One of the things I am actively encouraging on this blog is for my readers to leave a comment (as long as it adds value). I’ve been looking at ways I can reward people who comment and the first of these is a widget I’ve installed called Top Commentators.
This widget keeps tally of the top 10 commentators on the posts on this blog and if you’re in the top 10 you’ll get featured in my sidebar like this:
As this blog is practically brand spanking new and ‘just out of the wrapper’ we haven’t got any heavyweight commenters on here yet, but as you can see it is already listing people who have made a comment and those that stay in the Top 10 every month will remain on display on my blog with their name up in lights.
The number next to the name is a numerical count of how many comments have been left by that commentator. When it gets to the point I’m in the way of someone being in the top 10 I will remove myself from this widget leaderboard or add another spot because I’m not actually counting myself long-term as someone in the top 10.
Just in case you’re thinking it’s not worth commenting because this is a new blog, it’s already getting nearly 100 visitors a day on average and it’s only 2 weeks old.
Check this out:
As you can see in the last 14 days this blog has already had 1,128 visitors which have resulted in 2008 actions!
And we’re only just getting started here. Wait until things really heat up 🙂
So How Am I Using This To Reward The Top Active Commentators On This Blog?
1. I am including this widget on ALL POSTS on this blog rather than just on the homepage and this number is going to keep going up over time. At the time of writing I currently have 21 posts published, but the day will come when there are hundreds and even thousands of posts. Every single post will have this widget on display with the top 10 commentators.
2. I am allowing your name to be hyperlinked, so if you have a decent blog/website, you can link to it and it will be clickable and it will also display your gravatar. Please note the name you choose cannot be for SEO purposes so I’m not going to accept people who contribute under an anchor text or anything like that. If your name is ‘George’ then use that name. This blog and the comments are all about community and people knowing about YOU and not what you want to rank for.
3. I may add more things on the blog to reward active commentators in the future, so stay tuned. This widget is something I’ve put in place to get the ball rolling to give back to people who frequently contribute and add their input in the form of a comment. This blog is a two-way street, so if you take time out of your day to comment, I’m taking time out of my day to set up things like this to give back.
Rules For Leaving Comments
1. Be Real – Use your real name, not some anchor text for something you want to rank for.
2. Don’t Link Out To Junk – Only link out to a quality website (ideally one which you own) or page and make sure it’s not banned in the search engines. If it’s a spammy link or a banned site, I won’t allow it.
3. No Spammy Comments – Don’t leave rubbish comments just to boost your comment count. If your comment adds no real value or it feels spammy I won’t approve it. This blog is not going to become any kind of spamfest in the comments section so don’t even try it because I will nuke you faster than Arnie in The Terminator and I have my anti-spam measures already in place.
4. Add Value, Not Filler – Don’t write something lame like “Nice post”. I won’t approve comments like that. Add to the conversation, don’t write something out of laziness in an attempt to either bump your comment count or get in the top 10.
5. Keep It On Topic In Relation To The Post – As an example, if the post is about making money with affiliate marketing, don’t write a comment about the time you dreamt of a pink elephant flying past your window asking you if you were coming out to the cocktail bar (although now I write that, a party loving pink elephant that can fly does sound quite interesting, all things considered).
6. No Pitching – Leaving a comment is not an opportunity to start pitching, it’s your opportunity to add value to the discussion, you’re already being rewarded with free exposure as a commentator.
I look forward to seeing and replying to your comments… and your name being up in lights in the Top Commentators widget section.
Over time there will be a lot of people visiting this blog so if you contribute regularly in the comments you have a good chance of appearing on every post page of this blog without putting your hands in your pockets
Thanks for reading, see you in the next post…
How many comments should you be aiming for to get you off to a good start? I’ll let De La Soul answer that one for you…
Thanks for your help
God bless you and your family for helping me out
Hey Frangu, no problem. Thanks for stopping by, I’ve approved your comment but your
URL hyperlink was incomplete and was just linking to FB but no specific profile/page.
Let me know what your link is if possible so I can add it. Cheers!
As a community, I believe that this will definitely help those who contribute especially if the comments add value to what’s being said. That is why when I comment anywhere, I always make sure that what I write does indeed add value to the conversation.
Writing is my specialty and I love providing meaningful content that resonates and engages people. So yes, if you want to be a valuable contributor to this, then you need to add real value here. I totally agree.
100% 🎯 Thanks for stopping by and reading/contributing, Donald! 👍
I like this idea, invite people to engage with your post to help you get more ranking.
Keep up the good work dean!
Rafael, thanks brother. It gets the conversation and the community going
on this blog and that’s the main thing.
I think it should work out well as it’s a win-win for people that contribute as
they get some free exposure. It’s also cool to connect somewhere outside of social
media as well.
I think IM in general needs more independent blogs and a great forum to replace the Warrior Forum.
As long as people keep visiting I’m gonna keep sharing/posting! 🙂
Yes bro,
I agree, we need more independent blogs and keep building that IM community outside of Warrior Forum,
I also plan to be active on my blog and share articles.
i got some inspiration for your blog
Awesome to hear, Rafael – I know it’s quite a bit of work but I believe it’s worth doing 🌟
Let’s Go Champ! 🏆
Unique idea, should bring you much attention!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment/reading, Gary.
At the time of writing you’re currently in the top 10. Cheers!
Thank you. Hows will Googles new changes affect you?
Hi Gary, my background before I got into internet marketing is SEO for niche sites.
Search engine goalposts move all the time so I don’t do anything where I’m in a position
that I’m at the absolute mercy of what they do next, because I’m always building my lists
as my #1 priority.
This blog, for example, will be written with the user in mind, not the search engines.
So it’s not something I worry about now or will worry about in the future.
The audience for this blog will grow regardless 🙂
Yes hopefully they will not block you.
Gary
Cheers Gary, I’m not worried, there are always solutions and
workarounds out there 🙂
Nothing can ultimately stop you once you have a vision.
I love all the great content you send me
Hi Stuart, thanks for dropping by! You’re welcome my friend.
Your name is now up in lights on every post page (right side of this blog – Top 10 Commentators)
I am limiting it to the top 10 commentators. Resets every 30 days to reward active and recent contributors. Cheers!