Reading & Commenting Strategies

[Pamela SWTWC]

I find reading and commenting on other blogs to be lots of fun and very rewarding. But it's also time consuming. I'm curious to know how other people manage this.

Here's what I'm doing.

I have a feed reader set up in Google. I read 110 blogs fairly regularly and have them sorted into different folders by category.

• Blogging in general & Tech Stuff - 9 blogs
  
• Personal finance - 9 blogs
  
• Dogs - 68 blogs (gee, which do you think is my favorite topic?)
  
• Home buying - 4 blogs
  
• Lifestyle entrepreneurship - 10 blogs
  
• Living on a sailboat - 8 blogs (these folks post very infrequently; they're having too much fun sailing)
  
• Art - 1 blog by a friend
  

I try to read new posts on dog blogs every morning or when I come home for lunch. I don't read blogs at work. I've gotten more cutthroat. I've been taking blogs off my feed if I don't find amusing or informative writing at a site and don't have a relationship with the blogger.

For the dog blogs, I'm looking to build a relationship with people I find interesting. If the relationship doesn't grow after a time, I just move on. If someone visits me a few times and leaves good comments, I eventually add them to my feed.

I also find really great content at some sites like Patricia McConnell's blog or DogStarDaily even if I'm not going to develop a relationship out of it. DogStarDaily tends to drive a lot of traffic to Something Wagging when I comment.

I'm more strategic for Hands on Home Buyer. I follow one A-list blogger who writes a personal finance blog that serves as an inspiration for HoH. He posts every morning at around 6 a.m. so I try to be among his first commenters (unless I absolutely can't think of anything meaningful to add to the conversation; I'm not a hack). I find this drives a fair amount of traffic to my site.

The other personal finance blogs I glance at quickly and only comment if I can really add something of value to the conversation.

The blogging blogs are to keep my education going. A few are devoted to WP and announce new widgets and plugins. I don't comment on them or any of the other blogs.

How do you decide what to read? And how many blogs do you follow regularly? Do you read blogs about things other than dogs?

Don't be shy. Share.

[ediej]

You are so organized it frightens me. I love blogs that let me subscribe by email. They are there in my inbox and I go over to the site and comment and RT if the content interests me. And every time someone comments on my blog using Comment Luv I will go over to their blogs.

So two sure fire ways to get me to read a blog is a Subscribe by email button and the use of Comment Luv on my site

[Pamela - SWTWC]

Feb 26, 2011 9:36:57 GMT -5 ediej said:

So two sure fire ways to get me to read a blog is a Subscribe by email button and the use of Comment Luv on my site

Your comment inspired me to work out the problems I had getting an email subscription button to work. It's up and running the next time you come by.

I have a little email problem myself. I let mail build up and build up because I'm afraid to delete it. I admit it, I am an email hoarder. Anything I can do to keep from getting another email I do. Hence the feed reader.

Nothing to do with organization.

[georgialittlepea]

I'd love to be as organized as you Pamela! I don't know how you manage to read so many and to comment intelligently too ;D

I've recently had to stop following some blogs because I just don;t have the time or the will to read so many. They're ones I never got any responses or managed to develop relationships with them. I FELT SO BAD though because I like following other small blogs like my own and some of them had less than 15 followers. I think they would have noticed me dropping out! But it's extremely hard to have a one-way conversation. I felt quite unloved.

A few of them are fine with replying on their blogs but seldom/never visit mine. POO I say!

I wish I could get one of those commentluv things on my blog. I love it and first saw it at Ms Jarolim's. I'm not sure if Blogger has such a thing though. I did try to google it, but...

[georgialittlepea]

...continued after visit to vet.

so is there an etiquette to dropping out of following? is there one for.. if someone follows you or you follow someone - should it be reciprocated? How about blogs on the blogroll? I see that many bloggers only put blogs there that are similar to their own content, though they may read many other [types of] blogs. Is this part of "creating a personality"?

I love that you're reading 8 blogs about living on a sailboat. A plan for the future perhaps? No wonder you're trying to teach Honey how to sail!

I do read a few nondog blogs...mostly about quirky things, food or ageing. Yes, I need inpiration and to know there's something on the other side of 50 [especially humour and wit]. Some are on my blogroll too.

In 2010, when Georgia was having teen issues [otherwise known as being a reactive dog], I found comfort in blogs like Kristina's and learnt a lot from other blogs like Edie's, Patricia's and Deborah's. .

This year, I'm going more for vet/medical/diet type blogs. Very helpful and informative for me, probably a bit harsh on the vet when I visit and tell him "I read this on so and so blog."

That's it. Hey, I LOVE these emoticons!

[Pamela - SWTWC]

Anyone out there who can answer Georgia Lil Pea's questions about commenting etiquette? I think it's pretty individual.

But I have to admit, I will drop blogs if I don't see much activity or if there isn't much of a relationship. The exception would be something with really excellent information (like some of the health/vet blogs).

I am trying to remember, however, to not assume the worst about people. They might be busy. Or they might be shy. Or they might have computer problems.

I know I've had a terrible time commenting on some blogger blogs because they have so many steps. I've lost some perfectly splendid comments that just didn't post.

As for other topics, I try to keep Something Wagging all about dogs. Of course I'm interested in other things too. Perhaps the interesting way to show people that would be to share my Google Reader list. I think there are ways to do that that I just haven't figured out yet.