Some Comments On Commenting

Aight, beloved readers… (That means “All right” for those of you not currently residing in the south.) Today, for essentially the first time in my blog history, I write to you from atop my soapbox.

No, we will not be discussing politics. (Yikes.) And no, I will not be preaching about the “hard stuff” from the Bible. Instead, I am going to share with you my comments… on commenting.

Yes, I am writing about commenting on blogs. Those of you in the “blogging community” will <hopefully> understand and support this idea… but for you beloved readers who don’t have a blog of your own, I just want to share with you how important it is to comment on blogs.

You can’t actually comment “here” per say… but you can scroll to the bottom and comment. Just sayin’.

Before I you think I am an ungrateful blogging heifer, please know that I am INCREDIBLY thankful for my loyal followers who have the courage to comment on my blog (or other folks’ blogs.) Seriously. Ever since I  “launched” this ministry two months ago and migrated to WordPress, my blog comments have been tremendous compared to my old site. So on that note, here are a few facts you might not know about commenting on our blogs…

1. Your comments keep us going. This is so, so, SO important, especially for us faith bloggers that are currently working for Jesus dollars, not world dollars. Blogging, especially daily, is freaking hard. Yes, it can be incredibly rewarding. But little tidbits in the form of your comments keep us pressing forward in the name of Jesus when our brains are mush and our fingers are sick of typing. Second to God, YOU are who we are writing for!!

2. We LOVE hearing your thoughts. When you respond to our post(s), it encourages our hearts that people actually DO read our stuff. Yeah, our stats might say people are stopping by, but a few comments mean more to us than a hundred page views. If you comment, it helps us to believe even more deeply in the mission to which we have been called. Plus, we love the interaction– writing to a silent screen can get a little monotonous. And if we talk to ourselves while we write (especially in public places like Starbucks) people think we are nuts. So save us the embarrassment and talk to us through the screen! 🙂

3. Your comments don’t have to be “profound.” If I EVER figure out who started THIS nasty little rumor, I am going to cut them. Or at least judo chop them in the neck. Seriously. Yeah, we love it when comments reflect/respond to something we actually wrote (because it means you actually read it) but your comments don’t have to be profound. We aren’t expecting a greek translation or a Scripture quote or a profound revelation that changes our lives (although sometimes that does happen, which is awesome.) But sometimes, just a simple “Amen sister!” Or “Great thoughts!” or “Really spoke to me!” can make all the difference.  We comment on Facebook statuses and pictures all the time… why not take 14 extra seconds, comment on the actual blog and make it permanent? We appreciate ANY comments we receive on our blogs! (Except spam… we despise blog spam. It’s almost as yucky as the luncheon meat stuff.)

4. Your comments help our “legitness” factor. Yeah, so I made up that word… but seriously. When others view a blog, one of the first things they probably do is glance down at the bottom to see how many comments have been made. I certainly do that. If there are a lot of comments, that makes me think either A) Whatever the blogger wrote is super legit B) They have such an incredible platform that they could blog about ketchup and people would still love it or C) They are paying people under the table to leave comments. (I am pretty sure options A & B are the most feasible here.) Seriously though– if a “big dawg” publisher, minister, blogger, whoever lands on our page… Comments can make or break an opportunity that might lurking around the corner.

Blogging is like wearing a different outfit each day… although in our world, they are never going to be the SAME outfit. Sure, there are going to be occasions where a blog post might be the equivalent to t-shirt and sweats, but most days, we bloggers are hopeful that someone will notice and comment. Think about how you feel each time you sport a new haircut or outfit and someone positively mentions it to you… It can keep you going for the rest of the day! Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. And for those of us in the Jesus blogging world– we love warm and fuzzy. (Or feisty and festive. Whatever.)

Finally, we know that God encourages us throughout Scripture. From the beautiful and romantic words of Song of Solomon to the promises of Jesus, He offers encouragement to keep us going. And while those reminders keep us reaching for Jesus, sometimes we need a little earthly help from our readers to have the courage to face our keyboard again as we share our hearts.

Aight… (it’s slacking grammar day if you can’t tell…) I hope the above case for the importance of commenting on blogs has empowered you to take heart and reach out to those of us who have been called to blog for Jesus… And before you roll your eyes thinking this is a desperate attempt for feel-good moments, please note that this is not a plea for more comments on my blog. If you don’t believe me, comment on some of these other Jesus gals’ blogs if you don’t feel called to comment on 7 Days Time. It’s not about the numbers… It’s about the mission.

Check out (and comment on– hint, hint!) these other blogs…

Kelli (my beloved boss) at Living for One.
Jen over at Finding Heaven Today
Shannon at Jesus & My Orange Juice
Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama
Colleen at The Restarter Home

WHEW! Aight, I need to click publish before the view from my soapbox makes me so dizzy I pass out (or chicken out.)

Oh… and just in case this post actually stuck… feel free to leave a comment below 🙂

Sharing the Jesus Comment Love,
SGK

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” –1 Thessalonians 5:11