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What Is #CommentHour And Why Should I Care?

You’re struggling to increase engagement on your blog are you?  If so, I’ve stumbled across one of the best Twitter chats that will directly benefit the comments section of your blog. It’s called #CommentHour.  That’s the hash tag you’ll want to use when participating in the conversation.  This particular chat takes place every Wednesday, 6:30pm PST.

In a nutshell, every Monday, the form to submit a link to your blog opens and if you’re one of the 25 links selected for the hour long chat, you’ll not only receive traffic to your site, but comments from those participating! What could be better than that?  Not to mention, it gives you an insight to the efficiency of your site.

Oh Geez!  You’re Not Providing Us With Blog Tips Now Are You?

Simply put, I am not.  I’m sharing this post with you because it ties into my passion of Twitter and community engagement.  The blogging portion and comments happens to tie in really well.  I did check to see if this Twitter chat was for real.  Trust me, I’m like you, I’m always skeptical of how well something will resonate with the entire community.  Although, I realized that everyone wants more comments on their blog to continue to engage with their readers.  I checked out some of the blogs shared during the chat this past Wednesday and there definitely were some great comments left!  Here’s the link of the blogs shared and where you can see for yourself that #CommentHour really does work.

Will The Comments Provide Meaningful Engagement?

I was skeptic of the fact that people would “half ass” the comments they left.  Just think, during an hour long Twitter chat you have 25 links being shared.  Who’s to say that readers aren’t going to just say, “nice post?” That provides no value at all and that’s what I was expecting to see.  However, after checking out some of the blogs shared, I noticed that the comments provided true value to the post and continued the conversation.  There was actual engagement!  The online world today craves that interaction with others especially when the person giving their two cents shows they care.

Twitter Is Making The Conversation Richer On Other Platforms

I’ve always felt that Twitter enables us to have conversations that we never thought possible.  However, it can also make an impact on our businesses and work, whether that be positive or negative.  Granted, most people understand this, but I think what most fail to realize is that Twitter chats are really becoming the new thing and they’re working wonders for many out there.  All you really need to do is participate and become engaged.  The fact that we can use a platform like Twitter to increase comments on our blogs is really remarkable.  We take things like #CommentHour for granted.  We expect comments on our blogs rather than appreciate the time someone takes to share their insight on a topic.  Since blogging has become so saturated, comments died down for the average blogger, and #CommentHour gives the average blogger a chance again!

The Biggest Mistake You Can Make When Receiving Comments

This should be beyond obvious, but ALWAYS respond to any blog comments you receive. It’s the same proper etiquette you would demonstrate on Twitter when you respond to a tweet.  However, from the few blogs I checked out, I still notice people not responding to those comments.  Let me tell you, this infuriates me.  Alright, I’m going overboard a little, but you get my point.  We need to stop taking these interactions from others for granted. You need to understand, that just because they’re involved in #CommentHour or if they just happen to stumble across a post of yours, no reader has to comment.  If they do, you should respond!  If you don’t, it’s a missed opportunity and a missed relationship with that individual.  I always make it a point to respond to all engagements I receive on any platform.

Are You Going To Give #CommentHour A Chance?

I believe you owe it to yourself to get involved in a Twitter chat like this one.  Not only do you have the opportunity to expand your reach on Twitter and make new connections, but now you can see the engagement on your blog pick up!  You have the opportunity to have conversations not only in social media, but also your “home base,” your blog!  I’m sure you may still have doubts and hopefully I was able to enlighten you on the benefits of #CommentHour and limit those doubts.

Go check it out – www.commenthour.com