The Guide to Great Blog Discussions

Blog discussions happen every day.  Conversations, whether in private or on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, are a key part of our lives in the modern age.  Some can’t resist the urge to become the most popular person on these sites, while others would rather stay out of the limelight.  

Whether you look at online conversations as positive or negative, they are undoubtedly one of the most powerful forms of communication, especially from the perspective that you are able to continue the conversation on your blog.

What is a Blog Discussion?

Broken down, in elemental form, a blog discussion is simply a discussion between a group of people (often including the blog’s author) within a blog post on the topic being discussed.

The 10 Characteristics of a Great Blog Discussion

These ten characteristics of a great blog discussion will help get you started with ensuring that the greatest number of people comment on your blog, plus a few ways to continue the conversation.

1. You have good communication skills and are willing to communicate with others when they have commented on your blog.  This means that you won’t leave readers “stranded” looking for someone to “talk” to.  In addition, you value comments more than anything else, above profits and page views.  You are willing to use desperate tactics to get comments (no illegal activities or bribing, of course), such as requesting comments.
2. Readers appreciate your blog for much more than the content.  When people refer to your blog by name, they typically include the fact that it is a “community” – a place for others to come and grow among one another.
3. The conversation is controversial or presents a visitor with a thought that they just have to answer.  Ideally, all your posts should do this, but there are some that are simply better for people who may be able to relate to your post’s topic.
4. Make sure all voids are filled before posing a new question.  You don’t want to leave someone out of the conversation by writing a new post on a different topic (one that they would have likely spent the time to comment on but no longer have the time to do so).  If a lull comes up in the conversation, don’t exploit this by “closing” the conversation.  Instead, this may be the perfect time to ask some more questions which may further inspire readers to comment.
5. Listen, listen, listen.  It is extremely important that you spend time listening to your readers’ feedback before answering or responding to them or it will be more difficult to continue the conversation.  In other words, be sure that you know what they are talking about before jumping in and offering your opposing viewpoint.  Learn about your readers through the conversation that you are having – this will also lead to more inspiration for later posts.
6. You don’t always have to agree (or oppose) the opinion of your readers.  It is okay if you side with them sometimes, but on the other hand, it may lead to a more interesting conversation should you choose a different viewpoint than your frequent visitors and your own individual views.
7. Know when to stop the conversation.  Typically, blog posts last a day (as long as you post a new post each day).  Following this golden rule, it’ll be harder to comment on a post that is from a year ago, as your views will often change and you will have less knowledge on what is being talked about.  However, more popular posts will have a longer conversation span, so it’ll be important to monitor them.  There is nothing worse than a conversation that never seems to end.
8. Be friendly to people, even if you don’t agree with them.  On a blog, it is more difficult to judge whether people are mad at you or simply joking with you, so either side needs to be weighed out.  For this reason, you shouldn’t personally attack a person unless you have good reason to (i.e. they have already attacked you).
9. Be sure the reader knows what you are talking about.  Respond to their questions with clarifications of your original post or details that you didn’t explain properly.  You don’t want to leave anyone out of the loop, either.
10. Find plugins or extensions, such as comment threading, to ensure that your blog meets the “requirements” for a good conversation.  Using these tools will make it easier to keep track of who replies to one another, and provide useful information to people who may be joining the conversation late.

Conclusion

While there are many other tips on how to ensure that your conversation goes “as planned,” these were a few basics to help you make the most out of each post.  After all, blogging is all about commenting, not just providing content to readers.

It’s just a matter of time before you are able to master the art of a conversation that sparks a trend – people who continue sharing their thoughts on other blogs, linking to your post, and posing further questions in response to your main post.