How to Write Insightful Blog Comments

Writing interesting blog comments does not have to be hard and is quite useful. By commenting on someone else's blog, you may compel other readers to check out your own blog or even just build your reputation as a trusted and respected member of the blog's readership. Correcting mistakes and furthering discussions through commenting can really help a blog generate an active readership, which benefits both the readers and authors of the blog.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• blog to read
• brain

1. First you will obviously need to read the post in question. Read it carefully and then read it again. Nothing looks dumber than misquoting or misreading an important passage and then commenting on it.

2. Determine if you have anything to add. You almost always will. No matter if the author is smarter than you, you probably bring a different perspective to the topic at hand.

3. Next you should read the existing comments, if any exist. They may have already covered the information you wanted to add. They also may have started the discussion down a different path and it sometimes feels awkward to derail that. As long as your comment is related to the blog post I don't really worry about that.

4. As with writing blog posts themselves, make sure any facts you present are right. A disproved fact can damage your credibility. Opinions cannot be refuted as easily, but still make sure they are well though out.

5. Try to keep your comment short and to the point. If takes more than a few sentences to get your point across, use paragraphs for easy readability.

6. Sometimes an example helps state your case. I read a lot of personal finance blogs and examples with numbers are often very useful in making a point.

7. Proof-read your comment before you hit submit. As important as spelling and grammar, is the general tone. It is almost always counterproductive to be combative or condescending towards the author or other commentors. Be mindful of that