This blog seems to be one that attracts readers, but not many comments.
I know I get readers from the metrics I track (yes, occasional comments too). And, every once in awhile, when I get frustrated that my posts do not generate more comments, I am heartened to get a kind note, see Tweets, Facebook comments and sometimes even place on “favorite PR blogs” lists. (Thanks, Wax blog, Brendan Cooper, Tony Mackey, etc.)
I have a feeling that I am not the only blogger in this situation. Our time is a zero sum game, and people are increasingly distracted with ever more content choices. More time reading means less time generating content like comments. And research has shown that content creators (commenting falls in this category) are far outnumbered by passive content consumers.
I think much of the buzz around content that used to be confined to blogs now takes place on Twitter and social networks. It would be a step forward for the social media world if someone invented a widget, or if the blogging platforms made it possible to aggregate comments related to blog posts from Twitter, Facebook, etc., so that they appear under the related post.
It seems like a no brainer (I am not saying the solution is easy to develop, just the fact that there is a very obvious need). Is anyone aware of such a solution? Is it out there and I have just somehow managed to miss it? Please indulge me and ignore the title of this post. I don’t want to look desperate but comments and answers would be appreciated.
Extra points: what movie is the subtitle of this post from? Your clue is in the image
I’ve been hearing some buzz about JS-kit Echo. Pulls together at least comments, Twitter, Delicious, Digg, etc. You can see it in action over at Brian Solis’s site, e.g., http://www.briansolis.com/2009/08/are-facebook-and-twitter-on-a-collision-course/#comments
The current configuration is awfully unhelpful – real comments overwhelmed by retweets.
Thanks for the suggestion, John, I will take a look.
I think Huffington Post also has comments from Twitter that are relevant to a certain article or post. Sometimes, I would rather not read some of the silly Twitter or Facebook comments from others.
However, you pose a great question. Maybe your readers have no insight on a certain topic or maybe they are afraid that their comments will be taken out of context or linked back to the higher ups. I always try to leave my two cents when I can relate to something or if a blog post really spoke to me. Now that I think about it, people are becoming ANTI-SOCIAL even on the internet. That is kinda scary.
http://LilaBrownPR.blogspot.com
Thanks, Lila, good points and appreciate your reading and commenting
Thanks for leading me to this post Bob … and now we don’t need to worry about comments and instead concentrate on the content 😉