I was asking people recently what would make them more likely to leave comments on the blog.  I got some great feedback from fellow blog owners Emma and Claire recommending something called “MyChingo” – which sounds weird but is in effect just a way of leaving voice mail or a phone message on a website.

I followed this thread to the voice-mail conversation on Mike Sansone’s Converstations blog.  There’s some interesting discussion there about the pros and cons of the new widget – is it just technology for technology’s sake, how does it add to or detract from the rest of the conversation (which is still virtual after all… )

Well you can have a listen for yourself if you’re curious.

Anyway it was the comment from Claire on Mike’s voice-mail that got me drawn in – she makes the point that people have different learning styles or representational systems and that we need to be flexible
enough to meet those different styles and preferences.

Which made me think about people that I know – some of whom love writing (like me) but others who would always prefer to chat, to talk on the phone, or even just to leave a message to say “hi”.

And if that sounds like you, why not give it a try?

You’ll find the audio comment box under ‘something to say’ on the left hand side  – scroll down towards the bottom of the screen to find it.  All you need to do is press the button that says ‘leave a message’ and follow the instructions on the screen.  You’ll be asked for your name and e-mail address (which isn’t disclosed) then you can record your message.  You can play it back and record it again if you want to, then when you’re happy with the message press “send” and it comes through to me.

You could leave a message to say hello, ask a question, make a point or just play back the messages and listen to what other people are saying.

Let me know what you think of the new widget – either by writing a comment or leaving me some voice-mail…

And I don’t know about you but I think a blog site with comments looks a lot more friendly and lived in too. After my first five days of live blogging the place already looks a lot more complete – so thanks very much to my early callers

I’m guessing though that there are lots of people out there who’d like to chip in but aren’t used to leaving comments, may not know how to go about it or might not be sure what to say.  If that sounds like you then keep on reading to find out how to join the conversation…

Okay, I’m not a technical expert but here’s what I’ve worked out from my own experience so far…

The technical bit

Where: There’s a comment section at the end of each post.  If you’re on the home page and can see lots of posts you’ll need to click on the word “comments” at the bottom to open up that same comment section.  Once your comment is done it will appear on the right hand side under “recent comments” (don’t be scared! see below)

How: You will be asked to leave your details: your name (which then appears alongside the comment) and your e-mail (which doesn’t get published, it’s just to verify who you are).  Then there’s a space for your URL which is the address for your own website or blogsite if you have one.  (If you want to make sure you direct people to your own site check up-to-date advice from the Business Blog Angel Claire here.)  You will then be asked to type in some letters and numbers from the screen – it’s a way of checking that the comment comes from a human rather than a machine

When: I’ll be glad to hear from you anytime, even if it’s a little while since the post was first published.

Why: To join the conversation of course!  But there are lots of business as well as social benefits and if you are interested in that side of it you can find out more from Claire here

The writing bit

I’ve seen comments on other blogs from people who say things like “I’ve never had the courage to comment before” or “I’m not normally brave enough to join this conversation…”.  Even my oft-quoted blog angel Claire has admitted to some early qualms about chipping in to blog conversations:

When I first started blogging I was often moved to comment on other people’s blogs but then suddenly overcome with shyness, feeling that my opinion was in some way ‘not worthy’!

This made me realise that leaving a comment is just like any other form of writing and the same principles (and anxieties) apply.  Here are some tips that you can use to boost your confidence in writing comments:

Purpose

Spend a moment thinking about why you want to comment – is it to offer encouragement, support, an idea, to promote something you’re doing, to make a connection?  Hold on to that thought and it will help you get over your fear and mean you get less hung up on the words.  The positive intention will drive you forward.

Style

Adjust the style of the comment to the purpose.  Is it just a quick hello, a simple question, or a full-blown analysis of someone’s position?  That will affect the tone and length of the comment.  Short and sweet is fine if you’re just dropping by!

Impact

Read it back to yourself.  Does it sound like you?  Remember this is a format that’s very conversational in style.  If you have a business web presence you might also ask yourself – what will this say about me and my business?

Edit

Check it before you send it.  Most comment forms have a preview pane – it’s worth using it to check you’ve said what you meant, the way you meant to say it.  You can also go back and edit from here.

The conversation bit

One of the best things I’ve discovered is that this really does start a conversation.  In my first few weeks of commenting I’ve had welcoming comments back from blog owners, some interesting questions posed, a very friendly personalised reply to my in-box, new visitors to my site and a strong sense of an emerging network.  One of the things that feels good (to me anyway) is when you get a comment back, even a very brief acknowledgement, so I’m definitely going to try and do that here.

Phew!  Well what started off as a short quick post has turned into something of an epic…but I realised as I was writing there was more to it than meets the eye.  Even so I’m guessing there might be things that I’ve missed so…

What else would it be useful to know?

What are the things that put you off commenting?  What are the things that encourage you?

How can I make it easier for you to join the conversation?

Look forward to hearing from you!