LooseSuits

Most effective strategies I've ever read are all on Problogger:

10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog

I'm going to list them here, but you should read the article to see why they're important.

1. Invite comments
2. Ask Questions
3. Be Open Ended
4. Interact with comments left
5. Set boundaries
6. Be humble
7. Be gracious
8. Be controversion
9. Reward comments
10. Make it easy to comment

The last one is super important. There are a lot of blogs out there that I would love to comment on and used to comment on, but I stopped because they implemented all sorts of Captcha devices or sign-ins required and you know what? A comment shouldn't require all of that.

Also, how do you know if anyone is reading your blog? How do you know how they're getting to your blog? And finally, what are you doing to make your blog more readable? Because it isn't really that easy to read right now.

I took two random entries of yours, this one and this one.

Let's pretend you read those on someone else's blog. Step back from being the author of your blog for a minute and take an objective look at those two entries. How would you comment? What would you say? Would you comment at all?

@ Abi
Thanks for the quick reply and suggestions. I've been using Blog Stats on WordPress and Statcounter to keep track of how many daily loads I get and where they are coming from. And I was unaware that my blog was not easy to read. Were you referring to my writing style, format, content, or layout?
@ Tyme
I can see how those two posts were a little closed to comments. I have had other posts where I have asked for out side comments and only get one person to comment, who I will then reply to.

Thanks again for the help.

Your blog appears to be more statement than conversation.
Not much to say when one is only stating facts really.

I post comments on blogs where I find the people interesting or where there is an opinion worth debating. I think with all the blogs out there these days you are going to be hard pressed to find people wanting to comment on little factoids of your every day life, that is unless you already have a lot of readers who care about you and your every day life and are willing to humor you.

Let's take the emergency supplies entry as an example. It could really benefit from being a bulleted list instead of a bunch of paragraphs. You could still annotate your list, but a list would actually serve the purpose of telling people what it is important to have for an emergency.

And then ask people if you've left anything out or if they have other things that they would include in an emergency kit. Ask them if emergency kits are really necessary or if you need to have one just because people around you happen to have their noses ripped open.

Also, check out this note on justified text.

@cooper - Totally. There a couple of mom blogs (Dooce and Amalah) that totally crack me up/make me insanely sad. But even if they have comments open, I don't leave a comment. For one, what would I say 'Hey, you are freaking hilarious!' ? Nah.

I still think a big part of it is that you are still "new", It took me a long time to start to get regular discussion. I think you, right now, have a limited audience because your posts seem to be mostly tech related, if that's the way you want to go you have to get the "techies" to join in. That's my opinion at least.

Asking for advice works most of the time, and complaining about something can even work. Even though people hate complaining, if you complain about the right things, people will be on your side and most likely will comment.

Even if you don't have posts that ask questions, you can garner comments by writing something that people relate to. Take a specific thought, like the post about your mother and her computer, and expand it a little so that people have something to say. For example, with the same above example, talk first about your mother, and then maybe talk about how often times when things seem difficult, like they have no fix, a small adjustment might just solve the problem. (What I'm saying is to make your little example a metaphor for the big stuff.)

Also, comment on other blogs. Similar blogs. They'll come look at you, too.

Lastly, when you get comments, respond. To every, single one. People like to know that you're paying them a little attention after they've taken the time to read all you have to say.

ditto ErinR

Or you can Pay Them. Seems to be a trend.

@ Abi: That article that you linked to was wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Any thing that will help my blog is always welcomed.

Easiest ways I've gotten users to comment are to:

1) Write engaging content that leaves open the possibility of discussion and even urges them to do so. (Pander to THEIR interests.)

2) Post a picture of yourself holding a gun to a puppy's head and caption it "Comment or I'll kill this dog." After three or four pups I'm sure you'll get SOME attention.

dude do the gun thing you've got a gun I'll get the puppy.

The best thing I know of is to write to engage the reader. If you're just talking AT them then 9 times out of 10 you won't get comments.

@gnorb & Shadofgray

I found that kittens work best ;)

Thanks

ok, how do you get people TO your blog, and if you can't talk techie, what do you talk about? :)

Is a blog just an ongoing conversation with anyone who wants to join in?
Are you the 'Forrest Gump' character that sits on the bench waiting for the bus who tells his story to everyone that passes through? Or is a blog an online journal of your experiences that you want to share with the world?

@mwilsonemt: You. Are. Sick.

Gnorb:My question here is if you "pander to the interest of others" is there really a point in blogging?

I'm just curious as there seems to be a big push to pander to what others want, which I imagine is not why a majority of non business bloggers started to blog. I also imagine it is hard to pull posts out of your own head if it doesn't interest you.

@cooper: If you're looking for others to comment then you have to give them a reason to. If you're writing for yourself -- and only yourself -- then you simply write and comments are an additional bonus. The question here is getting others to comment, which is not an only-you activity.

Think about it in terms of economics, where the blogging is the service and the comments are the method of payment. Whether or not someone is willing to pay, and how much they pay is determined by what they get from the blogging. If they don't feel they've gotten enough to "pay" for it, then they won't. If they have, they will. (Likely the payment will also include an expectancy of conversation and reply, thereby adding to the value of the product at hand).

Not very many people do things for themselves which end up engaging others. Most of us (myself included) have to play a bit of a balancing game between what we want to say and write about and what our audience wants to hear. If we seek an audience and a reaction from the audience, then we better give them something they want. It's not a one way street.

Does this mean you're selling out? Absolutely not, at least not any more than the musician who decides to write a piece of music he knows his audience will react well to is selling out. (Of course, if this is ALL he does, and no longer really does what HE wants to do, then yes, he has sold out. Nevertheless, engaging the audience is hardly mutually exclusive to being true to yourself.) In fact, I dare say that writing for others, as opposed to simply writing for yourself, helps stretch a writer past their comfort zones, where there is real fear and possibility of failure, and it is in the fringes of fear that true success can be found. In the end, if you're expecting to get, expect to give.

If you're only writing for yourself, then you're already getting what you want, right? If you want comments -- meaning you want to gain audience interaction -- then maybe it's time you start writing for others, and not just yourself. Again, this is a good thing, since it takes a certain level of maturity to realize that.

FYI, I've found that looking at your logs and seeing what articles people are reading, where your audience comes from, and what searches are landing people at your sites is usually a fair way to gain a good feel for what your audience wants. If you want to give that, then all the better. For example: a big search term in my blog is for weatherbunny Elita Loresca. In fact, any time I write about weatherbabes, I start getting a LOT of search engine and linking activity. Yet, search my blog. How many posts do I really have about this subject? MAYBE 5? I don't care to write about that, so I won't. On the other hand, I also get a lot of searches for self improvement and movie theaters. While I write a lot about business and self improvement (I love the subject), I don't write a lot about movie theaters. Maybe I should. Finally, I don't talk about politics on my blog because they tend to chase people away (calling Republicans "criminals" doesn't go particularly well with the crowd that reads business, theology, and self-improvement articles. Who knew?

/For the record, I'm using the generic "you", not actually saying that YOU, COOPER need to do any of these things.

This is what you do.

(1) Stop caring about getting comments.
(2) Continue putting all your effort into writing quality blog content that fits your blog's intended subject matter -- be it personal anecdotes, the latest tech news, or extensive and detailed coverage of R. Kelly's mating habits.
(3) Profit!
(4) Ignore step 3 and understand that if your readers find it interesting, they'll comment.

I like offering an incentive for leaving a comment. I found that the best way to do this is by giving something of value away to "a lucky winner" based on the quality of his/her entry. This not only encourages participation but people to take the time and post something of value. A good giveaway is an ebook!

M.Fleischner
Marketing Blog

When people are moved to comment they comment. Ever been on YouTube and seen a video you just had to chime in about because it "moved" you to be part of the conversation?

If you write like you are part of a bigger conversation or creating a new conversation, people will be more likely to take the time to converse.

It's tough. Most people comment for link love only, so even when your site gets popular and those folks come around, you'll have more comments but still in search of the meaningful ones from people you know were moved to add value to the conversation and not just doing "enough" to get a new link.

Agreed with Friday. It is important to create the sense of conversation - the 2 way street - instead of just a one-way lecture. This gives the feeling of inclusion and the expectation to respond. It helps even more if you show that your entry is actually a comment (but in the form of a post) to someone else's posting.

I agree with Rich's 3 step method... Blog comments are a challenge only if that is your goal. You can't coerce comments, they have to be given.

As bloggers our job is to stay on top of our niche and keep track of what your readers want and eventually you will see what creates the most interest and evokes the most comments.

As a side note, I have noticed that the majority of visitors from Digg and StumbleUpon don't leave comments...I think these guys/gals have too much to read and vote on so they can't be bothered to slow down and leave a comment :)

Though it is sort of a paradox, my favorite strategy is to respond to comments and be very welcoming. I do this with everyone that comments on my blog -- I go out of my way to thank them for commenting, add to what they say, and encourage more conversation.

To do this, you need the first few comments, but once it all goes together, it works out very nicely. I've seen a lot of bloggers build really terrific communities this way.

It's in the post, I would say. Your post should provoke reader's comments. And nothing could do it better than a controversial topic discussed in your post :)))

A lot's been said here already, and it all holds true. What you should take out of this is keep blogging, engage, share. That may seem hard but it's the only way.

I think my first comment ever came months after I started writing. I was happy as a dog when it happened. Guy who responded has long quit blogging, but I'm grateful for his support.

That said, I've a feeling commenting is on the decline. Stuff happens on the networks these days. And even trackbacks come from Twitter or Tumblr. This is not an age for the slow-paced I fear... /end personal musing of anxiety and fear :)

Good luck!

This got me thinking and lead to a piece of content on my blog:
6 ways to get users to comment on your blog

Basically don't ask for too much information, invite interaction rather than making statements, interact on other blogs, befriend other bloggers and incentivise it. Phew.

Thanks for posting this question! I have been having a similar problem, although I am not sure anyone is even reading my blog. But I keep plugging. Thanks for all the great suggestions!

http://mmebrady@blogspot.com