Remy Fool: They say that there’s no honor among thieves. But is there a proper code of conduct that should be expected among bloggers? What about some sort of unspoken blogger etiquette?
R: Well, folks, Irina and I have the answers to all of those questions and more! We think we do, at least.
R: I think it goes without saying that there are some guidelines that are largely self-evident. Don’t spread hate-speech, don’t encourage criminal behavior, don’t demonstrate a lack of human empathy and compassion by excessively flaming others, etc. Don’t do these sort of things for obvious reasons and show at least a minimum level of human decency while interacting with others.
R: However, Irina and I are gonna be addressing some greyer areas. These topics are a lot less clear-cut and we’ll be trying our best to point out the correct way to handle these contentious situations. In other words, we’re just listing out our thoughts in regards to such circumstances. We may disagree with each other at times since there are clearly no one-size-fits-all answers to these potential problems, but that just means individuality triumphs once again. Gives you all some more food for thought, too.
R: As always, your mileage may vary!
Irina: I’m mostly here for my own education. I would rather murder all of you than be considered impolite so I’ve been bugging Remy with all these questions and we thought maybe someone else might be curious as well.
Self-promotion – how much, when, and where?
R: I think there definitely are several fine lines to consider when it comes to self-promotion. Yes, you obviously want your blog to flourish and you may have written some quality content that you want to share with everyone. But throwing around links to your content in another blogger’s comment section, even if said content is related to the other blogger’s topic of interest, is too much!
R: If you want to hype yourself up, go submit your content to a post that’s collecting posts to promote! Ping Twitter mutuals whom you believe will appreciate your content!
R: I’m basically of the opinion that invading someone else’s comment section to promote yourself is in poor taste and should never be done, but I’ll let it slide 3 times, tops, before I start getting angry. And you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.
R: Even if the invaded doesn’t voice a complaint after you have repeatedly taken over their comment section, you should still consider what you’re doing and their position. Maybe they don’t want to confront you or they have trouble expressing displeasure. Just try to be considerate, alright?
R: Maybe I’m a bit too optimistic, but people will notice when you write strong, focused content and they might even share your content for you. So just focus on the quality of your writing and the rest will surely follow! Just don’t forget to do the same for others!
I: You know, aside from those great ideas, I have had both success and just a whole bunch of fun with collaborations. Now you should keep in mind that just like you, bloggers are busy people with their own lives who may not have time to do a post on short notice, but it can really be a great way to reach some new reader while sharpening your own skills.
I: Here are my humble suggestions for a successful collab. Before you approach someone, make sure to read enough of their posts to get a good sense of their style and preferences. Not all collaborations are a good match. Do your homework. Pick a topic you would both be interested in discussing and have an outline ready. Work out the mechanics (i.e. use Google Docs) and propose a timetable but be flexible.
I: Or just ask Remy. It’s what I do…
R: Ehhh. よろしくお願いします。
I: REMI!!!!! Children could see this!!!!
Should you have and upkeep a blogroll?
R: By blogroll, do you mean the list or grid widgets which lists the blogs that I follow and the posts that I’ve recently liked? I just added those widgets after looking through these questions, admittedly, so my answer might sound a little insincere. But I’m of the opinion that it really depends on you. Do you like how the blogroll widget looks on your blog? Do you want to help promote other blogs? These are questions you must answer yourself! I personally want spread more love to other blogs so I’m all for the blogroll.
I: Before I started the blog, I did my research (I read two random posts) on how to create a good anime blog. One of those posts was from the stone age (like 2005) but still had all the same points you’ve seen everywhere, consistency, originality, interesting/precise point of view… yadda yadda yadda. But the one practical piece of advice that jumped out at me was:
“DO keep a blogroll. Part of blogging is to recommend other blogs. Think of it as your civic duty to help the pagerank of blogs that you like.”
I: Personally, I have no thoughts on other people’s blogroll habits. When they don’t have any I usually don’t really notice, but when they do I enjoy exploring it and I may come back to the blog more often even without new posts to check out the new blogs they’ve discovered or new posts they like.
I: So I guess both Rem and I are saying – have a blogroll if you want.
R: Leave it to Iri to cut through the purple prose and get to the point!
Follow for follow?
R: I try to follow everyone who follows me. But if they don’t actually have a blog or if they don’t write about anime, I tend to give them a hard pass. I wasn’t sure what to do when these fashion bloggers started following me after I wrote one or two posts about fashion and outfits!
I: I have followers who I’m pretty sure do not in fact follow me. They have never commented or liked any of my posts and our content has NOTHING at all in common. A few of these are huge blogs with thousands of followers so I suspect these might be folks interested in exploiting doormats who instantly hit follow whenever someone follows them. And it worked on me! Since I celebrate my follower milestones in a very…let’s say specific, way, I actually do follow and read almost all my followers’ blogs.
I: But I also follow a lot more blogs that don’t follow me. In fact I follow close to 1000 so it’s getting a bit hard to keep up with everyone’s posts. Maybe I should clean up a bit. I personally don’t mind when someone doesn’t follow me back but if they follow a whole bunch of blogs that are similar to mine I do wonder if it’s just because mine isn’t good enough. In time I’ve come to realize that like me they probably have so many that they haven’t even noticed my blog in the crowd.
I: Where did we come down on this? It’s not a must?
R: I think we both agree that this solidly depends on personal preference once again. It does feel like some of the bigger blogs are a bit more cold-hearted and more self-interested, though.
Is it OK to like a post you haven’t really read (as in you only glanced at it from your reader)? And should you ALWAYS like posts from bloggers you like?
R: Wow, the double whammy. Well, I try to actually read all the posts I “like.” Sometimes I realize I’m simply not interested in the post’s content as I’m reading, but I still “like” the post anyways to give them some sense of validation. They probably worked really hard on that post, you know!
R: As for the second question, I usually end up “liking” almost all the posts from bloggers I like. Unfortunately, if I start really disliking the tone you take in your posts or if you’ve wronged me in some way by leaving me hanging or if you consistently ignore my comments or if you never actually swing by my blog, then you probably won’t be getting a golden star from me! But I might still “like” some of your posts from time to time…
I: This is a weird one for me. I read all the posts I like but I will sometimes like the author rather than the actual post. From the other end, there are people that just either insta-like my posts or go to my blog once a week and like every single post in the span of 5 seconds. I’m sort of doubtful they read them but I still feel weirdly happy that they even took the time. Then again, I have followers that only like posts once in a very long while but whenever they do I feel super gratified, like YES I finally earned their like!
I: I do know however that I find likes and number of likes very encouraging. It really motivates me when a post does well (especially a review).
R: Oh, I definitely know about those folks who like all of my posts from last week within a couple of seconds. I really doubt they’re champion speed-readers, but what can I do? They want to pretend they care so I let the illusion live.
I: It’s a nice illusion. Guys, keep liking my posts even if you don’t read them… I guess it doesn’t matter if I write this since…
R: ;__;
Should you force yourself to comment even if you don’t really have anything to add?
R: I do notice I often force myself to comment on some posts even though I have little to say since I don’t want to end up like these self-absorbed bloggers who really only interacts with specific bloggers while ignoring other bloggers who happen to inspire jealousy. You know who you are.
R: Just like with “liking” posts, I force myself to comment on some posts because I want to validate their hard work! In such cases, mentioning specific details that demonstrate that you actually read the post is key. Even if you’re not really saying anything new or constructive, it feels really really good to know someone actually read what you wrote. What’s wrong with making them feel better?
I: I don’t. In fact, I seldom comment unless I really have something specific to say – sometimes it’s pretty random but it means something to me. I do feel a little guilty about it. Often I’ll read a post and something comes to mind and I’ll be super excited, then I’ll notice that someone already commented the same thing and the wind will go right out of my sails.
I: I don’t want to comment just to say, “You are right” or “I agree” because that seems redundant with the like and how are they supposed to respond? Maybe I should, though.
Should you always respond to comments on your own blog?
R: I personally think you should try to do so at least once for each post. If they respond to your response and you’re not sure what to say, just “like” their comment and move on, I guess. That’s what I often do. But if you’re stumped after the first comment, then I guess it’s okay to just not respond aside from “liking” said comment. Personally think that’s a bit cold-hearted, though.
I: Agreed! Admittedly I don’t really know what to say at times. I approach my blog a lot like a conversation rather than a presentation, so I just imagine myself talking to a person. I currently need to figure out the written equivalent to nodding and friendly grunting.
Are “negative” comments (that are respectfully written, of course) OK? Should they always be private?
R: Never forget the golden rule. If you don’t have nothing nice to say, then don’t say nothing at all. Unless if you’re a supervillain and you’ve just destroyed your rival’s arms. Then gloat all you want.
R: With that being said, if you feel compelled to leave or respond with a negative comment, try to balance it out with some compliments. Otherwise, you will come across as being naggy and nitpicky.
R: In any case, I am not really scared to leave a public “negative” comment. Then again, I sort of censor my thoughts to avoid causing excessive trouble so such comments come across as being more of a concern than a criticism. If I want to be controversial and argumentative, I have my own posts where I can express my views. Personally, I don’t really use the comment sections as a place to hold heated discussion, but if I must, I must.
I: On the commenter side I’m 100% with you. I really don’t think I could post a negative comment unless I actually had a personal stake in the discussion. On the blogger side though, constructive criticism is how you learn. I’m not saying I’d enjoy constant confrontation but if someone can help me improve then I’d be shooting myself in the foot by not listening to it.
The Lily Garden 
I really like the back and forth you have going between your respective blogs.
I love comments. I worship comments. I’d want every comment to begin a conversation into something deeper. (Guess we can’t have everything we want.)
Wouldn’t dream of a negative comment. If the blog post wasn’t up to snuff, I ignore and move on.
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Haha, yeah, we get together every so often and I think the results are generally positive!
Mmmm comments are so nice when they come in.
Ah, fair enough.
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another great collab post! and i’ve actually never heard of the whole liking a post but not reading it until now…makes me kind of worried since i always like to look at what posts get the most likes so i can ATTEMPT to do another like it xD plus i like genuine conversation and to me a like is like someone is saying hey i liked your post (or at least i use it like this esp when i have nothing to comment)
i know sometimes i’ll like a post before i read it but it’s usually when it’s by someone i know i’ll enjoy reading from like Takuto (hehe). but by the end of it i’ll always try to leave a comment
in terms of comments i am really awkward with them sometimes. i follow some people that are more in the book community and i feel kind of scared leaving comments on their blog bc they’re so popular and here’s measly old me. so sometimes i just use the like button if i have nothing ‘in-depth’ to say (though sometimes their blog topics don’t leave much of a discussion bc i haven’t read or watched what they’re talking about)
also, i’ve never been a fan of f4f. if it came down to it, i’d be ok with losing all the followers i have that don’t actually visit my blog because i want to interact with people that actually want to interact with me, not people who mainly focus on numbers. i don’t follow all of my followers bc i’m bad at keeping up with stuff like that but sometimes (like today i’m hoping), i’ll go through my followers list and check out their blogs, follow the ones that i find interesting. but mostly i’ll just follow twitter accounts, esp if they post their blog posts on there. i feel like after awhile, my reader just gets super full because i follow either a lot of people or people who post so frequently so it’s nice to have another way to find posts
as for a blogroll…i only have one because i need something in my widget section. i like to have the posts i’ve liked widget but honestly, it’s not something i think about on other people’s blogs. if someone has it, they have it, if they don’t, they don’t. i hardly ever interact with widgets. but after reading this maybe i’ll put more effort into mine, who knows xD
now i’m off to part 2~
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Thank you!
Oh, really? I’m glad you’ve never really ran into that before now, then!
That is a good milestone to consider, you’re right.
And that’s a strong starting point! Yay for genuine conversation!
Mmmm fair enough.
I know what you mean by that. But, hey, whatever feels most comfortable, right?
That’s reasonable. Sincere interaction is what keeps me going, too. Numbers aren’t nearly as important.
Haha I’ll be inclined to think it’s just extra fluff. Keep doing you!
Yay~
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This was very helpful. I was just wondering about the etiquette of liking, especially since I’ve been forced to skim more posts lately to keep up with them and school at the same time. I have to wonder how you can both keep up with all the blogs you follow! It’s incredible!
On to part two!
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Ahhh yeah time constraints are painful.
I didn’t go into this in the article, but I often find myself bingereading. I just caught up on responding to comments on my blog so now I’m about to go catch up on other people’s posts.
Toodles!
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I’m late to the party and mostly everything that I wanted to say has been said by others, but this was a great read Remy! Wish I got to this sooner.
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No worries, Prattle! I’m glad you found it enjoyable!
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This was really insightful. Kind of mad at myself for waiting so long to read it. I love your chemistry in this, and you gave a lot of good advice, especially about responding to comments. Keep up the good work😁.
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I’m glad you found the post useful!
Wahaha thank you! I wish you the same!
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I read all the post I “like”. Usually I will “like” a post and read it later, but I will read i. Sometimes I came to read all the post I “like” when I’m writing the weekly round-up.
I really try to reply to all the comment, like I do with the post, if I have anything to say, I will “like” the comment and then reply later. Unless I really don’t know what to reply.
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Mmm great guidelines!
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This post certainly called to my attention specific habits I perpetuate from time to time. My biggest hurdles of reading other content is trying to think of things to respond with as I often get into my head. Of course I try to always respond to ones on my blog, but a similar thing happens. I always think “This person put time and effort into commenting on my blog! I need to come up with some great reply to thank them for the comment!” Though of course by the end of thinking too much I realize that it has been a month and I took far too long. Where does the time go?
Often when I read something and like it I want to comment, but I just never get around to it. Having tabs open for days at a time thinking to myself “At some point I am going to write this” and then of course never doing that. The ongoing saga of realizing you should just write something instead of stressing about it! And if you want to read more about said saga please refer yourself to my blog [insert link here]. This is not a premade model for self-advertisement…pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!
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Mmm I know those struggles quite well. Interacting with others is quite difficult!
Hopefully you and I can work out those kinks (not those kinks)!
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I read this in the morning but had school to get to, so here I am-late.
Still, this was a great post Remy-nii, Rin-san!
While, I don’t have anything worthwhile to comment like all the others, just a point to make.
I think people comment even when they don’t really have anything to say BECAUSE of the point you made before that. They want to let you know that they actually read your post and not just liked it 🙂
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School is important! Sort of! So no worries!
Thank you!
Ahhh yeah that’s what I try to do, but it seems like most people can consider that to be just like leaving empty comments so they avoid commenting unless they have something poignant to say.
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“Sort of!” XD
I need to tweet that LOL.
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There actually is a Blogger’s Code of Conduct (google it!), although not many people seem to abide by it since one rule of the Code is “don’t feed the trolls”…
Self-promotion: I don’t self-promote on WordPress with the “my post is better than yours [link]” style. If I do any self-promotion at all, it’s more subtle than that and doesn’t involve any links.
Blogroll: I don’t have one simply because I follow blogs with different purposes and it would be weird to “cross-pollinate” the lot. I think Irina caused some “cross-pollination” when I first started to follow her and made one of her celebration posts (prior to the Animanga Spellbook’s creation), but I think that was it.
Follow for follow: I only follow people whose content I think is relevant for some reason or another. There’s no point getting content on your Reader you’ll find totally irrelevant.
Liking: I only like posts I genuinely read and genuinely like, it’s a rule of mine that carries throughout the entire internet – that way, people deserve their likes.
Comments: I try to reply to people as much as possible if I have something good to say, even if it somewhat deviates from the other blogger’s intentions. That includes comments on my own blog. Negative comments that are respectfully written are constructive criticism and are welcome, but if the commenter’s clearly taking potshots at you or the way you write, it’s better to ignore them.
Yikes, this is a long comment. Better head to part 2…
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Oh, I wasn’t aware! I just wanted to mention thieves having no honor so I went for it. Thanks for sharing (and for commenting).
You make good points in each section. Long comments are always welcome in my book!
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Re “Should you force yourself to comment even if you don’t really have anything to add?”
Whenever I comment on a blog, I always try to keep the Gricean Maxims in mind, Specifically, I try to ask myself whether or not what I have to say add value to the conversation- either via offering a different perspective, sharing a relevant detail, expressing validation or appreciation, offering education, or in some other way… If the answer is no, then I don’t comment. I’ve always found it really helpful!
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That’s a good guideline. The Gricean Maxims are definitely something to remember and reference!
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I really learnt quite a lot from your discussions on this topic, which is pretty timely for myself as I’ve been thinking about how I should interact with the community or whether I’ve been “doing it right” (so really thank you to both of you Remy and Irina).
Most productive interactions within the community comes from proper civic discussions (at least that’s my impression from what I learnt in school/experiences), which when it comes to negative comments becomes very critical. Its kind of a grey area for this one particularly when we communicate on the-net than face-to-face, since its possible for sincere but critical comments to sound derogatory to some of us (hence seemingly a negative behaviour too). As you two mentioned, it really upsets the author (I mean who wouldn’t, we all put effort into our writings). I think trying to understand a writer’s style and general philosophy is a good starting point to avoiding the ‘grey area’ issues, but then again we are all busy with not just our writing but our lives, and its not an easy step to take.
I actually have another possible discussion point on blogger decorum which is the focus of “I or You” in comments. I run a lot into the habit of always using “I / me / my / myself” in the comments (just like this one) – This might actually be a weird comment/question, but for commenters what should we focus more on? On ourselves (that we share our own opinions, hence “Me”-oriented) or on the authors (that we try to comment on something that prompts them to respond with more ideas/expression from themselves – for those who respond to comments). This point may actually overlap with your discussions on commenting behaviour/frequency, so apologies if I missed both your points and regurgitated this idea.
.
I ended up writing paragraphs for this comment =.= (sorry!) … Its a great post to reflect on ourselves, again thanks for the collab+discussion. And sorry+thanks for reading this comment.
(There were two parts.. so I decided to comment on the former)
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Mmm that’s an issue with online interactions ,right? Words are so easily misinterpreted when we can’t rely on body language. It’s tough!
Nooo that’s an interesting area to touch upon. I do admit I sort of wince when I notice I’m using a lot of first-person pronouns when I am commenting on other people’s content since it’s like I’m coming across as being self-centered (in my opinion) But I’m not sure if they even notice.
I wish I had a clear answer for that concern. Maybe using more second-person pronouns would make it seem like you’re more interested in what the person is saying? But it also can make it sound more accusatory? Writing comments on people’s posts suddenly became so hard, sorry!
Well, I’m very thankful you commented and I’m glad you enjoyed the discussion. It’s definitely something we all have to consider. Doesn’t help that there’s no clear-cut answer, either!
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Running a blog sounds… frightening. Especially for pre-internet relic, like me. I’ve never really found my way to social media. I’m not on twitter, and I was on facebook simply to follow my sister while she was on an extended vacation and that was the easiest method. I de-activated the account after it’d served its purpose and never looked back (until it got hacked; should have deleted the account).
I realise that if you’re only reading a post you’re near invisible (you’re responsible for a hit, but that’s pretty much all). Still, I’ve never made my peace with the liking-system. It’s mostly a source of anxiety for me. (Liking everything is a way out, but it also feels like simple beaurocracy.) I never “follow” anything; I try to keep my inbox clean. I just drop by and have a look.
In summary, I’m a rather bad community person when it comes to the tech options.
Also, I’m not quite sure what counts as a “negative” comment. There’s a huge range from simple disagreement to death-threats, and I’m fairly sure that, if people simply read the word “negative”, they draw the line at different points. Since I’m a rather strange person, I’m used to disagreeing and being disagreed with. If people agree with me too much, I’m beginning to worry that something’s wrong, as if I’m kept at arm’s length, and I sort of wonder whether I should go away. I’m not convinced that’s a good thing, but when I’m disagreeing that means I’m opening up. So reading about “negative” replies being unwelcome makes me sort of worry. My online existance is almost entirely restricted to forums and comment sections. I like to think I’m a symbiont, but I do worry that I’m a parasyte on occasion. The last thing I want to do is spoil people’s fun, but since I have a contrarian streak, too, the topic of “negative” comments has me worried. How far, before I go too far?
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Oh, jeez. Being off the grid like that actually sounds pretty amazing.
Those are interesting takes on the like and follow systems. I can see where you’re coming from, though.
Oh you’re not a parasite. But uh…the way you interact with others seem to be fine. You don’t flame or insult people, I mean. You are opting to provide constructive criticism or challenging people’s beliefs or ideas in a friendly manner from what I’ve seen. You should be good?
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Thanks. I’m well-intentioned, but I’m aware that I have my own blinders. A post at a time, as usual.
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Great post! I feel both informed and like shit lol. I feel bad a lot of the time liking a post I haven’t fully read, but if I like the topic I’m bound to like it anyway. I know I tried early on to comment as often as possible, but I feel like now I only really try to comment if I’ve actually got anything to add.
That said, I’ve found something about A LOT of blogs that I simply can’t stand, and that’s their button layout! I don’t know how many blogs I’ll probably never see again because I couldn’t find the buttons to like or follow them. Is it at the top of their page, above or under the comments, main page only!?! WHERE IS IT!?
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Awww we didn’t mean to feel bad about yourself. But to be honest I’ve done the same in regards to liking. I’m starting to realize leaving behind empty comments may be less than desirable.
Oh? Their button layout?! That’s so dishearting to read about!
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Haha it’s no big deal really. The buttons though… I ended up losing an incredible blog that broke series down like no one else I’d ever seen. But I couldn’t follow them after spending like 15 minutes searching for the follow button before leaving the page…
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Aw, that’s a shame.
You couldn’t have bookmarked the blog? Or screenshotted their username or blog title?
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Hindsight strikes again
It was probably like 3am when I was looking at it, so I probably got fed up and abandoned it. All I really remember is that the language and design of the page was very colorful lol. Like studio Madhouse designed it lol.
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Aww, that’s too bad.
Mmm I wish I could point you towards the right direction but I have no idea. Who knows? You might come across it again.
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I loved reading this and am about to jump over to part two.
I also have a lot of followers who I am sure have never followed me. When I’ve clicked to see their blog it is usually entirely unrelated to anything I’ve ever written about and they never return to like or comment on anything on my blog.
When I first started blogging, I followed about 100 anime related blogs and I followed back anyone who followed me. Once I got to about three hundred blogs that I was following, I stopped following unless the person followed my blog first and they were blogging about something I wanted to read. Then I found a few anime blogs that were just fantastic and followed them anyway. Okay, it sometimes takes me the better part of two hours to read the posts of my followers if I open them all from my reader so I’m having to get more and more selective about what I read even though I used to read everything on blogs I followed.
I don’t ever like a post I haven’t read though sometimes I will like it more to show I did read it and to support the writer (provided I didn’t outright dislike what was said). I try to avoid commenting when I have nothing to say (though don’t always succeed).
Okay, great post and really loved reading your responses to these questions.
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Mmm those kind of followers are just there…
I can totally agree with every step you followed along the way.
But, yes, I’m also in the same boat when it comes to reading posts. We might have to get a little Darwinist here!
Solid policies regarding liking and commenting. It seems like many bloggers hold their tongue to avoid making empty comments!
I’m glad you liked the post and reading our responses! Thank you for dropping by.
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Wow, this was a great post: I still have to read part 2, but it really contains a lot of cool things here already.
What is funny is that earlier today I read a post about following blogs and the author said it’s too hard to follow everyone that follows you. And I have to agree. I have a dayjob that just keeps me occupied for 9 hours a day. Which means that every day I usually have about 5-6 hours a day of free time left (on weekdays, not counting weekends of course).
I spent about 2-3 hours a day on blogging (either replying to posts I have read, writing something for my own blog, or replying to comments). As much as I would want to I just can’t follow everyone. I also think it is not fair to follow blogs, and just leave likes for the sake of it, instead of really reading the post.
I always do respond to comments left on posts, as I just think it is awesone that people not only read my blog, but also take the time to leave a comment. That is just amazing to me 😊
As for leaving comments on posts from other blogs…I try to comment as much as I can, but pretty much only when I have something I really want to say. Or where I can really voice an opinion on something. But I also leave “just ” a like, when I simply enjoyed the post, but can’t really give an opinion on the piece in question.
I really enjoyed reading this: it raised some very interesting questions as well as provide some great pieces of advice for bloggers old and new: great job you guys! 😀
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Thank you, raistlin!
Mmm there simply isn’t enough hours in the day to do everything we want… so your approach on things is very practical!
With that being said, a lot of good pieces of advice are being left in the comments section, too, such as yours! Yay!
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It’s so cool to see the feedback on your and Irina’s post. It goes to show that you have both done an amazing job: be proud, I really mean that😊
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Hey look. I got nothing to add but it’s still necessary to at least tell you that you have indeed done a great job!
Do you feel good now? 😛
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I would if it was on my blog
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I-it’s not like I feel better, b-baka.
Thanks.
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That was a very good article. You made some good points. I know there have been times where I talk about my own stuff in passing which I’m guilty of, but I try not to obsess over it.
As far as liking people’s posts, that means I actually read it. I’m not just going to blindly hit the like button without knowing the content of the post.
Follow for follow? That’s a bit tricky. I do follow at least have of my subscribers in all my blogs. However, I know not everyone is going to read/like/comment/reblog/link my stuff which I’ve accepted a long time ago. I do my best to catch up on people subscribed to me and vice versa. It may not always be right away, but I will look at older posts in addition to the newer ones.
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Oh, thank you! Hey, it happens.
Mmm good on you. Blind approval is dangerous!
That’s fair and noble of you. Your expectations are also very reasonable (it’s a shame that we have to accept that, though).
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You’re welcome, Remy. Sometimes, I’m not even thinking about it unless I’m commenting on someone’s review for something I’ve also reviewed. Since I deal with lesser known media, I get surprised when I see someone else talking about it.
Thanks. That is so true. I know not everyone’s going to like what I have to say, but I do my best to be courteous.
I really try. I wouldn’t have thought that way years ago, but I felt that I’ve matured in that aspect.
Just keep up the good work!
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I read in the wrong order too lol. I mostly ‘like’ the posts I like. That’s why I don’t do it as much as I would like to because I don’t have enough time to read so many blog posts. I am a super fast reader though so I wonder if some people assume I just like posts without reading them… Hm…
Replying to the stuff in Part 2 (forgot to talk about this in my comments) I think I would be a bit more aggressive if someone plagiarized my work. I think it might be hard to know for sure though. If it’s the same idea it’s totally fine with me. If they reposted my content and said it was their own content (same pictures or copy and paste) then I have no issue with calling them out. 🙂
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Can’t be helped, haha.
Ah, makes sense. I sure hope they don’t for your sake! They shouldn’t assume!
Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to stomach them outright stealing my content like that if I were you. Hopefully that never happens!
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Thanks. 🙂
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Top Quality Collaboration. Now I’m compelled to give my own answers to the prompts.
[Blogroll]
I keep a blogroll, although it’s not super well maintained. I like both the permanency and the impact it has. Even if it’s just writing a short sentence or two, giving readers a reason to check out other blogs is far more motivating than just sharing a link. It’s not vital to have a blogroll but the demonstrable support can’t hurt.
[Follow for follow]
Nah. Page views and reader engagement are what matters. No point having 1000 followers if your post only gets 10 likes and a single comment. It’s always so transparent when people are following just to get a follow back and bump up their count. If someone does follow me, I usually give their content a chance, but that’s a courtesy. I wouldn’t even have the time to read everyone’s posts on top of other hobbies.
[Liking posts]
Always read before liking. You never know when someone might include something that you outright object to, so you wouldn’t want to give it a blanket seal of approval. Plus it’s just the sincere thing to do. Fortunately it’s very rare that I read a post through to the end and not give it a like, but that probably has a lot to do with how selective I am about what I read beforehand.
[Commenting]
I don’t force it. If whatever I intend to say can be delivered better with a like or share then why bother. It’s totally fine to reach the end of the post and not having anything more to say. This is especially true in analytic content because the author will have clearly put more thought/research into the topic than the reader has time to. Though when I do make a comment, it’s usually loooooong.
[Replying]
Eh, I go both ways. If reader interaction means a lot to me for a particular post then I typically thank them, regardless of whether I have anything detailed to respond back. I also latch onto any interesting avenues for conversations as rare as they are. Otherwise I just like and move on. Generally though, I find the most interesting dialogue happens when people make blog responses about each others ideas, instead of having those discussions in the comment section.
[Negativity]
Every comment on my blog has to be manually approved for this reason. It works to avoid confrontations over ‘censorship’ when I would otherwise have to delete aggravating replies. It’s really easy to challenge someones ideas while having a positive, welcoming and engaging approach. Then it kind of stops being criticism altogether, and more like a forum or friendly chat. It’s so rare for any of that to be necessary though. Most of the times you can just harmlessly move along without saying anything. You don’t need to treat someones content like it’s an anime review.
Moving over to part two…
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Thank you!
Great point about blogrolls. It’s not /mandatory/ but it’s nice to have to visibly show support.
Ah, that’s fair. Having a huge amount of followers really doesn’t mean anything if only a few looks at your stuff. I’ve been thinking of doing some…Winter Cleaning, I guess, since it’s already Winter. Haruhi, give me courage…!
Makes sense. Sometimes the comment just sneaks in there and I’m left upset even though I otherwise approve of the post.
Empty comments, I’ve come to realize, are to avoided. Looooooong comments are much appreciated, though!
Oh, I wish there were more blog responses to each other’s ideas. That does sound more fun than comment section discussions.
Sounds like sound logic to me. Some people seem to forget about including the friendly approach and just come across as negative, unfortunately. But yes, you don’t have to challenge /everything/!
Oh, boy!
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Oh whoops, I went in the wrong order lol. Either way these posts by you and Irina were amazing!
Regarding the responding to comments topic, I think I agree with Irina with this, I don’t exactly see the point of just saying “nice post”. If I was going to say that, I would back up that “nice post” by actually explaining why I enjoyed it, and I try to be thorough with my answer. Like Irina said, it’s just redundant.
Going off that, I actually relate a lot to the aspect of responding to comments on my own blog. I read and enjoy every comment no doubt but most of the time, I really have nothing else to add to the conversation/give them a response. I don’t know, I kind of feel guilty when I leave people hanging who might be expecting an answer from me and just hope that a like would suffice. Especially with the comments where I have no idea what the hell they’re talking about lol
This was a great collaboration and I appreciate the discussion!!
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Nah, part 2 was better. You went in the right order!
Yeah, that makes sense. Good on you for going the extra mile when it comes to commenting.
Right, it’s sometimes difficult knowing what to say in response. A “like” should suffice in such situations, I hope. At least, I tell myself that.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it! Happy to oblige~
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self-promotion: i have no strong opinions on this one because im aware that im bad at it.
blogroll: honestly, this is a pain to maintain, so the followed blogs widget is probably better in the long run. as irina pointed out, it might just be obsolete advice these days.
follow for follow: meh…i dont do it
liking posts: i can understand the idea behind the blind like…for me, like usually means ive read the post, though.
forced comments: that’s a fair point about opening dialogue rather than restricting to specific bloggers. never really thought of it that way. i just dont like making empty comments that dont warrant response, so i tend to keep to myself.
responding to comments: i used to force myself to respond to every comment, but ive been cutting myself slack. as with the commenting on other blogs idea, i think it forces too many empty comments
negative comments: i can understand the point about coming off as naggy or nitpicky. im sure that’s just how i come off in general. but i think that a comment section isnt just there for agreement, so id welcome any criticism or negative feedback as long as it’s written well (as the question mentions).
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self-promotion: fair enough.
blogroll: it might be, yeah…
follow for follow: I see.
liking posts: ah, that’s good.
forced comments: Can’t be helped. It’s more up to personal preference. But I do feel better when someone comments on my content so I just try to spread the love around when I can.
responding to comments: empty comments, huh? I see.
negative comments: mmm.
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based on your responses in this post, i think you’re right that it’s a difference in perspective. you mentioned that you try to avoid heated discussions in comments, whereas i would welcome it. i think that puts me closer to irina’s perspective? i agree with the idea that a blog is more of a conversation than a presentation
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I think you’re right about you being closer to Irina’s “side.” Seeing blogs as being like conversations than a presentation is fair and is how I would call it, as well, but I also opt to give in too easily when it comes to conversations to avoid controversy if I don’t know the person well. One day I hope I can be more assertive with my opinions without coming across as a blundering oaf.
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I actually found this really interesting and relevant for myself.
My approach to consuming blogs is a lot like my approach writing my own blog: lazily.
Sometimes I wonder what right I have asking people to check out this thing that I wrote when I only check out a small percentage of what other anibloggers write.
Sometimes it’s a lack of time, sometimes it’s a lack of interest due to how out of touch I am, but I definitely don’t check out as many blogs as I wish I did.
Writing my own blog posts has reminded me how nice it is to be acknowledged, so I have been actively trying to like and comment on things more than I used to.
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Yeah, it’s really a tough line to balance. Between blogging and watching anime, it’s sometimes difficult to find time to check out other people’s content.
But, hey, we’re all busy so you shouldn’t feel too bad. It’s nice that you’re actively trying to like and comment on other people’s content, though!
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What an interesting concept!
I love the discussion on liking and commenting and that’s definitely what’s getting me to… comment… now.
I very rarely like without reading. If I do it’s because I’ve read the majority, liked it, and didn’t have time to finish. I almost always give my “like” then try and get time to go back and finish it.
As for commenting, I only comment when I feel I have something to add. Whether it’s just my thoughts on the post in general or something specific in the post. I don’t like leaving general “this is good” comments so if I don’t have anything to add I generally don’t comment. But that’s what I use the likes are for!
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Wow, that’s so meta!
Mmmm I like your approach in regards to “liking” posts and commenting on posts. It’s very earnest and not extra at all!
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I’ll try not to duplicate the comment I just left Irina but I will doubtless say some of the same things 🙂 Both great posts, and an accurate reflection of why I enjoy seeing both of you on my feed each day. You value the medium of blogging, your subject matter and the sense of community blogging brings about — the latter aspect of which is something that, as you know, I’ve only really recently become a bit more involved with — and you put out great, interesting, thought-provoking stuff, too. Rest assured my “Likes” are always genuine 🙂
Reading this I’m conscious of the fact I’ve left a link or two in a few people’s comments, so I apologise for that if they were unwanted! I have at least tried to ensure they act as “further reading” on a particular topic or supporting my comments where appropriate rather than just shoving something in your face though! If I have a lot to say on something and I know I’ve written about it in the past I tend to prefer linking to a post rather than writing too much of a wall of text in the comments that inevitably ends up treading the same ground. I’ll add to that and say that personally speaking I’m more than happy for people to do the same if they comment on my site and have previously written something on the topic — I always like to see what other people have written 🙂
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I’m always worried that I come across as being too preachy, but thank you! Oh, I can definitely tell that you’re being more active since I see you around!
Ah, no worries. You do make an effort on making sure that you don’t share your links in a way that is just like “hey check out my content it’s better than yours.” Apparently that happens according to TwoHappyCats and that’s horrifying. Thank you for such consideration! So don’t worry about it! c:
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Yes, the fact people do that is kind of alien to me! I always think of blogging as a kind of community effort rather than a competitive one; we’re all “in this together” so in that context it makes sense to share things. I guess not everyone feels the same way, huh.
People always find ways to surprise me. And not necessarily in good ways! 🙂
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Really fantastic post you two! These posts are so helpful for bloggers old and new. Looking forward to part 2 🙂
Recently I actually had a bit of an issue with self-promotion. I had written up a walkthrough which was getting fairly popular and was getting a bunch of people (about 3 a day) commenting stuff like “you can find better information on my site [link]” . Thankfully I have my site set up so if I have to approve comments before they’re allowed to be posted, but it really shocked me people could be so rude with their self promotion!
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Thank you!
Wow, jeez, that’s really rude. I’m sorry that happened to you. Manually approving your comments seems like a good way to get around that, but still… my condolences ;__;
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Oh that is the worst. I’m sure these people weren’t malicious but still you have to use some common sense. Also I like your walkthoughs!
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Agreed, your walkthroughs are always so thorough and nice to read!
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Some interesting discussion to be found in here for sure, particularly the points made surrounding comments and “liking”.
I personally don’t like or comment on something unless I read it first, and only leave comments if I feel I can add something or have more to say beyond “I liked this”. And thankfully, in most cases, I DO have more to say than that!
I tend not to leave negative comments, mostly because I rarely have anything negative to say, and as a huge believer in subjectivity, I tend to view a difference of opinion as just “this is how they see it”. But I’ll always offer feedback in the form of constructive criticism I feel I feel it should appropriate (and I’m nice about it!)
I’m also always up for discussion, and I’m strictly against people who comment with the intention of arguing or trying to start a fight over differing opinions. Discussing and arguing are two very different sides of the same coin. As you said, I have my own blog to express any controversial opinions I may have, away from someone else’s space, where I welcome all criticism, but not flaming or insults.
Anyhow, great post from the both of you! Guess I’ll go check out part 2 now! 😀
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If I feel*
This phone is awful.
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Mmmm that’s very earnest of you. And it’s good that you usually do have more to say!
I’m not a fan of negative comments, either, but I agree with you on subjectivity. Offering feedback is important, though, and I’m sure many people appreciate you doing so, myself included!
Fair enough. There are lines and limits to consider!
Thank you!
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