Ever wonder what's considered entertaining on a blog? Some blogs garner thousands of visitors a day and hundreds of comments -- all because they are reputedly...entertaining? The GodolHador blog routinely gets dozens, often hundreds of comments on his posts and DovBear gets even more visitors...
And yet, this blog, the Muqata, while I may think it's entertaining, gets far far less. Do I need to invest more time in replying to commenters? Funnier posts? More serious posts? Vary my content? I'm stumped.
Yesterday I guest posted at DovBear's blog about "Pinchas"...and the post was one of the most commented on posts in the history of Dovbear's blog...with well over 400 comments. FOUR HUNDRED comments. That's insane! And it was the same group of 10 going at each other (mostly at me) over and over...
The most I ever had here for anything I ever posted was about 87....and I only get alot of comments like that maybe twice a month.
And yet, this blog, the Muqata, while I may think it's entertaining, gets far far less. Do I need to invest more time in replying to commenters? Funnier posts? More serious posts? Vary my content? I'm stumped.
Yesterday I guest posted at DovBear's blog about "Pinchas"...and the post was one of the most commented on posts in the history of Dovbear's blog...with well over 400 comments. FOUR HUNDRED comments. That's insane! And it was the same group of 10 going at each other (mostly at me) over and over...
The most I ever had here for anything I ever posted was about 87....and I only get alot of comments like that maybe twice a month.
The trick I guess, is to encourage some sort of free-fall-chat in the comments section -- either by posting something insane, highly offensive, extremely funny...or just finding the right group of people at the right time.
Wanna meet here at 10:30 PM Israel time/3:30 PM EST?
We could try and see if it works...
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
310 comments:
1 – 200 of 310 Newer› Newest»Who cares about comments or page hits? I think that the real thing you want is unique hits. That shows how many readers you have. I never even read comments on any blog that I subscribe to. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even tell you which blogs allow comments. I rarely read blogs on the web (I subscribe in Thunderbird) so I don't even get counted in the numbers at all. Just keep doing what you're doing. I HATE blogs that pander to try and get more comments (and that partially explains why I don't enjoy most blogs).
David G: I agree that just getting a large number of comments is silly. However, there is entertainment in round table conversation...
Though I agree it is great to have feedback the reason why I personally blog is not to have an enormous amount of comments.
My hits far exceed my comment amounts. Thats what counts.
Hey, I started that comment-fest. Firstly by making fun of you, and secondly by deliberately baiting you (I owe you two apologies!). DB doesn't get to 400 comments very often. But it's easy to get 400 with a hot button issue. The moment I saw you and chardal there I knew we had a winner! Those evil land grabbing settlers are always good for some comments. ;^)
There are 17 regular commenters throughout most of the blogosphere. These 17 are responsible for more than two thirds of all comments on a blog.
Unique visitors is a better measure.
Errrrmmmm, bad wordish play coming up.... get set for it....
Ehem, pass the 'mustard'.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Yawp!
Eh, I browsed through it and assumed it was a private conversation. A dvar Torah gets 400 commentss? *yawn* ;)
Ehem, pass the 'mustard'
Only if you supply some of that herring you posted about. ;)
you mean (gasp) people have blogs for other purposes besides hits and counters and comments??
I look at the comments as a cyber-guestbook, to interact with people who have visited my blog.
OK...I'm here....what do you want to talk about?
Greetings anonymous....where are you from?
Well - Im from antartica...
land of the Penguins...
Really? There's a guy who keeps dropping by here...and says "Yawp" all the time.
Maybe he's also from your neck of the woods?
OK. No problem. I just cancelled my previously existing 10:30/3:30 PM meeting. This client was trying to figure out what could be so important that I'm pushing him off. Imagine if he too is a jblogger.
AFI: I think I goofed with the times...
Its now 9:30 PM in Israel...
Maybe we should wait an hour, so more people will come back?
AFI: You pushed off a meeting for this?!
Does anyone know where the wall picture is from that muqata #1 is scaling in the post I put up the other day? I assume its somewhere in NY...
Actually, I'm going to disagree with everybody here a little.
I'd say that comments CAN be important for blogging. I think that the discussion generated by the post can be as interesting as the post itself, and sometimes can be very thought-provoking and informative, not just entertaining. Whereas I agree that "entertainment-only" or flattering comments aren't that important to the function and success of a blog, I'd say that getting people to stop, think, and give you some feedback is probably a much better measure of success than how many random people happen to stop by on a particular day. Maintaining a loyal audience shows that you not only caught someone's attention, but can hold it for a significant period of time. Of course, expanding that audience is probably most people's goal, but I personally would be somewhat disappointed if I had a huge number of lurkers who never commented.
I am here too. Special dial up connection so that I would be ontime.
Now what.
Wow, 23 (now 24) comments already! Ozzie, by the way, is relatively new to Jblogosphere. He'll (I assume it's a "he", but I could be wrong) be hosting the next edition of HH this Sunday.
Irina: I hear you...on dovbear's blog it says clearly - "Read the comments...often they are more interesting than the posts themselves"
But then again...are we blogging for the comments, the readers..or just being able to post a message to the world...?
Irina: Is Ozzie from Australia? That's pretty cool that he's so new to the JBlogosphere and jumped right in and offered to host HH...
Well, it's nice to post a message to the world... but how will you know whether it's getting through unless someone respond? : )
Ozzie's short for "Ozymandias". He's a barbarian!
exsemgirl: youre here via dialup?! That must be insane...
It is indeed. But I couldnt be late.... not for you :P
Irina: Oh...I thought it was Australian or New Zealandish -- he made some reference to crocodile dundee the other day.
Wow, this is fun. You should do this more often! : )
exsem: But I think Im here 35 minutes early...
Maybe we should come back then, and I'll have a list of topics to discuss?
He may have chosen "Ozymandias", because he's from Australia! An Australian barbarian... hm.... sounds pretty good, actually!
obviously I pushed off a meeting for this. I have my priorities straight
Listen I am always late-dont complain when I am early :P
Was actually testing my dial up connection. Didnt realise everyone else would be doing the same :P
Frum Idealist: Do you know where the pic is that my kids took (the one climing the wall)? Irina do you know where it is?
it wasn't the kotel?
a frum idealist - I second that. You sure do! ;)
Frum Idealist: Hello?! Dont you read the post...?
It was taken in New York!!!
Hmm... is that somewhere in D.C.?
OOps, sorry... guess not
NY...
Cetral Park? But I don't recall any walls there that look like that...
Irina: My kids are in DC now...(well, they were an hour ago)...but that pic was from New York somewhere...
*Thinking out loud*.
Where do we have good walls for climbing?
Er... doesn't look like a building though. Maybe a memorial of some kind...
Irina: Dunno...Im counting on you guys to help out. (keep me looking like an idiot when my kids say - "WHAT? YOU DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE WALL? WE THOUGHT YOU GREW UP THERE...."
I dount they would have climbed on a monument...not very respectable...
Oh... you don't know? LOL! I was sure you knew and was trying to find out how many people would actually know!
*Sigh*. Bad, BAD New Yawkers!
hmmmm I am gettin bored. Did they swim accross the Atlantic?
I know some good English locations... ;)
Exsemgirl: yeah...boring...sort of like English football/soccer.
Thank G-d the world cup is OVER! (Now that was boring)
Hi, I'm here but I gotta go get my little one from day camp just making my presence known!
Well, in that case. it's easy. it must have been taken in my backyard where I had a replica of the kotel built.
We should invite more people and pretend that WE knew all along what that wall was... and hope that someone recognizes it.
Let's get Ezzie over here... he should know! : )
Wow, for people who are hopelessly bored, we sure are making a lot of noise! : D
Yeah...where is Ezzie now?
I should call him up and invite him to join.
Frum: Kotel built in your backyard? Like the one in the YU mall?
It's part of my zecher l'churban theme.
Football boring??!!!
And you prefer taking about walls...
hmmmm....soooooo much more interesting..riiiiiiiight.
Ezzie's probably home... Maybe he's online right now?
Hmm... a backyard Kotel... not a bad idea! : D What's the scale?
XSG: Well...isn't there a London wall which was falling down?
well, originally it was supposed to be a guest house, but we ran out of dough. LOL
Frum Idealist: Zecher Lechurban theme...reminds me of finals at YU (or the MBATs)
;-)
Irina; I just emailed ezzie...we'll see if he joins in.
Jameel - Thats London Bridge silly!
Anyway it isnt in London anymore-it was bought for a couple of million by some stupid American billionaire who thought he was buying Tower Bridge so paid an astronomical amount for it.
Does any go climbing there?
yep. it's true. London Bridge is now (falling) in Arizona.
Exsemgirl: Someone bought a BRIDGE? Whatever for?
Exsemgirl: So there isn't a London Wall? Wasnt there a Pink Floyd song about it...?
Exsem is dying of boredom. We need a topic change...
(As long as no one talks about the Jerusalem Gay parade, everything should be fine...that thread got out of control on DovBear's site today)
Irina: they thought the bridge would be nice to own. Sort of like owning the brooklyn bridge
(Yeah, I'm here too.)
Hey, I'm sure I could invite people to write comments too. You lowdowndirtymuqatadwelling... ;)
Huh? The Jerusalem Gay parade? When is it, anyway? Someone mentioned...
OK, OK...
Well well - nice ot you to show up Ezzie! OK, I had to keep the momentum going...which is why there are so many of my own comments...
(When we did this on your blog with Holy Hyrax...you had quite a few comments if Im not mistaken!)
Where is BOTH with my herring??
http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2006/06/fat-green-virgins.html
Yeah. Tower bridge is spectacular and they thought they were buying that.
They paid $2,460,000 in 1962.
I am glad I wasnt the one to inform him that all he got was a nice stone bridge.
Jameel - Pink Floyd sang a song about building a wall of education. Get your facts right.
Irina: I don't know when the parade is supposed to happen but its all over the news now. (See dovbear's site for more info)
Well... was it a LONDON wall of education?
Chardal! Nice of you to drop by as well!
(Im sure this will be alot more mellow than yesterday! ;-)
Irina makes a good point about comments, though Nephtuli had a great post about it recently (in line with something I wrote a year ago to SoccerDad). Most great posts will garner few comments, while weak posts that make more debateable points will get more, as they set off arguments and attacks. [Just look at DovBear and Godol Hador! :P ] [Though the debates get very good and interesting, which is why I enjoy both.]
Jameel's post yesterday got 400 comments because he brought in a somewhat irrelevant, and touchy, subject - one which was misunderstood by most people. This set off a firestorm of comments, including a couple moronic ones which set off another few storms.
Meanwhile... we didn't quite have a parade yesterday in NYC
They informed us that there were rallies all over the world... definitely in D.C. Not sure whether it's true. Supposedly they had some in Europe. Israel?
Irina - yes he was talking about English education-particularly London and figuratively called it a wall in his lyrics.
Jameel - you and HH got me over 100 just with the three of us. But that's a rarity - I usually don't get many comments, and I don't think it's because I'm not getting visitors.
Chardal - Sharon = Mashiach? ;)
ezzie- I second that - it is the good posts that get few comments and the ones with holes that ppl feel they need to fill in and add their two pence.
Ezzie: Who else can you bring over?
Chardal: BOTH's knowledge of Judaism is rather scary...
(considering he isn't even an MOT)
But if you want a firestorm of comments, watch what's happening with a post that just went up by a friend on my blog - 9 comments in a few minutes, none of them too short. Good rants will do that. (Hear Ye, Hear Me)
Jameel- are we not doing a good enough job that you need to recruit?? :(
But I think even good posts can arouse controversy. What makes a good post "good" anyway?
So the more comments -- the dumber the post? (That doesn't speak much of DB and GH now, does it?)
Exsemgirl: Sorry...but the more variety, the less chance that you'll be bored!
Not dumber. Who said that?? Just greater room for ideas or opinions. Not a well balanced post for then ppl wouldnt have that much to add.
Hmm... I don't think that's altogether true. For example, my recent trip to Israel generated an unusual (for me) number of comments, which probably had nothing to do with the quality of the posts themselves, as much with people identifying with my experiences.
Irina: I guess good means entertaining....compelling...makes you think or laugh.
Hrumph.
Its not quantity its quality.
Not as scarry as his knowledge of Herring. I don't think I ever learned as much as from that post.
Chardal - Sharon = Mashiach
Na, I am a cohen ;)
Jameel - Bring over? Nah - I'd rather send y'all over to my place. :P I dunno, I'm a bit busy at the moment. Gotta make lasagna, make some calls, and tutor a friend in Pre-Cal (and he doesn't even pay me! ah well, this is his wedding present...) before my grandparents get here.
Oh, for all those who go over to that post, sorry about the language - I didn't write it. (But it's not terrible.)
Yeah, but that's precisely why it would seem why good posts theoretically should generate MORE comments... because they make people think. And I think, even good posts can deal with controversial subjects.
I think, however, that sometimes the form is as important as the substance... which is why some bloggers are able to create an appearance of controversy even where is none. : D
Chardal: Yes - but herring is inherently Jewish, is it not?! ;-)
Exsemgirl: but you were BORED before!
We just needed some critical mass...
Irina- you are right-there are those exceptions where it's a emotional post so ppl want to write and identify with it. But with almost all other posts if they are balanced then they have less comments-generally.
So the more comments -- the dumber the post? (That doesn't speak much of DB and GH now, does it?)
You're slow, aren't you. ;)
But can there REALLY be a completely balanced blog post? That would make it more of a report or an article than a post...
Exsemgirl - Exactly. Though there are exceptions on occasion... that was actually what (sorry, I *never* usually plug my own stuff) a bunch of us were striving for when we developed JAJC. Good political discussion, less rhetoric.
Irina - Articles aren't balanced! :)
Ezzie: Slow? Yes, still digesting yesterday's posts at DB...
and you have to go? That's so unlike you...
Irina: If things were balanced, then you woudn't get anyone arguing or commenting...
Everyone would just sit around nodding blankly at the screen...
Ezzie, that's true... which is why, I think, it's not so much the subject matter of the post, or the controversy level of the issue, as much as it is the tone of the blogger, and the way he or she presents the idea.
Beep Beep Beep Beep - Big Ben - "And the time sponsered by accurist will be eight thirty. precisely."
(10.30 Israeli time)
Staring blankly at the screen? Well, now...
Wow. I work for five minutes, and look how much I missed.
Out of control Jameel.....
Frum Idealist: I thought you took a break from working for this!! Traitor!
When work interferes with blogging, drop work.
Irina what you blank about?
Jameel requested us to stand by him at 10.30 Israeli time. As the world runs by GMT I am just taking the timekeeping job.
So who is here to be counted?
Ironically, I've found that I get the most replies to blog posts where I sound unhappy. Go figure. Maybe everyone feels like they have to say something nice to me or I'll go jump out a window or something stupid like that.
Well, Jameel himself... I am... Ezzie (or did he leave already?) A frum idealist...
Me!
Look here, Muqata Man... some of us don't sit at our computers all day. Okay, well, not every day. Okay, well, not today. Okay?!
I'm here, I'm here!
Present and accounted for, sir!
Scraps - no joke. One young girl killed herself lately, and since nobody knows who some bloggers are, there's real concern that that might happen.
Scraps, that's a good point. Many people tend to blog the most when they have a problem with something in the first place... and also, many people feel like the can relate to being unhappy... whereas, happiness is unique to each human being.
Tragedies are all basically the same: Death, sickness, financial difficulties/loss of job, a mean boss, bad weather.
But what makes us content or happy is so individualist, that sometimes it's difficult to understand.
Hmmmm
So we have
Irina
Ezzie
Scraps
Chana
A frum idealist
And Jameel seems to be on a break from us....
O and dont forget me!
Now Jameel, you see who stands by you at times of need??
it looks like we lost Jameel!
Er... I think that was the plan. To get us all in here... and to leave us to talk among ourselves, just to see what happens! Devious, isn't it?! ; )
Honestly, I would rather score ten decent comments then all the crap they get on dovbear or godol hador
Hey scraps...and chana...and..who else is here? (besides Irina, Ezzie, Chardal, Exsemgirl...
(And Ezzie...only DB calls me muqata man)
Think if we shout loud enough he'll come back?
AirTime: Tell us about your lesson #73 from Israel?
o he's here.
Welcome back
Ezzie--oh my, I had no idea! A frum girl blogger? Anyone I'd have heard of? Honestly, one of my recent posts generated some discussion, and I wasn't even letting on how unhappy I really was that day. I wonder if that's what they had in mind...
Irina--I don't know, I try to post stuff that people can relate to regardless of how happy or unhappy I sound at the time, but you do have a point there.
Irina: LOL! My kid just came home and I had to devote a few minutes to hearing his night-time camp adventure story...
Ezzie said...
But if you want a firestorm of comments, watch what's happening with a post that just went up by a friend on my blog - 9 comments in a few minutes, none of them too short. Good rants will do that.
Ezzie, three of them were mine! (ducking)
Jameel-besides for us?? You mean we dont get counted??
Scraps - Apparently she was frum, though not part of the "J-Blog" community. I'd never heard of her.
AirTime - Amen to that.
Ezzie: Who killed themselves over blogging?! I didn't hear that story (and you didn't post about it...)
Chana - I know. :)
Ze'ev [He Who Rarely Blogs] did. Too lazy to find it.
Scraps-It is when ppl are sad that everyone feels the need to chip in online and give a hand. When someone is happy then ppl think what do they need me for?
But we need support during happiness as much as sadness.
Exsemgirl: I can't ignore my kids! My wife isn't even home now!
Now Jameel, you see who stands by you at times of need??
Why are we here again? :) J-Blog Koffee Klatch?
Ezzie: Ze'ev from Israel perspectives blogged about it?
btw, while I've got everyone's attention... Please head over to http://J-Blogosphere.blogspot.com and ask to be added to the TTLB J-Community! Thanks!
Lesson # 73 - Don't believe it when people say it takes hours to get anything done in Israel. It took ten minutes to get the Teudat Zehut, twenty minutes to sigbn up for health care, and we had a bank account in less than an hour.
And the good people at NBN faxed us the info we needed to the bank immediately so we were able to open the account even though we didnt have everyting with us.
Jameel: The story's in Ze'ev's post in the Blogging Up A Storm section of my HH edition. # 76
Jameel - Yeah.
I'll blog about my wife's adventure tomorrow...she's off at a 2 day seminar for women in Jerusalem, called "Binyan Shalem"...
AT - WHAT?! Are you kidding me? And I had to wait for 4.5 hours just to get my visa renewed?!
Air Time: That's so true! When we went to the bank in Israel, it took us much less to get things done than what it took to do something similar here.
Ezzie--can you email me her name? scrapthepatchworkgirl at gmail dot com. How did you find out about her?
exsemgirl--too true. Sometimes I need more support when I'm happy (so that I stay that way!) than when I'm in a bad mood.
Lesson 74
There are way more jobs in Israel then there are in Michigan.
I'll blog about my wife's adventure tomorrow...she's off at a 2 day seminar for women in Jerusalem, called "Binyan Shalem"...
"Let your husband have his blog. It will make him happy, and you can use it to guilt him into doing all kinds of things!"
AirTime: Wow...that's incredible. It took my inlaws over 7 years to get a phone line installed.
I guess anything that NBN helps with automatically gets done faster...
mega cool.
Ezzie - check the URL, wouldya?
I can't believe I just read 100+ comments and all of them were basically you talking more about you, talking about comments. Feh.
You should at least be handing out t-shirts saying "I read 100+ comments @ the muqata and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"
Ezzie, I tried the J-blogsphere URL and it didn't work for me.
I was really surprised about how quickly and painlessly a lot of the boring stuff takes
Ezzie--can you email me her name? scrapthepatchworkgirl at gmail dot com. How did you find out about her?
I don't even know. You'd have to read the post at IsraelPerspectives...
There are way more jobs in Israel then there are in Michigan.
*COUGH* Doesn't take much...
I feel like I should pick up a glass and clink on it a few times...
ahem...
Hi everyone!
Welcome to the first (though rare) Muqata comment fest...
coming at you live...from the muqata.
I'm very pleased you could all join with us this evening!
My bad. Here: J-Blogosphere. I put a dash in the URL before...
We dont have a phone yet, but i bet it takes quicker than 7 years
Exsemgirl: Don't forget to count Air Time and StepIma! Our ranks are growing, and soon, they will be strong!
You should at least be handing out t-shirts saying "I read 100+ comments @ the muqata and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"
How about an icon for our blogs?????? ;)
Where is HH?
air time confession - After parodying StepIma for purim parody, I haven't been back to her blog
Jameel one sec-what you offering for l'chaim?
Air Time and Steplma duly counted.
Ezzie confession - I've been reading lots of blogs lately that I keep forgetting to put on my blogroll. Then there are those like Chayei Sarah who I've been forgetting to add for a YEAR.
Chana nice icon....hmmm who is making it?
Oh, btw, people: The J-Blog Community I asked people to add themselves to is on this post.
what is this confession hour??
Air Time confession #2 - Most blogs really bore me, and I stop visiting after a few weeks. Maybe this should be on Post Secret.
Rebecca: Sometimes, also, when you blog long enough, you get to know so many people that your comment number naturally increases overtime. Sometimes if you're "famous" for whatever reasons, you get hundreds of comments, though most of them are probably dumb. It also really depends on the type of blog. With LGF and Daily Kos you have huge threads of comments... But those are more like support groups for the like-minded.
I forgive you AirTime... you haven't missed much. Just alternate the words "strappy sandals" "stepkids" and "Vilna Gaon" about thirty times - I'm pretty consistent ;)
Air Time: I get blog boredom, too. There are blogs on my roll I haven't visited in months. And sometimes, when my interest returns, I come back to find out that hte blog is dead... which makes me feel guilty for not being supportive enough and not leaving comments...
Its not all roses here in Israel. The Baseball home run hitting contest is supposed to be on ESPN right now, and they are having trouble with the feed and showing highlights from the 1980 college basketball season.
LOL StepIma!!
Irina can you take over the count. I gotta run out for a min.
Thanks ;)
Sure... We have to add Rebecca to the count! Anyone else? : D
OK, LImey2001 is in!
Ezzie confession #2 - I feel bad stopping to go to blogs I've liked, even if I don't like them so much anymore.
Irina you there?
O well I guess I cant leave yet.
Limey counted too.
Its good to have a fellow british backup. :)
o cool there you are. Thanks.
I am off.
BRB
Chana confession #1 - my blog is boring, with the possible exception of the Diet Coke and Mentos incident!
I'm right here! : )
S'ok. I haven't gone to the blogs of most of the people here. Irina I do (it's great, people!), StepIma I have lately (though she doesn't know, so shhhh), AirTime I do (which is weird, because I know of him pretty well in real-life though I don't know if he's connected that). The rest, not really. :(
Oh - and Chana, whose D/C&M show was AWESOME. :)
I keep adding and adding new blogs... and yet, I always feel like there're not enough items in my blogroll...
HA!
Jameel just emailed me that his blogger account booted him for sending too many comments in too short a time (they think he's a spammer!)
He's rebooting and will be right back
he says in the meanwhile keep commenting viagra viagra mortgage rates viagra
Ezzie: Thanks! : )
Maybe Sarah could make us a "Blog Secret - Charter Member" icon
No wonder you hung up on me .... you had much more entertaining things happening at home ;-)
StepIma: That's pretty funny! Thrown out of his own blog party... *Shaking head* What is the world coming to?!
200th comment!!!!!!!
who can bother reading through so many comments anyway?
194 comments is insane. you even beat the amount you got on your stabbing gay guy post at DovBear!
Uh-oh, everybody. Jameel's busted! (run for cover!!)
Ezzie, I signed up for TTLB, how do I join the J-bloggers?
*blush* my shining moments - TWO shout outs on Ezzie's blog for that! LOL!!
OK, OK... Have to count Rafi G...
*writing down names frantically*
LOL!! At least Jameel's landlord is letting the partygoers stick around!
Scraps - Just put your URL into that post. I have to do it myself (which I hope to do this week sometime).
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