This post about commenting will give you an idea about what it feels like to read your comments from a blogger’s perpective.
There’s no new recipe today.
Instead, I’m going to share something a little different. I’m going to write about something many bloggers struggle with, in an attempt to let you understand what’s going on on the other side of the computer, so to speak.
I’m talking about comments; yes, the messages you, as readers, leave below our recipes, stories, photos, on Facebook posts, Instagram shots, and tweets–you get the picture.
These may seem inconsequential to you, but to a blogger, especially a blogger who has spent…
- 1/2 – 3 hours going to the grocery store to buy ingredients he/she didn’t have in order to make a dish, or looking for specific equipment needed for that recipe
- 1 – 3 hours making and shooting photos of each individual step
- 1 – 2 hours cleaning up (I’m a messy cook!)
- 1 – 2 hours uploading and editing those aforementioned shots
- 3 – 8 hours writing, researching and editing the actual post and recipe
with no monetary compensation, it means a lot.
Sometimes we carry our creations up mountains for photo shoots, and that’s not included in the time frame!
In fact, most of the time, comments are the only reward we receive, and that’s if they are complimentary. This means for each post, most of us are spending 4 1/2 to 14 hours working without pay, and that doesn’t include the time we spend promoting it on social media to lead readers to our sites.
Why Bloggers Love Positive Comments
Those 50 words that April wrote below my sticky toffee pudding recipe post (top photo) made my day. However, most readers never comment, and I do understand why, because it takes time to do so and many of us just feel so rushed all the time that we don’t do unnecessary things, like comment on blogs.
However, if you come to my side of the the blogging world for just a moment, you’ll also understand why it’s so frustrating for bloggers not to hear from readers, or to only receive negative feedback after all of our hard work. It doesn’t take much to give a little in return in appreciation for the work we do on the recipes, reviews and articles we post.
Comments such as Adrianna’s are so enthralling to receive; it’s truly a tonic!
Picture this scenario: you are doing your job without a paycheck (or 5% of what you’re currently earning), and no one really acknowledges you, or better yet, berates you for how you are doing your job. This is how it feels to me when I receive a comment dictating that my recipe is wrong, made incorrectly, didn’t turn out properly due to their mistake, or even worse, attacking me personally (it’s happened.)
Of course there are some bloggers who do well monetarily with their sites, or get so popular that they cannot respond to all their comments. Then the shoe’s on the other foot and the reader is the one who’d love to get a response from that celebrity blogger, for example.
Look at this lovely comment from a reader on the very last post on one of my favorite sites, Poires au Chocolat, when Emma had posted that she was retiring her blog~
I think it’s such a shame that Jeannette never expressed her feelings to Emma about her blog earlier to let her know how much she enjoyed it. Who knows if Emma ever saw this comment?
Another reason bloggers love comments below our recipes is so that readers can look at others’ opinions of the recipe. When you see lots of comments saying how great my sausage roll recipe is from lots of random commenters, doesn’t it make you feel as though it’s a more reliable recipe? I know I do. It’s like reading the reviews on Amazon before purchasing a product, or Tripadvisor comments before booking a hotel.
I wanted to add to this post about commenting, that if no one comments on our posts, there’s no barometer for other readers to know if it’s a good recipe, other than taking the blogger’s word. I know I pride myself on putting the best quality, tried and tested recipes on my site, but it’s great when readers tell me it worked for them in their kitchens, too.
Hidden Readers
I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me, “Oh, I made your Sicilian whole orange cake recipe and it was amazing!” or “I make your 5 minute lentil soup all the time and my family loves it!” or “I love your blog. I really enjoy your writing and pictures”, but I had no clue they were even looking at my site.
Of course, this most often comes from a few friends, family members, and acquaintances and I am dumbfounded that they don’t write me a little note below the recipe just to say so. I mean, it’s me, they know me–so why so “hush-hush”? I don’t know, but after talking to many other bloggers, the consensus is: our family and close friends are our worst fans/readers. Most of them don’t even follow our blogs, which is why it’s so easy for me to write this–they’ll never see it!
WHY MOST BLOGGERS HATE FACEBOOK
Then there’s the nemesis of almost all bloggers: Facebook. Facebook used to be great; they used to share our posts with all, or almost all of our followers, but later decided to go a different route and charge us to have that happen. So this post about commenting isn’t only about commenting.
Most of us cannot afford to spend $60 to have something like this cream of mushroom soup post be seen by all of our readers; and as you can see, Facebook showed this post to only 392 of my over 12,400 readers. Nice, huh?
Clicking “like”, sharing or commenting (which includes just an emoticon, like a smiley or thumbs up) helps keep us in readers’ news feeds, but if we don’t ask, and I hate to ask, it doesn’t happen, except for a handful of super great readers who always “like” and comment (thank you, Dottie and others; you know who you are)!
And of course I’m not implying that readers should write a comment on every single post you see, it’s just that a lot of loyal readers never comment or give feedback.
Comments We’d Rather Not See
Once in a while, we will receive a nasty comment, something hurtful or rude and it is hard to completely ignore it, but we try. Even just reading “yuck” on a post, after all the work we’ve done can feel like being hit below the belt, so please, think twice before writing something that actually doesn’t accomplish anything.
If you don’t like something, I’d advise looking for another recipe or photo that you do like. We’re offering a free service, and it just doesn’t seem fair to be chastised for it, don’t you agree? Megan at Country Cleaver wrote a post describing how these comments can spiral out of control. It’s simply unnecessary.
Re: Companies and Bloggers on my Post About Commenting
To add insult to injury, many times companies will approach bloggers and ask us to create a brand new recipe and blog post (the time for creating a new recipe is not included in the list above) in exchange for a handful of coupons for their $4 product, or better yet, for “exposure” on their site. Where else in the business world does a company expect another company to work for free?
I can’t finish this post about commenting without mentioning the wonderful companies which truly value bloggers, such as the Idaho Potato Commission which even features bloggers on their site (you’ll find me there)!
(May 22, 2015) I am editing this post to add another company which really appreciates bloggers, Tieks! If you’ve never heard of them, you will and it’s because not only is their product fabulous (Italian leather ballet flats), but just look at this surprise gift they sent to me as a thank you for supporting their company!
This beautiful Tieks hat box held a Thrive Market Gold lifetime membership and gift card, Alex and Ani bracelet, Thirdlove gift card and lingerie, Yogitoes mat, Coola sunscreen, custom Tieks notebook, Anastasia Beverly Hills make up, Philosophy moisturizer, Sprinkles cupcake mix and two tickets to a Broadway show (yes, in New York City!) It also included a lovely personalized hand written card, which to me really is the icing on the cake! I love Tieks, and now I know the feeling is mutual!
Our Favorite Commenters
On the other hand, sometimes a reader sends in a photo of something they made with one of our recipes and that is the absolute best! Seeing our recipes “in action” is brilliant–I mean, just look at these doughnuts!
Whether each blogger is writing and posting as a hobby or as a means to support their family, or is going in the red for their page or making thousands of dollars each month, we all love to know that you’re seeing our work.
So please keep these things in mind the next time you use a blogger’s recipe, or you see one of our posts on social media: a “like”, double tap, smiley face, “thanks!” or a few words can make it all worthwhile for us to continue cooking and baking up a storm for you–it’s simple, we love what we do.
It’s just really nice to hear that you’re out there reading our words, appreciating our photography and using our recipes. I hope this post about commenting gives you a little perspective from my side.
Thanks for reading my post about commenting, and the commenting love–in advance. (New York cheesecake recipe from the photo below.)
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Yep, guilty. Did I tell how much I loved the New Year’s drink you posted? No! Should have, but still recovering.
Haha! Hope you recover quickly Jean! ;) So happy you loved the Atholl Brose and hope you finish “recovering” soon! :) CC
Well said. I think most people are not aware of the time and effort that goes into one blog post. Thanks for bringing that to light.
Keep up the great job! You are appreciated by many.
Cathy, you are SUCH a wonderful commenter! Your feedback is fabulous and and your own blog is such a work of art! CC
A wonderful post, Christina… you’ve said it all so well. Not all of my readers comment either, but I do receive emails telling me how much they love my work… and sometimes they send photos (or share them on Twitter or FB) of the recipes they’ve cooked. Blogging is a tough ‘game’ that is for sure and unless other ‘things’ come our way in the form of paid work (ghost writing, PR etc), then it’s also very costly. That’s my two cents worth. Love you work!
Yes, Lizzy that’s true too! I didn’t even mention email. It’s so nice when people email me compliments, but they don’t realize that others would love to hear or read what was written privately. For example, if someone emails you to say they made one of your recipes and it turned out awesome, that’s great, however they don’t realize how much better we’d love the comments if they posted that email comment below the recipe! Thanks so much for sounding in! CC
Hi Christina, you raise some excellent points in your article. I too have mused over the issue of commenting in blogs.
I mostly blame social networking and people’s expectations on how information is now pushed to them. What I find odd is that a visitor will take time to read an article and occasionally jump back to their favourite social media network to add a comment. This really reduces the audience and reach of their own point of view.
The other aspect is actually how simple it is to add a comment, or not, to a blog. Most blogs require registration/login/moderation in order to post. This can be off putting too.
For my part I always try and comment directly in the blogs if I have an opinion.
Well done on raising this point in your own blog.
If anyone is interested here’s my thoughts in full from a few months ago: https://forkingmad.uk/are-social-networks-killing-blog-commenting
And you too, bring up some points I missed David, such as the ease or difficulty of commenting. My old blog made it so difficult for readers to comment, I honestly didn’t hold it against anyone if they didn’t comment, however, now I know it’s really easy to comment, so once in a while to write a few words is super easy.
I read your post and agree with you; social media does take a toll on our blog comments, unfortunately! Thank you so much for adding your points; I appreciate them! Thank you! CC
An important post Christina… Guilty as charged, I do try and comment on posts as much as I can, but always appreciate reading them!
Goodness, you’re a blogger too- so I know you understand! I too am guilty as there aren’t enough hours in the day, but I must say, I do try to make the rounds and comment as much as I can (without being glued to my MAC 24/7!) ;) Thanks for commenting!! CC
I’m guilty!!! I enjoy every post and rarely comment. Good for you for helping us understand all you do. I’ll be sure to let you know how much I appreciate all your efforts in the future. :)
You have commented in the past, and you did tell me several times that you follow along, Angela, so thank you for that! :) I don’t want to make family and friends feel guilty! However, it would be lovely to hear from you now and then! I miss you! :) CC
This is an awesome article that you wrote here, Christina. I just jumped from my phone where I read it to my computer to let you know that I really appreciate reading this. I feel exactly the same in many different aspects. We spend hours in our kitchen, our camera and behind our computer to give the very best to our readers, for free most of the time. And sometimes it is so frustrating when we hear our friends or family saying they tried this recipe or this other one but we had no clue there were actually reading our blogs. Leaving a comment just make the blogger a bit more alive and bring us the energy to do even better the next time. A comment under an article may be very little but it really means a lot to us. Thank you again, Christina, for taking the time of writing how our blogger life looks like. Sharing it straight away on FB & Twitter, this is so much worth reading!
Glad you liked it and agree, Del. I appreciate the shares, too! CC
I love Del’s comment (and this post!) about comments making a blogger feel alive. I think they make the BLOG feel alive. I get very few comments on my blog, which I’ve come to accept, but it is such a thrill when a conversation starts. I also find myself lingering on and coming back blogs that do have active comment threads, and jumping into new blogs that I find when someone leaves a particularly insightful note. (Del, great blog!0 That said, I do find the the little “ooh, looks amazing” ones a little trite. I love when someone cites a particular turn of phrase I worked hard on, or lets me know that they felt something after reading. I try to do the same when I leave notes around the web. Not only did I stop by, but I engaged with your content, and it was compelling enough for me to let you know. This post wins on all fronts!
Oh you are so sweet, Sharon. Thank you so much for your animated comment! I can almost see you jumping up and down! :) I agree with your sentiments, too. Hoping the word spreads so we will see a few more comments now and then…wouldn’t that be nice? CC
AMEN! But you know what really prompts me to comment, most of the time? A fabulous photo, like the one you ended your post with, that just makes me weak at the knees…thank you for all the work you do Christina — you’re the best! I’m going to share this post today, hopefully lots of people will get the message!
Oh thank you so much, Sue! You know I truly admire your photography, so that really means a lot to me, coming from YOU! CC