?

One little bit of gold that could turn into something really special down the road.

I know I would NEVER have started Natural Medicine if it wasn't for the gushings of @mountainjewel, who popped past on a post of mine and was full of enthusiasm and excitement. That reminds me - I need to get onto commenting hard so I can rank above her in the Engagement League (not competitive at all, but I'm coming atcha @steemflows)

Thus....

- If you believe in the Steemiverse and want it to succeed, you - and everyone of us here - needs to make new users think it's worth sticking around.

- If you believe in the Steemiverse, you gotta make the people that have been here for a while, and might be a bit tired and fed up, think it's worth sticking around.

- It is up to everyone of us to show people we CARE about what they do.

Oy, what are you still doing here?

GO COMMENT LIKE A BOSS!

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