FISHING FOR COMMENTS

The second biggest complaint/question/concern/issue with blogging gets filed under “Comments.”  People get very worried when they don’t get any. Some get very upset when they get negative ones, and others try and figure out ways to get more.

First off you can’t judge a blog by its comments.  That being said a blog that has been consistent and up for some time and remains for the most part commentless, should be looked at under a  blogoscope.   Consistent is at least two to three times a week for three to six months.  When you get to that point and no one is chiming in then you might start to question what you are doing and how you are releasing it into the world.

One of the key things to remember is only one to two percent of your readers will say anything.  That is why I say you can’t judge a blog by its comments.  Commentors also tend to be consistent. Go look at any well trafficked blog, you will see the same people commenting day in day out.  And when a blog really hits its stride, the commentors tend to know each other and start talking, attacking and engaging with each other.  This is what most bloggers want.

The truth is most people will say nothing. Some will say horrid things but don’t let that get to you.  As the moderator you don’t have to put them up.

Fred Wilson who is not only a big-time Internet Venture Capitalist but a serious blogger, he posts every day no matter what is going on in his life; he recently changed a part of his blog and let a few of the regulars help him moderate. Fred gets hundreds of comments and responds to almost every one.

He told the moderators in waiting to keep the haters up.  I wrote to him and said you are a braver person than I. I will put up negative remarks, but personal attacks I tend to mark as spam.

Fred said, “Haters will hate.”

And he is totally right about that.  Haters can spark lively debates, which is what you want and they show someone is paying attention. From now on I will post all my haters.

You will also often times get personal emails in response to your blogs. Most people do not like to put their opinions on the web. They consume information but they don’t generate any themselves.  I get five personal emails responding to a blog for every comment on the site.

Sometimes I will say, great point, put it up as a comment, most times they won’t.

Which brings me to a big point; a sure way to not get anyone to comment is to stand begging with your empty comment bowl held out.  I have tried this, it does not work.

People will tell you, end your blogs with a question.  Like, “Tell me how you feel about this.”

I have never seen this work.  In fact it somehow has the reverse effect.

People like to say something when they are in the mood, they do not want to respond because you would like to see 32 comments at the top of your blog.

I tried it recently after Steve Jobs died.  I didn’t come out and ask for comments, but after I talked about my first Apple product, I said “What was yours? I would love to hear about it.”

OK, well, when I write it I see I did ask for a comment. I think I got four. I thought people would be dying to tell the story of their first iPod or iPhone. I thought I would wake up to fifty comments. WRONG!   That will be the last time I do that.

Make it easy for people to comment.  Disqus is a great tool, it allows for you to moderate easily and reply to each person’s comment.

Reply. Reply. Reply.

I try and reply to most people who comment and always to first timers. Welcome them to your site and call them by name.

Think of it as inviting  someone into your home. That is essentially what you are doing. You are inviting people to join you in this world you are creating on the web. So unless they behave like total assholes, welcome them like you would any guest.

If you want people to comment on your site, go comment on other sites. It’s a two way street. You can’t sit back and expect people to respond to you if you are not responding to them.

Follow some well trafficked blogs and see how they do it. Read their postings, read the comments, see what ignites conversation or personal responses.

I’m not saying to copy them, you want to be unique, but understand what works and what doesn’t.

And be careful how you ask people to follow you. It’s much like asking for comments.  Don’t go on other people’s sites and suggest they follow you. It’s tacky, it’s like stealing friends in front of people.

Be smart, be interesting, and be consistent and make sure you somehow get to the people who care about what you have to say.

Talk honestly and openly and soon they will start to talk back to you.

31 October 2011 · Comments

WILL I BE LEFT OUT IF I’M NOT LINKEDIN?

I can already hear a loud sigh as people start to think about how many sites they need to be active in and how many people they have to follow and how many passwords they can possibly cram into their already over-stuffed memories.

People often ask about Linkedin. My husband asks me on a weekly basis; when he gets thirty more invitations to Link in with someone. I explain it yet again and he ignores it like he does his Facebook requests. He’s just not that into networking online. He’s great in person and he wants to keep it that way.

But Linkedin is an animal unto itself. It has a real use and the people who are involved with it do it for very specific reasons.  It is a business site. It’s a networking tool, but it’s not for real social interaction. The people I know who use it are doctors, lawyers, accountants, and people with job, jobs.  And many of them are no where to be found anywhere else on the web.  You don’t find a lot of writers and artists posting there.    It is all about getting, finding and referring people for jobs

I read a figure the other day that eventually 88% of hiring will come from the Internet. There go the headhunters and job recruiters out the window.
If you fill in your page the way you are supposed to it involves your resume, both education and jobs held and as many recommendations as you can get. They like recommendations. They love recommendations.  You see things like -

“Andrew Hortense was an excellent worker. He was always on time, diligent and very creative. You could always count on him to come up with original ideas, then follow through on them with enthusiasm and attention to detail. And most importantly Andrew is a team player. He would be a wonderful member of any marketing group.”

You don’t see pictures of Andrew in Cabo with his ex-girlfriend, hammered at Margaritaville. You don’t see Andrew’s wedding photos and the new baby. You don’t see Andrew posting a photo of a dog doing something lewd with another dog. It’s just not that kind of place. Nor do you see a thousand word blog written by Andrew when his wife left him for the barista at Stump Town, followed by lots of conciliatory comments.  There are no thumbs up or down.  It’s not a movie review site, or a site to post the books you are reading.  Yes, you can put your Twitter up there. Yes, you can link your work if it’s on Twitter but people don’t really look there for those things.

I learned about all this from Sree Sreenivasan who is Dean of Student Affairs at Columbia Journalism School and also teaches a kiss ass class in how to navigate your life online.

Sree was very emphatic that if you put yourself on Linkedin you have to fill it in, completely. It needs to look professional.

When I just logged in I found this on my page.

The sad thing is  I thought I had done an OK job.  That  little bar that tells me I’ve only filled in 60 % of what I’m supposed to  reminds me of my report cards. “Tracey would do very well if she concentrated more, talked less and completed her assignments.”

If you are looking for jobs outside of media and professional sports, I suppose it’s a good idea to get Linkedin. If you are looking to expand your brand and connect with other like-minded souls and share ideas and stories, photos of your puppy, the beach at sunset and just life, this is not the spot.
Honestly, I never go on this site. I accept people who ask me to link up. I did go on last night as this hot Italian guy sent me an invitation and I wanted to see his picture up close.  I then went on just now so I had more information to write this piece, Oh and check out the Italian again…

The one thing about the site and this is a big deal - they  list jobs. I just  typed in writer and this is what came up.

Those were all I could fit on screenshots.

It has a real use and as jobs become scarcer and scarcer Linkedin becomes bigger and bigger.

In terms of what I have been talking about the last week, blogging, outreach, branding etc, it’s not a player.  Though if you want to be all over the net and connected in as many ways and on as many sites as humanly possible, then go for it. If you have a tradional profession where jobs come about through referrals and interviews totally go for it. And the good news is they won’t let you put up the photo  at Margaretville with – “What was her name?”

Hot Italian Guy - Every now and then the site surprises you.

13 October 2011 · Comments

FACEBOOK ~ MORE THAN A PLACE TO FIND YOUR FIRST BOYFRIEND

I want to start this by saying how much I adore Facebook. I love everything about it. I don’t care if they sell my personal information, change the settings, or take ‘friends in common” and make it hard to find.

I love it so much I want to climb inside my computer and live on my page. I want to just hang out there with the 400 people I know and the 2200 I don’t. On  Facebook I am friends with Al Pacino and Karl Lagerfield and the first guy I ever slept with. I’m friends with people I have admired for years, and people who make me a bit nervous. I was just friended by this adorable Italian who lives in Venice and looks like he walked out of a Brideshead Revisited. I just love staring at his photo. I love it so much I want to stop writing this blog and go back and see how many people commented on my photos of the Park Ave Demonstration today.

But, aside from Facebook being the Happiest Place On Earth and you don’t have to stand in line all day for the fun, then spend two hours looking for your car, it’s also one of the best places to do your social networking.

I have probably gotten more mileage of Facebook than almost anything and I’ve had a blast doing it.

MY RULES OF FACEBOOK

1)     Gather as many friends as you can. And forget that thing of “Yes, I know them.” Ask whom ever you want to ask to be your friend. You will be amazed at the people who say yes. You will also be amazed at the people who ignore you. But again, reach out there, if you want to be an extension of your phone book fine, keep it to close friends and family. But if you are using it as a networking tool, build your base. Each week try and get ten new friends.  If only five accept that will be 260 by the end of the year.

2)     Post a variety of interesting things. Don’t just post things that appeal to your three best friends, or tag photos of your sleep away camp’s reunion. Search for some really juicy articles, videos, songs, things people might not get to see. Make your Facebook Wall a destination. That makes you a destination and then when you put your blogs or things about your business or product there they will be taken more seriously.

3)     Don’t post things on other walls without permission. Would you come over to my house and take the art off my walls and hang your own? Exactly. Same with Facebook. There are boundaries and they need to be observed. Also don’t sign other people up for groups they don’t ask to join. I’m very happy if you are a member of Vegan Biker’s for Bachmann, but leave me out of it.

4)     Don’t promote your own work on other walls. I think this is tacky. If you have been following this series you know I will go out on limbs, but I will never post my things on others pages.  I think each person’s wall is their space and if someone wants to share something of mine then they will make that choice.

5)     Don’t talk about yourself endlessly in comments. Stick with the topic at hand. If you are part of a group discussion and are asked it’s one thing, otherwise and this is true of all comments on all sites, stay on topic.  We can talk about ourselves all we want on our own pages and sites.  Be a good listener and contributor on other’s walls, they will respect you for it, and you don’t look like a tool.

6)     Use it consistently. You don’t have to go on as often as I do, which is about 12,000 times a day, but go on at least three times a day. Be a presence. Share, as that is how people see you and find you and friend you and you become part of the community.

7)     Use it for self-promotion, absolutely. Post your own work, reviews, comments announcements whatever pertains to your life and career. It is there for that. But if you are also peppering it with many other things, your own self-promotion (something I am big fan of) will not be offensive it will be part of the whole that is you.

8)     If you want to be taken seriously or you have people on there you work with or want to work with I would keep the drunken shots of you peeing into the East River for personal use. I would keep most drunken or any shots that can be considered compromising off there. And if you are young, you are going to have many more boyfriends, girlfriends and lovers in your life, as well as children. What goes on Facebook or any site goes to the world, so just be prepared you can’t take it back. You aren’t inventing anything new, your a half naked shot, with your tongue crammed halfway down someone’s throat while six guys in boxers look on while they are downing shots, may come back to haunt you.  Someone can snatch it, screen shot it and it’s out there forever.

9) Be a friendly person. When you make a new friend, it’s nice to say thank you for the friendship, make a personal connection, go on their page and “like” something or respond to a posting.
Last evening I was the recipient of what I think are some of the nicest FB manners I have seen. I was asked by a gentleman to be his friend. I accepted. In all fairness unless I have seen the face on a Most Wanted sign I accept most people. Shortly after I got a PM acknowledging a few things we had in common, Leonard Cohen and a fondness for the book Speak Memory. Then he included his website. Totally cool to do that. And it’s a really good website and if you have one, it makes a good impression. He also congratulated me on my own work, and signaled out one film and wished me well on my book. Which made me respond with a longer PM and included my website and a connection was made. This is how to use FB at it’s best. It wasn’t me, me, me. It wasn’t you, you, you. It was using the information provided, connecting the common dots, sharing individual work and being generous. I will now stop into his and page I imagine he will stop into mine. So the lesson is take the time, look at what someone does, acknowledge him or her. Point out what interests you have in common and then the door is open to share your websites and your work.  I was totally impressed. And I’m linking his website as it’s one to pay attention to. He has hit all the right notes.

10)  Companies care that you do this work.    In the age of changing business models and smaller work staffs, people running companies like to see that you are doing a lot of this work yourself. It proves you are willing to roll up your sleeves and take responsibility for your own future. And if you are in business for yourself or an entrepreneur well you have little choice but to do everything you possibly can.

11)  I’m not a big fan of the fan page. I find it a little creepy. Harper Collins set one up for me and I proceeded to ignore it. My friend Don Hutchison made one for Lucky Ducks I  pay little attention to. Even if you never have any personal interaction with someone, people like the concept of being “friends” that is part of the genius behind it. It’s the reality and the illusion, the geek with all the pretty girls on his page or my faux friendship with Karl Lagerfeld.  When I get one of those notes saying, “I’m really sorry, my page is filled but you can be my fan.” Or worse when people send out those Sally Field pleas to “Like Me” ~ it’s fine if you’re a legitimate business but  real people would rather be friends whether it’s  a real friendship or not.

11 October 2011 · Comments