Introduction
All the cool kids are talking about it! Well, Lorelle on WordPress is, anyway (but I found it before she blogged about it; for once, I’m ahead of the curve!).1
Ozh, from Planet Ozh, has created the Liz Strauss Comment Counter.2 Simply put, anytime a comment is added to your blog, the counter goes up by one.
Let’s face it, one of the reasons most of us blog is to invite interaction with our readers. I have never heard of any blogger complain about getting "too many comments." And comments, while they certainly aren’t a hard measure of readership (neither, believe it or not, are Technorati ratings or Feedburner subscriber numbers), do indicate the degree to which our readers interact with us.3
How-To
Using Comment Counter couldn’t be easier: Download it, extract the zip file (unless you’re using One-Click Plugin Updater), copy the resulting folder to your /content/plugins directory, and activate it within WordPress⇒Dashboard⇒Plugins. Then, simply use it as a widget. Configuration is simplified through a very well-designed configuration screen:
One of the cool things about the configuration screen (not shown in the picture above) is a nice little summary of your blog’s comment status. Here’s mine:
As of today, there have been here on this blog 1169 comments, 50 pingbacks & 5 trackbacks. Given that you currently have 251 posts (including pages), this makes a conversation ratio of 4.88 comments per post.
Why Comment Counter?
Well, why not? I know I’m not the only blogger who revels in conversing with my readers through comments. So, we can see at a glance how much "conversation" is going on. If you’re a regular visitor, you have probably noticed I try to reply often. Especially now I have installed WordPress Thread Comment, I work even more diligently at conversing with my commenters.
Why not make a game of it? How long can we keep a relevant conversation going? Of course, we can do that via Twitter as well, or e-mails. Blog comments are just one more way we can continue our socializing. Ours is a culture of measurement (Olympics, anyone? "Faster, Higher, Stronger").4
For that matter, how quickly can we hit 1,500 comments? 2,000? 5,000? Contests, anyone?5
Just as I was an early adopter of CommentLuv, now in vogue among most WoW bloggers, I predict we’ll be seeing the Comment Counter badge popping up all over the place!
Go forth and comment!
Notes:
- If you’re a serious blogger, especially on the WordPress platform, you owe it to yourself to become a regular reader of Lorelle’s blog, as well as her weekly WordPress column on The Blog Herald. ↩
- Liz is another well-known blogger, who is considered an expert on conversation via blog comments (one reason I’ve gone to a threaded comment plugin, but that’s another story! ↩
- While I use Google Reader extensively, I also use Better GReader, which allows me to preview post as they appear at the actual blog, and to comment from within GReader or click to visit the actual site. I do enjoy commenting on other blogs, almost as much as I enjoy seeing your comments on my blog! ↩
- http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/symbols/motto/index.shtm ↩
- And yes, I can definitely determine who made the nth comment. ↩
Join 720 eclectic readers.
Join the flock: Now 409 strong!
Tami (22)
Mazil (12)
Bre (8)
Iris (6)
krizzlybear (6)
Trizophenie (4)
{ 13 comments }
This tool sounds pretty good, I think I may be looking into it a bit more…And, if you ever want to get into a good conversation with fik and me, we have skype and vent, just let us know!
Sylus’s last blog post: Wrath of the Lich King Cinematic Trailer!!!
Hey Sylus! Great to hear from you, and I just may take you up on that chat invite.
The TNB round table we did last month was a ton of fun, and we more or less continue it in the Blog Azeroth chatroom. But I think a big ol’ Skype Conference would be fantastic.
I’m anxious to see what people do with this Plugin, and you are one I’ll be watching.
I think it is going to change how we think about comments and I’m excited about those changes.
Lorelle, thanks so much for stopping by! Somehow, I don’t think my blog’s in a niche you visit often.
However, I’m honored by the visit!
I think for quite awhile, I’ve been waiting for this plugin. Shortly after I saw one for the first time, I knew I needed nested comments. The “@ Lorelle” format is so contrived, especially when replying to more than one commenter at a time. Now, I have a quick, visible, and effective way to gauge how well I’m interacting with my reader-commenters. Maybe seeing the counter at 1249 will encourage a new commenter to be #1250!
The @name format is not contrived, it is actually a standard form. To reply to multiple commenters in one comment, use that format with their name in bold and it works great. The threaded Plugin is a great idea, but many get confused with it and it can get totally out of control. I use the WordPress Comment Ninja Greasemonkey Script by Engtech of Internet Duct Tape on all of the WordPress blogs I work on and love how EASY it is to respond to comments directly from the Comments Panel. Using the Plugin to reply directly to a comment means loading that post, right? That’s a step I avoid with this script in my browser.
Ah, the things we learn as we go. That’s one of the reasons I love blogging.
And don’t underestimate yourself. I’m EVERYWHERE watching EVERYONE.
Keep blogging your passion!
I’m actually using Ozh’ Absolute Comments as of this weekend, and I love being able to comment, in a thread, right from the Comments Panel.
My perspective on the @name format (which I used for 99% of the first year of this blog) is slightly different, and could be an article in itself: It’s a bit of a chicken/egg issue.
I’m a gadget guy though, so I’m not averse to trying something new–or to abandoning it if it doesn’t meet my needs!
Interesting. I also recently installed Ozh’ Absolute Comments and a threaded comment plugin, and I totally dig comments. I might have to give it a shot.
Kadomi’s last blog post: Heroics order, part II: medium to tough
Which threaded comment plugin did you opt for, Kadomi? The one I have is “okay”, but I think/hope there are better ones out there: I just couldn’t find it/them when I was looking!
I am using Wordpress Thread Comment, which might be the same one that you are using. I played around with several threaded comment plugins, and they were all not playing nice.
Kadomi’s last blog post: I dreamt of dragonhawks
Yep, same one.
Absolute Comments is INCREDIBLE. Do enjoy it. Since I blog on many different blogs and can’t always control which Plugins they use, I love Engtech’s Comment Ninja Greasemonkey Script as it allows me to comment from any WordPress blog’s Comment Panel, no matter which version they are using. Simple and easy.
And glad to inspire a blog post.
Also, anyway to unsubscribe to the blog comment emails! They are really annoying. Thanks.
Glad you pointed that out…it’s a function of Thread Comment, and is either On or Off; it’s now off.
Having it on “seemed like a good idea at the time” but when I read your comment, I thought about it from the commenter’s viewpoint: If I care whether the blogger replies to my comment, I care enough to go back (or subscribe to comments). Thanks for the reality check!
I downloaded this plugin and am going to give it a try. Looks like a great little addition to any blog!! Thanks, Kestrel.
Mae’s last blog post: WotLK prep the cute, cuddly way!!
Comments on this entry are closed.