Blogging Tune

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I said, there’s an interview coming in the blog and now it is here. As a part of the Blog Commenting series, I decided to interview Caroline Middlebrook in this blog. She is very famous for her blog commenting and has got mentioned for doing it in many big blogs like problogger, entrepreneurs journey, and more.

Without further ado, let’s move to the interview and I’m glad to have Caroline Middlebrook here with us in the blog.

Ram: Hi Caroline, Firstly can you give a short introduction about yourself
and how you came into the blogging field?

Caroline: My background is in software development and until September 2007 I was employed as a programmer in a broadcasting company. However, employment is not for me and I longed to be self employed again. I also knew it was possible to make money online so I quit my job with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur and started the blog as a way of documenting the journey.

Ram: It is good to hear that many people are moving from the 9-5 day job to online work. You have been famous for your blog at Caroline Middlebrook. Did you expect the quick success?

Caroline: At the very beginning I picked up around 100 initial subscribers from the Thirty Day Challenge that I took part in and I did expect this as I timed the launch of the blog for maximum exposure from the 30DC. However, I didn’t expect the growth that followed - I think the biggest surprise was being featured on posts by Yaro Starak and Darren Rowse within the same week. This really got me started and its been a lot easier from that point on so now I expect the growth to continue as its much easier once you’ve got to the stage that I’m at now.

Ram: It is not easy to get a back link from those blogging experts and you would have been really happy to have achieved that. Great going! Your feed reader shows 1518 now. Surely there would have been a lot of hard work. Other than that who would you point out to as the main reason for this increase?

Caroline: There have been several key factors. Firstly the two things I mentioned above, secondly I launched my Twitter Guide with quite a bang and this got featured on Lifehacker and the Delicious home page which both brought in a lot of traffic. I’ve had immense success with StumbleUpon and the recent release of my ebook has also brought in a lot of publicity, especially when big guys like Shoemoney blogged about it.

Ram: Wow! You have got links from many big blogs which surely is something not all bloggers get. Let’s move over to blog commenting. You are really know for the blog commenting and you have had success with that too. Can you please tell more on that?

Caroline: Well its a strategy that I just grew gradually - it wasn’t planned in any way. After my first month online I realised I was spending a ton of time reading so I had to find a way to streamline it. I had so many blogs in my feed reader that I just coudn’t keep up so I started trying to find ways to optimise it and I just blogged about the process. I had no idea what that post would do for me!

Ram: It indeed was a unique method to get traffic. But not many people looked upon that as a source for traffic. It would be great if you can offer few tips to follow when commenting on blogs.
Caroline: The most important factor is to be absolutely genuine when you post a comment. If you can’t think of anything to say then don’t comment or you end up as other one of those “great post!” people. I actually delete those comments from my own blog. There are other tips that I go onto in the post such as trying to be early to comment, looking out for blogs that use the Top Commentator plugin and so on but the most important factor is the quality of the comment itself. It has to be interesting or people won’t click through. You have to compell other readers to ask “who is this Caroline person who has written that comment?”. If you don’t do that, the whole exercise is a waste of time.

Ram: Very strong point, Caroline. I have to agree on that. A comment has to urge the readers to give a click. Before ending this interview, let me ask you one more question. What would be your one best tip to become a successful blogger and earn a living online? Please share it with our readers.
Caroline: Be genuine - offer value, don’t bullshit people, have your own voice, be yourself. I see people trying to force themselves to blog and that just won’t work because it comes through in the writing as forced and it turns people off. The only way people will respond to you by subscribing and commenting is for you to resonate with your readers in the words you write. Your spelling doesn’t matter, your blog design doesn’t matter - what really matters is that you have something to say and you just get out there and say it!

Solid advice there, Caroline. Thanks for spending your time in answering my questions. I really appreciate it. I wish you success in your life and I hope you will achieve more in blogging.

Hope you all liked the interview. Please make sure to post a comment and share your view on the interview.

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Before I talk about anything, sorry for the delay with the post. I have been learning about internet marketing and few other things these days and I will post articles on how to make money by various other ways other than blogging in the next couple of weeks.

I always suggest people and my friends to comment on other blogs when they have no traffic or when they feel bored out. To make the best out of the comments you post, try to post one of these types of comments, which ever will suit the post.

1. Emotional
2. Negative
3. Praising

These types of comments will get more views and also reads. Your comment will be read by many people. After all, that is our primary aim, to get our comments read. So read the post CAREFULLY first. Then choose which type of comment to post.

1. Emotional

When I say emotional, you don’t need to tell sad stories. Just tell your normal story or what you have experienced in your life. Don’t tell it just for the sake of getting your comment read. Tell it only if it has really happened to you. Emotional comments will also get you more targeted readers for your blog.

Image Source: Starbug

2. Negative

Don’t be afraid to disagree with the point the author makes. You have to tell your opinion in the comments. If I get a negative comment, I will be happier. The reason? Simple. When you have all your readers agreeing to your point, then you will never know that you are making a mistake at times. If I get a negative comment in my blog, I will take time to read the post in his/her (the commentator’s) point of view. If he is right, I will surely appreciate him and also make sure to visit his blog.

3. Praising

Many bloggers like praising comments. Limit the praising to certain level. You cannot tell something that really isn’t true. Just tell what the author deserves. If you think he deserves a 100% praising comment, post it without any further thinking. Praising comments will boost up the author and also will let him/her to visit your blog.

If you haven’t tried any of the above types of comments, I suggest you to use them wherever necessary and wherever possible. What type of comments do you post? Do you agree with me on this post?

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I started the blog commenting series few days back and I received many good comments. In fact almost all the comments were very good and added value to the post. The series is not over yet and it has only passed half way. With exams going on, I wasn’t able to update the blog properly.

Till date, I have posted three articles in the series and the total number of comments received in the series is around 33. So that is around 11 comments per post. Though all comments were interesting and up to the point, I found few comments to be really good and actually attracted my mind to reply to those comments immediately after I saw it.

Not that the other comments are not good, but these comments were better. So here are some of the best comments I received till now.

Post Title: What Everybody Ought To Know About Blog Commenting

Best Comments: (Not in any order)

1. Chris Estes

He said “Cool Post!!!

Ok so I wont end with that. I agree that that commenting is a great way for exposure. I have formed relationships in a very short time due to commenting alone. I don’t find it as hard to become friends with “blog stars.” When posting comments you make a couple good points and contact them if you don’t hear from them. Most bloggers are trying to network the same as you and I have found they will reach out before you do.”

2. Ben

He said “First of all, good pictures, I love them. Second, I delete all comments on my sites that don’t help the conversation. I am into commenting for links and I want those first 10 comments to be something that will make someone want to see what sites that person runs.”

Post Title: Warning: Using These 7 Techniques Will Get Your Comments Read

Best Comment(s):

1. Freelance Writing

She said “Hopefully my avatar will pass the test of being unique. Since there is only one of me. I’m sorry to disappoint in not writing a huge comment since my eyes are killing me right now.

1st: The post was well structured and you raised some good points there too.

2nd: I loved the use of your images

3rd: Your buttons to submit to the social bookmarking sites are cool, did you do them yourself?

4rd: Thanks for a good post.

5th: Hopefully this will qualify for your points

6th: Merry Christmas

7th: and a happy new year”

Post Title: 3+1 Things Which Determine The Traffic You Will Get From Comments

Best Comment(s):

1. Chris Estes

He said “I am enjoying your series. Being a new blogger, or at least having my own blog, I don’t get much traffic and I can say that the bulk of my traffic comes from comments I have made on other blogs. Some people veiw being the new person on the scene as spamming and I have even had good comments voted down into the spam category.

One thing I have noticed about blog commenting is it fits into any traditional style marketing/branding campaign. It is like going to the industry holiday party and being right there handing out business cards. Eventually you will get noticed and people are going to remember you eventually. I am a fan of positive branding for the obvious reasons. But, there is always that one obnoxious business card giver that is always there and people just push aside. Moderation and finding your blog commenting “groove” is important.

Again I am really enjoying your series and look forward to your following post.”

2. Wayne Liew

He said “Getting traffic from comments might be hard but if the commenting are done based on the four guides that you have given above, I think a considerable amount of traffic will drop by.

Be the first to comment on a blog with high traffic will surely get the link some coverage. However, I see small blogs which are related to my blog as a good target for networking rather than getting traffic.”

3. Linda R. Moore

She said “It’s very refreshing to read an article that puts some thought into the commenting issue, since I am used to reading those that say “go find the dofollow blogs and comment on them to get some links back.” In actual fact I have a plugin now that makes the dofollow conditional: a person has to have a set number of comments approved before they get the nofollow tag removed.

In answer to Ramkarthik, above, I hate it when people use a keyword to comment. I’m not that pleased with them using their blog name, either. I use my pen name to brand myself and have more respect for those who use a real name or, at least, a real nickname.

In fact, it’s against my commenting policy and if people do it I replace their name with their real name (from their blog) or, if I can’t find it, some arbitrary name.

Best wishes,
Linda R. Moore”

4. Jessie

He said “your tips are very helpful. as a blogger myself, I agree that one should leave a relevant comment, not just to be noticed, but because of the good intent to contribute to the discussion. Some commentators leave behind comments (just like you implied) for the traffic. However, other readers in my view can simply recognize if a commenter is a drive-by commentator or not. a good approach to commenting is perhaps one key why other visitors will click on your link when you leave a comment in a blog post.”

Also thanks to my friend Guru who always comments in my blgos about the good, the bad and also about the things (like contact form) if they don’t work.

Thanks for all your feedbacks. I would like to see more names in the next update which will be done once the series is over. I’ll continue the series and make more posts and also interviews. I have something that might interest you and it will be there in the blog in couple of day. Stay tuned to the blog.

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Blog commenting can help you get traffic for your blog and you can also become famous in the blogosphere. But the traffic that comes to your blog from the comments you make will not stay in your blog for a long time or they won’t subscribe to your blog unless the blog in which you made comment is related to your niche. There are very less chances for a visitor coming from a health related blog to subscribe to your blog. So before you do any commenting on any blog, you have to take few things into consideration. First let me just list the benefits of commenting in the blogs of your niche:

1. Targeted traffic
2. More chances of visitors to become your blog subscriber
3. Good Impression on you and a lot more.

You can comment in any blog, but to achieve the above three, you will have to choose the best blogs. So here are 5 things that you should keep in mind before you choose blogs for commenting:

1. The Niche Of The blog

You can comment on any niche blog and I suggest you to do so. But considering the main aim of the series, which is to get traffic from comments, you should expect good traffic from the comment in the blog of your niche. The niche of the blog in which you make the comment matters most. The people who come to your blog after reading your comments from the blog, which is your blog’s niche, will tend to take actions like subscribing to your blog, commenting on your blog, or even buy what you sell in your blog. These visitors will be more reactive than any other visitors to your blog. It is better to get 10 visitors from a blog of your niche than 25 from a blog of a different niche.

Image Source: extranoise

2. The Traffic

Second factor which plays a key role is traffic. The more traffic the blog receives, the more people will tend to visit your blog through your comment. If you can make the first comment in a blog post which receives 1000+ visitors, then you can expect good amount of visitors to your blog. When you consider the traffic from that one comment alone, it will be less. But these add up to a big amount when you make more comments. I, once made a comment in a blog post in a popular blog and surprisingly that post made to the front page of Digg. This got me over 30 visitors from that single comment.

3. Number Of Comments

When you make a comment on a blog post which has already received hundreds of comments, then you can’t expect much traffic. Still, I suggest you make the comment if the post is really good because you are commenting to tell your views and you cannot expect traffic every time you comment. You have to enjoy commenting and should not do it for the sake of traffic. If you find a really good post, then go forward and be the first to tell you honest opinion. The first comment on every post gets noticed more. Don’t hurry when commenting and don’t make mistakes. Comment with care.

4. Quality Of The Content

Both big blogs and small blogs come up with top notch content at times. Posts like “A comprehensive guide to StumbleUpon” from DoshDosh, “43 web design mistakes you should avoid” from Daily Blog Tips are few examples of top notch articles. They get visitors everyday and they will receive comments now and then. If you read a post which you think will become popular then make sure you are the first one to comment.

I, once again, tell you that these tips are just to get more traffic from your comments. But I suggest you not to use it in wrong manner and spam the comments or leave the small blogs without commenting. You can easily make a comment in 2 minutes. So make comments in blogs other which don’t qualify the above things because traffic is not all you get from commenting. There are much more valuable things other than traffic to your blog. Read this post on what you can get by commenting on other blogs.

This is the third post on the ‘Blog Commenting’ series. Make sure you subscribe to the blog so that you won’t miss any single post.

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In the previous article on what everybody ought to know about blog commenting, I mentioned that useful comments only get noticed more and will also get clicks. But what makes a comment useful? And do all the good comments get noticed and get clicks? The answer for it is Yes and No. YES, if you had commented in a “Not so very popular” blog. NO, if you had commented in a very popular blog like Problogger, Doshdosh, DailyBlogTips and few more which gets many comments for every post. So what’s the secret to get your comments noticed and get clicks to your blog? There isn’t any big secret actually. It just depends on the way how you do it.

Winners and losers do the same thing. But what winners do at first, losers do at last.

So whatever you do, do it quick and do it in a creative way to that you will get noticed.

Image Source: MegElizabeth_

1. Kick Off the Comments

Being first to comment has its own advantages. If you stay at the top of all the commentators, yours will be seen by every other commentator and also by the blog author. When a reader reads the post, he will also look at the comments. He will read the first few comments without missing a single word. He will skim the next few comments and the comments after that won’t get read. If 80 people see your comment, then surely 4 people will come to your blog, assuming there would be a 5% conversion rate. Darren wrote a post on 10 ways to hurt your blog’s brand by commenting where one of the points he mentions is “Always Being First To Comment”. But if you read the point fully, you will see that your blog’s brand will be hurt only if you hurry to make the first comment and post useless info in the comment.

2. Make A Lengthy Comment

This is just to get the attraction of the comment readers. If your comment is big, they will read it thinking that you have something very useful to say. You have to satisfy their expectations. When you make lengthy comments, you should have good info in it. Lengthy comments don’t mean writing an essay or a blog post in the comment. Maybe a couple more lines than normal comments would be best.

3. Make It Easy To Read

If you are going to follow the above point, then you have to make your comment easy to read. Don’t express your views in one single big paragraph. Split it into two or more paragraphs or make a list of points and post it. This will make it easy for others to read your comment. After all they are going to read your comment only if it is readable. One more reason to split the comment into two or more paragraphs is to get 90% people’s attention to your comment.

4. Add Points To The Post

Almost every blogger posts list posts. These posts get huge attention and the comments also get significantly more attention. If you read the post thoroughly, you will be able to add points to the list. Say you read a post titled “10 reasons why you should try blog commenting”, you can add the 11^th, 12^th and so on. Read the comments and see if anyone has already added points to the list. If Yes, continue from the number where they have left. If there isn’t any comment adding points to the post, you kick start it. I have tried this method and yes, it has worked for me.

Image Source: deanj

5. Humor And Controversy

Using humor and controversies are the one of the best ways to get attention to your comment. But first to get your comment read, use on of the above method. To keep the comment reader to continue reading your comment, you can either add humor or controversy. But I suggest you not to you the later (controversy) unless you know how to do it.

6. Present The Comment With Quotes

Adding quotes to the comments you make can be really worth. While many bloggers advice you to add quotes to the post, adding quotes to comments can be equally good. Read books that have quotes and present it in your comment. If you are good in creating your own, then don’t feel shy and give your quote related to the post. Maybe you will become famous for your quotes in the comments.

7. Unique Avatar

This single tip does not suit for all the blogs but it will produce great result in many blogs. Many popular blogs show your MyBlogLog avatar near your name in the comment. Create a very unique or interesting avatar. Though this may not really get more readers, it is still a good technique. If you have your own picture in the avatar, it is well and good. If you don’t want to have your picture, try to select a funny and interesting avatar. You can also try using an avatar that reads your blog name. This can also be very effective. The reader might type your blog url manually later and visit your blog. If you are not there in MyBlogLog, I suggest you to register there with your blog. This creates a community around your blog, a bunch of regular readers.

One more basic tip is to read the content and then comment. Without reading, please don’t comment because it will show very well that you have not read the post.

I have tried every above technique and have found it to be working. As I said, it is not what you do that matters but how you do matters. Be unique. Be creative. Try your best to come up with new ideas to get your comments noticed. Every click you get from the comments on other blogs has a great conversion rate. You can convert many of those one time visitors to subscribers. Install the What Would Seth Godin Do Plugin and also subscribe remind plugin to have much more conversion rate. What do you do to get your comments noticed by others?

This is the second post in the Blog Commenting Series. To know more about the series, see here.

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