When you want to make cyber-buddies and gain some sort of credibility, you have to get yourself out there and get noticed. One way to do this is by commenting on other blogs. But, as with most things, there are good ways and bad ways of doing this. Today I'm going to give you my set of basic rules for commenting on other blogs.

1. Don't comment unless you're comment is valuable. Meaning, don't just say, "Great post!" and be done. That is not useful. Say you're reading something about how there is a housing market slump in your area, and you have additional information (like your own statistics) to back that up. Posting a comment like, "I agree, my stats indicate that I have sold less properties this month than last month. The solution I have found is _______." I can't fill in the solution, because I'm a blogger and an SEO knowledge-holder, not a real estate expert. Anyway, you get the point.

2. Do not ever answer a question that was not directed at you. If another person leaves a comment asking a question, that question is directed at the person who wrote the post. It is not directed at all of the world. So unless you wrote the post, don't answer the question. The original posted will probably be offended. The only time it would be okay to answer would be if the original poster commented that they do not know the answer and asks if anyone else does.

3. Don't leave rude comments. If you don't like a blog, then don't read it and move on. There is no reason to be rude or nasty to someone, and all you'll end up doing is hurting your own reputation.

4. Make sure you are 100% sure that you're happy with your comment. In most cases, once you submit the comment you can't alter it. So be sure you're saying what you want to say, and be sure you don't sound like a crazy person. Also, make sure you checked the spelling and that the comment makes sense.

5. Check back to see if anyone responded to your comment. That way you know if someone is actually paying attention to you, and you won't seem rude if they ask you a question that you never answer.

6. Always fill out all the boxes that the comment form asks for. I know it's annoying to always type in your email address and your web address, but it serves a purpose. Once your comment is published, your name becomes clickable and if someone clicks on you it takes them to your site. So if you leave a comment, then someone reads it and says to themselves, "Hey, this person might have additional intelligent things to say!", they will click your name and be sent to your site. Look at that, instant traffic!

Okay, that's all I have for you. I hate that there are six rules, because I would feel much better with ten. Ten is a nice, even number. But that's just my OCD talking. If you have an additional four rules, please comment them so I can sleep tonight!

Labels: Commenting, Real Estate Blog, Traffic