I am Tub Cat! Bringer of Quality Content!

Hello Squishy Humans,

I have a very simple but very important lesson for you today. I shall teach you the etiquette of commenting on the posts of authors whose content you encounter.

Tub Cat finds commenting to be easy. He opens a post, reads the post and writes a comment below the article that he just read. Simple right?

It should be. However posting on Steemit can sometimes become a self promotion exercise in addition to providing your insight into the content of an author's article.

There's no harm in providing an insightful comment in the hope that the author and other readers then click on your name to check your blog, however going out of your way to promote your name and posts through commenting on other posts needs to be avoided at all costs.

So read on Squishy humans! Tub Cat will teach you how to comment on posts in a way that will be pleasing to the mighty Cat in a Tub!

---

When to comment and when to not comment?

Firstly, there is an insane abundance of information on Steemit. There are articles on every topic under the sun (or even in the Tub). When you're first starting out on the platform you can get a little overexcited sifting through the wealth of information and reading things that you never would have read in 1,000,000,000 years.

It's natural to want to provide at least some contribution to the post, so many new users fall in the habit of simply writing "nice post" or "great job" or something similar as their contribution.

You might be thinking why this is a bad idea mighty Cat in a Tub? Tub Cat will tell you, silly human.

If you're reading a well crafted and high quality post, and Tub Cat will only read these types of posts, then you should recognise that the author has spent a considerable amount of time and energy in crafting their post.

It is disrespectful to leave a short and meaningless comment that does not contribute to the topic discussed in the article that you just read. If you have read the article, you should have a basic grasp of the topic discussed in the article and therefore be capable of providing a detailed comment that actually adds to the discussion of the topic at hand.

Your comment does not need to be an essay, but you should at least state your opinion of the topic and, ideally, ask a question of the author to inspire more conversation and interaction.

---

You may gain followers through commenting, but this should not be your sole reason to comment

There are many silly humans out there that think writing hundreds of short and pointless comments such as "nice post" or "great pic" will net them a huge following on Steemit who will then up vote their content.

The reality is, that these types of comments will likely cause your comments to be flagged, just as frequently as you'll gain a follower. And the followers that you do gain, will not be the quality followers that will actually be of any real benefit to you.

_Source

The followers that you want, are followers who are interested in your content and appreciate the quality of your engagement on other peoples posts. If people see that you engage in a meaningful way, they're quite likely to engage with your posts as well. Especially the authors of the posts that you engage with.

You don't want followers who follow you because they see your silly and empty comment in the comments of someone else's post. Followers who like your content, are the people who will up vote your posts. A follower who doesn't know your content when they choose to follow you as a result of your silly two word content, are not likely to have any interest in the content that you create. No matter how much time you spend preparing it.

---

If you think advertising your posts in comments is great idea, think again

There is nothing Tub Cat dislikes more than seeing people advertising their own posts, in the posts of someone else. And Tub Cat will actively flag any of these comments that he encounters.

Advertising your own posts or any service that you might create in the comments of someone else's post is one of the most disrespectful things that you can do to an author. And deserves all of the flags that it will receive. DO NOT ADVERTISE YOUR POSTS ON OTHER PEOPLES POSTS. Tub Cat cannot possibly explain how insanely rude and disrespectful this behaviour is.

_{Don't be a Tub Dog}

Tub Cat had a conversation very recently with a tiny little plankton account, who thought it was a great idea to advertise her resteeming service in the comments field of all of the hot and trending posts on Steemit. This silly and very squishy (in the head) human was wondering why she was getting flagged repeatedly for her silly human behaviour. This person's reputation score went from above 25, all the way down to 15 in the space of two days while this behaviour continued. And she doesn't yet realise that her reputation score will continue to decline as she keeps on promoting her silly service. Tub Cat tried very hard to reason with this individual, but sadly could not get through to her squishy silly human brain.

---

Tub Cat's Final Words

In summary, Tub Cat advises you to, rather than use commenting as a way to grow your following, to use the opportunity to comment on the posts of other authors as a way to engage with the community and to build real and meaningful relationships on this platform. So Tub Cat's advice for commenting on Steemit is:

• Make sure you read the full article before commenting. Understanding the topic being discussed will enable you to write a better comment.
• If you want to write a comment, try to offer some insightful thoughts or questions that will encourage greater engagement and discussion with the author and others who are commenting on the post.
• Never think of commenting is a way to gain additional followers. Commenting is simply a way to engage with your fellow authors on Steemit.
• If you think that commenting is an opportunity to advertise your own posts, think again. You will be flagged, your reputation will be destroyed, and the mighty Tub Cat will penalise you in every way possible.

---

Persevere, pink and squishy human. Your Steemit life is just beginning!

---

TUB CAT OUT!

_{Thanks to @nathanial for creating the amazing header and footer in this post!}