Article and writing websites have many aims and objectives. A writer or a reader too has goals and targets. One of the common aims that writers, website admins, and readers have, among others, is to encourage interactivity through the website and improve the quality of the website and its content.
On websites like read.cash and noise.cash, the tipping system seems to be an overwhelming way of interaction - more so in noise where it costs nothing to heart-tip a post. However, it must be noted that these websites try to mimic real-world interaction on an online platform. While tipping a performer is often done in the real world, most real-world conversations are deeper and more engaging than just a tip. So here are my thoughts on using the comments feature that is there in most of the article and post writing websites
How do you comment on an article?
On most websites, you are led to the comments section after you have read the article and then scroll further down. You need to be logged in as a user and, beyond this, some will make you solve a captcha to prove it's a human being that is leaving a comment.
Why should you leave a comment?
1. It shows that you have read the article and understood it and have actually gone one step further - you are genuinely interested in the content
2. It shows your desire to engage in a conversation with the writer
3. It helps to encourage the writer, as often real words are more meaningful than a click on an upvote or a tip. However be careful (as I will mention later) - nonspecific comments like "good article" can be labeled as spam
4. You can clarify any doubts or ask questions you have
5. You can add details or information that will improve the content by itself and help authors increase their knowledge base.
What should you do before you write a comment?
Read the article well - don't just skip-read it. Try to get a feel about what the author is trying to tell you. Enjoy the article!
Decide what you want to say and why you want to say it. Don't write a comment just for the sake of writing one. Your upvote or tip is still good enough to show your appreciation when you enjoy something but don't want to add a comment.
Does the interaction end with a comment?
Usually, no! Authors are quickly able to see the users who are genuinely interested in their articles. They discover who have the same interests as them. By engaging with commenters, the overall quality of their article increases, and readers spend a little more time reading interesting comments and the discussions that happen around comments too. Often, the writer and readers will visit your profile page and read a few of your articles - the overall interaction increases in the community in a positive way.
So the value of an original, good-quality comment results in a ripple that improves the website and makes the reader-writer-admin team happier. That is a win-win-win situation.
Closing Thoughts
When you have nothing to say, don't say it - just random sentences stating"Good one", "So nice" etc show a desire to just throw your username all over the site. Also longer rambling lines like "I like what you have written. I think the same. You should write more" achieve nothing much.
When you have something to say, put as much thought into it as you would put into writing your article. You can get straight to the point and state what you would like to so that your comment is precise and clear.
If you disagree with something, please be polite and know that different people can have different viewpoints. Do not instigate or troll a writer. Never attempt to hijack an article with your comments.
And as is the rule in any website - do not spam! Do not link to anything that you wrote, even if you're tempted to - it will be seen as spam. Do not request for subscribers or upvotes. Avoid writing lines like "I too wrote something similar - read it at...." or "I have upvoted your article and subscribed to you. Please do the same to me." Good writers may even block you if you do this. Admins will see that you write such comments frequently and will ban you!
Finally, don't force yourself to comment on an article. Some members do this just to get noticed or simply because the author has commented on one of their articles -they feel that they need to return the favor. Good writers and commenters don't write out of favor or compulsion - they write because they have something to say and have a passionate way of expressing themselves!
How do you like these little tips? Do you comment often on articles? Do leave your thoughts (and comments!) here and let us build each other up!
Lead Image From Unsplash website through Read.Cash
