SoulCradler

I was going to be sensible and avoid overcommitment, but I kept finding posts in my reader from some of my favourite bloggers involved in the 31 Day Comment Challenge, and I wanted to join the fun. I would like to get more comments on my posts, and I’m aware that I need to focus on two things in order for this to happen:

• Make time to reflect and write more often on my own blog
• Comment on others’ blogs and contribute more effectively to the community.

The Challenge comes with a daily task, posted on Michelle Martin’s blog The Bamboo Project. I’ll be doing the first three today as I was a little slow getting started:

Day 1: Do a Comment Self-Audit:
How often do you comment on other blogs during a typical week?
Because I read blog posts in my Flock Reader, I’ll only comment if I click through to a blog. I don’t usually comment on reflective posts, unless I really have something to contribute. So I tend to comment in order to thank the writer for a resource that they have posted which I intend to use. That probably only happens 1-2 times a week, currently.

Do you track your blog comments? How? What do you do with your tracking?
I do now (see Day 3 challenge). I look forward to being able to follow the conversations I am involved in more effectively. Sometimes I would comment on a blog and completely forget that I had done so, making it impossible to complete the conversation.

Do you tend to comment at the same blogs or do you try to comment on at least one new blog per week?
I tend to comment on the same blogs, and these are generally people that I have built rapport with through other networks such as Diigo, Twitter or Facebook, or with whom I have a real life connection to. Going the extra step and commenting on a ’stranger’s’ blog is often a little daunting.

I have plenty of areas to improve upon, and will be keeping Gina Tripani’s advice in mind.

Day 2: Comment on a New Blog
I actually did this yesterday, and now feel like I have made a real connection with a blogger that I have followed and admired for a while, The Intrepid Teacher.

Day 3: Sign up for a comment tracking service:
I was going to give this one a miss, because at first I thought that getting CoComment to work on Flock was going to be a hassle, but Sue Waters provided some really clear instructions on her blog, and I’m all signed up there as nrwatkins.

Want to get involved?
The best place to start is the Comment Challenge Wiki. Join the fun! It may seem like a lot of effort to get started and get involved, but it’s worth it!

Tags: comment08reflection