In Jan of 2007 I wrote about proper “Blogging Etiquette.”
I spoke of generic comments and how a commenter did not deserve my respect if they left the same generic comment on various other blogs they visited.
My feelings on this have not changed since I last blogged about it.
Today I was going through my incoming links and visiting the blogs that link to me.
I followed the link to a post on another blog with regards to my “Proper Blogging Etiquette – What do you see” post. I must say that I was surprised by the comments left on her post.
Apparently my feelings on this are all wrong and I should appreciate the effort a commenter makes when they leave a generic comment.
There is not much effort made in copying and pasting the same thing to numerous blogs.
Several bloggers saw no problem in generic comments.
One blogger had this to say: “A generic comment shows that one took the time to go to the blog, read the post and comment.”
A generic comment doesn’t show that the commenter even read the post. In most cases they didn’t.
Generic comments Like “Great take on the theme,” “Interesting list” and “Cool site, love the info” tells me that the commenter only commented to get linkbacks to their website/blog.
Am I the only one who thinks that “generic comments” are annoying?
If you don’t know what generic comment is; it is the same comment left on various blogs. Often times the comment has nothing to do with the blog post.
I left the following generic comment on several blogs this evening in an effort to prove my point with regards to how annoying they are. Let it be noted that I read none of the posts.
“Thank you for another great post.
I look forward to many more entries with high quality info.”
The generic comment was actually one left on my blog that was caught by my spam filter.
If someone takes the time to make a post then I feel the least anyone can do is say something that pertains to the subject of that post.
Mack Collier has some great suggestions on leaving comments. Be sure to read: “How to write great blog comments.”
Do you allow generic comments on your blog?
If you liked this post, why not buy me a coffee?
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9 responses so far ↓
Wrote: Oct 9, 2009 at 9:07 am
I always assumed those generic comments were generated by computer. They usually end with a link to their junk sight.
Wrote: Oct 9, 2009 at 10:10 am
If it comes in unmoderated, I let it stand. If I get a comment that isn’t moderated, it’s from someone who has left a comment before.
Comments from new commenters are moderated. I check the website of all new commenters, especially those that leave generic comments. If the web site is on the up and up, I’ll allow the comment.
Wrote: Oct 9, 2009 at 11:20 am
If I cannot come up with an interesting, on topic comment, I don’t comment at all.
Wrote: Oct 9, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Great post – high quality info! Hahah – just kidding :0) I don’t like generic comments either. I feel the same you do – if you are going to take the time and trouble to going to the comment box – write something of benefit to the community you’ve entered, not just of benefit to you.
I find that I get short comments on Thursday 13 posts quite a bit that are fairly generic but I don’t see the exact same – copy & paste – from them all over. I think they just are trying to be brief to visit as many posts as possible – but then that means they are just trying to gain personal exposure. I have found that they are also least likely to engage in a discussion either on my blog or theirs. So when I get comments like that I don’t bother visiting their site. But I do allow the comment to stand – they are few and far between.
P.S. – I like your Blogger Talk Forum – I bookmarked the site to revisit when I have more time to explore.
Wrote: Oct 10, 2009 at 11:02 am
Spammers, get a life. And a job.
Annoying.
Sometimes I do get a comment that relates to my post, but the link is just to sell something and I don’t know whether to take the link out or leave it in. You know what I mean?
Wrote: Oct 10, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Hi Rose, thanks for the link
Personally, I allow generic comments as long as they don’t have a link back to their site. If it’s generic & includes a link to their site, I will often delete it.
But if you’re leaving these comments on purpose, it’s like you’re ‘mailing it in’. I’d rather take a couple of minutes and actually put some thought into the comment, and I believe the blogger would as well.
Wrote: Oct 12, 2009 at 12:18 am
Generic comments in the blogging world seem to be the same as generic comments made during live conversations. I find those to be pretty annoying, especially when I’m talking about something that meas a lot to me, I ask the other person what they think and all I get back is a noncommittal noise or a shrug of the shoulders.
People who are going to comment really should take the time to read what they’re commenting about. Even if they’re trying to get through as many blogs as possible to spread their website around, they should at least skim the post and put what they read into their comment. Makes sense to me at least!
By the way, I love the picture you have for your header.
Wrote: Oct 20, 2009 at 12:14 am
Thanks Erin.
I went pink!
Wrote: Oct 20, 2009 at 12:15 am
You’re welcome Mack.