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How to Build a Rock Solid Brand Using Blog Commenting

How to Build a Rock Solid Brand Using Blog Commenting

by on July 20, 2010 · 70 comments

One of the most important thing your online business needs is a brand, and funny enough, it does not need just any brand, it needs a rock-solid brand!

There are many ways to build a great brand, but this post will be talking about one of the easiest and most effective ways to build a great brand for your blog and online business.

Commenting on blogs can be used in so many ways, it can be used to get high quality traffic to your website and most importantly, it can be used to build a brand for your business website.

How to Build a Brand for your Blog through Blog Commenting?

1. Use an Avatar: This is where many people are missing it wrong, using an avatar is very important when trying to build a great brand for your business through blog commenting. Some people simply don’t care about commenters but when you use an avatar and the fellow sees your comment on many others blogs the fellow will be attracted towards you and will want to know more about you.

WordPress has a default avatar and this one has been overused, using it will do you know good. You can get your own avatar at en.gravatar.com, you can either use your business image or blog image but it is very important to decide properly because changing your avatar every now and then might have a negative effect on your brand.

2. Use Your Name: This is common sense but many people don’t observe it. I don’t know when they began naming people “web design company” or “seo company”.

Since it is all about your brand, people want to deal with real people and not keywords. Imagine the blogger or another commenter wanting to reply your comment, will they be replying to you or a keyword. Branding is about communication and if you make it difficult for people to communicate with you then I don’t know the essence of having a brand.

How you comment will greatly affect your brand, using keywords as name will simply make you look unprofessional and real people will not want to deal with you.

3. Make Sensible Comments: I don’t see any point in you making comments like “Great post Thanks”. You aren’t just commenting for commenting sake and the writer already knows his post is great.

There is nothing bad in letting a writer know that his post is great but when you do this, you should be able to give the writer the reasons that makes his post a great one because this is the main reason why we have a comments section.

4. It is About Discussion and Engagement: The more discussion and engagement your comment could bring about, the more potential it has on impacting your brand.

If your comment brings about a great discussion that challenges people or that arouses something in them, they will be more eager to check you out.

5. Relationship Matters: Many people think blog commenting is only for traffic but one of the greatest things you can get from a blog comment is relationships. The relationship you make in the comments section of another persons blog can make the difference.

You might be thinking there is no point in having readers who don’t buy, but have you ever though that those readers could spread the word about you and bring about more buyers? That is exactly how building relationship with blog comments are.

If you could build a great relationship through the comments section, either with the readers or blogger himself, they can even go ahead to spread the word about your blog and recommend you to others.

6. Be Professional: This is another great thing worth observing, being professional can make a huge difference, for example, two people made a comment. You can see their comment below.

Commenter 1 (linked name to website): Yeah! This is a really great post, it is very accurate….

(linked to his website here)

(name here)

Commenter 2 (linked name to website): Thanks so much for this post. I have been doing these things for sometimes now and I will have to rethink my strategy….

(name here)

You will discover that the second is more professional, the first looks like a spammer and might be deleted by a blogger at the click of a mouse while the other made an ethical comment.

The First impression

First impression is very important and the type of impression you give a blogger at first can affect your relationship with him, for example, someone used to spam my blog regularly (I was able to identify him because he uses an avatar), I later wrote a guest post on another blog and I saw this spammer make a real comment, I almost asked him how a spammer can be commenting on blogs ;)

Blog commenting is one of the best and most used way to get traffic to a blog, do you really think it can be used to build a personal brand? Or Do you think their is something to add to this post? Feel free to share your views in the comments section!

How to Build a Rock Solid Brand Using Blog Commenting

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Article by Onibalusi Bamidele

Onibalusi Bamidele is a 16-year-old entrepreneur and founder of YoungPrePro. Subscribe to his blog and follow him on twitter.

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{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }

Usman August 16, 2011 at 2:54 pm

Well I agree using an Avatar while commenting will gain attention of ordinary readers while browsing comments. It is a wise idea to use blogger’s real name as it really matters a lot. Thanks for the tips
Usman recently posted..Top Best WP 7 Windows Phone 7 Apps 2011My Profile

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Nikunj September 22, 2010 at 7:10 am

Blog commenting always help, may be it is for backlink or for traffice or just to build relation one of the most effective method of seo if you used it in correct way
Nikunj recently posted..50 Space Wallpapers Collections In High ResolutionMy Profile

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Thu Nguyen August 5, 2010 at 3:21 am

Hi Onibalusi,

No matter what blog I comment on I make sure I’m talking to the person for their topic. Overall why say ‘great post’ if you’re going to come back around again. Especially if you’re going to want to build a relationship with the blogger or community, being transparent and saying a few more lines won’t hurt. After all, who says that first impression starts with a few words.

I agree that starting a conversation will kick off the ice. I find it intriguing thought that you would take out the time to input in your information and then not say anything contributing to the author’s topic. That’s going in halfway and leaving the conversation undone.
Thu Nguyen recently posted..What Games Mean and Why It’s Necessary To SucceedMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele August 5, 2010 at 10:00 am

Exactly Thu,

You are absolutely right.

It does not take you anything to add more value to your comments, just saying great post e.t.c. won’t help.

Thanks a lot for commenting!

Reply

Murlu
Twitter:
August 1, 2010 at 12:13 pm

Blog commenting is amazing for branding, traffic and just to talk with other great people (such as everyone here!).

Adding value is always key but it’s just as important to question and challenge ideas because that’s what gets a conversation going.

In the grand scheme of things, however, I believe it’s very important that you don’t forget to spend your time building your brand on your own blog because that’s your base of operations. Commenting can be great for promotion but you have to have something for people to discover once they come visit your blog.
Murlu recently posted..7 Ways Social Media Is Destroying The WorldMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele August 4, 2010 at 8:52 am

Exactly Murlu,

You are absolutely right.

Depending on how it is used, blog commenting be be a great way to build a strong brand.

Reply

William Veasley July 31, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Hey Oni,

I think it is very ironic what the topic of this article is about. If i had of just took a little more time out of my day to see what you were talking about, I would of had my answer to a my question i asked you.

In this great article you explained the importance of branding your online business very very well. I had been passing the opportunity to upload my own avatar because, i simply didnt know how. I had the idea that it was a stupid question for me to ask someone that.. lol.

Then the very second i ask you, i read your article and it was to help me with the very problem i needed help with most at that moment.

Thanks for the wonderful article!

God bless,
William Veasley

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Onibalusi Bamidele August 4, 2010 at 8:45 am

Great William,

Yeah, everything has been detailed in this post.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi

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Elizabeth Boyd July 30, 2010 at 5:24 pm

I love to recieve your advice each week. My site content is about aromatherapy but so mch of your advice and tactics work…I’m so stealing your retweets idea. Barefaced cheek and brilliance…keepp up the good work, oh and of course don’t forget to follow me on twitter too!

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 31, 2010 at 4:46 am

Hi Elizabeth,

Glad you loved the post and also gained something from it :)

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi

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Dr. Ande July 30, 2010 at 4:45 pm

Thank you for the post. As someone who works with branding for clients online and off it’s always good to get insite and helpful tips from other resources.

Keep up the great blogs.

Reply

Onibalusi Bamidele July 31, 2010 at 4:43 am

Hi Dr. Ande,

Great! I am glad you loved the post :)

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..7 Reasons Your Blog is Bound to FailMy Profile

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mk akan July 30, 2010 at 4:30 pm

i will also add that …
1.graphic logos and web design can also add to your brand.
2.your ideals and ideas (intangible things) can also add to your brand
mk akan recently posted..12 Bloggers Reveal How and Where to Get Blog Post IdeasMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 31, 2010 at 4:33 am

Exactly MK,

You are absolutely right.

Having a strong brand is very important to a bloggers online success.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi

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Shiva July 30, 2010 at 12:57 pm

Hi there Onibalusi,
It seems I do need to design myself a good enough Gravatar now, thanks for the tip. You are right Blog Commenting can give a huge boost to your blogging since blog comments can not only give you backlinks but also provides you a platform to connect with other bloggers and readers.

Regards,
Shiva
Shiva recently posted..3 Easy Tech Solutions For The “Deal Hunt”My Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 30, 2010 at 1:17 pm

Hi Shiva,

That will be great!

Glad you enjoyed the post :)

Thanks so much for your support, I really appreciate it,
-Onibalusi

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S.Pradeep Kumar July 30, 2010 at 9:28 am

Comments play an important role. Gravatars and emoticons add meaning to the comments. I just love’em.

Earlier I used to brand my comments to gain traffic, now am branding my blog through commenting.

Nice article!!

Reply

Onibalusi Bamidele July 30, 2010 at 1:19 pm

Hi Pradeep,

You are absolutely right.

I am glad blog commenting is working for you :)

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..The Ultimate SEO Guide to Dominating The Search Engine RankingsMy Profile

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babajide July 28, 2010 at 9:54 am

thanks for this tips on how to comment…it is also good to comment with ur real name because i believe it will make u get connected to bloggers.
thanks for sharing ur comment and ur willing to help me on my blog

Reply

Onibalusi Bamidele July 29, 2010 at 2:05 pm

Hi Babajide,

Glad you enjoyed the post :)

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..The Ultimate SEO Guide to Dominating The Search Engine RankingsMy Profile

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samuel July 27, 2010 at 11:26 am

Great tips, yea blog commenting i mean( Good comments using real name ) can help build a personal brand.

Reply

Onibalusi Bamidele July 29, 2010 at 2:07 pm

Hi Bro,

I am glad you loved the post.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..The Ultimate SEO Guide to Dominating The Search Engine RankingsMy Profile

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samuel July 27, 2010 at 10:04 am

Great tips, Yea blog commenting, i mean (good comments using real name and not spammy ones) can help build a personal brand!!!

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Holly Jahangiri
Twitter:
July 22, 2010 at 11:28 pm

I don’t know about building a brand by commenting, but it certainly helps to build credibility and make a great first impression, if only people will follow these tips. Good post!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Guest Blogging: 8 Ways to Get More Blog CommentsMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 29, 2010 at 2:08 pm

Hi Holly,

Glad this post could help you :)

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi

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Laura Davis July 22, 2010 at 3:40 pm

These are some great comments that a lot of commenters could stand to learn from. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a response like “Thanks so much! Great article!” Way to contribute to the conversation. They should make all commenters take a seminar course on how to comment :)
Laura Davis recently posted..3 Top Retail Credit CardsMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 29, 2010 at 2:11 pm

Exactly Laura,

You are absolutely right here.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi

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Gurl July 22, 2010 at 2:18 pm

Hey, Oni
Great Post! (the truth but I am also being a smart@ss ;) ) Love the way you promoted this to your list as well, BTW.
Commenting has done a lot for me as a blogger. It has helped people get to know me and has helped build relationships with other bloggers that are paying off in spades, so to speak. I am just hoping I can help as well.
I totally agree about the avatar! Having one that is you..even if its a brand logo, etc. It helps people find your comments more easily than having to read for a name, which can be great for building your brand I think.
Thanks again for sharing some great points, as always, Oni.
Gurl recently posted..Site News- Splitting the contentMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 2:26 pm

Hi Gurl,

Yeah! I want to get the best out of this contest and promoting it to my list will do some help :) I will be sending you your ebook now :) :)

Exactly! Concerning the avatar, you are absolutely right, it also helps in building a great brand.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Stephanie Smith July 22, 2010 at 1:19 pm

I have come to view avatars as much more important since my traffic increased. Very few spammers have avatars, so scanning for them helps me quickly see useful comments. I also start to recognize the avatars as much as the name.
Stephanie Smith recently posted..ComLuv/FamousBloggers Contest Benefits Garden BloggersMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 2:39 pm

Exactly Stephanie,

Very few spammers have avatars, if I want to check my spam comments for legitimate comments, I just browse through the long list and I only stop when I see an avatar (except on rare occasions).

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi

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Nabeel from Create Your First Website July 22, 2010 at 1:02 pm

Hey Onibalusi,

I actually read this post on 20th July, and I did not comment. Do you know why?

Because your number 1 point was ‘use an avatar’. Your point really hit me, and I was too embarrassed to comment without an avatar. So I went on to hunt for an avatar, and now I have it, and now I can finally comment on this post!

Thanks a lot for telling the advantage of using an avatar and motivating me.

Kindest,
Nabeel

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Gurl July 22, 2010 at 2:25 pm

HI Nabeel,
Yay for taking action on something that will help you build your presense on line! Having an Avatar will make it easier to find your comments on other sites, so we can get to know you better :) Well done!

Reply

Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 2:41 pm

HI Nabeel,

That is really great attribute every blog reader should have.

Thanks a lot for taking action, keep it up!

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Colleen July 22, 2010 at 7:37 am

Very good Onibalusi. Your points on developing relationships are well received. I agree with the real name and most of the time it’s just ‘Colleen,’ but with KeywordLuv we have the best of both worlds, eh!
Colleen recently posted..45th Annual Columbia Cup Hydroplane Races on the Columbia RiverMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 9:54 am

Hi Coleen,

That is really great!

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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chi3nming July 22, 2010 at 2:04 am

I commented so much I gt blocked by akismet man! this sucks!!!

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ashok July 21, 2010 at 11:04 pm

It’s a great list, and can work as a mental checklist (i.e. “remember to be professional”). There’s been a lot of discussion about writing quality comments, and I obviously think that’s important. But quantity on a diversity of blogs has been working for me; quality works best when another blogger is receptive to that quality.
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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 9:36 am

Exactly Ashok,

Thanks so much for the quality comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Dean Saliba
Twitter:
July 21, 2010 at 5:59 am

I always use my name when leaving a comment. I’ve never used the name of my blog or placed in a keyword. I find it slightly more personal if I use my real name.

A lot of the time I fail but I do try to make a decent comment. As a blog owner it really annoys me when people lave a comment on my blog with “great post” or “very helpful” as it is obvious they are just leaving the comment for the sake of a link.
Dean Saliba recently posted..Recycling Old ContentMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 9:31 am

Exactly Den!

And this you left is a really valuable comment because it adds to the post.

Keep it up,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Dev - Technshare.com
Twitter:
July 21, 2010 at 5:58 am

Hey Onibalusi,

Nice Post man. Some awesome tips.

Blog commenting is much more then just getting links and traffic.

Anyways, Thanks for sharing this great Post man. :) !!

You’re doing awesome work everywhere.

~Dev

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 9:27 am

Exactly Dev,

You are absolutely right!

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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iPhone App Development July 21, 2010 at 4:04 am

Your brand is your talent and name and your face its logo.
Giving valuable comments which help people and also further improves the conversation make people envision you as an expert.
Write a comment on someone else blog with the same intensity you write it for your own blog.
Nice tips mate.
iPhone App Development recently posted..Application market reviewMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 9:23 am

Hi IPhone App Development,

Thanks a lot for the nice comment (I doubt if you read this post though ;) ),
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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The Bad Blogger July 21, 2010 at 3:36 am

On the second tip you give about using name for your comment, I agree with you. You are also right that using name like “web design company” or “seo company” is not going to brand you or get others excited or interested to click through, but there is a tricky way to use your name.
Although famous blogger can’t use this trick, but I have been using it on other blogs, which not just be able to brand myself but also be able to get people excited and interested.
Here’s an example of a name I use on other blogs, I have many different style of wording but this is just one (Sorry, I can’t reveal everything here): “The Bad Blogger – Content Not For Losers”
Will you click the above name? or will you click just my name “The Bad Blogger?”
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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 8:48 am

Hi Bad Blogger,

That is really a great tip and I have seen others say it works :)

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Tola July 21, 2010 at 3:18 am

Nice tips here, and like the heading too.
For me, one of the first things I look at when I see comments on my blog or anyone else’s blog is the avatar, that’s my first impression and I think to myself, have I seen that before? So yes, I agree you really don’t want to be changing your avatar much, especially if you’re trying to build up a brand.
After avatar, I consider everything else…
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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 8:42 am

Great Tola!

Glad you liked the post.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Jayce July 21, 2010 at 12:44 am

Avatar does help. It is a must for everyone. Why? Most of the spammers don’t have it. (but some do have)
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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 8:41 am

Yeah Jayce,

Having an avatar is very important when trying to build a brand through blog commenting.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Jakes July 20, 2010 at 11:14 pm

Hi Onibalusi,
Cool title… The very moment I saw the post title, I was prompted to read this very post. And about the content, you explained the need for branding very well. By the way, I don’t prefer the blog-image as avatar. And, I would recommend the same for those who own multiple blogs.
Jakes recently posted..Run Commands for IP configurationMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 8:39 am

Great Jakes!

I am glad you enjoyed the post :)

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Deidre Brathwaite July 20, 2010 at 8:43 pm

Hi Onibalusi,

Great Tips here, I have been adhering to many of these. I do believe that building relationships with like minded persons to build both one’s blog and brand through consistent and worthwhile comments is key.
Deidre
Deidre Brathwaite recently posted..What Every Newbie Ought to know about Social Media: 7 Mistakes to AvoidMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 8:37 am

Great Deidre,

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Suzanne Vara July 20, 2010 at 8:42 pm

Onibalusi,

Blog commenting is something that many people miss out on as they read and go. Commenting is not only a means of thanking the author for their efforts, but also a means of starting a conversation and also getting to know people.

People talk to people not a blank avatar. We like to know who we are speaking to as it brings a sense of trust and of course an identity to the person.

Some people just do not comment and that is their loss. The Great Post folks are looking for the link most of the time and how can you possibly start a conversation in reply to that. You cannot.

I guess it goes to putting in the time and effort of reading , comprehending and then sharing your thoughts in comments.

@SuzanneVara

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 8:26 am

Exactly Suzanne,

You are absolutely right, blog commenting is far more than traffic, it can also lead to relationships.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Thomas Sinfield July 20, 2010 at 6:29 pm

What a great read Onibalusi! I have recently even stopped using the KeywordLuv plugin on blogs that I comment on, so that the focus is on branding myself. And since then, I have been able to build much better relationships with blog owners because now my focus has shifted from the amount of comments that I make each day, to the quality of comments that I leave.

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 8:20 am

Hi Thomas,

That is really great :)

Relationship is more important than anything.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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Ryan Biddulph July 20, 2010 at 4:34 pm

Hi Onibalusi,

Great read on commenting and branding, thanks for making a clear connection between the 2.

I feel that commenting is the most underrated network marketing strategy. Sometimes we are in a rush to move on to the next post and don’t give much thought to the art of the comment.

When I began to take my time crafting thoughtful comments I noticed my blog readership increase. In addition I built network marketing relationships for the first time in my career.

Devote a few minutes to reading a post and making an insightful comment, watch how it affects your blog. It’s easy to forget that with each comment your work is in front of the eyes of a whole different network. Make no mistake, everything you do carries your signature, whether you pen one or not. Make your words count.

Ryan Biddulph
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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 7:53 am

Hi Ryan,

You are absolutely right!

The more thoughtful and valuable comment you make the more respect you gain.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi

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Aaron July 20, 2010 at 4:29 pm

Onibalusi, I definitely agree with leaving your real name. If I see any hint of a keyword in the name field, it gets sent direct to the trash bin. I also like your example of a professional comment vs. a generic one. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Aaron recently posted..Free BlogsMy Profile

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Onibalusi Bamidele July 22, 2010 at 10:15 am

Hi Aaron,

You are absolutely right, that is very important.

Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted..Great Reads From Around The WebMy Profile

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