Miss Stryker's Guide to Commenting: What, Why, and How

Woo, boy. Strap yourselves in, m'lads and lassies. It's gonna be a long one.

To begin, let me say that this post is based on (years of) personal experience, both as an Internet Native (TM) and blogger. I live and work on both sides of the long-form post equation. I have witnessed both glorious debates worthy of Socrates and ignoble scraps worthy of nineteenth century immigrant ghettos, sans the John Williams soundtrack:

Based on admittedly biased observation, then, and the reactions of fellow commenters and bloggers alike, this guide's mission—should you choose to accept it—is to explain why it's important to comment and what differentiates a "good" reply from a "bad" one.

If you can stick with me to the end, I've got seven tips that even veteran commenters could benefit from.

So let's get on with it, shall we? First up...

Why Bother?

Well, commenting helps authors, for one. By commenting, you share a post with your connections through the home page. Scroll down your own, and you'll stumble across updates like "Tyrion Lannister commented on: The Downfall of the Starks," along with whatever Tyrion's comment was. The same thing happens when you comment on another's article.

Plus, the more comments there are compared to the number of views and likes, the more likely it is an article will be picked up by LinkedIn's Pulse algorithm, according to data scientist Andy Foote. (h/t Geoff Livingston/5 Tips for Posting Pulse Articles on LinkedIn)

So the more who interact with a given piece, the more chance a worthy article will be seen by the masses beyond the author's initial connections. Besides, it makes authors feel valued. As someone else once said, a good comment is to bloggers like applause is to a musician. Comments create warm fuzzy feelings of excitement and happiness. Spread a little warm fuzzy feeling to an author near you today!

Okay, enough sap. What's in it for you? After all, commenting takes time and no little mental investment to read the whole article. Personally, I've seen a number of professional advantages to commenting, particularly on LinkedIn:

1. My profile views (and subsequent ranking) go up during weeks in which I'm a particularly active commenter. My article views increase, too.
2. Connection requests are more likely to be extended and accepted if I first comment on their posts or updates.
3. I demonstrate my ability to write well and quickly, both of which are desirable traits in my line of work.
4. My reputation as a relative expert grows as I express (and defend!) opinions, demonstrating an awareness of the conversations taking place in my profession.
5. Folks ask me to work for them as a freelancer.
6. I suspect that having an active profile on LinkedIn—which includes commenting, updating my profile, and posting articles—makes me more likely to show up in searches, which means recruiters come knocking. I love my current job, but it never hurts to keep options open should the worst happen. I'm a child of the recession, after all.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

After that lovely list of quantifiable, definable advantages to commenting on

LinkedIn (or any professional blog), I'll now introduce some qualitative judgments. After all, what I might define as a "good" comment, another may despise and long to censor. Let me clarify, then, what I mean by a "good" comment or a "bad" one.

Good comments

To me, a good comment is nothing more or less than a remark that continues the conversation that the initial post started.

Of course, there levels of worthiness within good comments. The amount that any given comment will actually contribute to the conversation varies depending on the other commenters and the post's author.

To that end, you've got a number of different ways to skin this proverbial cat, as it were.

• Contribute your experiences on the subject. Sometimes, the author will ask if you've ever had X or Y happen to you—an clear, easy invitation to comment. Other articles will simply end. Still, an open comment section offers an opportunity to share your expertise with other viewers.
• Respectfully ask questions. If the author was unclear, or if he/she says something that runs contrary to what you understand to be true, there's no problem with asking for clarification or even disagreeing outright. Remember to cite sources and provide links!
• Reply to other comments. Your comments don't exist in a vacuum. Your perspective lives alongside the original post's perspective and those of the others who decide to comment. By choosing to engage others, you truly continue a conversation.
• Respectfully defend commenters, author, or viewpoints. You see a lot of bigotry, close-mindedness, and what I'll call "crusading" in comment sections. Don't hesitate to fight off vicious, unprofessional attacks or call a spade, a spade. Be courageous.

Bad Comments

The type of comments that I'd label "bad" do little or nothing to further the conversation initiated by the original blog post. Do your best to avoid writing (or liking) comments like these:

• Comments that say "Good job!" or "Interesting perspective!" without elaboration. If that's all you have to say, use the "like" button. If you're taking the time to type out a comment, surely you can venture an opinion beyond kudos.
• Comments that offer contrary arguments without appropriate support. Unless you're a "veteran" with decades of experience behind you—and even if you are!—strive to explain your stance using outside sources. Saying "You're wrong" with no further explanation only makes you look petty, stubborn, and ignorant.
• Comments that go completely off-topic. Time to go back to grade school, folks. The author has established the "thesis" of the conversation from the post. As a commenter, you stick to that thesis. Posting a rant about, say, discrimination against overqualified people in every HR article you find—no matter the article's topic—presents you as a whiney, immature, and discourteous "professional." Don't do it! If you feel that strongly about something, write your own blog post, but don't hijack someone else's. (Also, comments that say that you'll pray for the writer. Just... no.)
• Comments by people who clearly didn't read the article. If I had a dollar for every person who commented on my Taylor Swift-inspired marketing article who hadn't read the article, I wouldn't have to pay for lunch today. Don't be like those people.
• Pedantic comments. Comments like, "You know you misspelled fiance" or "This link is broken" belong in private messages, not as public fodder to feed the micro-editing frenzy.
  
  Comments like, "You plagiarized this article from <link>," however, deserve to be broadcast publicly and from the proverbial rooftops. #StopPlagiarism

Ugly Comments

I trust that no one reading this would ever dream of posting "ugly" comments like those I'm about to describe.

• Comments that contain sexist, bigoted, or otherwise wholly inappropriate remarks (and those that like them). Certain types of
  
  people enjoy getting a rise out of others. They post purposefully inflammatory remarks. We call these people "trolls."
  
  Don't "feed the trolls" by engaging them. They either a.) believe what they're saying, which means any rational arguments will be useless, or b.) purposely trying to enrage readers. By responding, you only satisfy them. Report people like this and move on. (Again, do not feed the trolls!)
  
  
• Comments that contain rampant misspellings, poor grammar, and generally poor writing. Guys, you've got spellcheck. Please use it. A missed apostrophe here or there is okay, but comments (and posts!) in text-lingo (or with lots of exclamation points!!!1!!!1!!) do little to establish you as a credible, professional contributor to the conversation.
  
  If you have to, delete the comment and repost a corrected version. Your fellow commenters will forgive the double notification.
  
  
• Comments with EXCESSIVE CAPITALIZATION. Caps=screaming online. Don't do it. My reading-ears hurt whenever I see someone do it. Yes, all-caps titles are left over from ancient days of press releases, but don't do it online. Please. I beg you.
  
  
• Comments with blatant self-promotion. Are you selling a service everyone must have? Do you want more connections to expand your network? Did you just write an article about griffons that will change the way we see banking????@??!T#JK?!
  
  I don't care. Take it out. Stay on topic. You look tacky, like the mother in law who wears white to her son's wedding. (Or funeral black. I can't decide which is worse.)
  
  
• Comments that use personal slurs against authors. I have little
  
  respect for those who publicly stoop to sling slurs against those with whom they disagree. Privately, I can think you're a tasteless dingbat if you believe that X is better than Y or what have you, but publicly? Publicly—and on LinkedIn especially—we are called to behave as a grown professional. Let's act like it.
  
  Caveat: For those who follow my comment history, you'll find that I have little problem calling out those I find to be hypocritical. For example, a successful entrepreneur recently published an article that (I believe) glorified an immature way to leave a position. Disgusted with the comment section covered in "Way to go! You're my hero!" sentiments, I called the author a "purple unicorn," in that he was a rare being (a successful entrepreneur) and that he was irresponsible to post the story in the way he had.
  
  Technically, I called him a name. Far from being a personal slur (in my mind), however, I used it to demonstrate why I disagreed with the article. No one's perfect at these rules—emotions get the better of everyone at one point or another—but don't go around calling people "stupid," "idiots," "bitches," or whatever else springs to mind.

General Commenting Strategies

So now that we know what makes a good comment and why we shouldn't feed trolls, I've got a few more tips that should make your commenting on LinkedIn and other professional blogs most effective.

1. Again, limit text speak, but the occasional smiley face (if the tenor of the conversation permits) or a "lol" shouldn't completely degrade your professional writing persona. Keeping comments light might turn a potentially flammable situation toward a peaceful resolution.
2. Assume nothing. Don't discount people based on their gender, professional experience, or political leanings. By the same token, it's generally wise to give people the benefit of the doubt, rather than assuming a commenter meant to offend. I find it makes for a more positive commenting experience.
3. Remember your lessons in rhetoric. LinkedIn comments are just as much a forum as the Greeks used, back in their day. It's a wise person who uses ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (logic and facts) in his/her arguments at the appropriate times. (And yes, I know, those three bits are more intricate and nuanced than I've put here, but it's a decent generalization.)
4. Acknowledge when you're wrong. Sometimes, you'll be called to
   
   account for your opinions or your phrasing. When someone makes you reevaluate your statement, say so and adjust accordingly. I would also advise privately apologizing to the person who you've inadvertently offended. A private message goes a long way to smoothing ruffled feathers.
5. Know that you can't change everyone's mind. The world will not end if you can't convince this internet stranger that you're right and they've been wrong for fifty years. State your opinion, argue the point, but when you realize you're going in circles, bow out gracefully. You will survive not having the last word, I promise. (I have to remind myself of this constantly.)
6. Replying. My god, I hate it when people continue a conversation by creating a new comment. If you forget to tag the person you spoke to initially, then that person doesn't realize you've responded and all the other readers are confused because they lack context. It also clutters the comment section and makes thoughts sporadic and difficult to follow. Reply to the original comment directly, please, within the same thread and type "@Person's name" to alert the person you're trying to talk to. If their name doesn't show up in LinkedIn's automatic filler-bot-thing, continue replying, post, and consider sending that person a private message to carry on the conversation.
7. Restate that your comments are your opinion. By using phrases like "I think," "I believe," "I've heard," "From my perspective," or "It's my opinion that," you'll buy more friends than if you were to say, "Dude, you're wrong."
   
   Look, I know there will be issues that you believe that are absolutely true—and I tell you truly, there are people who think you're absolutely wrong. You will convince no ardent believer that they are wrong. Let it be, and move on. Unless you're John Oliver talking about climate change, you will not win.

And finally, enjoy yourself. While there are professional benefits to commenting, sometimes it's just plain fun to have earnest, intense conversations with professionals from a variety of backgrounds and regions. I've learned so much by exploring articles and meeting new people here, and to me, that's one of the best advantages of having a commenting system in place on a site as vast as LinkedIn.

So now, to practice your newly sharpened commenting skills, why don't you tell me and your fellow readers what your best commenting tip is for those who want to start making their mark here?

Whoa! Thanks for reading this far. If you like what you've read (or, let's be honest here, scanned) and would like more, go ahead and follow my posts for updates about online writing and the future of content marketing. Or, if you prefer brevity to my monster-length posts, there's always Twitter.

And if you really want to impress me, go ahead and weave the word "glitter" into your comment. Let's see if people catch on—and if people actually bothered to read the entire post.

First image courtesy of artsology/"Warm Fuzzy Feelings Are Allowed"
Second image courtesy of kwad-rat/"The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly"
Fifth image courtesy of Harvey & Hugo/"Internet trolls: the scoundrels of social media"
Sixth image courtesy of ROTTENeCARDS (And yes, I know, it's not my best picture, but I enjoyed the irony of it.)
Seventh image courtesy of Apologizing Photography as featured on Zazzle. (They've got some great prints!)