I get bothered from time to time, when I witness blog comments in my queue that are too self-promotional, from robots or simply don’t have anything to the conversation. Thankfully, I don’t receive much spam anymore, but instead I receive more comments that are meaningless and are certainly not branded properly.
3 reasons why bad comments will hurt your reputation
- 1) Every single comment you make is stored in Google and is part of your permanent record online.
- 2) People won’t click on the link to your blog if you don’t give them a good reason to (add to the discussion).
- 3) You will be viewed as either a spammer or a troll, both of which are highly looked down upon in the blogosphere. You can’t take comments back!
The anatomy of a bad comment
5 tips for branding yourself when commenting on blogs
1. Use your avatar: Whenever I present to an audience, I always mention that you have 3 very important assets online: your name, your picture and your personal brand statement. This is how people will remember you and hopefully translate that association to a certain topic that you want to own in peoples minds (positioning). Whenever I see a comment without a picture, I see a missed opportunity. If you want to have a universal comment avatar, then go to Gravatar.com and upload one. It’s really that simple. Think of it as open-picture ID for your global branding presence on blogs.
2. Insert your full name: I don’t understand what the big deal is with using your full name. What if there are two Mike or Rachel comments on the same blog post? They would probably have to rely on their URL to differentiate them, which is dumb. If you want to stand out, especially if you have a unique last name, then use your full name.
3. Add value to the conversation: Don’t even try and take advantage off a post by saying “great post” and then linking to your site. You will get enemy’s if you do it and be discounted as a troll. The real way to succeed when commenting is to read the blog entry (yes, some people comment without reading) and then share your opinion on the subject.
4. No extra links: You only get one chance to use a link to your website and it’s not within the comment itself. When you go to fill out a comment form, there is a spot for your URL and when the comment is posted, your name will link directly to that URL. That’s how it works everyone, so don’t try and game the system to get more people visiting your site because it won’t happen.
5. Use Gmail or your domain name for email: A lot of you may disagree with this one, but Hotmail and Yahoo email addresses are dated. You really need to get Gmail or at least use yourname@yourdomainname.com. Gmail allows you to talk directly with other people and your domain name is more professional.
