Commenting can be one of the most exciting things about blogging. Blogging doesn’t just give you the opportunity to share your creations with the world, it allows for dialogue between the blogger and his/her readers as well as interaction between the readers. Starting conversations is an essential part of quality blogging. Imagine what you would say to the other person if they were right there with you, then write it.
Commenting Guidelines
- Good comments should ask a question, and/or add new information to the post.
- It’s okay to disagree, but be polite and explain why you don’t feel the same way.
- Never include personal information like a last name in a comment.
- Use correct spelling and grammar. (Don’t use texting shortcuts.)
- Try to respond to comments on your own posts when a response is called for.
- Don’t respond to criticism with anger.
- Read all previous comments in addition to the post before adding a new comment so you don’t repeat what someone else already said.
Comment Starters
Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano provides a lot of useful tips about writing comments on her LANGWITCHES blog. One excellent contribution she makes is the inclusion of a list of comment starters. When you want to write a comment but are having difficulty figuring out how to write it effectively, try using one of these at the beginning.
- This made me think about…
- I wonder why…
- Your writing made me form an opinion about…
- This post is relevant because…
- Your writing made me think that we should…
- I wish I understood why…
- This is important because…
- Another thing to consider is…
- I can relate to this…
- This makes me think of…
- I discovered…
- I don’t understand…
- I was reminded that…
- I found myself wondering…
Analyzing Comments
It may be very helpful to look at some actual blog posts written by other students and the comments they received. Think about your reaction to the post itself, then consider how you feel about each of the comments as you take into consideration our commenting guidelines.
- If this were your post, are these the types of comments you would like to receive? Why or why not?
- Could you improve the post or comments in order to promote a better discussion? If so, how?
Work Cited
Tolisano, Silvia Rosenthal. “Blogging Lesson Plan- Commenting.” Silvia Tolisano Langwitches Blog. N.p., 25 Dec. 2008. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.