This morning while I sit and wait for the frost to burn off, I thought I’d answer a few questions about…
Garden blogging!
I’m waiting for the frost to burn off so I can mow the lawn one last time this season. Winter seems to have come on quite suddenly here in the midwest and points north, and so I’ve not been able to finish my fall clean up in the garden. But today promises temperatures in the mid 40’s. That’s perfect, or as perfect as we can expect, for garden clean up this year.
But back to garden blogging…
Jan from Thanks For 2 Day recently left a comment about what to do to respond to comments on your blog and how do you remember to go back to a blog to see if the blogger responded to your comment, anyway.
There are several options for comments and commenting, and no one best way.
You can read and enjoy comments left on your blog and do nothing more. Or you can read and enjoy them and then visit the blog of the person who left them and leave a comment on their blog. Everyone loves comments!
Or you can comment back on the same post with a response. If you regularly do this, then people might figure it out and get in the habit of going back and looking for the response. Might.
If it is a Blogger blog, you can subsribe to follow up comments and get an email for new comments, even if it isn’t your blog. Then you would find out through an email if the blogger left you a response. But this can result in a lot of email if it is a post that is generating a lot of comments.
I used to try to answer individual comments in response to comments, but lately, I’m doing good to leave a comment at some point to address all the comments collectively. Now I’m leaning more toward visiting the blogs of those who comment to see what they’ve got going on and commenting there.
The other option, if you know the person who left the comment, is to email them back, which I’ve also done.
Now, there, doesn’t that help clarify options on comments? What’s your preference?
Speaking of comments, I got a comment from Kim/Blackswamp Girl at A Study In Contrast suggesting that I try Mister Linky for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Great idea! I’ve thought about doing it before but just needed that little push. Thanks, Kim.
But let’s try it before the big day! I’ve installed a Mister Linky below so you can enter your name and blog url, and it will include you in a nice link list to whatever you have on your blog right now.
Let me know via comments how you like it.
Speaking of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, I would like to thank everyone who posted about their blooms for November. There were a little over 90 bloggers who participated, that I know of, and for the first time, I wasn’t able to visit all of them. I am hoping the link list will make it easier for me to do so in December.
Speaking of December Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, Elizabeth at Gardening While Intoxicated suggested that we encourage those who live in the temperate zones to also show all the plants they have growing inside in December. Great idea! So, if you have foliage plants, plants you are trying to overwinter indoors, or plants you bought just to have something blooming, we’d love to see them on December 15th!
So here’s the Mister Linky to try…
(Per Annie in Austin, if you don’t see it and you are using Firefox, the browser may be blocking it… If you allow blenza.com via the options, the form should appear.)
Trying Mr. Linky!
I'm testing Mr. Linky, too. Here's to a long & happy relationship with him for all of us!
I did Mr. Linky too. I like what you wrote about blogging. There is no way I would be able to visit 90 people. I can barely do 25. Love ya.~~Dee
Never even heard of Mr. Linky so I am glad you are helping me move forward. For the first time in years our pond is not going to get its fall cleaning because of the cold weather. We always wait til the leaves fall. This years temps went south along with the leaves and the pond froze early. One last mow might be a possibility today.
That was a great suggestion using Mr Linky, I know Jean over at MsGreenThumbs uses it for Bloomin Tuesday. Should make GBBD a piece of cake from here on out!
Good luck with your last mow of the season today, Carol – at least you’ll be pushing a mower and not a snow shovel.
I’d never heard of Mr Linky either, and saw only a blank space after your statement
“So here’s the Mister Linky to try..”
Then I realized I was using Firefox and the browser was blocking it…after allowing blenza.com via the options, the form appeared.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Looks like a perfect feature for Bloom Day!
I always wonder if people are coming back to see my responses to their comments. I usually answer in the comments since there may be information of interest to others.
Anyway, have fun with Mr. Linky!
Carol, I tried Mr. Linky also. About comments. I always try to answer each comment on my posts and in some cases also go to the cppmenters blog-especially if it’s someone new. I don’t always expect an answer back if I’ve left a comment on someone else’s, but do think if I have asked a specific question it is only polite to answer it.
I’ve done Mr. Linky on somebody’s blog before, it might have been Wildflowers in Winter. It’s a good thing. I try to hit as many of the Bloom Day posts as I can, getting them from your commenters.
I do try to go back to check the comments on a blog where I have commented. Sometimes the comments take on a life of their own, and sometimes the blogger has asked me a question in response to my comment. I had tried to subscribe to comments, but it got to be too much in the in-box.
I’ve used Mr. Linky on other blogs and it seems to work out great.
As for GBBD, I think I’ll need to add an extra letter next month … GBNBD the N standing for Non!!!
I put my name on Mr Linky. I have used it on other blogs too it is great to be able to go through and see everyones post. You are not as apt to miss it on Mr Linky.
I must say on comments I usually just answer direct questions, unless I have lots time and energy to comment back. I like to visit all my commenters.
I go back an forth on responding to every comment on my blog. I try to, but I don’t always have the time.
As to going back and looking for responses to my comments, I often do. It really depends. Certain blogs I follow, I know if the blogger will respond or not. If I know they will, I almost always go back. Again life gets in the way sometimes.
Nice post Carol, the whole replying to comment thing is a minefield – and I do it differently all the time, but I do try and visit commentators blogs to leave comments if I am not replying to comments. Umm that was long winded, and dont think it even came out right.
Mr Linkey is a good idea.
K
Hi Carol, I signed up but don’t know what to do now?
I do try and answer every comment and then go visit the visitor’s post and leave a coment on their most recent post. It is very time consuming but very rewarding. I am getting to read more posts than I would normally, just a little later sometimes.
Frances
Carol, I think Mr. Linky is a great idea! I participate occasionally in a UK meme called ABC Wednesdays, and Denise uses Mr. Linky for that. It makes it easier, too, for us to check out all the GBBD participants.
As for comments, I usually try to respond to all my comments and also to visit their blogs. But then I don’t post every day, so that makes it a little easier. Sometimes if I have a question I’ll go back to see the reply to my comment, too. Some days I spend WAY too much time blogging:)
I try to visit the person’s blog when they leave a comment. It is indeed always nice to get a comment.
I don’t know how you manage 90!
What a very good idea. I am going to try it out too.
Carol, Tried Mr Linky and he works nicely… gail
I’m signing up for Mr Linky too…altho I’m not sure what it is! Guess I’ll go back and figure it out…
Hi Carol,
Thank you so very much for answering my question through this most interesting post!! I had been wondering whether I would get a response! It’s only because I’m ‘new’ that I am ‘looking’ for the answer to this (and it looks like there is no ONE answer)…I just wanted to know if there was something I should be doing differently. Yes, I see how it can be difficult to visit everyone and especially when YOU, Carol, are the one trying to do the visiting!!! Thanks for giving me (and everyone) good info. on this issue. I wanted to understand proper garden-blogging etiquette!!! Take care!
Hi Carol, I’m trying Mr. Linky too.
We did (I hope) our last mowing, trimming, and leaf clean-up for the year yesterday. The Lawn Man did the lawn and bagged the leaves, which I’ll be dumping in the garden, in the swale way in the back of our yard, and even further back behind the cornelian cherry dogwoods. This year I made sure no leaves left our yard in the yard waste truck. It only took four years to convince the Lawn Man to let me use them as mulch, but now he’s sold on the idea.
Added my name to the GBBD Mr. Linky site. Good Idea.
Jan
Always Growing
I’ve added myself to Mr. Linky. Thanks for this new feature, Carol.
I use Firefox, but the Mr. Linky form was visible anyway. Whatever Mr. Linky is.
Per Elizabeth’s suggestion, here in Austin’s temperate zone I have not a single houseplant to show for next Bloom Day. All my plants are outdoors. Sorry, Charlie!
Thanks, Carol! Looking forward to seeing how this Mr. Linky thing works.
Hi Carol!
Mr. Linky sounds intriguing… I’ll read about it.
Your post is so timely – my shoulders drooped when I read it. I’m in a frazzled state most of the time – if I have 30-40 comments, how in the world can I respond other than reading a commenter’s blog? I don’t think most bloggers come back to the comment section to read the writers’ response.
It used to be so easy when I had a few commenters… It has come to this: either I post three times a week like I do now and struggle to respond to a few blogs, or post only once a week and respond to comments by reading 30-40 blogs after each post. AAAAAAAACK!
Thanks for the tips. I need them.
Mary
Speaking of blogs and comments, I am going to have to come back later or tomorrow to read the whole thing and comments carefully. I posted a similar question as Jan’s somewhere, and at first, I thought you had quoted the wrong person. LOL
On Nov. GBBD, I went to most of those who left comments to see theirs, and left comments, but don’t remember if I told them thanks for their comments or answered any questions. I’m still trying to figure out what to do about that.
Now, I need to go sit down, because I am sick, not focussing well, and need to sit down and rest!
My comment about comments is that I gave Mr. Linky my information. Thanks for striving to improve an already wonderful thing.
Mr. Linky looks like a great idea.
Thanks for the post, Carol. It’s good to know what other bloggers do.
I try to answer most comments.
I always check the commenters blog. I can’t help myself. I love to busy-body into another garden(blog). I usually leave a comment. It’s a great way to meet other garden bloggers.
Hi! I slept from 8:30 p.m. to 6:15 a.m. I hope to be on the mend today, but feel like I could sleep some more. This morning, I found what I had written that I was referring to last night, because I had a new comment on my first SkyWatch post. I copied and pasted what I had written.
I was thinking about doing a poll, asking whether people go back to see if the person they left the comment to replied, or if they subscribe to the follow-ups. Carol, if you’re interested in doing that, you would get more response than I would, probably. I think I’ve said something similar to this in other comments, too, but this is the one I found:
Sue said…
Hi Fellow Bloggers,
It was fun to wake up this morning and see I had comments. I went to each of your blogs and left comments there, because I’m not clear about whether people actually subscribe to the comments to see if the original poster replied to their comments, or check back, which I highly doubt. So far, I usually subscribe to the comments and do read to see if the original blogger replied to my comment and then unsubscribe. However, they never know whether I read their reply to my comment. I’m not sure if anyone has read this or was able to follow it, but I’m tempted to write something along these lines in a new post. LOL
Anyway, I appreciate your visiting my blog and commenting! Thanks!
November 22, 2008 8:10 AM
Mr. Linky is great! I love it.
Oh lord, another blogging gadget. I am not even up to speed or using all that is available now. Bad blogger, me.
Carol next you will need to do a post on gadget options like this comment options post.
My house plants are embarrassing. I never had this kind of trouble when I was younger. I think it’s this new fangled energy efficient glass blocking the good rays.
I am very excited to read your gardening blog! I just wrote my first post about my garden.
Thanks for your awesome blog- I know I will learn so much!!!!
-Amy
I find myself in the same dilemma – the garden blogging world has just exploded in the last year or so and I have a huge case of the guilts about not commenting or reading not only newer blogs, but those that I have enjoyed since I first started blogging. And blogging shouldn’t produce guilt! But I do enjoy reading and commenting, so I think I’ll have to just learn to live with that guilt. LOL.
This Mr. Linky stuff – I remember another blogger using this for their wildflower project. Pretty cool!
Hiya Carol,
This url posting always makes me terribly nervous, for I know I am going to do it wrong at least once 🙂
Thanks for easing us into this so patiently.