Looking for answers about proper website/blog visitor etiquette.
There are some questions that seem to have no definitive answers bouncing around in my head. Ads, comments & social bookmarking, these are all things that website owners hope & wish that the visitors to their sites will click on or participate in. Lets discuss each of these three items and see if you can help answer some questions I & perhaps yourself have.
Ads
Do you click on ads when you like someone’s website? Is it inappropriate to click on an ad if you enjoy a site knowing it will just send two cents or a dollar into the owners ad account(s)? Are we as visitors adverse to doing this or do people just not know that it helps contribute to the designer of said site?
I know that there are many sites I have enjoyed over the years and on some I have never clicked on an ad. As I look back I wonder would it have been so bad to click an ad or two to show my appreciation. Lately I have been clicking on an ad if I actually enjoy someone’s site. In some cases I will even click an ad if the article I am reading just captures my attention so that I read it to the end.
Think of clicking on ad as paying for a newspaper or local news rag. The small amount that the owner receives should entice them to create more & more enjoyable content. Maybe in this way we can reward those who deserve it for their contribution. Perhaps by clicking on a skyscraper ad versus a smaller ad depending upon our enjoyment of the site or content would make us a true connoisseur of the content.
Comments
While I have less thoughts on this subject, more of a piece of advice really, here’s one question. Is it proper etiquette to leave a comment about an article if you enjoyed it? Have we as visitors really gotten to the point where we move too fast that this one minute would slow us down? I am myself also guilty of not leaving comments but am really putting forth an effort to do so lately.
My piece of advice is actually common sense but there are still some people out there, blog owners mostly, that do not have captcha or do not moderate the comments posted on their sites/blogs. This allows spam of the highest proportion to flood their blogs. Have you that moderate your sites comments seen some of the stuff that spammers try to get thru? I have seen comments that are like whole entire miniature websites of links try to get posted on this site.
Moderate your comments!
Social Bookmarking
With the advent of social bookmarking like Digg, StumbleUpon, Buzz & Technorati among others a whole new way of grading or reviewing websites & articles has opened up. Websites and blogs can now be graded by visitors Digging or Stumbling your content, this can either bring you yet more visitors if your content appeals to the masses or just leave you stuck on the sidelines if graded poorly.
My question is do you actually take the few seconds to socially bookmark a site or article? Clicking an ad would be more my style as it just seems quicker to me, I am lazy, but I am getting in the habit of socially bookmarking more & more. When an article of mine gets Dugg or Stumbled it brings in more & more traffic making me feel liking writing more often.
There is nothing more rewarding than going from 50 -60 visitors a day to 200-300 for a webmaster. To reach the front page of Digg or any of the other social bookmarking front runners out there is the pinnacle of achievement for a writer. While I have yet to obtain this lofty status I can aspire to one day climb that summit.
Afterword
I hope to receive some answers to my questions knowing that some of you out there have answers of your own. Clicking on an ad, making a comment or socially bookmarking will not hurt you in any way, shape or form. In fact it might make you start to reward those who do well in their endeavors. Some of you can explain if you feel that my opinions could be considered proper website or blog visitor etiquette.
Fel Temp Repartio,
Scott
Comments (8)
Regarding comments: Yes. Leaving a comment is probably the best way to encourage good blogging. Blogging in itself is a social function. Comments and links, too – are the currency of the blogging culture. While hits are nice, it’s the feedback we receive that prompts us to continue and to strive for excellent posting. Everything else seems secondary to me.
on Social Bookmark: If the user place the social bookmark link in an accessible spot, i usually click on it. I stumble all those articles I like. Sometimes it is hard to have good etiquette since everyone is so busy.
Interesting post. The funny thing abut the adverts is that I NEVER EVER click on them. I guess I just tune out the banner shaped boxes and barely notice them. I even had to page back up to the top of the article to realise that you were showing adverts.
Do I comment? I suspect you’re going to get a self-selecting sample with that question
but I very rarely do, unless I feel I have a unique contribution (i.e. something that adds to or complements the article that no other commenter has mentioned). I don’t often think about stroking the ego of the author, but maybe I should do this more often. I’m sure the occasional “Well written” wouldn’t go amiss. BTW: thank you for the thought provoking article!
If I come across a site or article I enjoy I do always click my stumbleupon thumbs up.
Regards,
Dave Mac
I see the comments as the essential part of blogging. They witness the reality of our being in a hug: the comment testify to us we were talking not with the wall and so they are the main reward for the sharing of our heart.
I feel myself even sick if I leave the article without response. That’s like moving by in silence while hearing the welcome.
I try to answer to all comments I am receiving, Yet I am used to leave my replies not below comments I got, but on the blogs of my correspondents-under their own posts.
… unfortunately, my mailing list isn’t long. While talking about the peace and global love we face the growth of alienation between people.
I don’t know is it possible to change anything here, but I know for sure that such reality impacts on me-tests me and my faithfulness. So the comments I leave obtains one more meaning to me- they symbolizes my victories over self- the resistance to act as it is common in my sick environment who rejoice over the material things.
I would like to invite you to look at my pictures. Just click on
http://candleday.wordpress.com/
and my reply will sound clearer than (I am writing with dictionary in hand – in language I didn’t hear on my daily walk – so please excuse me for my grammar mistakes)
Here are my personal thoughts – if I really, really enjoy the post then yes, I will click on ads – especially if the topic intrigues me and the ads are relevant to learning more about the subject. Even if I don’t particularly have an interest in what the post is, I do still glance at the ads just to see what’s there and I’ll click if something catches my eye.
Comments – I ALWAYS leave a comment if I enjoyed what I read or if I just have something to say about it or to add to the conversation. My problem with comments is when I add in my website or URL. I own about 150 different pages, but sometimes none of my stuff relates to the post. I try to leave a link that would be appropriate or relevant to the post, but it’s not always possible. If that is the case, then I’ll probably just leave one of my profile links but sometimes I’m afraid that the blogger might think I’m ONLY commenting for the backlink, KWIM?
If something is good, I always hit the SU thumbs up. If it’s new, I’ll review it (or if It’s REALLY good and already discovered, I’ll still leave a review). Sometimes I’ll dig it or buzz it if a button is there. I’ve e-mailed some if I know someone who would like it and I’ve grabbed RSS feeds.
I never before thought about clicking and ad, but it makes sense really. I often comment as I don’t shut up anyway, and am just getting into the social bookmarking thing. In fact, I shall stumble this now.
I don’t click on ads, I just watch them. lol. But I do leave sensible comments because I know it will bring smile to a blogger/webmaster.
Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!