This is a guest post from Snoskred. Enjoy!

Early in November of 2006, I heard about NaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month. It was too late for me to get in on the action as I had already missed one day of blogging. So I decided I would challenge myself to comment on as many of the NaBloPoMo blogs as possible during the month of November. It was an enormous challenge to set. Over 2,000 blogs participated in NaBloPoMo last year. There were days when I commented on over 100 blogs a day. My traffic and subscribers went through the roof with people checking out my blog by clicking through on the comments.

During the month I learnt a lot about commenting on peopleÂ’s blogs. Many people find it difficult to write comments; for some it is like pulling teeth. I have some good news for you - the more you comment, the easier it gets. Here’s a few of the things I discovered last year.

What should you write?

Never be scared to say what you are thinking. People write blogs to connect with other people and if you have a different take on something someone has written it is ok to share it - they may not agree but they will appreciate you taking the time to express your views as long as you donÂ’t attack them and theirs.

If you have set yourself a blog commenting challenge and that is why you’re at the blog let people know. It’s ok to have this part of the comment as a copy and paste thing. I usually have a text window open which will contain the “base” for my comments. It could be something like -

Hi, itÂ’s Snoskred here. I’m trying to comment on as many of the NaBloPoMo blogs as I can and I thought IÂ’d say hi.

Next, you need to personalize the comment. This is where you apply the “what should you write” lessons above.

Leave Your URL -

People want to visit you when they see you have written a good comment. They want to find out more about you and see if they should add your blog to their must read list. Typing your name, email address and URL into comments is fine and dandy and I recommend you do it every time but sometimes people donÂ’t realise they can get to your blog that way - and if you are commenting on Blogger and you have an account on Blogger? The link does not lead back to your blog - it leads to your Blogger profile. At the bottom of the comment you can put something like this -

Snoskred
www.snoskred.org

Just be careful with putting the link there because if you are commenting on a Wordpress blog you might end up in the spam folder.

What not to say -

There are times when I went to a blog and I knew this wasn’t a blog I ever wanted to return to, but as a part of a commenting challenge the idea is to *challenge* yourself to comment on all blogs, even the ones you don’t feel an immediate connection to.

When you find yourself at a blog that you disagree with - it could be the writing style, it could be the opinions, it could even be the blog template or that the blog plays music at you without your asking for it - you need to keep a lid on your temper, say something polite and complimentary and then get the heck out of there fast!

• DonÂ’t swear. ItÂ’s ok in some situations but this is not one of them.
• Never say something negative about the person, their blog, their pets, their kids, etc.
• Some topics were never meant to be commented on. In my opinion these are politics, religion and sex but IÂ’m old school. YouÂ’ll have to make your own decision on topics you want to steer clear of.
• Some blogs were never meant to be commented on. IÂ’m sorry to say that if you have a myspace or a livejournal, I found these difficult to comment on and instead would close the window as soon as I spotted it was one of those blogs.
• If youÂ’re seeing red, get out of there fast - and as politely - as possible.

People who blog are people who live all over the world and have many different thoughts and opinions and dreams and loves and hates. The comments section of a blog is a place to be polite, positive, friendly and if you can manage it from time to time, funny. Someone else’s comment section is not somewhere you can talk dirty and influence people - save that for your blog.

Every Blogger Loves New Readers -

When you make friends out there in the blog-O-sphere, people add you to their feed readers, they add you to their sidebars, they become a part of your blogging “family.” Pushing yourself to go out there and comment on blogs can allow you to find a wider audience than you ever thought possible. By the end of NaBloPoMo you could have many new readers, if you are willing to go and seek them out.

Make A Commitment -

NaBloPoMo is an excellent opportunity to set yourself a commenting challenge and give it your best shot. If you commit to using the randomiser and commenting on 5 new (to you) blogs each day, that is 5 potential new readers of your blog - but you have to remember that each of those blogs have readers who might click through to your blog.

Set A Goal -

What an appropriate place to talk about setting a goal, here on One Man’s Goal! You simply want to set yourself a number goal - comment on 10 blogs a day - and then go out there and achieve it. DonÂ’t overwhelm yourself to start off with. Reward yourself as you go. I used to say comment on 25 more blogs then IÂ’ll (make a coffee, watch a dvd, play a game) then another 25 and IÂ’ll (eat lunch, have a snack, go for a walk).

Join A Group -

This year NaBloPoMo is using a new kind of social forum so that everyone can create groups and participate in those groups. I have created a group especially for those who want take the commenting challenge and you can join it - Commenting Challenge.

More About Snoskred -

Snoskred = 32, Female, lives in NSW with The Other Half and two kitties. Her blog Snoskred - Life In The Country explores various topics including life in the country, scams, scam baiting, music, movies, art, current events, and photography. You never know what Snoskred will write about next, so securely fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.

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