Whenever I read an article that provokes my thinking, I'm almost always stimulated to read at least some of the comments. But, since the integration of the rewarder bot, I have noticed that comments per post are steadily declining week after week. Perhaps many have not noticed but this is true for my posts.
There is something about an article with little or no comments that feels cold and sterile. It’s like the readers are saying that they are uninterested in your thoughts.
I believe that comments make a post interactive and it's a great way to communicate with other users as the platform doesn't have a chat feature. Also, comments often expand and amplify the content, driving deeper thoughts, or often exploring nuances that the post itself didn’t consider.
A post without comments is like a party without people.
In my first week here, one of the ways I was able to communicate and build relations with other users is through the Commenting section. To me, writing or blogging is not just about publishing content, but also the 2-way communication and community building aspects behind it. The readers can learn more as a result and the writer can form stronger opinions of his own.
There are times that I find the comments from the readers to actually be more interesting and more informative than the post itself.
Most users, I included, are here to earn. With the new updates to the platform and removal of the little benefits attached to comments, it didn't come as a surprise when the level of commenting declined.
The thoughts will likely be: Why waste time commenting and responding to comments when there is nothing to earn from it? This is true for the commenter, but what about the author of the post, can the comments boost his or her earning?
To me, commenting can boost an author's earning.
Recall the bot's statement on what determines the amount of the tip in the article "Have I tipped you?": the more interesting an article is to the audience, the more your tip.
The two main indicators of how interesting a post is to the readers are the number of likes and comment on the post achieves. We can be helping others earn and learn more about a topic by liking and leaving a relevant comment on the post.
Post Commenting and its importance?
Commenting can be taken as the relationship between the blog, the author/blogger, and the readers. In other words, it is an action taken by the viewers or readers. It is a great way to exchange ideas, thoughts, or opinions about what people feel for a particular post topic.
Through post commenting, knowledge is shared. It leads to conversation which, further leads to building a relationship between the user and the author.
Comments make a post-social. The post readers can leave comments in the form of questions if they want clarity to points in the post content, or some can simply leave a comment for appreciating the information shared or maybe share their thoughts, contributing to the content. Also, the author replying to these comments adds more to it.
Closing Thoughts
One of my beliefs is that all of us are smarter than some of us. Sometimes, post readers point out something we have missed in the post content and they can also provide an alternative viewpoint. Sometimes, they can also criticize, disagree, or directly challenge the author's thinking. Regardless, as long as it is done in good faith, everyone benefits. We collectively learn from one another and sharpen our thinking.
On the wrong side, comments can bring negative effects particularly when we are inundated by tons of spammy or low-quality comments. As noticed here on read.cash, some leave short, lackluster comments like "Sub me" "Nice article" “Great Post, I have learned today”. These types of comments definitely do not add value to a post.
All said, I respect readers and believe they’re smart people and have great thoughts to share in the comments, and without comments, I feel like I am missing the opportunity to socialize and learn from them.
I have been thinking of ways to improve commenting on posts.
Question: What can we do to encourage comments that add value to the post? Share your answer in the comment section.
To begin with, people don't understand that an interesting article is one that can induce discussion. It was kind of an implied thing with what the bot rewarder but of course people don't notice the finer prints of things. They just wished to follow the guidelines as is. Some people did get busy though, the ones that liked to go around commenting then there are articles that don't reach the readers at all or are not on the same understanding level of the readers since it was more or less a paper from school or something too technical