For me, at least.
We all know that the best way, both for newbies and oldies, to get ourselves out there and meet new people, is actually that. Putting ourselves out there and interacting, commenting.
Like other people, sometimes I go on commenting sprints, and sometimes, it’s just so damn hard!
However, the point of this post isn’t that, but something more specific. When I encounter a post, no matter how awesome and thought-inspiring, and I just can’t bring myself to comment if there are 30+ comments.
Why?
Put simply, I just feel discouraged because it doesn’t seem like I’d have anything new to add, or maybe that it won’t matter as much as those comments that came first.
I know, I know. As a blogger myself, I treasure each and every comment I get. The more, the merrier! I’m sure the bloggers who get that much interaction must love it and are grateful for them, or at least they try to be. The ones who take the time to at least reply to all the comments hold a special place in my heart. :3
But still, when I’m taking the role of commenter, I stare at the comment form and then… nothing.
Update: Also, thank you Liselle, because you made me realize yet another reason why it’s hard for me to comment on an already well-loved post. It’s not just that maybe what I want to say may have already been said. Sometimes, I even think maybe the blogger will be too tired to take my comment into account after having gone through so many already!
Which is crazy! I mean, of course bloggers aren’t work machines that don’t ever get tired. They do, I do. But these thoughts completely contradict with what I said before about we also treasuring each comment. So all these conflicting thoughts lead to me saying ‘Umm… maybe later’, and then most likely, I’ll forget about it and never comment.
I do this all the time! It’s why I sometimes feel daunted by going through my blog feed, because I know some blog posts will have HEAPS of comments – and I don’t know what new things I can add to the table 🙁
I try to remember that it’s the thought that counts – but it can be hard to remember that sometimes!
Geraldine @ Corralling Books recently posted this awesome thing…Blog Milestone: ONE HUNDRED BLOGLOVIN’ FOLLOWERS, BABY!
I can totally relate to this post. I often don’t comment on a post because everything I want to say has already been said. I know bloggers like comments, so that’s probably ridiculous.
Aj @ Read All The Things! recently posted this awesome thing…Diverse Books Tag
I don’t really take the number of comments into account when commenting – I actually try to comment on almost all the posts I read, just because I like to let the blogger know I was there. Even if I didn’t say anything too terribly new, the blogger can appreciate that I showed up and added my two cents!
I will say that I’m not as good at replying to comments on my blog when they’re made a week or more after the post was originally posted. Not because I’m trying to ignore them, but because I lose track of those comments more easily. (It’s easy to go check the comments on the last few posts, but not as easy to keep going further and further back – and I get emails for all of my comments, but don’t always have time to reply immediately. Sometimes the emails get overwhelming when I have fifty of them and I end up deleting a bunch without knowing for sure whether or not I replied!)
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted this awesome thing…Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore – 7/10/16
I like that pov on commenting. I read a lot of blogs, but people wouldn’t actually know I was there if I don’t comment. Thanks for your opinion!
haha I totally get this. I feel the same way but usually say “eh, screw it, I’m commenting” because if it was on MY post I would want that person to comment. Even if they say the same thing someone else does, I still respond and try to add something new to the conversation. I love chatting with people regardless & similar responses just means great minds think alike! 🙂
Molly @ Molly’s Book Nook recently posted this awesome thing…Legacy by Ellery A. Kane // A dystopian miss…
I like this way of thinking! It’s really positive and I’ll try to remember it next time!
Can I confess and say that one of the reasons that I don’t like commenting if there are lots of comments is that it floods my inbox with comment & response notifications. I have figured out several ways to deal with this, but at least one comment system isn’t very notification friendly (and if the blogger doesn’t use your name you can’t find your own response).
My Most Recent Discussion: Hasn’t Killed Me Yet: Living with Chronic TBR Overflow PART 2
Ahh, I mostly ignore them, but I can see why it could get annoying!
I totally get it, I sometimes shy away from commenting on posts with a ton of comments too! But I tend to see if they’ve responded to the previous comments or not. If they have 40 comments and haven’t responded to any, I’ll pass since I feel like my comment won’t even be noticed or appreciated because the person will just be overwhelmed. But if they’ve actually responded to a bunch of them, then I feel like, “Ok, they are actually appreciating each comment,” and I’ll leave mine 🙂
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted this awesome thing…Discussions: Wow, People in Books Sure Are Observant
That’s an incredible point! I definitely feel more compelled to comment if I see the comments actually get noticed!
Agreed. If a post has something like 50 comments, sometimes I just don’t want to bother. If it’s an opinion topic like “Which of these things do you prefer?” I guess it doesn’t really matter whether what I have to say has already been said. But I do get the feeling of “Eh, no one’s going to read my comment, including the author of the post.” You can tell with some bloggers that they stop replying after so many comments or just leave notes like “Thanks for stopping by” on comment #52.
I like Kristen’s opinion on this. Maybe it doesn’t only depend on the number of previous comments, but also on how the blogger interacts with the commenters. 🙂
I’m pretty self-centered so I always feel like I have something valuable to add hahah. But I can see how it would be discouraging. When I see a lot of comments mostly I wonder if the blogger will even have time to read through mine when there’s so many. But it’s so true that as a blogger the more comments the better!
Oh my god XD TELL ME ALL YOUR SECRETS I’ll work on having a more positive attitude like yours!
I do the exact same thing! I often feel like I couldn’t possibly contribute something that hasn’t already been added by someone else…
Jolien @ The Fictional Reader recently posted this awesome thing…Top Ten Tuesday: Favorites Under 2000 Ratings
Yeah, and it’s sad, because I know it’d probably make the blogger happy regardless, but I just can’t get past that thought, that it’d be pointless.
I just struggle with commenting in general. I try to follow all of my favorite blogs and regularly comment on new ones, but it can be so exhausting. I love using Bloglovin to keep track of the posts I have to read, but they can really pile up. I completely understand why you do not feel like commenting on posts that already have a ton of comments. It may seem like you have nothing original to say, but I promise that you do. Even though it sounds cheesy, you are the only you in the book blogging community, so you have your own unique voice and opinions. Honestly, bloggers appreciate every comment, regardless of how many are before yours.
Tessa recently posted this awesome thing…How I Conquered Mount Everest (Also Known As My TBR)
Thank you for the kind words :3 That’s what I try telling myself, but insecurity is a pain in the butt. And right?! Bloglovin is awesome! It’s like Pinterest, but it’s more about BLOGS. I like being able to put together collections about different topics.
I feel exactly the same way! Usually, when a certain blogpost has so many comments, everything I wanted to say has already been said. Why should I repeat the same thing so many people have already said? But on the other hand, I also find it very hard to comment on a post with a small number of comments. It feels like my comment would get a lot more attention, and every small mistake I make would be noticed by a lot of people.
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I hadn’t thought about that! Usually I feel super giddy when I’m the first to comment on something, but you’re right! I just had never considered before.