Where Do You Find The Time To Comment So Much?
Mon, Sep 15, 2008
I spend a fair amount of time jetting across the blogosphere leaving a trail of comments on a regular basis. My secret? Nothing out of the oridinary. I have dual monitors and designate one of them solely for email, chat, and my RSS Reader (I’ll often keep iTunes and other non-productive apps over there as well).
This allows me to keep that stuff separate from my “work window“, while still being able to stay on top of new posts from my favorite blogs and add a quick comment when I read something of interest.
Lately, I’ve been seeing the same people at the top of every single post that I read! It is getting to a point where I’m frightened. I’ll give you an example of a couple comment ghosts that haunt my blog travels:
You might have seen Ryan from Smarter Wealth post on this blog a couple times, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s been on yours. This kid is EVERYWHERE! Any blog that I visit has his avatar in one of the top 3 comment spots of the latest post! He’s the top commenter on about 37 blogs that I visit regularly. I popped on to John Chow’s site the other morning at around 4am. I rarely go there, but I’m subscribed and happened to notice a brand new post in my Google Reader. So, I thought I’d pop over and see what’s up with the ol’ Chowhead and leave a Suite comment. Who do you think had already commented on that post? Yup! Ryan needs to write an eBook on “How To Be 37 Places At Once”.
Then, there’s Jarret from JarretCade.net. I’m starting to think Jarret and Ryan are a combined alien lifeforce that has been sent to Earth to comment on MMO blogs. This guy is off the charts with his timing. I swear to God that he has like 837 tabs open and just sits at his desk with a case of RedBull and refreshes all day. His eBook will be titled “The Refreshing RedBull Secrets Unleashed“. Watch for it!
This guy doesnt just “stop by and say hi” either. His comments (usually the first one on a post) will often be longer and more concise than the author’s blog post. It’s crazy!
My question is, (assuming you don’t pay freelancers to comment under your name), how often do you comment, and how do you find time to do it so frequently if you’re a stealth bomber like Ryan and Jarret?
I hope those guys will answer, because they either have a secret they need to share, or they’re hopped up on some kind of comment-enhancing drugs!
Either way, these guys are definitely motivated!
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Cheers!
Jay
Tags: comments
September 16th, 2008 at 4:37 am
I comment whenever I can, basically. It’s a big part of marketing as well as making friends on the web, and I’m sure Ryan and Jarret know this. Comment marketing is one of the best free ways of internet marketing without a doubt.
Sly from SlyVisions dot Coms last blog post..I Made $150 In 2 Days By Installing a WordPress Plugin
September 16th, 2008 at 6:07 am
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
This post cracked me up completely. I was literally laughing out loud in my ‘office’ (if you can call it that).
The funny thing is that I was on my lunch break at work today writing down ideas for the next 6 months. And one of the ebooks that I came up with was an ebook about making money from commenting.
Commenting is the main way I use to market my blog at the moment. All comments are made by myself and you will notice my style is the same.
The secret I will keep until I write and release my ebook. Just so you know this ebook will be EPIC! and will have some really good tips in it which I haven’t seen anywhere else in the blog-o-sphere so stay tuned. I will let you know as soon as I release it.
First I was thinking of releasing it for free, but seeing as my commenting reputation is now out there a little I am thinking of maybe selling it cheap (like maybe $5) mainly so that people like you Jay can make some money from selling it by affiliate sales. Wouldn’t that be nice??? Let me know what you think.
But I am super passionate about growing my blog because I want to do it full time (writing on my entrepreneur/MMO blog) because I don’t want to be a sales assistant. Because I am passionate I find time to comment and promote my blog. I am just starting to think about hitting up the forums with loads of forum posts and marketing my blog even more that way. So I am passionate so I make sure I can do it. Plus I love it…I mean I make friends like you and Joe and many others.
For now the secret remains hidden.
September 16th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Jay, I don’t have a secret and not as widespread as the two you mentioned. But, I agree with Sly, it is too important to your future not to comment so I just make time. Which reminds me, Sly, I haven’t been to your site this week. Going to check you out.
I only have about 7 to 10 blogs that I zip through regularly to network, learn, and make comments. I think the major aim of my comments is to build a relationship with the blogger because I am noticing more and more that it is about the relationships you have in this business, just like any other.
My relationship with you is growing Jay and I have to say that I am really happy about that. You always teach me something and your blog is a good mix of comedy and knowledge. Plus, that big head avatar you got is hilarious!
LOL!
Peace!
September 16th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Actually about Jarret we are not actually a combined alien lifeforce…..or are we???
I barely know the guy….but you have given me a good idea and I can run with with this.
September 16th, 2008 at 6:27 am
By the way - just so everyone knows - over 50% of my traffic comes from comments on other blogs. How is that for a reason to comment a lot???
September 16th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Not only does Ryan comment first but he also comments multiple times
I sometimes comment first due to the time difference I am on but other than that I got nothing. I do know that you can use comment sniper to ensure that you are first (or thereabouts) to comment on all your favourite blogs.
http://www.commentsniper.com/ (if you dont mind the non affiliate link)
September 16th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Have never heard of Comment Sniper. Apparently there is always a way to game the system. Crikey!
Commenting is a strategy for many bloggers, but i do it cause i really like it, and enjoy it. I have a variety of blogs on my RSS feed, everything from vegetarian, green living, shopping, marketing, small business, wordpress, SEO, gadgets, to Chicago blogs.
So my commenting runs the gamut. What is also wacky is that because i have several blogs, the one i leave in the URL field varies by niche.
Funny about Jarred and Ryan. Speaking of Jarred, where is he?
P.S. Where does one get the “comment enhancing drugs”. LoL.
Missys last blog post..3 Column Wordpress Theme, Meet Mandigo
September 16th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Haha, thanks for the mention Jay. Looks like I am wayyyyyyy late to comment but hey I was asleep! Can’t always be awake now
Yeah I do try to always get the first comment in on posts just because I know that the first comment always has the best potential for getting clicks. But I try to push it a little bit further so that people might be even more interested in clicking through when they read my comment.
Commenting can and does provide a lot of traffic to a blog. I hardly did any commenting over the past few days, well a lot less then I have been doing and the visits to my blog yesterday were cut in half! Sure I had a post up that I did early Sunday morning and hadn’t posted anything else but my visitors had been hovering around the same level a week before hand. I had been commenting like crazy on blogs all over just like Ryan and the traffic was building.
Like I stated in my last post I am trying to get things sorted out and working on that so that I have a blog actually worth reading. Not to mention I found a great little niche to build upon yesterday at around 4pm so I worked on it until about 2am.
I made a quick comment over on IMwithjoe.com about one of my secrets. I use MyBlogLog to keep me updated on new posts, they seem to update almost instantly. Google Reader and everything else seems to have a delay, especially G Reader.
Plus, I think some people are afraid to comment first on a post because they don’t really know what to say and would rather piggyback off of some other person’s comment.
Commenting DOES bring traffic people and it will get other bloggers over to your blog.
Jarrets last blog post..Week In Review - September 7-13
September 16th, 2008 at 9:44 am
@ Everybody - Commenting, in my opinion, is the most effective and rewarding way to build traffic, community, and a network for your blog. PERIOD. The reason commenting works so well is because it is the core action of blogging to begin with! I read something, then I comment on it. If I write something, I want to hear what people think. About %75 percent of our traffic comes from direct referral(commenting) from other blogs.
Jarret and Ryan are aliens, and they have Flava Flav held captive!
Elijahs last blog post..Site Flipping Madness - The Cherry Popping Report
September 16th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Commenting definitely is a great way to build traffic.
I swear you can just hit the stumble button on your toolbar, and whatever blog you land on, Ryan will have the first comment — kid never fails.
However, I wouldn’t call it the best, unless you have a huge amount of time on your hands. I comment on maybe less than 10 blogs and that gives me a hard time, trying to comment on every post.
If I had nothing but free time, I’d comment on 50 blogs per day, and it would certainly bring steady traffic. But for those of us who don’t have so much time on our hands, it can get pretty tiring — fast.
Luis Grosss last blog post..StumbleUpon Do’s and Dont’s
September 16th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Jarred wrote and i quote: “yeah I do try to always get the first comment in on posts just because I know that the first comment always has the best potential for getting clicks”.
I don’t think i’ve ever been on a blog, where i clicked on someone’s blog, because they were the 1st commenter. I’m not saying this isn’t a good traffic tactic. What im saying is how does (being first commenter) matter.
I’ve clicked on people blogs in the past, because someone left a funny comment, a comment i related to, a smart comment, an insightful comment, etc. But not just cause they were first.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
@Sly: Yeah, I comment whenever I can as well. It’s definitely effective. I know most people have come here from seeing my big head around in the comments. I don’t really do anything else here for promotion…yet!
@Ryan: Glad you liked it! I joke around, but actually it’s pretty impressive to see how you get top spot everywhere and still have time to write frequent posts on your blog. You’ll be “full time” in no time. Gret idea on the eBook. $7 would be better than 5. You have to look up the magic pricing secrets of 7. That’s actually not sarcasm. lol
@Nota Bene: LOL, I know, the kid drops an additional comment right after his first one. He makes it look good though by “forgetting something”. lol. I like it.
You should know I don’t mind you dropping a link buddy. I never heard of dirty comment tricks like CommentSniper. I’m trying to follow a sound, honest life over here man. lol
@Missy: I enjoy commenting as well. Sometimes I will be commenting on a niche blog that is for another site I’m working on, but because I have personal interest in the subject, I’m torn between using the niche site name, or “SuiteJ”. Does that ever happen to you?
@Jarret: I know you strive to be the first comment. I noticed the boasting you have going on in the comments over at Joe’s. lol
@Elijah: LOL@ Flava Flav…man we gotta save that “idea we had” for the right moment (re: Flava Flav). lol
@Luis: LOL@ Seeing Ryan on every Stumble!! I know what you’re saying on trying to keep up. I just can’t do it…..but I have way more than 10 blogs…plus I’m trying to do 85 things at once which doesn’t help things. That’s why I was asking in this post….how do these comment crazies find the time?
Cheers guys!
Jay
September 16th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
@Freddie: hey man, you slipped by me somehow. lol. I know you have a pretty solid comment startegy as well! I remember seeing you everywhere, all the time for a while. Then, it seemd like you pulled back a bit. I guess you’re busy flipping websites over there now?
Cheers man!
Jay
September 16th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
@Missy - Hi I can see where you might have become confused by what I said.
I didn’t necessarily mean that just because somebody has the first comment on a post that people will automatically click over to their blog. What I did mean was that it gives you the chance to grab more people’s attention because they are going to be reading your comment first (most likely) before any other person’s comment. That is also why I usually try to leave a longer then normal….hey nice post…..comment to engage the reader to click through
@Jay - Yeah I was boasting a bit but then Luis had to ruin all my fun! Haha, it’s cool though. At least now Joe is gonna have everybody racing over to his posts to try to beat me
September 16th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
@ Jay - $7 it will be. I will try to get it done as soon as possible. I have to nut it out because I only came up with the idea yesterday. But I will try to get it done soon.
I have a full day on friday where I can write. I hope I can be full time in no time. It is my 100% goal.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
LOL..if my memory serves me well, this is the first time a subject of this kind is ever discussed. Though I don’t know who is Jarret (but I’m sure I’ll get to know him later), I can attest to it that Ryan “the Kid” is sort of omnipresent. Yaro Starak, John Chow, Darren, Yan, Suite J, you name it, he is there.
What impresses me most is that he does it (yes, multiple comments is one of his strategy to get attention) all while holding a full-time job, updating his blog with a new post everyday, answering all the comments and preparing for his wedding. I wonder how the hell he manage his time…
Anyway, commenting is by far the most effective source of direct traffic and one that has worked well in my favor too, even though I have not evolved into an alien yet…:-)
Yan
You Shall Blogs last blog post..Post Install To-Do List - 10 Plugins You Ought To Install
September 16th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
@ Jay - Ok I have started the ebook and set a release date. The release date is wednesday 15th October (about a month away)…so keep an eye out
September 17th, 2008 at 12:21 am
@Yan: Good to see ya! Yeah, I like to comment a lot, but I find it hard to stay on top of as many blogs as these guys do.
LOL@ “the kid”….you like that? It suits him doesn’t it?
@Ryan: You’re officially “Ryan ‘The Kid’ McLean”. Don’t try and deny it, it can’t be stopped now.
I’ll tell you what man. Put me down for an order right now. I’m that impressed with how much I see your face around. I don’t even need to see your sales copy. lol
Cheers guys!
Jay
September 17th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Jay:
My problem is i many times forget which blog URL i used on which blog, as far as comments. And sometimes i don’t know which one to use. I try to do the dofollow commenting, but it gets tired when it goes from fun to duty. You know.
Jarret:
No problem. It makes much more sense now. My problem is i don’t check Google Analytics enough, to know if a comment i left on SuiteJ.com or SiteFlipU (or any of the thousands of others i leave comments on) is bringing in significant traffic. I know i know, i need to do this.
I just leave the comments and if they bring in traffic, cool. If not, i don’t sweat it. I guess i’m seriously missing the boat here. LoL. I’ve never been a terribly STRATEGIC type of person.
Missys last blog post..3 Column Wordpress Theme, Meet Mandigo
September 17th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
@Missy
Well it probably helps that I am a stats junkie! lol
I am always checking my stats just because I have to haha.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
hahahahahaha! Yesssssssssssss, them dudes be everywhere. Ryan reminds me a lot of how I was in the beginning, I was everywhere! I have been slacking lately, mostly because I’m trying to focus on the tasks at hand….but keeping up with a gang of blogs is hard work! I have blog I check on the regular, and go through adding my comments. Sometimes I’m first, and sometimes I’m not….though I always try to make it into the top commentators if it’s feasible.
Jarret and Ryan are really suite j, he stole some avatars and has multiple personalities, he doesn’t even know he has them….he really thinks they are different folks! How can you trust a guy that looks EXACTLY like his cartoon?
@Elijah! Tellem why you mad son, tellem to free Flava!
Normal Joes last blog post..Joel Comm’s Click Here To Order Book Exposed
September 17th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
@Missy: yeah, I check analytics often..but usually only once/twice a day just to make everything’s “normal”. At first, it was addicted but, once you get like 300 projects on the go, you simply can’t spend all day checkin’ stats lol.
@Jarret: Yes, you’re a junkie! http://suitej.com/business/where-to-get-help-if-youre-addicted-to-stats/
@Joe: It’s true! I can’t believe you let the cat out of the bag!!!! Well, I might as well tell the truth about the other one as well. I’m really the new Piss Biscuit as well! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I might even be another wll known blogger you all get advice from on the regular! lmao!!! whoooohoooo..you’ll never know!
September 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
this post is great motivation for me to start commenting more to increase my traffic!!
September 18th, 2008 at 11:06 am
LOL! Ryan is EVERYWHERE!!! But there are some people who pay people to do their commenting for them and others have a system down to bounce from blog to blog commenting away.
Personally, I take my time and on some days I go crazy and try to comment as much as I can on posts I didn’t have a chance to comment on before. But it’s pretty sporadic with me lol!
Jay
September 19th, 2008 at 4:28 am
@Lisa: Cool, glad you liked it, and thanks for stopping by! Hope yo see you around more often!
@Jay: Yeah, man, The Kid is ruthless! I’m the same way. Sporadic bursts of commenting energy.
Cheers!
Jay
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Well, since I last read this post…found it again on Jarret’s site, I have seriously increased my commenting. Not sure what it is doing for my traffic, I haven’t check in the last 20 minutes, but I am learning a tremendous amount reading all these various blogs. I am up to somewhere between 15 and 20 blogs that I am reading now.
Freddies last blog post..Capitalize on the Long Tail