Does anyone else have this problem/situation pop up? I get quite a few spam comments, as I’m sure you do as well, that are sometimes hard to decipher. Some are easily recoginized as spam when they have nothing but link upon link or if they’re in another language. The harder ones for me are the ones that look like genuine comments with no links, but the comment coupled with the blog post is what causes me to wonder. I start wondering if the person who left the comment is just stupid or if it really is spam.

If you’re looking to get your blog off the ground, try this: post a response to another article in your blog. Make sure you provide a link so that people can follow the discussion from one blog to yours. Good ideas and thoughtful answers will spark thought and discussion.

I’ve covered the concept of commenting on blogs as a way introduce yourself to the blogging community, but it appears I have only scratched the surface when it comes to covering the topic. To me, commenting is something we do in response to a blog post. Whether we agree or disagree is really not the point to me, the point is to reply to something you have a strong feeling about but do so in a way that is respectful of the other person. What Ive seen happening is a de-evolution to juvenile name calling and offering comments with nothing more than a simple, “I disagree and don’t like you.” No reason is given for a lot of dissenting points of view. And I find some bloggers don’t handle negative comments on their blog real well either. Some bloggers will be just as quick to start name calling anyone who posts a different opinion. The whole point of blogging is to open dialogue. I personally find commenting and posting a much easier form of debate and communication. The reason is is that when I am in front of someone who is debating a contrary view, I get very nervous and start to lose my train of thought. Commenting on a post allows me to organize my thoughts, and when someone posts a contrary view, I can again take my time and compose a thoughtful response rather than get nervous about the other person in front of me.

If I had to offer one word of advice, it is to not stop voicing your opinion. The reason I say this is that I read a story this morning concerning a rise in defamation lawsuits filed by businesses because people post negative comments on social site like Facebook, Twitter, etc. To the businesses, I say, “Suck it up!” If there are more people who have complaints about you than those who are satisfied, that you are doing something wrong and you need to change what you’re doing. I know from experience. My wife owns a web design business and she has had a few clients who were not satisfied with the service. However, I look at how many clients have walked away satisfied with their new website and they number in the hundreds. So for the 3-4 dissatisfied customers, if they decide they want to badmouth her, the other hundred clients are more than enough defense in setting the record straight.

I’ve been watching old concerts of some of the great stand-up comedians recently and have become fascinated with their ability to manipulate time, space and language. Comedians seem to be able to make the mundane funny with the right word choice. Couple that with their skill of creating pauses before a punchline, whether it’s a one word zinger or a change in facial expression, and you have someone who can bring tears to the eyes of some of the most stoic individuals on the planet. What does this have to do with blogging? While you can’t necessarily affect the speed of a reader, you can bring a smile or laugh with the right word selection. And when I’m talking comedy, I’m talking comedy that doesn’t rely on profanity. Call me old-fashioned, but the really funny stuff is funny without profanity. I’m not a prude, if a comedian swears for emphasis, it can sometimes enhance the joke, but most people who think they are comedians, both professionally and non-professionally, rely on the four letter words to generate the laughs. If you can find it, it’s out of print as of today, to really see what I mean by the power of word selection to make you laugh, check out The Last Catholic in America. I always laughed when I read that book, and it’s not anti-Catholic or anything like that.

I was reading an article by Daniel Scocco in which he discussed how to guarantee your comment will be removed from a blog. Remember, I’ve mentioned before that commenting on other blogs is a great way to promote your own blog as well as create more interaction in the cyber-community. But, there are traps to avoid if you want to make sure you don’t have your comment removed. There are some obvious tips, such as not using bad language or verbally berating the author or another commentor. There are some new tips that I have to admit I have been guilty of in the past.

While I don’t write in all capital letters, which is the equivalent of shouting to the community, I have overdone my comments from time to time with extra html code to make certain ideas stand out. There’s really no need. If you haven’t used your comment to write a completely new article and youare clear and concise with your ideas, people will understand your point. And, this is almost one of those “D’uh” type of tips, but I never thought about it. Leaving one line comments such as “Great Post” adds nothing to the discussion. If you don’t have time to make a comment at the time, come back when you have a chance to make a meaningful contribution.