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Sometimes, I think it is acceptable to write a short comment saying "Nice post!"... if that is how you really feel.So when is it not such a good idea to say "Nice post"?
Your first comment makes a first impression.
Don't be scared to comment on blogs for the first time, but make sure you do it right. If your first comment on a high-traffic blog is "Nice post!", people won't read your comment and think "hey, what an insightful reply, I might check out their blog".
Best case, you'll be ignored. Worst case, you'll be seen as someone who only commented to get your name on a high-traffic blog.
It's even worse if your first comment is also your only comment. Don't do it to yourself. Think before you comment - very few blogs let you edit your comment once it's posted. Even if you ask the blogger to remove your comment, people will have already seen it by the time it gets removed.
Did the blogger ask questions?
Or to be a bit more obvious - did you read the post?! If you leave a comment saying "Nice post!" and the blogger asked a bunch of questions to try and stimulate a bit of a discussion, it just looks like you didn't bother reading the post fully. It's especially bad if you do this on a high-traffic blog and it's the very first comment posted on an entry.
To be fair, not everyone answers the questions posed by the blogger. However, if the entire post is a "sitting on the fence" post and the blogger didn't actually draw a conclusion, but wanted people to comment with their thoughts... saying "Nice post!" is just a waste of time.
Do you really think it's a nice post?
Just nice? Not boring or outstanding? Nice? It's a bit of a "blah" word if you ask me. It's nice to hear... oops, now I'm saying it... but it's not very helpful.
What if you disagree with the post? What if the whole point of your blog is fundamentally against what the blogger is writing about? Do you say "nice post" anyway and include a link to your blog for good measure? That's taking it to the extreme, but if you're not prepared to challenge the blogger's views when you actually disagree with them, at least show why you agree with some of their points.
Some posts are fair game for a "nice post" comment.
Short posts, humour, great photos, competitions... in fact, there are lots of examples where you really don't need to add a particularly detailed comment. But then why comment?
It is good to see that people have read a blog entry, but I don't like seeing a huge list of comments where most people are just posting to get their name on there, or to get the most comments.
What do you think? And who's going to be the first person to reply with "nice post"? (Honestly, I am not talking about the comments here... I get some great comments.)
Tags: nice post, short comments, first comment, first impressions
Posted by Ben on December 18, 2007 21:09 / Edited: December 24, 2007 18:45
Comments
Well someone had to do it!
Someone already beat me to the "Nice Post" so let me say instead sometimes it seems like all you really want to say is "Nice Post" since that conveys your meaning. Especially if you don't really have anything of value to add to the discussion but want them to know you read the post.
Thanks for the comment. :) As I said, sometimes I think it is acceptable to do this. You mentioned some good reasons, and I don't disagree. There are plenty of posts that don't need much of a comment, such as my RSS tutorial.
But it's disappointing if a blog entry raises lots of good questions and the comments only say "nice post". It makes me wonder if the people commenting actually read the post.
As you said, "nice post" is OK on posts that don't require feedback. Either way, I always try and make my comments thoughtful - even if I start off with "Nice post".
It's usually "Nice post - but" or "Nice post - and" for me :)
~ Wogan
Thanks for the comment Wogan. In my opinion, thoughtful comments are always good. :)
Your post... it is quite nice. ;)