Comments. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

How to write High Quality Comments.

Writing quality comments is the best way to increase user engagement with your blog. When I say "write quality comments", I mean in the posts that you read, and as replies in the comments section of your posts.

I've got to admit. I'm not the best at writing comments. For some, this comes natural. However, for most here, it is a habit that we develop. I know that I need to write better comments. However, I am learning, and getting my comment game Proper. Right along side you!

Writing articles is part of my process for developing good habits. This is a way to seal this information in my mind, and to help others along the way.

Also, I am a new volunteer with the Minnow Support Project. Part of my job as Greeter is to help other minnows learn the ropes of steemit. I wish I had a post like this to guide me when I first got here!

I could not fine a good article about quality commenting that was suitable for sharing. So, here we are :)

The Worst Comments on the block-chain.

(Image Source: steemithelp.net/etiquette/)

"Follow for Follow" "Follow me and support my post" "I upvoted you, now you upvote me".

This type of begging comment is despised by everyone on steemit. So if you want experienced users to appreciate you, don't do it.

Spam comments that have completely nothing to do with the article.

When someone drops a link in my comments section that is un-related to what I wrote in the post, it is a major sign of disrespect. Typically these are bots. Do you want people to think you are a robot?

Bland comments.

Ask yourself: "Would this comment make sense on any other random article?" If so, then the comment is too bland.

Again, do you want people to think you are a robot?

Unrelated links dropped into comments are spam. See steemithelp.net/etiquette/ for more on this topic.

Anything along these lines is likely to get you flagged or muted.

Too many flags, and your account will become invisible, and you will be powerless here. If you get muted, then the user will never see your posts ever again!

Better than the worst (but, not great at all):

"Thank you." "Beautiful Post" "Nice Job" are nice sentiments. However, a simple "thank you" looks too much like a robot typed it. A generic thank you isn't, necessarily bad, however, it's definitely not good.

You can improve thank you comments by: adding a relevant link to an article on steemit and by saying something about the post that you liked. This way, the writer knows that you actually read their post, and aren't just hoping for an upvote.

Another way to improve the thank you comment is to add "Upvoted and Followed" (assuming you actually did those things). This lets the author know that even though you did not take the time to leave a thoughtful comment, you liked the article enough to follow and are interested in seeing more.

Better than ok, these are some good comments

^{(image source: steemdollar.com)}

Even short comments can mention something you liked about the article, image, or video. For example:

"Hello, I really enjoy the shading on that Image" or, "I totally agree with what you said about not spamming peoples comments", or "This is awesome! I will be sure to share with all of my friends on the P.A.L. Discord Channel"

The message you convey with a comment like this, is that you actually looked at the article, with your human eyes. We verify this, by mentioning something in the post in the way a human would.

^(wikipedia)

Perfecto

For this, I will start off with a perfect example of a wonderfully heartfelt comment from @heart-to-heart

@rycharde is the best! He's got a great project going on over there, I am thrilled to be part of MAP 11, it's been so fun getting to know everyone! We've got some great authors that is for sure! Thanks @inquiringtimes for being a little angel and referring me <3 I strongly encourage any authors out there to get on board, it can't hurt to meet some more friends and support this awesome project! XO - from: Minnows Accelerator Project

Soooooooo.... this is just a great example of a perfect comment. If you check out @heart-to-heart's profile and wonder why she is such a success, well, it's not just simply because she is beautiful.... no... it is because she creates HIGH QUALITY posts, and AMAZING comments.

Here is a quote from a recent post of hers:

My comments are from the heart (every comment I get on my posts, I always make a serious effort to come back to and write a real response, no copied and pasted junk, a response to a comment even if it's just a few words I am responding to.) I have been criticized for this as well, people telling me not to waste so much time since many of those comments go unanswered anyway.

I comment authentically. I don't comment to comment. What is the expectation from that behavior anyway? I comment if I enjoy/like or feel drawn to what I have read or genuinely want to support it.
@heart-to-heart via: A Real Steemit Success Story & Guide

Now, here is a helpful tip from @cerebralace :

Of course, you can start off by thanking the author for a great post. But don’t just stop there – tell the author exactly why it was such a great post by detailing exactly what you appreciated the most in the article. Point out your favorite parts of the article and go a step further by explaining why those particular parts specifically impacted you. I always love reading comments like these because it gives me a better indication of whether or not my article was actually useful and helpful for my readers.
@cerebralace via: How To Write a High Quality Comment

Another good place to find examples, and practice, is the comments section in #deepthink posts. These are very thoughtful articles posted by a community of writers who also compose very thoughtful comments.

Here is an example of an excellent comment from a #deepthink post by @conditionedmind - Are You Living For Temporary Relief From Your Mind?

@rieki writes:

Beautiful thoughts! I found you in the MAP discord and decided to come check you out! I have some ideas I'd like to share about your post.

"The cessation of any form of habit/addiction is going to cause uneasiness and fear to arise. Don’t fuel these feelings either with your attention. You have to allow whatever arises to arise freely while abstaining from focusing or putting your attention on it."

"You can't 'do' a 'Don't"

I believe that all addictions stem from unmet needs attempting to be met by something that acts as a replacement. This is true from a biochemical addiction standpoint as it is in our physical actions. So, to say "don't do drugs" is literally the most ineffective strategy to prevent utilizing harmful substances, as it brings attention and awareness to what you "don't" want opposed to what it is that you're seeking (clarity of mind, drug-free, etc). So, it's a much more effective strategy (I believe) to instead focus on the positive outcome you're seeking. If you're wanting happiness, don't focus on not having bad thoughts, focus on having happy thoughts etc...

Also, just for fun, I believe the notion of 'giving up the ego' or 'killing the ego' stems from the ego, as another form of separating the whole being that we are and causing us to reject aspects of ourselves. Trying to 'kill the ego' is, in my opinion, an egotistical endeavour ;) - @conditionedmind

Notice how, the author of the post, quotes another comment, inside of their comment?

AMAZING!!!!!!!!! This example actually is somewhere around 1000% above and beyond, yet quite typical over there at #deepthink

Come join us on Discord!

Ok, so.... We all now get idea of writing a great comment.

This is: that we will specifically mention something in the post that we like, or maybe something specific about the author that we like. It will, hopefully, be longer than a sentence.

So, please, let me know... did I forget something? Am I leaving out some good comment tips that I forgot? Perhaps you know of a good article that already mentions what I just said? I searched, and I asked friends what their favorite post about writing good comments are, this is what I got.

That's a good post writing tip right there... if you need more sources for your articles (trust me, YOU DO), ask some friends, do a google search "steemit how to write a perfect comment" or something like that.