I still don’t understand people and companies who ignore their visitors. I don’t get it and never will, recently I have seen some of the biggest names on the internet not interacting with their readers and then doing a whole post explaining why they don’t.
The trouble is with these types of sites is that they are at such a position where they can take that stance and not reply because even if the regular readers pack up and stop visiting, they will still get there traffic because they rank so highly. Does this make it right? No of course not.
- Respect
I always treat others the way I expect to be treated, but wait what about this post? Isn’t it putting social media type ”gurus” down for not replying to everything? Yeah it is, but if I ever stop replying to people then it’s how I expect to be dealt with. People are so busy these days so for them to take an hour or 2 minutes out of their day, no matter how long they decide to spend with you or your business, then give them the attention they deserve.
OK so what about those sites that get hundreds if not thousands of comments a day? Yeah totally I’ll concede that if you want to keep your business pushing forward then you maybe forced to reduce the percentage of replies you actually send out. On the other hand though big sites that do attract these sorts of figures should be in a position to outsource some of their workload to an employee which would give them the time to reply. Failing that rude the replies to 50%, but honestly I have seen posts asking for new visitors to comment and it have nearly 1,000 comments on there and I counted about 3 replies.
If you had a thousand comments on one of your posts how many replies do you think you would post? I’m not saying you have to reply to everything, well I am, but 1,000 comments is a lot, but bear in mind that post is now 2 months old so it’s not like that site got 1,000 comments in one day. Back to my point, if you physically don’t have the time to reply then at least find the time to reply to at least half the comments.
You can read about Allyn’s point of view on all this over at BloggerIllustrated.net, it’s a must read.
- Starting v Established
Now when you start out in business or your own website, you reply to everything because it’s exciting that someone has taken the time to read your content and then thought about a comment. It’s amazing to think someone actually out there likes what you have written. I thrive off the comments on this site and I love the connections and real friendships I have made. I say real friendships because I am genuinely interested in everyone who visits the site. Without people coming to this site everyday, sometimes 2,3 or 4 times a day, the site would be nothing more than a digital backup of my ideas.
You can see some sites change as they become more established, the owner changes their opinion or stance on things and sometimes lets things get to their head and they get full of self importance. Becoming an established site or business, which if you are striving for you will accomplish, is what most of us are geared towards, but remember the people who put you there. Remember the time and effort people put into your site, all you do is put it in front of everyone to see, it’s up to them if they like it and if they do then spend more time with them.
- Relationship
Granted this site gets about 15,000 visitors and on average about 1,000 comments (not including my own) a month. I couldn’t even estimate the amount of emails I get a month too and you know what it takes a lot of time connecting with everyone, but I like to think I know people on a personal level and they in turn know a lot about me. It’s not a case of building and remembering personal profiles of every reader, if you are genuinely passionate about your readers and your community then it becomes easy to remember details, baby on the way, business going through changes etc etc.
Now I know some will already be thinking about how this train of thought isn’t best suited to running a business and your friends are not your customers, but for me if the community is strong in a site and it’s the community that puts the site in a position to actually turn it into a business then you have to look after them.
For me as a potential customer of anything online, I always look at sites that offer courses for online marketing etc (don’t start sending me spam about affiliates) but if I see someone offering me a course on how to build a community on a site or how to be the ultimate social media guru, the first place I look to see if it’s worth paying for is the comments section. No respect for their visitors, no respect for their customers.
Below is a video that will hopefully add a bit of voice to this post.
What does everyone think?
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{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: BuildThatListCo
March 9, 2010 at 10:16
That is a great point James and you are a really good example of someone doing it right. I recently had a bad example of this with one of the biggest names in the MMO niche.
I had contacted him through Twitter asking if I could send him a guest post, and he quickly tweeted back his email address which I proceeded to send the post through too.
A couple of days later after hearing nothing from this blogger I sent him a quick tweet asking if my guest post was going to be used – still no answer.
About 4-5 days later I sent him a quick email saying not to worry about the post and that I would use it elsewhere. I don’t care if I missed out on a lot of traffic, to me it is about common courtesy.
I know he probably get’s a lot of emails each day, but is it that hard to send a quick email saying he had received my guest post and would check it and get back to me?
While I don’t think every comment needs a reply, you still need to make sure that people don’t feel forgotten.
Tom | Build That List´s last blog ..The 4 Reasons People Unsubscribe Mailing Lists
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 12:15
Hey Tom yeah you are exactly right, someone once put it if you don’t reply to everything then you need to listen to everything. I would love to see their site when they were just starting out and I bet the difference would be easy to see.
Twitter: kbloemendaal
March 9, 2010 at 14:13
You are more than welcome to send that post my way Tom
Keith´s last blog ..Why You’re Wasting Your Time on Video Marketing
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 15:12
Ha ha damn it Keith you beat me to it
Twitter: BuildThatListCo
March 9, 2010 at 19:32
Thanks Keith, but I actually used it on my own blog. I’ll see how I have going over the next week to see if I can send one your way!
Tom | Build That List´s last blog ..The 4 Reasons People Unsubscribe Mailing Lists
Twitter: Bigredtomato
March 9, 2010 at 17:50
I have an even worse example! Worse because money is involved! I sent a contact response to a plumber for some ongoing work I wanted a price on. Guess what, 3 days later I still haven’t got a reply.
With Blackberries, iPhones etc all the rage, there’s no excuse for not being able to respond. As I write this I’m standing on a train heading home. See the thing is you have to make deadtime count.
Thanks !
Matthew Needham´s last blog ..Control Your Debt (part #2)
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 03:32
Deadtime is absolutely vital brother I know exactly what you mean there I do this all the time
Twitter: Bigredtomato
March 9, 2010 at 17:53
Ps I forgot to add that I had cause to ask Tom a question today on his excellent blog – buildthatlist.com and within the hour he’d solved my problem and given great advice – thanks Tom this was much appreciated. Just technically need to workout how to do it now!
Matthew Needham´s last blog ..Control Your Debt (part #2)
Twitter: BuildThatListCo
March 9, 2010 at 19:33
Thanks for the plug Matthew!
I’m not always that quick, but I do try to reply as quickly as possible.
Tom | Build That List´s last blog ..The 4 Reasons People Unsubscribe Mailing Lists
Twitter: PurpleBEffect
March 9, 2010 at 10:49
I like the way you are putting videos out now…I love it..keep it up
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 12:15
Hey thanks yeah I think they add another bit of value to the site
James as usual, I totally agree. Not only does reader participation and commenting build traffic and help promote your site and propel you to your goals, it helps you stay motivated. The internet can be a very lonely place, but everytime I get a comment on my site it is like someone reaching their hand out and making a difference.
DJ Wetzel´s last blog ..Saving For Your Goals with ING Direct
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 12:16
Yeah that’s the way i look at it all too brother, someone actually has taken the time to visit and read the site, to me that is massively humbling
Twitter: theMickMorris
March 9, 2010 at 12:24
James, you’re right it is all about the relationships. Some have more commitment or capacity to maintain this than others. But we all need good ongoing relationships to sustain us.
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 12:31
Exactly brother, exactly no relationship no respect
Twitter: AussieSire
March 9, 2010 at 12:45
You already know my stance on this James. I’m constantly amazed how some of these guys treat other bloggers. It’s as if they’ve put themselves on a pedestal where they can look down on everyone else.
I’m glad I decided long ago not to have anything to do with them
Sire´s last blog ..In Defence Of A Bloggers Right To Review A Product
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 13:10
Yeah brother you are one of the true people who absolutely cherish their readers which is why you are one of my mentors
Twitter: AussieSire
March 9, 2010 at 21:15
Thanks mate, that’s always nice to know, that I’m someones mentor that is
Sire´s last blog ..Where Bloggers Meet, A Forum For Bloggers
Communication happens in two way… If you want people to smile at you, you first smile at them…I agree with your view James
infopediaonlinehere´s last blog ..Google App Engine technologies, Google App Engine SDK, Google cloud computing google app engine
Twitter: robsellen
March 9, 2010 at 13:46
Nice post James, been absent lately, sorting my blog move from blogger to wp… woot!
Now, would it not be an idea for all the people who seen this in action like Tom above to send this post to them lol
With a big fat “HINT” written in it.
Rob Sellen´s last blog ..Goodbye blogger and hello wordpress, I like you, so far
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 14:03
That would be awesome like an online petition of remember where you came from!
Yeah man Tom got treated really badly, but the important thing is to keep moving
theinfopreneur´s last blog ..If You’re Not Passionate About Your Readers, You WILL Fail
Twitter: robsellen
March 9, 2010 at 14:07
Then again, if you have to remind them, they ain’t worth reminding
Can’t let any other influence you, drag you down etc, best to rise above it then show them by example.
Rob Sellen´s last blog ..Goodbye blogger and hello wordpress, I like you, so far
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 14:11
That’s my plan brother, I want to be on stage at one of these conventions mixing it up doing pure Q&A not preaching hard selling people, but giving a damn about people
Though it might not be possible to reply all the comments it is better to do initially to build a rapport
infopediaonlinehere´s last blog ..Google App Engine technologies, Google App Engine SDK, Google cloud computing google app engine
Twitter: kbloemendaal
March 9, 2010 at 14:11
I have a slightly different view on this, after watching your video and hearing you emphasize that “you are in your position because of your readers” seems to say that the author had nothing to do with his/her position.
I think even more important than your readers is your ability to produce good content, network with others and build community. Don’t discount your own work as a big part of your success. Using the elected officials as an example, as you did in the video, they wouldn’t have gotten elected if they hadn’t acted and went out on a limb exposing themselves either.
My point is it takes an action to get a reaction.
Another point I want to make is I have found that you don’t have to reply to every comment just to reply. Some comments don’t warrant a reply, they may just back up something you already stated, or tell you “great post” in a few more words.
Not every commentor is a potential customer either. I am not saying they aren’t important, because they are, but I think you have to set priorities if you are going to treat your site as a business. I have started replying less on my site, not because I don’t appreciate the comments, but because I need to use my time more wisely.
I certainly can’t tell you or any other blogger where to set their priorities, but I do think if your blog is going to be a business, you better have a business plan for it if you want to succeed.
Keith´s last blog ..Why You’re Wasting Your Time on Video Marketing
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 15:12
Hey Keith,
Yeah I always say reply to everything that needs replying to, replying to a thanks post by saying thanks is crazy, that said it’s so important to appreaciate those people and those who have taken the time to contribute. It’s so important to get the balance right as you say if you want to build a businss out of it, A lot of the leading business guys say I reply to too much, on the same bat though they said I produce too much content, I think every site and every reader/customer is different and is drawn to different things.
I have recently decided not to buy a course simply because I checked if they were replying to comments on their own sites, the course was a social media type course, ultimately they were ignoring their readers so I knew the course would be garbage, because they weren’t practicing what they were preaching.
Twitter: theblog_log
March 9, 2010 at 14:58
If you’re a blogger and you allow comments (and you should), and you don’t respond to them, well, that’s just plain rude. You’ve written a post and then essentially invited your readers to talk to you about it. If you aren’t responding to them, that’s like starting a conversation, and then just walking away from it while someone is talking to you. If you aren’t going to treat people that way in the real world, then why would you treat your own readers that way?
Ray´s last blog ..The Plan For Today
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 15:14
Ray spot of brother, spot on you absolutely nailed it there, damn wish I had thought of that lol
I’m struggling with the whole concept of measuring a blogger’s passion for his or her audience on how often they reply to comments.
I read Brogan, Techcrunch, Mashable and Problogger because they produce fantastic content so much of the time – that’s how I choose what I read, and that’s how I judge how much they care about their audience. To me the ultimate measure of their passion is that they keep doing it for me, for free.
I occasionally comment on all the sites, and personally, I don’t give a stuff if they reply or not. In fact, I’d prefer not if it’s the usual lame one liner agreeing with what I’ve just said in my comment.
Give me great content over comment replies any day – that’s why those guys have huge audiences. They’re delivering where it matters.
Tom’s story is different – not to respond to an email with a guest post isn’t good at all. Even if it’s a no to using the post.
Personally, I’m with Keith here. I respond to anything that asks a question or warrants a response.
Mike CJ´s last blog ..A great example of an About page
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 9, 2010 at 15:20
Hey Mike,
Yep I get that and I like your listen to everything type attitude, I can’t talk for everyone but you would have heard the same noises everyone else is hearing that if you are practicing being a social media guru or teaching people how to get a website popular by using social media then surely replying more than 3 or 4 times in a post that has nearly a thousand comments is not right?
Again it’s just my point of view and I know some people don’t agree and that’s fine it’s what it’s all about and again I’m not out to blog bash anyone at all, but personally and speaking from how I started this site 4 months ago, using this technique of replying to everything is the key to putting this site where it is today.
I’m not saying I have made it, but I seriously doubt if I didn’t reply as much and care about the readers and visitors of this site so much then this site would be in a totally different position.
Again not out to slate anyone here or say your wrong or anything because I don’t think there is a right or wrong here, but in my opinion if you are not passionate about your readers, you are on a downward spiral
Yes, but I think you need to remember that replying to comments is only one aspect of of social interaction.
Brogan, who is the focus of Allyn’s post, may not reply to many comments, but have you looked at his Twitter feed? He tweets literally hundreds of times a day. Very rarely pimping his own stuff, often mentioning other people’s posts and his stream is full of replies and conversations with people. In fact, when I want to talk with him, I always do so via Twitter.
Now contrast that with other bloggers who simply use automated tools to blast out links to their posts all the time, and rarely engage their followers, many of whom presumably are blog readers as well.
You can have written an equally compelling post saying Chris is a real social media hero because he invests so much time with his 126,000 Twitter followers, and that any blogger who doesn’t do that doesn’t care about his audience.
Ultimately what I’m saying is that it’s a mistake to judge any blogger on one arbitrary metric like how often they reply to comments on their blogs. You’ve got to look at the whole package and see where their time is spent interacting with people.
It’s good that replying to comments has helped your blog to where it is in four months. Others, like Scott Stratten and Jessie (can’t remember his last name) achieved similar and more using Twitter as the conversation medium to kick start their blogs.
I don’t think we’re disagreeing on this, I just want to make the point that there are lots of ways to converse with and demonstrate your passion about your readers, and ultimately most bloggers will end up focusing their efforts on one area.
Mike CJ´s last blog ..A great example of an About page
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 03:42
Hi Mike,
Are you always right? lol God damn it Mike, this is why I pay so much attention to you lol.
You raise some really good points especially when you say most focus on one area.
Top work Mike
theinfopreneur´s last blog ..If You Slow Down, You Will Stop, Then Fail + Video
James,
You’re a shooting star with endless fire inside. I love how passionate you are about your community and I can totally agree with you here. Having constant, genuine interactions with your readers is the life line of your web business. But here’s the 1.000.000 dollar question:
Once you get like 260+ comments for your post, will you still reply to all of them ?
Mars Dorian´s last blog ..Whatever you think, think the opposite
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 03:38
Hey Brother I don’t reply to 100% of the comments now, maybe 99% because some comments are just un-replyable if you see what I mean, but yeah I will for sure. The site gets well over 1,000 comments a month not including mine even if that was 10,000 I would just work harder to reach everyone else
Twitter: paulworswick
March 9, 2010 at 16:25
James,
Some really great points; I guess there are some really equally great discussions that could take place around them.
It can become very frustrating when you leave a comment and you don’t get a reply; does it bother me, not in the least. There’ll be lots of reasons for them not answering; they are there reasons and i’m not too interested. If their post is interesting enough I’ll comment, if I get a reply, great. If I don’t, no problem.
I left a comment on one blog this week, in fact yesterday and so far I’m the only person who hasn’t recieved a reply, am I bothered. Not in the least.
Steve Pavlina has a great self development blog, he doesn’t have comments but he has a forum. It works okay for Steve.
Leo Babauta from Zen Habits, another great blog, no comments but what I get from there far exceeds any dialogue between me and Leo. Again it works for Leo.
Yes, I agree totally with you James, dialogue with your readers is important to your blog and I’ll certainly be keeping comments for the forseeable future. I’d be lost without them.
Thanks again for another great post.
Regards
Paul
Paul´s last blog ..A place for everything and everything in its place
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 03:36
More to come brother, absolutely loving the progression this site is taking. Fantastic
Hi James
You raise an important principle that should be part of every business. Customer Care! Whether they are readers or buyers of goods or services they need respect and care.
With a blog it is the interaction between writer and reader that is so important. If you get a lot of posts answers could be grouped to those that have raised a similar point and insert all their names in the reply.
The idea of outsourcing replies can work and certainly asking guest posters to do their own replies would help.
Another great post James!
Roland
Roland Millward´s last blog ..Are you chasing shadows?
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 03:35
Yeah I hardly ever reply to guest post replies mainly because it gives the guest poster the chance to maximise their own exposure, good points Roland
Last time I posted a comment disagreeing with you, you deleted it. That doesnt show much respect for your readers. Wonder if you´ll let this one through.
Your doing a great job man, but stop following your little herd of blogger knockers and get on with doing your own thing. This post is another rehash on one youve done so many times already knocking Chris Brogan, Rowse and the others. Leave them be, theyre doing a great job by giving people great information.
Your going round in circles. How many times do we have to hear about the ultra marathon, and working 60 hours week and what a douche some blogger is because he doesnt reply to every comment?
Come on, look at your replies man. What are you adding half the time? Nothing, just replying because some guru told you you should.
Go back to doing what you do well and find some new stuff to post. You made a great start, dont screw it up.
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 00:05
hey brother I’m still at work at the mo, but wanted to reply before I got home.
Brother this was an awesome comment and I love getting massive wake up calls like this. Actually inspired a post that will come out tommorrow top work.
In terms of replying I’ll always reply to everyone, for me it’s like someone holding a hand out for you to give a handshake, it’s only right to shake.
Dude when i checked your last comment the domain your email was registered to didn’t exist so I thought it was spam so sorry about that.
Love stuff like this love it, it’s how we grow and improve, honestly very greatfull cheers man.
If you want to email me about anything just give me a shout
TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..If You Slow Down, You Will Stop, Then Fail + Video
Twitter: AgentDeepak
March 9, 2010 at 17:00
I believe in serving my Readers well and building good relationship. I am always ready to help them out.
Agent Deepak´s last blog ..Interview with James Richmond – The InfoPreneur
Twitter: jsinkeywest
March 9, 2010 at 17:55
Keith is once again right
Take notes
John Sullivan@The Blog No One Reads´s last blog ..What is your BEST Affiliate Referral Link ?
Twitter: ryanhanzel
March 9, 2010 at 19:11
Great post man, readers are everything. I don’t think I would be blogging this long if I had no readers/commentators. I enjoy opening my email and seeing new comments from others on my post. I even enjoy seeing replies to my comments on other blogs. Whether I continue the discussion or not I really enjoy the interaction that my opinion matters to that author. I also find myself avoiding blogs that don’t show me the time of day for the time I spent reading their content whether it was moving or not, I try my best to voice my thoughts so they know which direction they are headed.
Ryan Hanzel´s last blog ..Balancing your life between virtual reality
Twitter: bluepop13
March 9, 2010 at 19:40
Sadly I think some companies and websites do have this happen because they think that once they’ve gotten to a point where they can “slack off” that things will just go smoothly for them and their readers will continue to show up.
Well, the readers will show up… For a while. Everyone wants to feel included and be involved in something on a deeper level so making people feel as if they’re one of you is crucial to success or failure. Again, it may not happen over night but it WILL happen if you keep ignoring people and make them feel as if they’re just another person visiting your site just because.
Awesome point, James, awesome point.
Eric´s last blog ..Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 03:26
yeah brother I think you can compare it to massvie corporations and little family runs shops. Yeah the corporations are making billions but ultimately a lot of un-happy people work there, a little family run place making enough money for everyone will be happy because they know everyones order and take real pride
Twitter: bluepop13
March 10, 2010 at 04:47
Bigger is not always better. Not saying it’s not better but not always. It depends on what route you want to take and it’s also about what you do for others. That’s key. You gotta give and in doing so so much will come your way within time.
Be your own corporation and make things work and get out there and do it. I like what you said here man.
Eric´s last blog ..Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind
Love for your readers is really an essential part of any online business. I also think that if you have thousands of comments everyday, addressing more than one person in a single comment (maybe two to three persons) would speed up your responses while still showing each reader you value his or her comment.
Julius´s last blog ..Closed-Circuit Televisions
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 03:15
Yeah that’s a good way to do it. I think a lot of this wouldn’t even be a subject if the person would reply to maybe even 50% or 25%
Twitter: patreniaspears
March 10, 2010 at 04:06
ok…I may get my neck chopped for stating this, but I think you guys are being kind of unfair to those that have become very successful and have hundreds of comments on their posts. I don’t feel that they are ignoring their readers they just don’t have the time to comment to hundrends of comments every day.
It comes down to this for me: be careful how you pass judgment on others, because when you become as successful as they are, and James I have no doubt that you will, then it will hit you and you’ll understand.
I can’t tell you how many times in my life, I’ve passed judgment on other people and said, “If I had ______, then I would have done _______” Well, when my time came and I had to eat every last word. So now, I’m VERY careful in what I say. Karma is real. I’m just saying…
Twitter: theinfopreneur
March 10, 2010 at 12:22
Hey you’re right, Karma is real.
I think the reason so many people feel so passionately about this is because it’s there readers who put there site where it is, they are the reason the are succesfull. Now I completely understand when you get hundreds and hundreds of comments a day it’s hard to do, but 3 or 4 replies in every 1,000 (not pointing any fingers at anyone specific) is not enough in my mind.
That said they maybe contacting them by other means.