A Comment Delivered My Blog From Obscurity

Jumpstarted By A Comment

When I first got into the doors of the blogosphere, I felt like I have crashed into someone else’s party. There were many people in attendance but no one seemed to give a damn that I was there. The shy person in me wanted to get out as fast as I could to the confines of an enclave I was more familiar with and where I felt comfortable. The other side of me who seldom leaves a challenge go untried wanted to stay and just make the most out of the situation. I did not need to toss a coin to see which side would win. I did what I believe was the more logical thing to do. I decided to stay. I could always head towards the door if ever it did not work.

I knew that the the first thing I had to do was seek out the acquaintance of everyone I could manage to rub my elbows with. I believed people would only be strangers if you would let them. It did not take long before I found myself into the thick of a blog hopping adventure. My agenda was not only to get to know as many as I could "shake hands" with but also to learn from them. There was always something to learn from each blog I visited and always when a blog post hooked my attention, I wouldn’t go back to my hopping without leaving a comment.

Commenting was a task I took seriously. Always, I had to be very clear with myself on why I am making a comment. I did not want to waste my time nor the author's time on comments I feel was of no value. There were several reasons behind every comment I made. It could be that I just wanted the author to know how much I appreciate his/her work. It may also be that I wanted to share my thoughts on the subject of the article based upon my own experiences. Sometimes, I raised questions on issues the author has raised for clarification on some points I was not very clear about. Whatever the reason or reasons behind comments I made, I always made sure that I did it in a way that was polite, with respect and devoid of arrogance. It was the least I could do as I consider it a great privilege to be allowed to share in the author’s personal thoughts

Then it happened! I left a comment on a physical fitness blog, Inspiration Life. Terilynn, the blog’s author, writes her physical fitness post in a manner which made me really want to give the exercises she suggested a try if only I wasn’t too old to go for it. LOL. She must have liked the comment. She added my blog into her blogroll. Inspiration Life was soon to be chosen as a Blog of Note by Blogger. As a result of the honor, Terilynn’s blog was an instant hit. My blog rode on the fame of her blog. Her blog was getting several thousand hits a day as a result. Visitors to her blog clicked on my link. Imagine my surprise when I was getting several hundreds of hits a day from people visiting her blog. For a blog, that was only three weeks old, that was simply awesome.

The visitors soon dwindled when a new set of blogs were named Blogs of Note. My blog, however, continued to receive visitors from Terilynn’s blog and surely would continue to do so. Thanks to Terilynn, I had met lots of nice people and made friends who had made my blogging saga, a wonderful experience given the fact that I did not fit into the mold of what most people believe an ideal blogger should be. Who would have believed that one comment could deliver your blog from obscurity.

By Julehya

Note: I was intending to write on the subject of commenting ethics but in the process of doing a research I have discovered blogs that have already explored the subject. If you are interested you could see them here and here. The research also led me to discover this beautiful article written by Julehya which not only spoke of how commenting on other blogs could help you get your blog going but also on the ethics she observed when commenting on blogs which I believe every commenter should observe. The article first appeared in November 29, 2008 on the blog, Take It To The Limit. Julehya was referring to her other blog, Before the Sun Sets, in this article. Currently said blog has been put on hold for some reason but Julehya is confident she would be able to relaunch it very soon. Ironically, even Terrilyn's blog is now limited to private access. I feel this article which attracted 32 comments is still very relevant. I have secured the permission of Julehya to have it republished here. I hope you would love the article as much as I did.

Yes Virginia! Your Comments Tell Me You Are Indeed A Bitch

Bitch! That is precisely what one blogger called someone who left a comment, an inspirational thought, on his blog. Why should someone take offense on some words of wisdom? Should he not appreciate it instead? Ordinarily, I am sure he would have if only the one who left a comment showed some sign of wisdom. You see. The subject of the blog was on SEO. Clearly, on the blogging parlance, that comment was a spam. In fairness to the author of the blog, he asked the commenter politely not to spam his blog but rather than show some sign of respect and accede to his request, the commenter went back and left another spam comment instead. That is when the name calling started. His exact words, "Stop spamming my blog, bitch!'

It is interesting how comments we leave on blogs can say so much about us. The “bitch’ maintains a very popular blog on relationships. I used to read her blog until she torpedoed her credibility with that display of what I consider an act of arrogance and disrespect. That one comment she made betrayed that side of her so different from the image she exudes on her blog. And yes! She does spam a lot. I should know I spend plenty of time reading comments. Often, they can be more interesting than the blog being commented on.

Now, if you still do not think comments do say much about the person who makes it. Consider this one. “ I love pomegranates. Are they edible?” . That was a comment that someone left on a pomegranate photo post. Do tell me what you make of it.

Your thoughts are imprints of the person that you are. Next time you leave your thoughts in posterity on someone else blog, make sure it speaks well of you.