Before you guys read this post, I want to make it clear that this is just my opinion. This is what I think of this certain topic and I respect your opinion if you happen to disagree with me. I am not here to attack anyone; I just want to share my opinion and see how others feel about this topic.
I’ve been seeing a lot of blogs say “leave me some comments!”, “give me some comments please!”, or something along those lines on their in not only discussions posts (which is perfectly understandable to me), but also regular posts, giveaways, etc, posts that are not even slightly discussion related. Some people even leave those phrases on their social media too. And you know how that makes me feel? Furious, annoyed, and frustrated. I get very, very, very annoyed (in fact, I think “very” is an understatement) when I see it.
I should start with why those type of phrases rub me the wrong way.
When I see people blatantly ask for comments, I feel like they’re doing it just to increase their stats. It automatically makes me question the blogger’s motives — why are you blogging in the first place? I assume that you’re definitely not blogging just because you love books SO much because otherwise, you won’t care about comments much. I dislike thinking this, but most of the time, I think people who ask for comments are probably just blogging for the ARCs because people think that the more comments your post gets, the more likely you’ll get ARCs from publishers.
I blog because I love sharing my opinion of books with people. That’s the one and only reason I blog. (This is probably why I absolutely love writing reviews, which may be weird to some people.) I’m lucky that I have people who comment on my blog, but I honestly don’t care if I don’t receive any on my reviews, discussions, features, and etc. I blog about books because I want to share my opinion and my love for books. I don’t expect to get anything out of it – I don’t expect to get any ARCs just because I blog, nor do I expect to get any comments nor recognition. It’ll be nice to have those, but I don’t make it my goal to get those. To me, if you blog just because you love books so much, you usually don’t care if your posts don’t get any comments. It’ll be nice to have them, but it’s not needed.
I do think there is an exception to the “leave me a comment” annoyance and that’s in giveaway entries. Most of the time, giveaways are sponsored by bloggers themselves, so I feel like bloggers have the right to include whatever giveaway entries they want if that’s the case. Plus, it’s normal to include it, and it’s usually optional, so the commenter can decide whether they’d want to leave a comment or not.
That being said, I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time out of your day to leave a comment on my posts. It really makes me happy that you’re taking time out of your day to read AND comment on things I write. You can comment or don’t comment. Don’t feel obligated if you don’t have anything to say. I won’t ever ask for you to.
How about you? Have you seen situations like this and does it make you as mad as it makes me?
UPDATE: I feel like I have to clarify because I didn’t explain this as well as I should have had. Asking questions at the end of your post is okay – it gets people thinking about your post. I just don’t like it when you outrightly say “leave me some comments!” I don’t mind if you say something along the lines of “tell me in the comments!” in your discussion posts, but I do mind it if you say something along the lines of that when the post is not even slightly discussion related.
Personally, when I write a discussion piece or a participate in Top Ten Tuesday or something, I usually ask people what they think about the topic at the end of my post and ask them to tell me in the comments. In all honesty I really do just want to know their opinion about the topic, especially if it’s a discussion post. I mean, isn’t that the point of a discussion post? To generate discussion? For me I don’t see comments as a way of increasing my stats or getting publishers to notice me, I really just want to know what my blog readers think about that particular topic and if they have anything to add. I think a lot of people who invite people to comment are doing it pretty harmlessly. I get where you’re coming from with the whole blogging just for ARCs thing, and if that’s the reason someone wants comments then yeah – that’s wrong. That’s very wrong. But if someone truly wants to engage in a discussion with their readers through the comments, then I don’t have a problem with them mentioning it at the end of their post.
Cool post! It made me want to leave a comment, haha! :)
Chloe @ YA Booklover Blog recently posted…Looking for a Blog Contributor
Ohhh, I should be clearer in my post. I’m talking about people who says something along the lines of “leave me some comments!” in not only discussions posts, but also regular posts, giveaways, etc, posts that are not even slightly discussion related. Some people even do that on their social media too, which drives me NUTS. I totally understand when you use it for discussion posts, but using that phrase in other things just makes me side-eye the person, especially when it’s not needed for those kind of posts they are doing.
And I think it matters how you word it – I don’t mind if you say “tell me in the comments,” but to me, phrases like “leave me some comments!” just rub me in the wrong way for some reason.
Thank you for your comment! ;DD
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: When It Comes to Comments…
I have to say asking for comments isn’ sth that bothers me… It depends on the how you say it, though, as you said. Having a phrase like “leave me some comments” or “I love comments” on all of their posts is a bit annoying. I prefer ending a post with a question so that people can comment and sort of answer or elaborate on that.
I was basically going to say what Chloe up there said. I don’t really care if anyone comments on – or even reads – my posts. I’m always surprised when someone comments. I do sometimes ask people to reply to something I’ve posted in the comments – but only when I genuinely want their feedback. It actually hadn’t occurred to me that the number of comments on a post was a number that really mattered to anyone but the blogger! I just like comments because it’s how I’ve “met” some great bloggers and had a chance to interact with them.
And I definitely don’t do it for ARCs since I don’t ever ask for any (and rarely accept them). Like you, I blog because I love chatting about books. I actually prefer to buy/borrow them most of the time so I don’t have the pressure of reading to a deadline constantly! It makes blogging a lot more fun for me.
I find that what annoys me more than people asking for comments (because I can easily just ignore that) is when people comment on my blog with something really generic (to the point where I feel like they didn’t even read my post) just so they can leave a link to their own blog. This bugs me, because I always try to respond to comments and return a visit if a link is left, so I feel like I HAVE to do something even if I don’t want to. It makes me feel manipulated, and I resent it. (And just to be clear, I’m not saying I don’t want people to leave links – I do – just that I don’t want them to ONLY leave a link and pretend like they actually care what I had to say when they didn’t even read it. I consider that spam.) Anyway, that’s my two cents!
M. recently posted…The Sunday Review: BEING HENRY DAVID – Cal Armistead
I don’t get a lot of comments, and I blog because I genuinely LOVE doing it. I mean, eventually I want to have a job where I can just rave about books with people.
That being said, I love comments, but the kind that inspires discussion and meeting new bloggers. I encourage people to leave comments because I want to talk with them. I hate the kind that are like, “Cool!” Like, how do I respond to that? I always, always want people to comment, and it makes me feel like what I’m doing matters to someone, and I genuinely enjoy having that interaction with people.
Cassie G recently posted…Tumblr Initiation
I don’t think I’ve really noticed this in blog posts – or if I did, it didn’t strike me as bad enough to warrant much thought about it. I HAVE seen tweets along the lines of, “My post has no comments. Please comment on it!” along with a link to the post. I’ve always viewed those as a sign of insecurity, rather than an attempt to just increase stats. If I came across the type of comments that you mention above on a blog, I’d also think this is more indicative of insecurity. I wouldn’t find that appealing, and I doubt that’s a blog I’d visit often.
I DO care about whether or not my posts get comments. There are some things I’d continue to post, like reviews, even if they never got a comment. But for more experimental types of posts, comments are a good gauge for whether people care about a particular post. For instance, a couple of months ago I wrote a recap on the first episode of the new season of The Walking Dead. The post got few views and no comments, so I decided not to do this again. I’d rather focus my blogging energy on things that people want to read.
Stephanie @ Inspiring Insomnia recently posted…Review and Giveaway: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
I understand where you’re coming from, but I do think a lot of people enjoy blogging because they want to discuss books with other people. That’s my favourite part of blogging, anyway. I like to share some of the main sticking points I found when I read the book, and see how other people reacted to it. However, it does totally bug me when bloggers are ALWAYS saying “comment more!!” I guess for me, if readers DON’T comment on discussion posts that’s crappy. I usually see reviews as a type of discussion, so I want to see that extension in the comments as well. But for most other posts, I could take or leave comments most of the time.
Kaitlyn (Bookish Comforts) recently posted…{Review} Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
Great topic, Kelly. Honestly, I think comments/conversation is one of the best things about blogging and I am saying this from personal experience because I feel like I’ve “met” some of the most awesome people through blogging via the comments. I do LOVE writing and that is also a huge part of blogging. With that being said, I’m not the kind of girl who needs accolation or praise (or better stats) so if I ask readers to share their input it’s for conversational purposes, not to feel good about the writing. There have been some great discussion threads – on reviews, discussion posts and even random posts. It’s part of blogging’s joy. :)
I love what you say about not expecting anything – I blog/review because I love it and it’s my small part to help favorite authors get the word out on their new books!
(BTW: well said, Kaitlyn^)
Rissi recently posted…Reality TV
This is one of the reasons I cut down on memes. All those ‘yes, great covers, come check my post’ comments don’t do it for me.. I’d rather have 10 meaningful comments than 100 generic ones only trying to gain more popularity. Blogging is all about interaction and discussion, talking about books and fangirling with others :) so I always try to leave comments when I have a feeling I have something interesting to say.
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted…Fairytale News 33. When bullying isn’t bullying.
Well, on my discussion posts, I usually write one or two sentences as prompts for people to think about the post and leave comments. I don’t think I’d ever blatantly say comment please on any post, discussion or not, but like Kaitlyn, I can also see how someone might really want to discuss books or blogging or whatever they’re talking about with people.
Chatting is half of what makes blogging so fun (maybe even more) so I get why they would do that. And like I understand wanting to get comments because that’s kind of a way to see that people are reading your content and it’s making them think. Seeing an email notification for a comment on my blog is genuinely one of the best parts of my day! So for that reason, I don’t think I’d think that someone is blogging for the wrong motives just if they ask about comments on their blog. It’s just a part of blogging, and it’s always nice to see that your content is appreciated! So yeah, I do understand why some people may do that.
But again, I don’t think it’s okay to just say comment more please! I feel like that projects your own insecurity, I guess, on your readers and it’s kinda making the reader feel bad if they’re not commenting especially if you’re so desperate for them. On social media though, I definitely kind of cringe when I see those tweets like, I’ve seen I’ve been getting less comments lately. Visit my blog please? I just think that’s so wrong, like they don’t even care what post you comment on as long as you just comment.
Annie recently posted…Reviewing Books As A Blogger
That doesn’t make me mad. At the bottom of some posts, I’ll put something like ‘comment what you thought’ not to get more comments (which I don’t get much of anyways), but to actually know what my *limited* readers think.
Isabel recently posted…The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
I’m a new blogger and I wasn’t aware of the implications of that comment. I see it all the time; I don’t have it on MY blogs, by the way – but I could have put it there, simply due to ignorance. Now, it will annoy me. What annoys me is when bloggers require people to LIKE a review in order to receive points in a giveaway. I know that raises the blogger’s standing in Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever, and THAT makes me furious. I also don’t like being told I MUST like something. If I like a review I see on Amazon, I say as much. Don’t tell me what to like. That is telling me to lie. It is dishonest. I also don’t like it when they require me to comment on something for points. If I want to comment, I will. I do not like feeling forced to comment. These types of actions, to me, are dishonest. They force people who don’t know better to do things they normally wouldn’t because they want to win something. I don’t do anything I wouldn’t normally do, but other people will. It’s distasteful, but true.
Michelle Willms recently posted…DARKNESS BOUND COVER REVEAL
I definitely agree. When I first started blogging I was lucky to get a single comment or like – many of my posts had very little views. But I kept going anyway because I loved it! And it was only by interacting with other bloggers that I began to build friendships and bring more traffic to my own blog. Comments actually enhance the experience for me – not because it means more stats but because I love seeing people’s opinions and thoughts of the books I review/discussion posts.
Emily @ The Loony Teen Writer recently posted…The Paper Towns Movie (read: FANGIRLING HARD)
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone outright ask for comments. And if I did, I’d probably feel along the same lines as you. Blogging isn’t about the comments. It’s about sharing thoughts. Even if you only have one dedicated reader (who may not even comment), that’s great! Your thoughts are being shared with your dedicated reader. You don’t need comments to prove that you have a blog, or that you have a readership. People will comment if they feel like commenting.
I’m glad you made the update to the post, though. On some reviews, and all discussions I ask questions, and follow them up with ‘let me know in the comment section below’. I include that because I want readers to feel welcome commenting. For a moment there I thought you hated that, but all is well in the world, haha.
Comments are a great way to meet new bloggers, find new blogs, and to have discussions but they aren’t the be all and end all of blogging. They’re just one of the many perks.
Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity recently posted…Book Review: Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu
You know, I’ve seen this around but I can’t say it’s ever annoyed me. I figure we all love comments and some are just more vocal about asking for them. I can say that because someone has asked for a comment it does not sway me to leave one. I do or don’t if I have something to add to the discussion or I just want to leave a brief sentence or two. I love questions at the end of discussion posts and do this myself. I know you aren’t meaning that but that is when I most enjoy comments. Also, when I’ve done a post (like the Lego covers) I love to see what people think. Personally comments have less to do with stats (are you supposed to include average amount of comments in your requests?) and more a way to feel more involved/active with my readers. Interesting post!
Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction recently posted…Review of The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz
I understand it does look like begging, but I do feel like comments sustain bloggers. I know I love getting comments and replying to them. I definitely think there is a fine line though!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Missie recently posted…Top Ten Things On My Bookish Bucket List
This is actually something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’ve seen in some previous comments (Stephanie and Annie), that people view asking for comments as an insecurity thing. And I totally agree. Most days I’m fine posting stuff, not even expecting page views, much less comments. But other days I just want someone to talk to me, you know? I don’t use a lot of cool pictures, or awesome gifs, and my design is mediocre at best. The only way to get people’s attention is with my words. And being a good/interesting writer is something I’ve always been worried about. I want someone to read my stuff and respond to it. If they don’t, that’ fine. I’m not complaining. I’m just saying comments are nice. But I wouldn’t ask for them blatantly either. I hope I’ve never blatantly asked for them. Maybe way in the beginning I said something like, let me know in the comments! But not recently. With this new feature idea, yeah I did. But I never got any feedback, so what do I make of that?xD
But I do get where you’re coming from. There’s more to blogging than ARCs and page views. (:
Joanna V recently posted…Naomi Grim by Tiffany Niole Smith [Tour Stop and Giveaway]
Yeah, one of the biggest reasons that I decided to stop blogging (well, officially stopping in May) was just because I felt like I was getting too obsessed with comments and I’m actually guilty of the whole comment thing. Stats literally used to dominate everything I did but I’ve been slowly realizing how annoying it must sound when I’m all like, “here’s x and x post, leave a comment please??” when it’s not even a discussion post or a meme or something. If It’s one of those, I might ask a follow up question at the bottom of the post like, “What’s your favorite book?” or “Have you ever done this, too?” but I usually don’t ask them to leave a comment. But I used to do it a LOT in tweets and I probably drove so many people away lol.
And with the commenting thing, I agree, the blogger has a right to what they want to do for their giveaway, but I’m usually not a fan of having to comment as a “required” option because most of the time I’ll be looking at the blog on my phone and commenting something that I’d usually not comment (like some random question that doesn’t relate to the post) seems superfluous. Most of the time I’ll leave a comment regardless, but being REQUIRED to comment to get to the optional entries is a turn-off, but that’s just me.
Lol fantastic post, Kelly! <33
Eileen @ Singing and Reading in the Rain recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday (4): Bucket List
I have seen this on Twitter fairly often and it makes me roll my eyes. It just sounds so desperate to me. I’m ok with it if the blogger will tweet about their post a couple of times to get the word out, but directly asking people to go and comment is a bit ridiculous. Doing that seems to invite the more generic commenters anyways that I often would rather not have.
Stephanie@ThesePaperHearts recently posted…Review: Florence
I am a new blogger and I understand what you mean. There are some blog posts that says “leave some comments below” that makes you think what kind of blog comment do you really want to receive? For discussion type posts it’s already given that you have to react(or you can react) on the topic you have read. I just started blogging and earning views and raising my stat feels good. But honestly, I’d rather receive comments that will motivate me to write more because they find my posts interesting and not just because they want me to comment nonsense things on their blog.
Ella recently posted…Hey! #1: How Often Do You Buy Books?
Before I started blogging, I hung out on deviantART a lot and comments there were basically a validation that people read what you posted and liked it enough to bother commenting. So to me, comments help me to know if people are actually reading and that (hopefully) they’re liking it.
Rain Jeys recently posted…Cover Reveal: My Tethered Soul (Reaper’s Rite #2) by Dorothy Dreyer + Giveaway!
Hi,
I totally agree with you Kelly. I think you should leave a comment because you want to share your thoughts on something written in that post. It just feels wrong to read those shallow comments were you just know someone only comment to get a comment back or a new follower. I love writing comments on other blogs and I don’t mind if people ask it in their post, but it has to be related to the post.
I really love the look of your blog,
Bye!
Myra @ I’m Loving Books recently posted…Top Ten Things on my Bookish Bucket List
I have to agree – it feels tacky to demand or beg for comments. Especially on a post that isn’t really geared toward discussion.
In some ways though, I also understand the impulse. Not to try to get ARCs or increase stats. But writing sometimes feels like a one sided thing. I love sharing my thoughts out loud, writing down my point of view on something or just articulating something I’ve been thinking about. That is the primary thing I love most about my blog.
But before this blog incarnation I had another one and I talked about all sorts of different things… and it felt so empty. Because no one ever commented. And I didn’t care about stats or anything. I just wanted to know someone was listening. That one dedicated reader Chiara mentioned in her comment to this post :)
And more than that – I wanted to hear other people’s thoughts about whatever I said. Because I love hearing other points of view. I love when people can see something in an idea or a book that I missed. I love when people disagree with me because they have valid reasons for it and I think those disagreements can be what make conversations interesting.
So, I get the desire to ask for comments when you don’t have any. But I think there’s also a polite and reasonable and understandable way to do it. And a tacky, entitled sort of way. It sounds like you’re describing the second and that’s totally annoying.
Annie recently posted…Instantaneous love
This isn’t something I’ve noticed, so I can’t really comment on whether or not I’d be bothered by it. Like someone else said though, I feel like I would see it as a sign of insecurity, more so than a plea for comments in order to attract publishers. I didn’t realize comments were something pubs looked for when determining whether or not to give someone ARCs – shows how much I pay attention to that stuff! Haha
Kelly recently posted…Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge: Are About Me Pages Necessary?
I try to always ask a question at the end of all of my posts, but that’s because I want to discuss books with my readers; that’s why I blog. If I didn’t want people to respond to my review and discuss the book with me, then I could just keep all my reviews private ya know? I agree that people tweeting begging for comments just to get comments are annoying. It does seems like they care more about comments for stats than comments for good discussion. But I do think it’s all right to want to get comments on your posts (including reviews) if you enjoy blogging for the interaction.
Anya recently posted…The Too-Real and the Make-Believe {The Waking Engine} + Giveaway
Of course it is a great feeling to see that people actually read the stuff we post by adding a small comment acknowledging our thoughts, but I agree that bloggers should not be practically BEGGING for comments. Give us something to comment about, and we will. Write good and interesting content, and we’ll want to add our two cents.
Julie recently posted…Chat Between Chapters: How do you handle a book hangover?
I find it odd that someone would say “leave me a comment”. I can see asking questions about the post that request opinions or open the way to discussions, but just blatant asking for something is just as bad as the whole “I follow you now follow back” thing. Although, if it works….
Sarah recently posted…Review: Wind and Shadow
It’s definitely weird when people are all “leave me a comment!” It almost seems desperate in a way…I’m totally fine with questions though- it’s a nice way of getting a discussion going!
I also find it slightly annoying when people say things like “Make sure you follow me so that you don’t miss any posts” and leave a link to their bloglovin or sth, because it’s like, if I wanted to follow you, I’d do it myself. No need to shove the Bloglovin button in my face -_-
Nara recently posted…Reading Update (28/3/13)
Personally, I post book reviews because I love reading and love books, but one thing I don’t get to do often irl is discuss books with friends. And so, my blog is a perfect place to discuss things like this. I don’t really ask for comments at the end of my posts, but I find it welcoming when I see people do that on their discussion posts because it drives me to answer the question.
I think comments are important because they remind a blogger that yes, people are listening (reading) and your words are being heard (read). Comments mean that you actually get to discuss something you find important with another person that finds it important, whether that be a book, or a discussion related to books. Just my opinion, though.
Hanna @TheWaystoneOwl recently posted…Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora
I can’t say I’ve noticed this… or if I have, it just doesn’t bother me.
I can get that it sounds like begging, but… to me, blogging IS about the comments. Not about page views or stats, but about interaction. Otherwise, what’s the point of putting my words out there? If I didn’t think interaction wasn’t important, I’d just write for myself. I wouldn’t have a blog. I wouldn’t comment on other blogs. I wouldn’t reply to comments on my own blog. I do all those things because having conversations with others is the whole reason I blog. I don’t think that being in it “for the comments” is remotely the same thing as being in it for recognition or free stuff.
That said, maybe some people are wanting comments for all the wrong reasons. But I’d probably just figure they’re overly enthusiastic… and go on to leave my comment (or not) regardless.
Charleen recently posted…Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts – #15
When people blatantly ask readers to just “leave a comment”, I think of all of those people that leave comments that say, “check out my blog”. It’s not good PR. I don’t feel like their genuine about why they’re blogging, like you mentioned. They’re digging for hits on their website to gain something other than a good discussion. Like ARCs or advertising revenue. I much prefer when bloggers pose a question at the end of their post. One that actually initiates a discussion (like your question, “Have you seen situations like this and does it make you as mad as it makes me?”). That’s something I can respond to, and the answer is “Yes. Yes it does!”
Jackie recently posted…That time I did a Follow Friday on a Saturday: Japan!
I completely agree with this! I blog because I enjoy writing about books and sharing my opinion with others. While I’d like to receive comments and I get really excited when I do, begging people for comments just seems a bit sad to me. I’m all for asking a question at the end of the post and saying let us know in the comments (that’s what I do on my blog), but I don’t live off these comments as though it’s the only reason I blog.
Kiersten @ We Live and Breathe Books recently posted…City of Heavenly Fire Book Launch! + GIVEAWAY!
Hi there Kelly :) It’s my first time to visit your blog, and can I just say that it’s really pretty? I love the color scheme, reminds me of a really nice and float-ish dream.
Anyway, I haven’t encountered anyone blatantly asking for comments, but I do agree that it’s annoying if stated that way. The purpose of commenting is to add something to a discussion or initiate a discussion, but to do it just to fish for one in return just sounds…I don’t know, awkward?
Joan @ Fiddler Blue recently posted…Book Review: Boy 23