I know that you can sometimes feel like you are simply typing to type when you get few or no comments on posts. It comparable to going shopping for three weekends in row searching for the perfect dress for that special function you will be attending. On that day you get your hair done, spend quality time applying your make-up to accentuate your best features, and then you accessorize accordingly. You even show up at the peak time to ensure that many people will get to see you. Then… no one says anything to you about how you look. They see you but no one cares to let you know if the scarf you chose brings out your eyes. They don’t seem to notice the time you put into yourself. You start to wonder if you have toilet paper stuck to your shoe but if you do no one says a word about it.
If our blogs survival was dependent on comments then most of us would starve. It isn’t that your posts aren’t being read because they are. Most people just don’t seem to want to comment much. Strangely enough most people seem to not leave a comment if there are very few comments already. They prefer to comment when there is already 10 or more. I don’t know why this is but it tends to be a snowball effect. We can remedy this with each other if we all purpose to comment no matter how few comments a person has. Someone has to initiate the snowball.
But… whether we have 0 comments or 100 comments what truly matters is that we are content with that number. If we look to comments for affirmation then we are blogging for ourselves and not for Him. If you simply want to know who your message is reaching then there is a solution for that. Use a stat service such as GetClicky, StatCounter, or Google Analytics. All of those services are free and they will give you all of the information your need about who is reading your blog, where they are from, what posts are they reading, how long are they staying, who is linking to you, and lots more. If you haven’t already installed these on your blog then you should do that today. We’ll dig more into these services in the next post in this series. I use them for lots of His purposes. The main one is to give me something tangible, an identifier, to pray for my readers.
Don’t get discouraged over comments or compliments. The one person God wants your message to reach may very well not even know to comment on your post or if they do they may feel out of place to do so. Blog from your heart for His purposes. Let His praises be the ones that matter.
Find the rest of the series here: 31 Days to Online Ministry
Also check out:
- Missed BlissDom 2011? Get It Here. It’s just like being there!
- ? 31 Days to Build a Better Blog – Easy step by step ways to improve your blog presence!
So, so true! It can be discouraging to write a blog post and get zero comments! But yes, as you said, there are people reading it, even if they’re not commenting. I trust that God will bring the readers He wants to be there.
Amy, thanks for this post. I’ll be honest. I do get discouraged at times while not so much others. You know when you’ve written a strong post, and that’s when It seems harder.
Do all these work well within WP? Also, I wanted to check out your toolbar again, but it’s not going through. Will try again later.
Ginger
Wow, I had no idea that people won’t comment unless there is at least 10 comments on a blog. Wow. I must admit I am frequently discouraged over the commenting on my blog but once I started looking at my traffic I realized that my blog gets a lot more traffic than comments.
I like the idea of just writing for His purposes and not worrying about the glory or reward of comments. Wait for your reward in heaven.
Such a great reminder of what matters. I know I’ve already told you, but I am really enjoying this series!
Amy,
The last couple of days, I’ve been catching up on reading all the posts in this series on your blog. I have really enjoyed them!
It is so easy to get caught up in feeling insignificant when you don’t receive comments. Been there.
It really does help when you have a stat program that shows you that people are indeed coming to your blog. In the past, I might have been discouraged by no comments only to look at my stats for the blog and see that there were numerous people who visited my blog that day.
Aside from that, though, you point us all to the heart of the matter when you say: “Blog from your heart for His purposes. Let His praises be the ones that matter.” Thanks for such an encouraging post!
Thanks for this post.
Always good to be reminded to write for that one. Or better yet THE ONE.
Hope 2011 is starting out bright for you.
Hugs,
Tiffany
Thank you for the encouragement and the reminder to let others know what I think about their posts. Your blog has been a blessing and an inspiration to me!
Ooooh Amy, did I ever need this! I’m a commentING addict. I need to be less bothered by the fewer comments. THANKS
I know watching stats often gets a bad rap, but there have been times when seeing my stats is encouraging to me because comments are low or non-existent. For me it’s about using the stats for encouragement but not being fixated on them. It’s a delicate balance sometimes. LoL One thing that helps me greatly is knowing–really knowing–that I’m blogging out of obedience, not just cuz I want to. Remembering that helps me with all this about comments–it helps get my eyes where I need them to be. Sometimes it can be quite the mind game.
Loving this series, Amy. =] Thanks!
Hey Amy! I just need to tell you that I am so encouraged by this series. I have a subscription so I have just been reading it in email but I have to tell you I am being truly blessed. I have been praying about what my purpose is and this has been timely. Love how God does that!
Love you friend!
Angela
I have been trying this year to make sure I visit every blogger who leaves a note on my posts and leave a note back on theirs:) So they know I am reading their comments and going back to look at their posts. It is taking a little more time but I am getting to know more bloggers and some are even coming back regularly:)