Oh, Blog It!

Well, we've all been blogging for a while so it's about time we flew up our own, umm, "fundaments" for a change (note that the symptom of the degeneration of art is when it starts to talk about itself - hopefully, this won't be true of blogging, because it can't be considered an art form. Can it?). Recently, Hannah wanted to know why Gone Away gets so many comments. Many have seen my response to that question already but it's worth expanding upon.

And, to begin with, we could look at why we want comments in the first place. This was a conversation between Ned and myself this morning:

Ned: But I was thinking about it this morning, just after my second cup of coffee, (I don't think before that) why is it we want people to visit our blogs? I can't remember.

Gone: Why do we want readers? Well, it's all traffic for one thing. And traffic does several things. It increases the need for the blog to be updated - creates the pressure for the blogger to continue blogging. It also raises the profile of the blog - makes it more likely to be noticed by someone who matters* (this is from my point of view, of course). And it establishes a network of bloggers and readers that encourage each other and spark new ideas - as in the Hereunder thing. Besides, it's fun. Very importantly for us all, it gives us feedback so that we get some idea of how our stuff affects people - and what's effective in reaching people and what isn't. I'm sure there are other reasons but it's early yet and the coffee needs time to work.

* The point here is that Mad and I have a sub-agenda to the blog. There is a vague hope that it might become popular enough for someone connected with publishing to notice, in which case it might assist in the sale of my book. I am certainly not saying that other readers don't matter.

So it seems that the number of comments received to a blog is a feather in the blogger's cap. If we now continue to the point of how commenting might be increased, here is the conversation between Hannah and myself:

Hannah: Why do you get so many comments? I count myself lucky to get five.

Gone: An excellent question, Hannah; and the answer is that I do not really know. Ned has pointed out that the majority of comments come in response to those posts that leave room for comment i.e. where what is expressed is opinion only. The posts that deal with recalled memories leave little for commenters to say, since who would argue with another's experience?

So this would indicate that, if it's comments one aspires to, a good strategy would be to concentrate on opinion rather than fact.

It is also the editorial policy here at Gone Away to strive to answer every comment received (a matter of courtesy, I think). Apart from the effect of encouraging further comment, on occasion sparking little debates, this has the effect of doubling the number of comments.

Note that very often the comments section will depart from the original subject to investigate other incidental matters. One could say that the original post receives far fewer comments on its actual content than appears at first viewing.

If we look at the original discussion that Ned and I had, a few more important points appear:

Ned: And I figured out why you get a zillion comments on your non-blogs, like Slay, which isn't really a non-blog, just not like your more serious offerings. It isn't that Gorongosa or Hendrina were not great blogs, they were. But they don't spur silliness. They are so well done that people don't really know how to comment as they cannot say anything about the blog that doesn't look trite and inept compared to the elegance of the blog itself. When the subject is light or less powerful in imagery, then the commenters get into silly avenues of their own and there is always someone to come along and keep it going. Same is true of blogs that express opinion, people can have fun disagreeing with you and each other. It doesn't mean Hendrina was not worth the effort or unpopular. People are a little nervous about poking fun at things that are so far beyond them.

Gone: Ahhhh, so what you mean is there ain't much to say in response to a good blog apart from, "Hey, that's pretty good..."

Ned: Lemme give you a "for instance". The "town of lions" really did capture my imagination, and yet.... you were there, you saw this, you described it so well. How would it be possible for me to describe the effect of this scene better than you had already? You said of Matthew that he leaves nothing for anyone else to say. That can be true of you as well. We have not been there and seen this except through your eyes. What do we have to add to it that would be of interest to you? Not being capable or qualified to launch into a literary appraisal of your work, we offer bland and unsatisfying pats on the back and some mumbled "well done's". The more silent are we, probably the better the piece is.



Ned also has things to say about content:

Ned: I like to mix things up. After a meaningful poem whose meaning is probably missed, I like to follow it up with some humor to relax everyone. The comfort level of the audience is always uppermost in my mind. Can't have those five or six people becoming tense and confused.

Gone: I understand now what you mean about being unable to comment. Yes, that does make sense. Although I do love comments (and the opportunity to reply), I am aware that they are not a good indicator of traffic, especially as just a few people comment many times, sometimes even getting into discussions. For some reason, people seem to be interested in what comes out of my feverish brain so I will just continue to regurgitate whatever comes to mind.

I think it's important that there is a difference between number of comments and number of visitors. It is possible to be having nice, cosy little chats in the comments system and to assume that the traffic is good as a result. Only access to reasonably detailed statistics can actually confirm or disprove this. Without stats we can have no overview of the real traffic situation. Who knows how many people are regular visitors yet never comment? Stats can reveal that they do exist, at least.

There are things that we can do to improve traffic flow. Getting listed on a few of the blog directories is one. Don't get me wrong; this isn't going to make your blog an overnight sensation (unless you get lucky enough to be selected as the "blog of the week" or you select a category in which there's no competition). But it does provide the occasional visitor (about one a day in my experience) and some may like what they see and become regulars.

Commenting on other blogs can also be effective. Blog addicts often cruise the blogosphere by clicking on the names of commenters to other blogs. By the law of averages, this is bound to bring an occasional newcomer to your blog.

Chat is another avenue through which readers come. Rooms in chat collect like-minded chatters and so trailing your blog's URL through your own and similar rooms will always bring in a few visitors. And don't forget to put the URL on your chat profile; many chatters sit silently while they click through profiles in the hope of finding something interesting. Again, Mad and I get three or four like this every week.

These things help but, in the end, the most important thing is content. If you're content's poor, they won't come back. It's always content, content, content. With regular updating, of course. Your content can be the best on the net but, if you only update it every month or so, you'll lose them long before your next blog goes in. Think about it: how many blogs did you visit once but have now stopped bothering with because there's never any change?

Many of us may not care about all this. We might be quite content to blog when we feel like it and never worry about readers or comments. But, if you want to make an impact on the blogosphere, it's necessary to put in some hard work. The more I get into it, the more I realize I've set a mountain of work before myself. Mad, too, has the occasional gripe when I ask him for yet another improvement to the site. Yet we're committed to this; we knew it wouldn't be easy, right from the start. And the stats show us steady improvement.

January stats tomorrow, woohoo!

I could end this piece by some nonsense like "happy blogging". But I won't. Instead, I'll just blog off.