Sometimes the reason why something isn't happening is staring you in the face. Perhaps your readers are hampered by a barrier to commenting which could be putting them off from having their say.
For some blog theme designers, commenting isn't very important. Also the rise in spamming and trolls have made commenting more of a hindrance than a pleasure.
As a result, the process is not as easy as it could be. In fact, on some blogs it’s downright annoying and cumbersome! In other words, a complete barrier to commenting which is time-consuming and frustrating.
Let’s look at this example below.
Go comment on other blogs, she says
I decided to be a good girl and practice what I preach, e.g. go do some commenting on other blogs. I found a suitable recipient which was relevant to my blog’s subject and wrote an appreciative comment.
As you can see, it isn’t the most wonderful example, but it is reasonably substantial and responsive to what the blog’s author wrote. I included her name, mentioned something which was in the post, and offered her an action I will be taking in the future.
Before I clicked on the Publish button, I needed to submit my name and blog’s URL.
This is important if your blog is to benefit from search engine attention with a view to increasing your Domain Authority. This creates an acceptable link back to your blog the spiders will take note of, unlike any within the comment itself.
So I clicked on the ‘Comment as’ drop down menu to reveal the options, and selected the Name/URL option (see below).
So far so good. I entered in my details of my sister blog Fairy Blog Mother.
And now you would have thought it would be OK to click on the Publish button, wouldn’t you?
But no, you have to prove you’re not a robot
It seems this blog commenting system had other ideas.
This button next to ‘I’m not a robot’ started to ring some bells in my head. We’re in for some trouble here. This isn’t because I’m a robot, it’s because I’m a human who can’t be bothered with all this hassle.
OK, I know there is a need for moderation – but this wouldn’t stop any human spammers from doing their worst. Not all spamming is automated nowadays, because bloggers put in place prevention measures as standard.
But I just knew what I saw below would increasing the amount of time I had to submit this comment, another barrier to commenting I could do without.
Click on that button above, and you end up with this. A picture puzzle only humans can complete. Except that the images are so rubbish it is very easy to make a mistake.
Like I did the first time. I missed one picture out. So I had to do it all over again with another set of pictures. Grrrr.
Finally! That all important green tick. Now I can safely click that blue Publish button.
And we’re published! Another barrier to commenting overcome
Yup, my comment is published. Finally, after a lot of extra time and hassle.
But how many people would have bothered to get this far?
I know for a fact that at least one person confessed to me he wouldn’t have bothered. One potentially beneficial commenter put off from contributing a valuable comment which would have benefited both commenter and blog owner.
But don’t let this put you off. The dividends of commenting, especially if you do it right, eventually will outweigh this barrier to commenting which annoys so many readers.
And what this blogger needs to do is to also change their blogging system. There is no need to have such a cumbersome method of submitting a comment. What I have just experienced is so outdated and unnecessary.
If you want to see a truly easy way to comment, just experience my comment box below! Go on, leave me a comment and find out!
Tell me how you would react to a barrier to commenting
Take advantage of the lovely smooth commenting system I have (I use the Thrive Comments plugin) and let me know how you cope when you come across a moderation system which is really complicated and off-putting.
Or if you have any stories or anecdotes about commenting barriers to entertain us, please share them. We would love to read them.
The commenting box is just below my other post recommendations (so take a look at those after you’ve commented!) >>>
- How to generate inbound leads using social chat - 21 August 2023
- 10 steps to get qualified leads using social chat - 14 August 2023
- How to encourage comments through participation - 4 August 2023
Engaging in meaningful discussions online is crucial, but barriers like the fear of judgment can hold us back. It’s heartening to see platforms like The Commenting Club addressing this issue. Let’s break down these barriers and create an inclusive space for diverse opinions!
Ah, John, ChatGPT failed to recognise the kind of barriers I am talking about in this post!