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Abstract

seful and my ways learnable warms my heart. Sometimes, readers want to know what I’d do in someone’s shoes and why I’d make one decision over another.</p><p id="50cd">Comments like that give me rare glimpses into their minds and souls. They tell me some of my readers are going through the same everyday challenges as most of us, regardless of where they live.</p><p id="35a3">But even better, the comments on some of the powerful articles that touch a raw nerve give me a glimpse of what readers think of that topic. The sheer emotion that drips from comments on pieces around rape, race, and religion, for example, open a window to thoughts I couldn’t have imagined.</p><p id="7c07">Somehow, they paint a certain picture of the world. I feel a deep call to step in and help make society a better place in any way I can: create awareness on some of those issues, speak up, support causes fighting those ills, etc.</p><p id="bd4f">Also, some writers’ stories on how they turned their lives around also elicit some heartfelt comments. Some of those responses reveal that, deep down, many people want to make meaningful decisions, forge better connections, and leave lasting impacts on the world.</p><p id="0b23">Again, I want to help in any way I can. Maybe I have to tell more of my stories. Maybe I have to share stories of some of my friends who’ve fought and won similar battles.</p><p id="8aaf">I see some of those comments as blocks to building strong bonds with readers. How much more fulfilling does the writing life get than that?</p><figure id="49c0"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*z1fcMHHwl2ol-GoW--NHkg.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@mathieustern?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Mathieu Stern</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/lens?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h1 id="0718">I receive premium feedback — for free</h1><p id="2dd3">I often publish my articles fresh off the Grammarly mill. The comments section sometimes serve as my feedback corner. I sneak in at night to eavesdrop on what readers have to say.</p><p id="7c19">It turns out some readers want to help; they offer valuable tips. I have since learned to sit and note some comments readers leave under my articles. I do so for other’s articles too.</p><p id="82a3">For example, in October 2020, one of my articles started a mini thread between me and a reader in the comments section. Both of us felt we were right — and we were.</p><p id="f4b5">But it took the intervention of an independent referee to show me where I may be wrong and how I could have put things. The umpire also told my opponent where she was very wrong.</p><p id="ff33">Also, I once saw a psychologist correct a writer on a point the latter made in their article. I had swallowed it hook, line and sinker until I saw the correction in the comments section.</p><p id="e3dc">But I only saw both corrections after digging through a pile of responses. Thinking things through, I realized I could have offered that advice somewhere else, not knowing I

Options

was wrong.</p><h1 id="ec8f">A better way to leave comments on others’ articles</h1><h2 id="8be3">Mean what you say even if you can’t say all you mean</h2><p id="e6d9">In 2021, everyone on the internet can sniff the pretence, so saying something you don’t mean doesn’t serve any purpose. The days of the phoney remarks are over.</p><p id="b857">Someone once advised me to comment on popular articles so other readers will see my name and flock to my profile. Something about that advice didn’t sit well with me, and I promptly disregarded it.</p><p id="5a4f">But responding to an article because you found it helpful or you have a follow-up question seems right. Even so, first, read the full text for proper context.</p><p id="be87">Occasionally, I see people rush into criticizing authors after reading only two paragraphs. Others also ask questions to which the answers are five paragraphs into the article.</p><p id="ccaf">Comments that come from reading most of the article convey a certain depth several others lack.</p><h2 id="23ed">First, look your words in the mirror of reciprocity</h2><p id="40ac">When you read the vitriol some people leave in others’ comments section, you’d think it was a private confrontation that a hacker leaked online.</p><p id="0ed9">Whatever response you intend to write under an article, ask yourself how you’d feel if someone copies and pastes it under your next article. Will you be happier and healthier with a dose of your own medicine?</p><p id="9bbe">Everyone has their opinion, but to leave a scathing comment under an article is wrong. It speaks more about you than you may think.</p><h2 id="d889">Proofread some</h2><p id="121b">Your comments are a fine brush that paints a portrait of you. They reveal how thoughtful you are; they show how thorough you are.</p><p id="16e0">While no editor will reject your response under a blog post, realize that your comments are in the open for everyone to read.</p><p id="d423">If you wouldn’t want your name associated with an article riddled with lots of errors, you should at least strive to maintain a semblance of those high standards with your comments too.</p><h1 id="99f3">Closing thoughts</h1><p id="bfdd">Once I hitched a ride on the writing wagon, I decided I wanted to help new writers find their feet and stand firm in the shifting writing sands. Mainly, I share some helpful tips that have worked for me.</p><p id="b24f">I know some readers may seek clarification, encourage me, or give me feedback. And that’s why I take a couple of hours every few days to respond to those comments.</p><p id="30a5">I also learn a great deal from the comments on others’ articles. I get to smell some hot potatoes in them, and I feel some of those comments call me into action.</p><p id="0f84">As hard as I try, reading and replying to all the comments my articles attract is mission impossible. Plus, some responses are a doze of negativity, and I may as well not dignify them with a reply.</p><p id="00fc">For all those readers who not only spare a second but a thought in the comments section of my work, I owe them at least a minute to acknowledge their presence. And you do too.</p></article></body>

I’ve Fallen Into the Habit of Digging Through Comments on Articles Online: Mine and Others’

It may be a waste of time, but here’s why I do it anyway

Comment counts on your articles are not the be-all and end-all of writing.

Sure, it feels good to have comments worming their way under your posts, but the number of comments on a post doesn’t set the bounds of quality writing.

In the age where robot fans, expert spammers, superstar influencers, and smart algorithms run and stop the show at will, some comments mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Haters might even tempt you to disregard some feedback you receive on your blog posts altogether.

So the number of comments on any article may only tell a smart part of a bigger story, and it helps to delink engagement from success.

That said, I don’t scoff at the comments that some of my articles receive. I dedicate a few hours on some mornings to batch-respond to the comments that readers have left on my work.

Then, when I read others’ articles and I respond, I steal glances at what some other readers are saying. It’s not because I have no bigger ambitions. It’s not because I have no better use for my time. Here is why I do that.

Comments are like a badge of honor, and I have to acknowledge whoever conferred that honor

No, comments don’t make me feel like I’m the brightest brains on the subject I write about. Neither should they make you feel like one.

Instead, they merely serve as a seal of approval, letting you know that readers, writers, and the entire online community appreciate and accept you as one of them.

Sometimes, I equate comments on my posts to people calling my name and waving at me from windows and rooftops while I stroll on a familiar street. I feel it’s courteous, even needful, to wave right back and shout a few kind words at them. Don’t you think so?

I realize a reader may choose to say nothing after skimming through my 1,500-word rant. Silence is golden, right? But nothing honors me more than my articles serving guests and collecting thanks from readers.

That someone finds my work worthy of their time and thoughts makes me feel super privileged. It means some readers see me as a writer good enough to offer an opinion worth reading or even accepting.

I wear that badge of honor gracefully, but I’m even more mindful of who emblazoned that honor on my chest.

I get to see through the souls of readers

Readers telling me they find the views in some of my articles useful and my ways learnable warms my heart. Sometimes, readers want to know what I’d do in someone’s shoes and why I’d make one decision over another.

Comments like that give me rare glimpses into their minds and souls. They tell me some of my readers are going through the same everyday challenges as most of us, regardless of where they live.

But even better, the comments on some of the powerful articles that touch a raw nerve give me a glimpse of what readers think of that topic. The sheer emotion that drips from comments on pieces around rape, race, and religion, for example, open a window to thoughts I couldn’t have imagined.

Somehow, they paint a certain picture of the world. I feel a deep call to step in and help make society a better place in any way I can: create awareness on some of those issues, speak up, support causes fighting those ills, etc.

Also, some writers’ stories on how they turned their lives around also elicit some heartfelt comments. Some of those responses reveal that, deep down, many people want to make meaningful decisions, forge better connections, and leave lasting impacts on the world.

Again, I want to help in any way I can. Maybe I have to tell more of my stories. Maybe I have to share stories of some of my friends who’ve fought and won similar battles.

I see some of those comments as blocks to building strong bonds with readers. How much more fulfilling does the writing life get than that?

I receive premium feedback — for free

I often publish my articles fresh off the Grammarly mill. The comments section sometimes serve as my feedback corner. I sneak in at night to eavesdrop on what readers have to say.

It turns out some readers want to help; they offer valuable tips. I have since learned to sit and note some comments readers leave under my articles. I do so for other’s articles too.

For example, in October 2020, one of my articles started a mini thread between me and a reader in the comments section. Both of us felt we were right — and we were.

But it took the intervention of an independent referee to show me where I may be wrong and how I could have put things. The umpire also told my opponent where she was very wrong.

Also, I once saw a psychologist correct a writer on a point the latter made in their article. I had swallowed it hook, line and sinker until I saw the correction in the comments section.

But I only saw both corrections after digging through a pile of responses. Thinking things through, I realized I could have offered that advice somewhere else, not knowing I was wrong.

A better way to leave comments on others’ articles

Mean what you say even if you can’t say all you mean

In 2021, everyone on the internet can sniff the pretence, so saying something you don’t mean doesn’t serve any purpose. The days of the phoney remarks are over.

Someone once advised me to comment on popular articles so other readers will see my name and flock to my profile. Something about that advice didn’t sit well with me, and I promptly disregarded it.

But responding to an article because you found it helpful or you have a follow-up question seems right. Even so, first, read the full text for proper context.

Occasionally, I see people rush into criticizing authors after reading only two paragraphs. Others also ask questions to which the answers are five paragraphs into the article.

Comments that come from reading most of the article convey a certain depth several others lack.

First, look your words in the mirror of reciprocity

When you read the vitriol some people leave in others’ comments section, you’d think it was a private confrontation that a hacker leaked online.

Whatever response you intend to write under an article, ask yourself how you’d feel if someone copies and pastes it under your next article. Will you be happier and healthier with a dose of your own medicine?

Everyone has their opinion, but to leave a scathing comment under an article is wrong. It speaks more about you than you may think.

Proofread some

Your comments are a fine brush that paints a portrait of you. They reveal how thoughtful you are; they show how thorough you are.

While no editor will reject your response under a blog post, realize that your comments are in the open for everyone to read.

If you wouldn’t want your name associated with an article riddled with lots of errors, you should at least strive to maintain a semblance of those high standards with your comments too.

Closing thoughts

Once I hitched a ride on the writing wagon, I decided I wanted to help new writers find their feet and stand firm in the shifting writing sands. Mainly, I share some helpful tips that have worked for me.

I know some readers may seek clarification, encourage me, or give me feedback. And that’s why I take a couple of hours every few days to respond to those comments.

I also learn a great deal from the comments on others’ articles. I get to smell some hot potatoes in them, and I feel some of those comments call me into action.

As hard as I try, reading and replying to all the comments my articles attract is mission impossible. Plus, some responses are a doze of negativity, and I may as well not dignify them with a reply.

For all those readers who not only spare a second but a thought in the comments section of my work, I owe them at least a minute to acknowledge their presence. And you do too.