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RSS Reader Base != Number of Comments
With so many blog posts being written each and every single day, for hundreds of thousands of web surfers and RSS readers you would think the amount of comments would be substantial. Wrong!
Take a look at the most popular blogs like Engadget, Techcrunch, Gizmodo, Scobleizer, Shoemoney, Problogger and more, the ratio of RSS readers and traffic levels to comments is very low. In fact it’s too low.
I have on average over 260 - 300+ RSS readers, on last count, but I hardly get the kind of comments that would be expected of a reader base like that. Why don’t RSS readers comment as much as expected by a blogger? BTW, a personal message to my RSS readers please don’t unsubscribe ever! I love you, I really really love you.
Reasons for low comments
- The major reason why most RSS readers don’t comment on each and every single blog post is because their is just too much going on in the blogosphere for them to have an opinion on everything. It’s hard for me too. Even though I don’t keep hundreds upon hundreds of feeds, unlike some, the select few that I have I just like to gobble up the information and wait for the next post.
- Not enough time to post a comment, even if it actually takes like 1.5 minutes which means a world of a difference to a lot of people. Not everyone works at home, most browse while at work or after a hard day’s work and then just want to relax, read and later on watch a movie online.
- Not everyone is a blogger. I’ll admit I post comments on high traffic blogs to get in a few extra hits. But that doesn’t mean I spam with a - “Nice post, thanks!” comment, in fact I engage myself in the conversation. Yes, I read the entire post and comment with feedback or my thoughts. Sometimes though on rumor posts all you could basically do is say, “Yeah, can’t wait for that to happen. It’ll be cool”. Not all commenters are bloggers, hence don’t feel the need to comment unless it’s really worth their while. Which is fine, just as long as you stay subscribed.
- Lurking around blog posts to see what other people are saying is also a reason. I do it all the time, which can be fun sometimes to read any amusing commenting that might be taking place. Just look at digg, I got like 55,000 hits to this web design post and the comments on that post are 71 and the comments on digg are at 214. Of course my server did go down during the heat of traffic but other front page blog posts are also testament to the fact that the majority are lurkers.
- We humans are just to darn lazy. In this “I want everything in one click” world you actually expect people to type? With an opinion! God, the audacity of the thought!
So which description fits you best? Please come forward and comment, come on you know you want to.
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~ 12 Comments so far...have your say ~
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I Twit, You Follow
I think that if you were to add a ‘place comment’ link at the end of each article you may find yourself getting more comments.
At the moment, a reader has to scroll all the way back to the top of your article in order to leave a comment. This is illogical and not great in terms of usability!
I think you can attract RSS subscribers to comment by ending each article with a hook; ask readers for their opinions - ask questions and encourage some more interaction.
I hope this gives you some ideas
- Martin Reed
nice post!
haha
i totally agree with you, i mean come on if you have the time to click and start to read you have the 30 seconds to add in your opinions, and everyone, EVERYONE has opionions about EVERYTHING, we humans are too lazy
You just proved you aren’t!
I have over 2000 readers but I’m lucky to get 1 comment a post!
What you said above are all true. Not many people have the time to place some comments and not everyone has something to react to.
I’ve struggled for more than 5 seconds in writing this comment. Lol. Still, it was worth the time. Nice post.
It varies from site to site. Some sites have literally hundreds of thousands RSS readers and just a couple of comments per posts. Some, like John Chow, have an insane number of comments even though the traffic and the RSS count is nowhere near that high.
I, personally, am not afraid of having no comments. Just work hard and the comments will come.
I usually put new RSS feeds on a probationary period during which I just hang around and see what’s going on. I read the articles and the comments and if I like what I see then I start actively commenting and participating… that is if I have anything to say. If I don’t like what’s going on or the blog doesn’t update frequently then dropped it is!
Guess you made the cut
@Stan
Commenters on JC are mostly looking for a free link back, I work hard and the amount of comments I get are enough for me.
I realized this blogging thing is much more fun than the dollars that most people today get into it for. That’s what keeps me going.
@Jonathan
I’m glad I did
Thanks for commenting.
Also I would like to add that getting comments also helps me - and others - discover your blog, if you have one, I sure would love to add everyone to my RSS reader.
I have over 2000 Subscribers, and usually get 5 to 10 comments per post.. that’s about it.
yeah, I know, it sucks
I get like no comments, but that’s because I have no readers
Interesting article… But some larger blogish sites *do* get more comments, such as I, Cringely on PBS. I think it just depends on the content, how out there you are, and how passionate your community is.
I use google reader and I can’t comment from within there - so I have to click out to come to the actual blog to comment… so i only do it if I really have a burning desire to post something!
That said I find this very interesting as like @Adam I get no comments as I too have no readers!