I'm one of the folks whose writings don't inspire comments; this is true across my mobile UI blog, my personal blog, and even mailing lists (personal and professional).

My analysis of the phenomenon suggests that I write in a very "complete" form, as if what I'm saying is the full story. Most of my readers (something like 70% of all site traffic, let alone just the blog) are reading via RSS, which doesn't encourage comments.

I can stimulate comments by writing something controversial. I wrote about a company that was looking more and more like a patent holding company rather than one with an operational plan, and I got attacked. A lot.

I also wrote "what's wrong with the mobile web", a provocative title. That one didn't get a lot of on-site comments, but stimulated a lot of links and comments in other blogs.

Of course, my blog is about building my brand. I actually prefer the off-site links to on-site comments.

Hi Lewis,
This is a good post. I concur with a lot of what you're saying, having had many of the same observations myself. Especially this one: many substantive, informative posts receive little feedback and comments, while less weighty ones elicit a lot of chat.

As you pointed out, some of the people who receive many responses host their own highly visible blogs, so I don't think this issue matters much in the long run. The important thing is to get people reading and thinking. Those who write substantive material will be highly regarded by like-minded business people, in my opinion. And they are more likely to attract and build the kind of business they want for their own firms.

Barbara,
You bring up a good point, and I, too, have wondered about this. When we write completely--beginning, middle and end, with conclusions--do we discourage comments but encourage learning?

Claire,
Like you, I don't care as much about total number of readers; I care more about who they are. But that seems a guessing game, and perhaps I should care more about reach.

At the end of the day, my blog is meant to build brand. But this medium doesn't seem to provide good ways to measure that, except through comments and links.

Lewis, you pose a question that I would imagine most bloggers ask.

As you know, I'm new at this game -- my blog's been up less than 3 weeks. But I have noticed how some posts (even those by our beautiful buddy CK) draw a big response, while some get nothing. That's what kept me from getting discouraged when one of my posts, which I though would draw comment, got 3 only comments.

I am seeing, though, that it takes time. Seth Godin, who I've known for 15+ years from when we were neighbors and I helped him with some publicity, told me simply, "Be patient. It will grow."

I think, learning from what I've seen CK do so well, it also takes some effort to get out there, read other people's blogs and respond when you have something to add. Helping others build their traffic can, in the long run, help you build your own. Most bloggers seem to be open and eager to share and help.

Blogs that are written in a non-intimidating way make it easier for people to respond. There are lots of people out there reading blogs, but I suspect only a small fraction actually post responses. It took me some time before I responded to a post the first time -- I didn't want to come off looking dumb or silly. A casual or informal writing seems to invite more comment.

Long posts (like this lengthy comment) turn some people off. With so much to read online and off, most of us don't have time or patience. If someone doesn't read a post all the way through, it's unlikely they'll post a comment.

Provocative and controversy is good for getting responses, it seems. But I'd rather it be real, and not simply manufactured to generate comments.

Thanks for getting me to think about this, Lewis. I hope I can follow some of my own advice.

Lewis lets be honest, we are blogging about marketing and business issues. Not exactly the most fascinating of topics, in most cases. We can craft a brilliant thesis on the future of social media and maybe struggle to get 10 comments, but another blog could post 'Britney's bald, hot or not?', and get 10 comments in 5 minutes. Anything entertainment/political/religion related is going to generate a ton of comments. But IMO that really isn't going to help a business/marketing blog that much.

I don't want to embarrass Ann, but I told her the other day that she seems to do better than most of us (myself included) in generating comments for her posts because whereas most of us post 'Here's what I think', she posts 'Here's what is happening, what do YOU think?'. Take her RED vs. Buy (LESS) post. She didn't really take a side with either, just explained what the deal was, and let us offer out own input. As a result, both sides were represented, and that led to a lengthy discussion.

I think the best way to generate comments, is to encourage participation, and to give readers a bit of a different take than what they are seeing on every other blog.

As for branding a blog, I agree, CK does a great job with this. So does Toby at Diva Marketing. I think that really helps develop community as well. Great topic Lewis, as almost all of us need help in this area!

Lewis,
As the principal of my own business, a design consultancy, I can see the value of participating in a blog like the MP Daily Fix. However, I do not rely solely on blogging for my business development. In my opinion, blogging is just one marketing avenue to take in generating business, and shouldn't be the only one.

David,
I was not blessed with patience, and add to that pain I was raised to seek perfection. (Yeah, I'm just a little bit Gemini.) All of your points are excellent, especially reading and contributing to others' blogs. Nice work David.

Mack,
As you are one of my blogging idols, I feel better already. Point well taken about Ann. Whereas, most of the time I can't keep myself from having an opinion and expressing it, I think you are right: Presenting both sides of an issue does encourage discussion.

Great discussion here, Lew!

I think Barbara is right in her suggestion that "complete" posts tend to generate less heat and discussion...which also dovetails into what Mack is saying about striving for more open-ended posts.

I purposely try to create an open-ended post... sometimes, because I really want to know what others think, because it helps me advance my own thinking; other times, because I'd rather offer my opinion in the commentary after a post. Either way, the tendency is probably a vestige of my background as a journalist and reporter.

That being said, I've seen plenty of posts that do the opposite -- take an extreme view of an issue -- and let the battle begin. So I guess it's what the author is comfortable with.

I also think that the blog format encourages easier consumption of short-ish, tight posts. Blog readers aren't usually in the mode of reading long missives. Sometimes, in fact, I read a post here or elsewhere and I think, "This should be an article." (Of course, sometimes I read an article and think, "This should be a book." Or I read a book and think the opposite, too!)

Ted,
You're right! I never recommend to my clients or myself a marketing plan that isn't multi-faceted or integrated. And blogging is but one facet of my marketing. Great comment!

Ann,
And that is why your posts generate discussions. I try to stay brief, but often my posts can be dogmatic. I like your idea about saving the karate chop for the comment section and use a handshake for the post. You are just too smart.

By the way, I, too, came out of the newspaper and magazine world, but as a columnist, feature writer and editor. How hard is it for me to be neutral?

Lewis something else to consider, just because your post doesn't get comments, doesn't mean that readers aren't noticing it. Many times I've left a post that I thought would generate a lot of comments, that had no responses. But later, I would discover that bloggers had been linking to the post, and that it was popular on bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us. Maybe it's a case of making your point so well in your post that the reader thinks 'Yep, I can't add anything to that', so they don't, but instead they'll link to it on their blog, or email the link to others.

And David, Seth is exactly right, growing a blog takes time. Good content and being a dutiful community member by interacting with other bloggers in their space, leads to a successful blog. You're well on your way from what I can tell, and bloggers such as CK and Seth are great role models!

Mack,

More good points. I have just this weekend begun paying attention to del.icio.us.

Lewis thanks so much for the kind words, so very gracious of you :-). But I tell you there are many here and elsewhere that yield many comments. I agree with Mack that it's not the amount of comments that is indicative of whether or not a story holds readers' attention; though they sure are nice to get.

Sometimes the post answers the underlying question or, like Mack said, readers will link to the story and extrapolate on it in their own posts. It's also helpful, as Mack pointed out, when one presents both sides of an issue...like Ann did last week with the (Red) vs. (Less) debate. I think style plays a part but so many times it's the subject matter. Most surprising when you write a post that you'll think will hit big and it doesn't...only to write one that does when you thought it was just so-so. Blogging can be a mystery like that. Blog on, brother ;-).

Thanks CK. You are probably correct, but I cannot leave mysteries unsolved. It is not in my nature.

Lewis, you certainly generated a great discussion on this topic and it leaves me with a new question about how the technology could better integrate with the content to rev up even more meaningful interaction?

If tone is the body language of great exchanges online -- your own tone should continue to rev up your numbers. Thanks for the refreshing look at a terrific topic here.

Lewis - Wonderful post that is a great spin off for a conversation. I agree with so many of the comments, here's one more thought. It seems 'from the heart' posts, even if they are about business issues tend to resonate with many people.
Mack - thanks for your kind words.

Lewis,

The answer is very clear to me. CK is cuter than you are! :)

Seriously -- I have pondered this question many times. I don't know about you -- but the posts that I think will inspire incredible comment volume go dry and the posts that I don't expect anyone to notice gets lots of feedback.

I think all the comments already made are valid ones. Look at this thread -- you asked a question. You didn't really present your opinion. And you generated a lot of comments.

Could it be that when we position our posts to be about our readers and their thoughts rather than ourselves, we generate more interest and dialogue? Dang...that sounds like the lecture I gave a client the other day...

Drew

Hi Lewis, as Drew says, you opened yourself to readers because you asked a good question that involved us. And we have the sense you genuinely want to hear. Not all our blogs are like that, however, since we want to give something to readers and that's why they come to read our blogs.

Here's the secret and it comes from the very person who led me to your blog through her link today, Dr. Ellen Weber at Brain Based Business.

Ellen has an amzing approach to the problem you mention, Lewis. Do search her blog for "two-footed question." She developed two footed questions to engage unmotivated participants in learning settings. A two-footed question links the readers' interest to your content. So when you ask a question, check to see if it has one foot or two. You'll find more details in "MI Strategies in the Classroom and Beyond" her 2005 book published with Pearson Publishers.

And don't miss her blog, "Lectures work against the Brain."

Drew,
I think you are right twice:
1) think all the comments already made are valid ones. Look at this thread -- you asked a question. You didn't really present your opinion. And you generated a lot of comments.
2) CK is lots cuter than I.

Toby and Ellen,
Tone and objectivity do seem to matter. Thank you for your feedback.

Robyn,

Thank you so much for the information. And, I agree, lectures do work against the brain. But for the lecturer, they can be so much fun. Ah, how we love to fool ourselves.

Cool research will support you on that one, Lewis, to show why lecturers love lectures and why listeners hate 'em:-)

http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/10/lectures_work_against_the_brai.html

Must be a great post - because I am still thinking about it - and about the mind-bending ideas here that often get taken for granted.

For instance, I am really one who cares far less about numbers than about the kind of community that shows up and jumps in. Take this line-up say - and you get a ton of insights to step to, and good writers to boot. My site gets about 500 hits a day for which I am humbled (even though others get lots more). Nevertheless - the people I have come to know and exchange ideas with in the blogoshere make this work worth it and more!

Guess we are mostly saying the same thing - because when a person takes time to drop by and say a few few - it makes my day. They are also the blogs I get back to faster and join into their community more. Just another two - bits your post prompted. Thanks Lewis and all!

Lewis:

You want to grow your brand through the blog -- so you acquire customers? Who are your customers? What do you want them to do next? Do peers enter that strategy? Where do they fit? As possible partners/referrals? We often mix things up and want one medium to do too many things for us.

The secret to CK's success is her ability to project openness -- as in kindness, availability to help, and ability to think "with" you. That makes me, the reader, comfortable entering a comment. When I'm a guest at CK's blog it is very clear to me what she does and what the conversation is about.

Toby is amazing at communicating responsiveness. As in "we're in this together". Her content matches her promise.

I haven't met any of you in person and I can say for sure that there are verbal and visual clues to behavior and those exist in our blogs as well.

How do *you* invite readers to jump from the fence and enter the conversation with you? As with every integrated approach, it's probably never one thing. But the first thing you need to decide is who you're after and what you want them to do.

Ellen,
Thank you for returning and adding more thoughts. Great contribution to the conversation.

Greetings Lewis,

I truly believe the questions you ask can be taken from a range of perspectives simultaneously, but motives play a big part.

The big one item for me, though, is that silence is relative: it may mean that you're actually answering more questions than raising. If this is true, is there a need to seek "closure" some how relative to the information presented, or is there joy simply knowing that this is a significant source of information for folks, around which a large and growing community of professionals rely, refer, and feel they have to be "in the know" in order to be legitimate, connected, and effective? Strictly rhetorical, of course...

Is the real issue that the things you're seeking to know better, in other words, have more bearing on you-- content producer-- than your immediate readership (or other audiences you might not realize), because it's ambiguous (e.g. what the reader wants, or how they're using it, etc.)?

If you wish more interaction, you may wish to adjust style such that you're presenting enough "context" but not all the answers-- enough space to ensure that. But who's to say that's what's actually *needed*?

Other interesting observation: where there's more peer interaction and less of a "classroom" style, civil and formal(read "stiff") don't have to stand synonmous with the other. The range of content can be more expansive.

Having the "host"/editor/moderator infuse their natural style and personality (read participating) vs. interjecting their opinion so heavily seems to make a difference if it's a professional-oriented space. If it's rant-oriented area, eh, everyone loves to rubberneck at a train wreck/slow meltdown, no? Who would have room to participate anyway?

[Simply a comment from a longtime reader, first time responder...]

Thanks Valeria. Growing brand may result in growing customers but I don't anticipate doing that directly through a blog. The purpose of my blog is to grow relationships, to share and to learn, which will grow the brand, which can lead to referrals, leads and partnerships.

I agree that we can tell a lot about others through their blog voice. I also believe that we should not change who we are to grow a business, as being something we are not or establishing a tone that isn't true will ultimately hurt or brand more than help it, even if being ourselves (authenticity) means fewer readers.

To pick up on Valeria's and lewis' interesting comments, I think we do and should change who we are daily - impacted by others and by ideas.

I agree that the purpose of any blog is to grow relationships, to share and to learn, and in ways that grow the brand, yet the kind of partnerships people look for are those that partnerships genuinely share a blog voice. We have to step out of comfort zones to visit one another's site - but when we do we leave a mark there and take away parts that change us.

I also believe that we should change who we are as leaders in business, and that a genuine tone can us to become more authentically ourselves because we have gone past our comfort zones to meet readers where they are.

Did you know the opposite of change is called Hebbian learner? And it actually shrinks the brain they have discovered - I digress. Great site!

The aim of a blog/website is to satisfy needs.

If you meet the user's need, it is irrelevant if you get comments.

If the content meets the demand of the user, there will be viral marketing and links.

That is how successful companies started. By meeting a need.

E.g. Google, Apple