I feel quite terrible. Today is the first day in quite a few that I have enough time to sit down and reply to the comments left on my posts and I came to realize that I hardly answer to 20-30% of the comments I get.
That is just plain wrong
You know why?
Because when people ask me how I grew so much on Steemit so fast, I start preaching about engaging with other authors, commenting on their posts, replying to the comments you get, spreading your vote as much as you can etc.
And I haven´t been doing that. I have received more than 1,000 comments during the past 2 weeks and I have replied to roughly 200 (Ok, 300 comments came on a contest post which are pretty much self explanatories but still), it is a below average reply rate from my side.
The truth is, if you have time to post, you must have time to reply to the comments people leave on your posts. They are making an effort to engage with you, so you should do the same.
When I started on Steemit, I was replying to 80-90% of the comments I got on my posts and I used to comment in at least 10 other posts a day, now I can hardly keep up with my own post replies. Back in May when I joined chat servers, I was replying to almost everyone, now I have dozens of unread messages from people who are probably reaching out to me to get support or advice.
And you know what? It was that behaviour from the beginning of my steemit journey that got me where I am today, and I am losing my essence. People are telling me I ignore them, that I´m not as friendly as I used to be or they just simply stop commenting on my posts because they are not getting feedback or engagement from me.
It´s not that I don´t want to engage, it´s just that I´m involved in so many projects that sometimes I find it very hard to keep up with everything, especially when I am travelling.
But you know what? Recently I made a contest about "being a role model Steemian", and I think I´m not being one right now, these past few days and I intend to change that.
I am not going to post something unless I already replied to at least 75% of the worthy comments I get - yeah, I am not going to reply to one liners or spam comments - from people that are actually taking the time to read, think and reply on my posts.
And you should follow my example
Steemit is based on engagement and making social relations - real social relations - and I am going to keep trying to be worthy of calling myself a committed Steemian, and I hope you do that too.
Can I count on you?
So let´s make a deal, let´s not publish our next post until we have reached at least 5-10 comments on other people´s posts and we have replied to at least 75% of the comments we get on ours.
Great post @anomadsoul! This is very helpful and gently encouraging. I’m going to do the same. Thanks!
That is the best way to go. But everybody also need to understand it gets harder to keep up with...the more we grow.
I have not grown much yet and I am experience this occasionally. We just can't just stop trying because that is one of those things that contributed to the growth.
Great insight @anomadsoul
Your dedication and empathy are inspiring. The simple fact that you accept the truth is the biggest step one can do to recover.
@agoodsoul is more appropriate in your case. Cheers and happy traveling!
yes that's right, i also do the same problem comment. replying to comments is a must-have thing to me because it does not portray pride. I totally agree with your opinion.
Exactly, if you dont reply its like you dont care or even that you think as it is not worthy of your time right? So lets start replying the most we can.
I feel you, though I've only been here for roughly two weeks, the engagement I made the first week was what has gotten me this reputation score in such a short period of time. I know I have a valid excuse with being busy with my job, the crappy internet connection I've been having and, of course, life gets in the way. But yeah, I think I really should allot even just my free time to engage with other people. :)
Sometimes when eating alone or before going to bed, just taking 15 minutes to reply to other people is more than enough right? :D Life can get in the way I understand that
I am actually pretty bad at making comments on other people's articles but I respond to all or at least 98% of all the comments I receive on my own articles instead. I also upvote most of all the comments on my articles, because it shows my readers that I don't neglect or ignore those who've given me this opportunity.
I do believe that each persons success on Steemit starts with their own blog. If they are writing articles. And that's also why I strongly recommend and encourage each person I can, to interact and respond to every comment they get... Because without my supporters, I would be nothing.
It's all part of a steep learning curve and we're all evolving during each second we spend on Steemit. With time, I'll do even greater things... And so will you and everyone. :)
That´s true, I only give that advice because it was what helped me get noticed by other people but anyone can have some other tips to try and succeed. For example, if I recall correctly, you were one of the people I commented first here on steemit, around 8-9 months ago haha.
That is actually a pretty impressive %, is it taking out the spammy comments?
This is just the start man, I´m sure pretty soon big things will start happening for committed and engaged people like us.
Thank you, and yeah. I don't count the spam replies. I usually don't respond to those. However, I can totally understand why some of the more established Steemians, such as yourself, doesn't have the time to respond to all comments you get on all the articles you publish.
I mean, I might get somewhere between 5 and 15 comments on most of my articles, meanwhile you and many others gets more than 50. Some authors gets more than 100 comments on their articles, so it would be more or less impossible to respond to each comment. But I still try and I will always try to either upvote or respond to as many comments I can, no matter how many comments I get... Because I truly believe that my readers, sooner or later, would feel neglected or ignored if I never replied or showed them any appreciation.
I also believe that you set a good example for newcomers by showing that established Steemians are active in more ways than just churning out articles and raking in rewards.
Personally, I usually don't support authors who ignores their audience because I think it's rude and bad for the community. And I'm trying to improve the overall experience on Steemit for each Steemian, so I feel obligated to follow the things I encourage others to do.
You did comment on my articles several months ago. That is correct! :)
Yeah, this is only the beginning and that is why I've recently launched my own delegation project too. Even though it's small delegations, I still believe that we have to start at some point, and with my @asapers project, we will strive to make a difference in young Steemians lives and to help them make a difference on Steemit.
You have come a very long way already, and I'm glad I've been following your journey here. Continue to be awesome! :)
I will try to take a look at your new project, i know of a couple people looking for steem delegations. (not me others), so glad I decided to be true and read the comments.
Ignore that white space at the end, I have no idea why it is there but I can´t edit it out :(
I believe you should be able to edit it and erase it, no clue why it didn't let you..
That's weird
Delete these codes from the end of your post: p br and p
There should be many lines of these codes.
Hola @anomadsoul te escribo en español porque se me da mas leer el ingles que el escribirlo. Que bueno que tomes en cuenta todo lo que dijiste y sobre todo no perder lo que fuiste al inicio aunque debe ser difícil responder tantos comentarios. Que continúen los éxitos en tus proyectos.
Saludos
I'm very happy to see that someone else has noticed this trend. Yes it's not just you, it's many people I follow, and comment on their post when I re- steem.
Let's hope that others who use to engage their readers, follow your lead. @anomadsoul.
Well, I used to criticize those who neglected their followers and commenters and I swore I would never be like that and Bam, I started to reply to the comments I got and I realized I am the person I used to talk trash about, and I intend to change that. I do hope more people jump into this boat, it will do great for the platform if we all increase our engagement rate.
think it's an excellent deal, but I know it's going to take some doing. Starting tomorrow morning. That's happening to me too. Of course I have far fewer comments than you, but if so now that I don't have as many followers, imagine after I am in your position. Thank you for giving me this alert in time. I'll stick to the pact.
Well we are all on our own path, lets try to make an effort according to our realities! Perhaps if you dont have a lot of replies in your posts, you can focus on commenting a lot on other people's content :)
It quit discouraging for beginners when they comment on posts and they get no reply, I know that feeling because I am new on steemit.
I feel it's awesome that someone noticed this and say so others could follow
Great post
Yeah, nothing would push users away from the platform faster than nobody wanting to talk with them. That is anti-social media, lol.
Nomad is cool precisely because he thinks about stuff like this, whereas others kind of take it for granted once they've "made it".
Also, welcome to steemit!
Thanks a lot
Exactly, and as more experienced users, it is our duty towards the platform to reply, guide and engage with newer people. I understand how you feel, let´s hope more people start doing this :)
Yeah I hope so. Would also put it at the back of my mind so when I get up there would surely reply newbies
Try not to look at it so much as newbie comments, I try to read all the comments on a post, some of them, (like now), I respond to. I myself do not do a lot of post, and those I do do not have hundreds of people commenting on them. When I read a post, and get to the end, I do look to see how many comments have been made, especially if I am going to make one. If there are lots of them i try to read most before commenting because some may have said what I wanted to say, so I try to save the post author some time by commenting to a commentator. Of course all that does is make the author look at two comments now instead of one, but they can make their reply to both people in one comment.
On a total off topic issue, if you find you need a little bit more help getting noticed, check out @adsactly, or #newbieresteemday, and any of the minnow support groups, they all try to help new users get a leg up.
Hehehe sounds like a nice person accountability measure to not write a new post before replying to 75% of worthy comments. Good luck!
Such good conversations are to be had on steemit in the comments. Hands down best social media site I’ve ever been on for depth, meaning and enjoyment!! Woohoo... I wonder, will Eric reply to this comment? Hehehe woooohooo! 💙
I know its going to be hard and actually that small comment interaction we had the other day is one of the reasons i came up with this post. Feels unfair to no reply to most of the worthy comments i get, in the end its our follower base who decides if we succeed (whatever that may be) or not on steemit, so we shouldn't neglect them.
You are right about the engagement, I try to answer 100% on all of my comments, and I do keep up with that percentage, if I don't include spam comments.
Just because of the engagement, for the last post, I talked to so many people while writing the 3k+ words post, got so much feedback that I felt like I mean something you know... I love helping but... sometimes lack of resources stop you in your intention.
Yeah I mean no one should count spam hahaha.
Do you have a link to that post? You just made me curious.
Yea ofcourse I have, give it a read you won't regret it, one peson with 61 rep said he didn't know about half of the comunities I've put up in the article, that was so astonishing for me since even I don't have close to 61... https://steemit.com/community/@positivity420/communities-a-must-for-everyone
I'll make sure to check it out, thanks for dropping the link ^^
No problem, if it was shitpost honestly I wouldn't even mention it...
Please tell me what you feel about it after you've read it :)
I think I've responded to all of my comments, of course if they are genuine.
I find your proposal interesting and I am happy to follow it, but for me it is easy, I do not have as many answers as you, if in each post you recive hundreds of comments it becomes very complicated.
Well its different for everyone, perhaps you can focus on commenting more om other people's posts! The point is to increase interaction however we can.
Yes you can, and thanks for the realization because that is greatly damaging the engaging nature of the platform...thanks again
Now you know why I can’t find time to sing karaoke Hahhaa!
My apology!
Oh mamma, you break my heart :( haha well well, its taking me ages to gather all videos, so you still have time, in case you find a moment to sing :)
What's even worse than being ignored are those popular authors who actually replies to comments on their posts but gives themselves a big upvote posts.
I feel you brother! Indeed Steemit is about engaging and taking the time and effort to reply to people who comment on your posts.
Yet you have a large fanbase and literally get a thousand comments not to mention you still have your discord communities.
I am not famous yet and yet I am overwhelmed at times with the community building that I do with Ohana @steemitfamilyph and the @promo-mentors that sometimes it takes me a day or two before I get back and reply to good comments (I now receive copy paste and one liners showing they did not understand what I wrote)
My commenting on other people's posts has dropped because most of my comments go to confidence building with Ohana and the scouting efforts I do that sometimes I missed out on great articles from people that I follow.
It would be a shame if you would not post just to get back to the grove of commenting back. I think both of us owe it it to our followers to inspire them. You do more by writing your thoughts.
Keep being awesome!
Yeah man but still, even when being on many communities and getting a lot of comments, if we want rewards for posting, we must know that those rewards come from people following you, so we have to keep them interested on our content, one way of doing that is by replying :D
I understand, I really like the idea of Ohana, I loved some of your entries for my previous contest but as surpassing is already supporting the community sometimes I decided for other communities, nothing personal. Promo mentors is awesome, Future thinker is a friend of mine and I really like how you are handling things there.
Exactly, even if you are commenting less, as long as it is for community building, you are ok for me :D
No worries man we are doing alright and have an active community that is growing and have been fairly successful in getting curie and ocd votes and morale is in a whole time high.
We love the contests that you run because it involves so many of the community.
yeah future is indeed awesome and I love what Promo-mentors are doing and liking my scout function. We really need to help retain people and Promo-mentors are doing it so well. The one on one mentoring is phenomenal.
I believe that this is the right approach:). We really should be interacting with each other , not just "scribbling" posts and ignoring comments. You can count on me:). I fully support your position. The person who read my post and worked hard to write a non-monosyllabic comment should deserve my attention and respect . Of course he has to get an answer. Of course anyone frustrating when it is ignored. Thanks @anomadsoul
When i started on steemit, the girst advice i got was "do not copy and paste standard comments, actually engage"... so i totally understand that aversion you have for mono syllabic comments haha. I get it, if you get frustrated when posting and getting 3 votes, the frustration for taking the time to write a meaningful comment and then the post author ignores it... well, its just not cool at all.
When I first came to Steemit , I was very offended by this approach. I wrote, wrote, tried to communicate, but my rating not accounted for the impression on surrounding, they was just passing by. Then I promised myself that I would never miss a single comment on my posts. Now I say to all beginners Steemians. I don't want them to feel like I did a long time ago. They should not feel bad and uncomfortable here. Support is very important. Thanks for your reply. :)
Especially considering that our follower base is the one deciding whether we succeed or not (whatever that may be), so its actually logical that we reply and engage, and yet ive seen so many people neglecting their followers :(
I thinj you have the right perception about to engage replies. Even in our buaiest day, still we should sneak out for replies. Thanks my knight
I think this is great man, interestingly I was finding the exact same thing myself, and yesterday finally caught up on most of my comments and now plan to make a rule for myself to reply to comments on my last post before making a new one! So looks like I am joining you!
Thats awesome man, lets jump in the train of good steemian behaviour :D
I do that as much as possible because engaging helped me a lot as a newbie to reach where I am today. Sometimes, when i'm really busy, I try my best to still get back to them after the day. It's really a bit painful and disappointing to be ignored after putting all your efforts in commenting you know? hahaha 😂 I know the feeling that's why I don't want my followers to feel that too. Thank you for reminding all of us here @anomadsoul. ❤
Exactly! When eating alone or before sleeping is the best moment to take 10 minutes of your time and reply a bit to your followers :D
I understand that feeling because I think everyone has felt that way at some point, ignored and disappointed... but it depends on us that our followers don´t feel that wat, at least towards us :)
We don't want to be adding to your reply list, but this was a good post that everybody should learn from. Engagement is key to community interaction and growth. One shouldn't think of themselves, as engagement can benefit others too.
Lol the more the merries my friends as long as its not bible-like commenting haha. True, engagement, at least for me, is the key for success on Steemit :)
Good to get a response from you 😜 haha just pulling your leg ;) Practicing what you preach and staying true to your goal. See you around more Eric!
Sent you a Discord message about a case of plagiarism. Please check it, just looking out for you :)
Keep on going, paisano. Supongo que no es que a veces a uno pierda el piso, si no ¡que se le esconde!
La situación se vuelve apabullante como cuando uno quiere poner los foquitos de navidad y no encuentra ni el conector ni el inicio de la serie de luces.
Poco a poco irás agarrando el ritmo de nuevo (o haciendo un filtro más selectivo) .
Y agradezco mucho el consejo de tu post: Read, comment, vote.
¡saludos!
¡Saludos!
Hahaha definitivamente tengo que filtrar mejor para qUe no se me pasen algunos comentarios que valgan la pena!
Lol esas frases mexicanas a más no poder :P
Espero pronto agarrar el ritmo de nuevo!
This is nice, I believe steemit is all about engaging and communicating. Although sometimes I'm quite bad at. Commencting on other peoples post I mostly reply on all the comments on my own posts. But you're right! Read more comment more! Then you'll get the exposure you need.
Apart from the exposure you will definitely grow on, you will feel more connecTed and as if they are your friends, mute than just a group of voters/followers. ^^
Most users do not take communication with other users into coignisance and when I look at some people engaging blog and the way they don't engage their commentors it's appalling,
You're actually not that, you do, but still want to make it better
I'm glad that you've had the humility to recognize this. I'm sure that many of those who usually comment on your posts will be happy. Thank you for reminding us, once again, the most important thing about this beautiful ecosystem.
I hope i can keep engaging up to the expectations my friend, i well start replying more often :D
i definitely agree with you sir, steemit is not just about earning and writing your post and leave it there, it's more of connection , building relationship to others, helping one another like a community, but there are still you know 'lucky ones' i may call, who are earning so big, but not sure if it' because of bots or if they really are supported by whales and witnesses , but that's ok ,not everybody's the same , but i still salute those bloggers with quality content and are honest enough with their earnings. i really look up to you sir and the ocd team , because i know you guys are supporting writers who are unseen yet making quality blogs, thanks for being an inspiration sir and to the whole ocd team , u wanna take this chance to thank you and the ocd team for nomination me on your daily post, ang for visiting and apprexiating my 2018 tour post , from the bottom of my heart thank you sir @anomadsoul 😍👍❤️❤️❤️
I commit, I will read, I will comment and I will vote. Greets and a hug. God take care of you where you are.
Absolutely true. Cos of work it's not possible for me to do a regular post here but I've made it a point to go thru logs and comment on at least 5-7 logs from my favorite authors.
The day m slightly free I look for posts as per my interest. Replying to your posts allows you to connect with followers and helps you earn thr loyalty
Well we can all do it on our own level as long as we are trying to improve our beloved beta version platform, it will actually be q better one in a matter if weeks :)
All glued for it
Replies is actually the first i visit when I open steemit. I love it when people pass by my posts and take time to read and comment on them, hence a reply should not be something difficult.
As for you, please dont be hard on yourself as you are receiving way more comments now than before. 😉
Especially considering that our follower base is the one deciding whether we succeed or not (whatever that may be), so its actually logical that we reply and engage, and yet ive seen so many people neglecting their followers :(
Thanks your share
Haha you got the whale syndrome bruhh
Hahaha stop that, im just a minnow temporarily dressed as a whale, but i want to avoid the syndrome :p
Hey Eric don't be so hard on yourself have a good night brother ♥ but that's a good plan you have
I must confess @anomadsoul ,I am impressed and at the same time touched. (Don't mid me I can get emotional sometimes). I really like it when people are sincere and true . This post shows that you really want others to grow, thanks. You my friend are a real man. And like u suggested in your post, I'll follow the same pattern. Thanks a lot. I hope to grow too someday.
Oh but emotion is great, and showing it is so important if we want to connect at a different level, so keep being emotional! Haha
I had a lucky start on steemit, i was helped a lot but there are things i wish i could have known back then so im trying to focus on posting those messages so more people can find their way in the steemit ocean :)
You are right, I think I have been missing on that, I usually upvote all replies, but hardly ever answer, actually I think I should also say something to the people who take the time to comment on something I wrote.
Exactly man, sometimes we forget that as we like when people comment on our posts, other people feel good when we answer their comments and let them know we appreciate them stopping by and taking the time to leave a quality comment on our post.
Siempre el humano y sus complicaciones. Al iniciar en Steemit se reciben muy pocos comentarios, y pensamos. ¿Lo estaremos haciendo mal? ¿Que nos falta para atraer más lectores o llegarles más y que se interesen en nuestro trabajo? Es un poco frustrante no tener visitas ni comentarios, pero luego, al visitar y comentar en otros post es muy reconfortante cuando responden.
Es como una recarga de baterías que entre lineas nos dice, sigue adelante.
Pero tampoco es justo consigo mismo que se sienta mal por no responder a todos, pues somos humanos no omnipresentes.
¡Saludos!
I hear you man. I'm in the same boat. When I started on Steemit a few months ago, I was replyin to every comment I got and commenting on at least a dozen or so posts. My steemit profile shows 1824 posts. Most of those are comments, most in the first month or two I was here.
This past month life has gotten busier and my replies to comments have dropped and my comments on other posts have almost disappeared. I really need to step up my game and change this. Thanks for the reminder, man.
I mean if real life gets in the way there is not much we can do, but if we have time to post then we must make some time to reply. I am glad this message reached you, i hope you retake the road you were traveliing when you started on steemit and you start engaging again :)
This is a very significant realization and I agree that we should engage to everyone who took the time to read and comment on our posts. Thumbs up to this one, Eric!
Hey Ren, do you know what i like the most here? When i start recognizing names and saying hey, i remember this person, i like her. And you achieved this by commenting often (or maybe joining my contests i dunno) but now i know your name, and in a social network where everyone is competing for attention and engagement, this is awesome. Thanks for dropping by and commenting :)
I know the feeling! Thanks for recognizing and remembering my name, haha! I've joined in 2 of your my2017 contests and I was planning to join again in your my2018 but then life happens and I just can't find the extra time to make the blogpost. I'm really happy that you have become one of my inspisrations here in steemit. I'm always dropping by in your posts, I just don't leave a comment sometimes when I don't have something relevant to say, haha.
I resteemed
Do you have any good tips for managing comments? I periodically just check my replies pages, but there are no notifications or counter of unread comments to keep track of.
There used to be notifications but they stopped. What I do now is I use Gina, a discord bot that you can personalize to get notifications. Search for it, i think @neander-squirrel runs it.
This is such an important point to highlight. I don't get time to post much on steemit but I see on other social media that people don't engage much sometimes with their followers. I always feel like it is the least I can do since someone has taken the time out of their day to not only look at and read my work but to actually say something about it. I spend a lot of time replying but it is important I think.
We are part of the birth of the girst social media platformwhere our followers are encouraged to engage with us and it seems we are not grasping the impact this has towards our own growth...
I have seen it as a major challenge especially for whales and Dolphins, it's a bit challenging in reality to get to read all that comments, but you got to try, thanks for noticing, have seen you really care, I'LL follow suit
It's a lot of work to keep up with comments, which is why I can't keep posting every day, even though I don't get as many comments as you. So I guess my point is, don't beat yourself up about it. Maybe if you know you're not going to have time to respond to comments, put a little note at the end of the post saying so. Be kind to yourself. And I won't be offended if you don't reply to this comment.
That is actually a good tip, to let people know something like "Im currently traveling and won´t be able to reply as fast as I wish, but when I have time, I will do it". I never thought about it like that, you are so right.
It´s not that I want to be hard on myself, its just that I hated people who didn´t reply, like they felt they are some kind of celebrities or something and I don´t want to become something I hated you know? To always remember where you come from, so you dont stray from the path you want to follow :) Thanks for this comment, I really appreciate it.
I think it's an arc everyone on Steemit goes through. That huge initial push, the finding of a comfort zone, growth, then a moment where they're like...well, like you right now. I've heard a lot of people commenting about how it's hard to keep up with everyone, keep on everything, watch and comment, but, we're only human.
As long as we realize that we've strayed from the path we wanted to be on, that's a good thing. But, remember you're human and trying to be current with that many people is impossible. Human beings are only able to really relate to something like 180 people, total. And intimately, like 8-10. So science says. Do your best, that's all anyone can ask for :)
Well it's much easier for me because I get fewer comments. At your levelof comments I'd say replying to 75% is just too much work.
And what happens when you're getting 10K comments a week?!
If you've got a wide audience - you just have to engage selectively - It's just basic maths - the college lecturer can't engage with every student after the main lecture and we don't expect Mo Farah to kiss every baby.
I think for the most part people understamd that.
More is better, but don't spread yourself too thin.
Lol I think if I get to 10k comments a week that means that I´m getting tons of rewards more and I can just hire someone to reply for ne? Lol just kidding, I actually like to read the comments, there is not one single comment I haven´t read, but sometimes people needs to feel like they are not speaking to a wall, they need you to reply personaly to feel like their time is worth something (pro tip: it is) and who are we to not engage? If I came this far here was because of my engagement level and I won´t let (or at least try) that essence to go away :D
You are actually right, perhaps keeping this idea but not so hard on myself, or just being more selective with the comments. For once I know I enjoy your comments and sometimes a small vote to it sends a positive message to the commenter right?
Oh I agree, reading comments/ engaging/ interaction, it's all crucial - I'm quite happy on here just having connected with a handful of people who I interact with somewhere between occasionally and frequently - but only about a dozen: I honestly don't think I could manage more than that, I just don't have the time ATM!
You have to know your limits otherwise commenting on everything will become a chore and you'll just burn yourself out. Besides, in a truly decentralised utopia, no one would need to maintain meaningful connections with more than a couple of dozen people anyway as everyone would be 'taking care' of everyone else...if you get my meaning (I think?)
With great power comes great responsibilities. That's a good self examination you have there my friend. True, i have replied to all your post since you travelled except the one you wrote in Spanish. I am happy you have chosen to engage people again because i really love hearing from you and your views. How is the journey going for you?
Muy cierto lo que comentas amigo @anomadsoul , responder los comentarios de nuestras publicaciones además de fomentar la interacción entre los Stemians ayuda a que quienes te visitan vean que están siendo valorados cada voto o comentario que ellos realizan.