October 6, 2012
Last week when I spoke at the Penelope Lane conference, someone asked what is more important, comments or page views. Without hesitation I replied “page views.” And for the most part, that is absolutely true. I went on to tell her that when you’re applying for paid campaigns or trying to get into an ad network, or trying to get sponsors, they never ask how many comments you get per post, but how many page views. I continued to say that it used to really bother me that the posts I worked the hardest on were my DIY tutorials, and yet they always got the least amount of comments, but when I wrote about silly things like zombies, readers I’d never heard from came out in droves. Yet my tutorials are what in many ways carry my stats. So now I’ve just learned to let it go and be happy with the few comments I get and instead be happy with how many pins I get.
But then the other day I read this post, about Internet Manners. You may have already read it, as I posted it on my FTLO Facebook wall. It’s a great read and it reminded me that you k now what, my tutorials are important to me. I put my heart into each one and they take hours from start to finish. Between planning, buying supplies, doing the tutorial, taking pictures, then editing pictures and writing the post, I can easily spend 4-5 hours on a single DIY tutorial. Take yesterday’s pumpkin tutorial for instance. Between going to the store, decorating, styling the shoot and editing the hundred photos I took, I worked on it for a good 4 hours easily.
I have 2 comments on that post, and it’s been pinned over 100 times. Seriously? The point of the article is to stop and say thank you. Take the time to visit the site from Pinterest and say “hey, this is cool, I’m gonna make it!” Of course some of us do this, but let’s be honest, the vast majority of us don’t. I too am guilty of it, I’ll admit. So from now on, I’m making more of an effort to stop and say thank you, or even hi, or hey, you’re a real cool cat for making cool stuff. Would you consider doing the same?
Edited to add: I want to make sure I say that I certainly appreciate that people even pin my projects at all, and don’t want to come across as ungrateful that someone likes what I created. I most certainly do! Rather, I think it would be nice to get a larger ratio of comments to pins on these posts than I get. I realize commenting is sometimes hard and takes time, so at then end of the day I’ll take a pin over nothing any day 🙂
In related posts, I came across this one about comments written by Joy the Baker via HH, and it’s a lovely read.
And I can’t wait to meet Joy from Oh Joy! in a couple of weeks at her book signing for Blog, Inc. She wrote this post Bringing It Back Home a while ago but still a good read, and I respect her for her decision quite a bit. I think the occasional or single contributor to a blog is great and can really help a blogger grow, both for the host blogger and contributor. I contribute and have been asked to contribute to a couple of blogs 1-2 times a month, and that’s not what I’m referring to here. But what I’m talking about is the trend to bring on a plethora of contributors to a blog, so that it doesn’t even function as a blog anymore but a website, and yet they are still trying to categorize themselves as bloggers. The voice of the original blogger is only hears about 2-3 times a week and inevitably does it start to get lost? I recently saw that a blogger I used to read and respect quite a bit just brought on a team of 6 contributors. Six! And here I am the single lone blogger on this site, and I’m supposed to be able to rival that kind of team of talent? It’s near impossible and seems a little unfair. I don’t know, it just starts to get a little sketchy, these lines in blogging. Maybe some day I’ll do the same and I shouldn’t talk too much trash, but when does a blog go from being a blog to a website?
Enough blog talk, for now, I’ll leave you with a bit of my writing over at Disney Baby, about kid and baby stuff if you’d like to go have a read:
- Pacifiers vs. thumb sucking, and why this time we’re choosing the pacifier
- Wanna see our family Halloween costumes for the last 3 years? You’ll get a good chuckle! 🙂
- If you want to dress up your baby in something other than a costume, these are some cute options.
What a thoughtfully written post. I would imagine that that would be frustrating! I will try to do better. 🙂 I, for one, LOVE all your posts – fashion, DIY, zombies or whatever!
I think what discourages me is that there are so many blogs and instagrammers that I am a faithful commenter on, and have been FOR YEARS. I almost feel like those people have become a sort of friend. Sort of. But, those people have never never ever once come to my blog to say hey or hi. I know that my blog and instagram account is simply just a little family blog, one that I will someday print out for my kids, so I can understand why most people don’t stop by to say hi. But still, it does hurt my feelings sometimes.
You are always GREAT about commenting and I appreciate each one so much! I don’t always respond in the comments section, but I hope you know that I read each one and value them 🙂 And you’re right, about the lack of reciprocation sometimes. And I need to do a better job of that as well 🙂
Some blogs are harder than other to comment. (yours is not) I’m a newbie to your sites, but enjoy reading both. I’m also a new mom again (second babe) and I’m trying to fashionable again (repeat: new *working* – mom ) so I take an interest in both your sites. Keep up the awesome work.
I’m guilty of pinning without commenting (on the pumpkins!). Sorry, sometimes it’s difficult to comment when I read blogs on my cellphone, but the Pinterest app makes it so easy to pin for later. I love your blog and appreciate all you do!
Oh thank you. I wasn’t trying to give anyone a guilt trip, honest I wasn’t. Maybe I should clarify and have said its the ones I never hear from at all. I only met you a few weeks ago and you have commented quite a bit, which I appreciate 🙂 thank you!
Oh, no worries, I didn’t take it that way! It just made me realize there might be a lot of people who only comment when they read on a real computer because auto correct on phones is frustrating. Or I might be the only one who can’t Swype for crap. Haha.
I don’t get as peeved about not receiving comments (although sometimes it bugs). What really drives me bananas are the bloggers who don’t answer relevant questions in their comment section about a tutorial/recipe but then turn around and respond to the comments that say they are the totally most genius person ever. Lame.
I comment on blogs whenever I feel I have something relevant to contribute. Sometimes that’s a question, or a suggestion, or an opinion [usually only when asked, though sometimes not!]. or even just to say ‘You’re awesome!’.
But sometimes a post doesn’t apply to me, tug at my heartstrings, reach out and grab me, etc.
I do think there’s a big difference between a blog and website with constant updates [though I know sometimes they can be similar – group blogs, blogs with lots of guest posts, etc] and I try to acknowledge the individual effort put into blogs more often.
But sometimes reading blogs is just entertainment. I don’t write an email to the author of every book I read, even when I loathe or looooove the book. Why should individual posts [sometimes more than even daily!] be different?
Such a well written post Andrea! I have been working on a similar post/have been feeling the same way. I actually DO read your blog all the time but hardly comment bc–okay are you ready for this 😉 I hate filling in all my information. I just like to leave my comment and that’s it. Have you ever thought about maybe changing up your comment format so you do not have to fill in your name and e-mail?
Either way I love you and ALL your content and know exactly how you feel when you described how long it takes to post a DIY…that is why I hardly ever do them anymore!
So many interesting things to think about in this post – I kept starting to write “especially. . .” and then realized I was basically recapping your entire post. It ALL was so valuable.
And I’m definitely inspired to do a better job on commenting, especially on the recipes I make from blogs that I’ve only discovered through Pinterest.