Your First Comment

This is a post for you to try your hand at commenting, inspired by my “Joining the Conversation” session at the Iowa Reading Conference and “Extend the Conversation

If you have not made a comment on another person’s blog — written out there for all the world to see — it can be scary. I remember the first few times I left comments. There were so many things I didn’t understand. Like why there were so many different platforms hosting the blogs. Did I have to get a log in for all of them? If I didn’t log in, sometimes my carefully crafted comment would be lost at the stroke of the submit button. Of course, I didn’t rewrite it. I just walked away dejectedly.

When I would make a grammatical or spelling mistake and push submit, I would cringe and take another two steps back. Sometimes I made a crazy comment because I hadn’t read the original post carefully enough. Maybe I can’t or shouldn’t do this after all! I’d think.

It took a couple months of commenting on blog posts I really loved to get encouragement enough to know I wanted to continue.

On my blog I’ve tried to eliminate some of the barriers to receiving comments. I think it’s pretty simple to leave a comment here. You don’t have to log in. You can be anonymous, if you wish. You don’t have to leave a URL or email address. I think you do have to write an “anti-spam” message though.

That’s why I thought you might like to try your first comment here in the safe zone! Another perk…if you make a mistake or don’t like what you’ve written, you can let me know and I can edit or delete it.

I hope after our session, you will choose to join the conversation! Start here with a triumph, a question, or a doubt you have about this conversation. You can also carry on a conversation with each other. That’s the beauty!

8 thoughts on “Your First Comment

  1. I hope a lot of people leave comments here. That’s how I met you, remember? I left a comment on one of your blog posts and I accidentally submitted it twice, then I emailed you apologizing, I believe. I felt like such a dork. I was a newbie blog commenter, but you were so gracious, and we have been reading each others’ work and commenting ever since!

    Here is a link to my blog post where I wondered why people don’t often leave comments on blogs: http://sjsdblogs.com/coughlin/2011/12/31/why-don%e2%80%99t-i-leave-comments-on-other-people%e2%80%99s-blogs/

    -Laura

    1. Laura,
      I love that post! It’s perfect for this and will be a good resource for those who wonder the same!
      Denise

  2. First comment?!

    I feel as if I’ve left too many comments! When I Googled my name, I found all the comments I’ve left – WOAH! And sometimes my comments seem longer than the post itself! (Not hardly often, though, thank goodness!) I try to comment on blogs I enjoy or can relate to, or have suggestions, or have a question about. I comment, because i want people to comment on mine, so it’s as if we are having a conversation, instead of it just being a reflection/journal. I hope you get lots of comments! Thanks, Denise!
    -Joy

    1. Joy,
      You are a commenting maniac, which is awesome! I blogged for a whole year without engaging in that conversation of which you speak. It was lonely, and it was just a journal type experience. It became meaningful to me, and my life was enriched when I joined the conversation with others like you and Laura!

      Thanks,
      Denise

  3. I do comment… But not as often as I should. Thanks for the food for thought!

  4. Wow, Laura, Joy, and Jen,
    What fun to see three comments here already! It will be a good place to start to show how this commenting thing works for people just joining the conversation!

    Thanks all,
    Denise

  5. My name is Keilan Yancey, and I’m a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Our class blog is edm310.blogspot.com. I was assigned to your blog in my class to comment on two of your blog posts, and what a coincidence that I’m commenting on a blog post that is talking about commenting. I’m new to commenting, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.

    1. Keilan,
      Welcome! Thanks for commenting! I always enjoy hearing from Dr. Strange’s students at University of South Alabama. I’ll look forward to your comments and posts. Will you have your own blog?

      Denise

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