You have spoken . . . about speaking

I’ve had a couple polls on here lately, and I figured you might want to see some of the results!

The first poll was about Blog Comments and You.

With more than 100 total responses, the blog comments poll was designed to help me (and now you) understand how you prefer to interact with blog comments. The most popular responses:

• I notice and appreciate it if the blogger gets involved in the comment conversation 27% (33 votes)
• I read blog comments from time to time 21% (26 votes)
• If I see there are comments on a post, I’ll almost always read them 18% (22 votes)
• I often check back on a post that I’ve commented on 15% (19 votes)
• I get involved in a conversation with other readers in the comments 13% (16 votes)

What does this mean for me (and you)?

• People notice if you, the blog author, respond in the comments. I need to be better about this!
• A lot of people read comments very consistently—but a lot read them intermittently.
• A good amount of people will check back on a post they’ve commented on to see responses.
• Some people get involved in a conversation with other readers in the comments.

So what should you do?

• Encourage comments on your blog to get the conversation started.
• Respond to comments (at least some of the time) on your blog or, if possible, via email.
• Subscribe to comments when commenting on others’ blogs to follow blog conversations.

The second poll, How often should a blogger post?, requires a bit less analysis: 77% voted for two to five times a week. The four-five times category was a little over half of that group. (I was asking because I was worried that I might be posting too much—or pushing myself to post more often than I needed to!)

For more insights on the polls’ responses, read the comments on each post (Blog comments and you and How often should a blogger post).