Blogging Courtesies: Questions, Comments, and Credit

Just a quick note: I've added a poll to the top of my sidebar to see what you would most like to see on the blog next. I find it easier to blog in bunches as I can bounce off of the previous post. The topics were drawn from a quick scan of my photos. If there's something you'd like but don't see on the list, just drop a note. I might have it somewhere in my queue. Please vote just once. You can click on more than one topic. I make no promises that I'll actually post in the order of what is most popular, but I might be persuaded to do so if there's enough interest.

The navigation bar has been moved to below my Foodbuzz ad until the poll closes at the end of the week.



Thank you cards, from the last time I was annoyed with the "internets."

I know I've said it before, but I just want to reiterate that my archives have recipes and restaurants subdivided by categories. Other topics are all sorted as well. Or you can use my searchbar. Or click on any of the tags.

Recently, I've been getting more and more emails from people who don't bother to do any of the above. What seems like a quick email that you shoot off to ask me something still takes time out of my day to answer. While I like hearing from all of you, it's frustrating to be continually hit with questions that can easily be answered if you either A) Googled B) Used my searchbar or C) Clicked on my archives. Multiply that by several emails every day, or questions in comments. Add in the amount of time it takes to sort through my photos, upload them to Flickr, watermark them to prevent sploggers from stealing my content, all before I even get to blogging. After I post, I still have to answer comments and sort the new post into its appropriate category and subcategory so you can find it more easily. So please use the archives, they took hours upon hours over the course of months for me to create, organize, and maintain.

I understand sometimes you want my opinion on a subject, but my entire blog is my opinion. If it's something that I've already written about before, the information is available on my blog if you simply typed in what you're searching for into the searchbar or clicked around my archives. If you're too lazy to do either, or too lazy to read through the entire post when the information is already there in that post, then why should I help you? I think it's completely discourteous when I receive an email from someone who blatantly says they haven't looked through my blog but do I have the answer to such-and-such? What happened to "hellos" and "thank yous" when you email someone to ask a question? Gimme information now! Don't want to bother with being pleasant? I won't bother replying. If you asked me a question in a comment, wait for me to reply first. Do not then immediately email me demanding the same information. I am not at your beck and call. And certainly not when you approached it so rudely.

I've tried to be nice about all this, but it's getting harder and harder to do so.

Why?

Because it's not my blogging buddies or regular commenters who are usually at fault. It's the lurker, or drive-by commenter, or random person who stumbles upon my blog. I realize this post will most likely fall upon deaf ears, or rather blind eyes I should say, because those are the people who don't actually see me as a person. Those are the people who, even if I do reply, don't bother thanking me either.

I know there aren't hard and fast rules for blogging, but maybe there should be. Or at least a code of conduct. At the minimum, can I at least ask for courtesy?

I'm not saying you have to do what I do, but this is how I chose to conduct myself online as a reader, commenter, and blogger.

As a reader:

If I genuinely enjoy a blog and find myself reading it on a regular basis, I delurk to comment and let the blogger know I appreciate them. I tend not to comment as much on blogs that get a lot of comments, but it sure beats being a creepy lurker. And if I come across something useful or interesting, I tell them so. I don't know how many times I've followed my stats to multiple discussion boards or forums or blogs. A tiny, tiny percentage actually bothered to comment or thank me even though they used the information I provided, made my recipe, or visited a restaurant because they discovered it through my blog.

As a commenter:

I make it a point to actually read the post before I leave a comment. Shocking isn't it? Some people only look at photos and then leave a comment in order to leave a comment. It's glaringly obvious because they'll leave a comment that's completely the opposite of what I was actually saying in the post.

Don't be a comment whore. "That looks tasty." "That looks great." "I want to try this." If you say that each and every time and nothing else (Repeatedly!), I know you are not really reading my blog. I view those types of comments as thinly veiled attempts to sell your blog and get me to visit. I won't.

Also, don't leave signature links to your blog at the bottom of your comment. Your name already links back to your blog. The links are just viewed as another attempt at selling your blog. It's not just I who feel this way, look at "Is it OK to Leave Links in Comments?," "SEO and Link Building Via Comments," and "How NOT to Leave Blog Comments." In some cases, the more popular blogs automatically delete all comments that include links. In other words, including a signature link to your blog means your blog is considered Spam. Don't be Spam. If I like the comment, or it interests me, I'll click and visit. Sometimes it takes time or repeated comments before I get around to it, but I do try to visit each person who left a comment. If I didn't, I didn't mean to, but it probably slipped my mind.

While I certainly like receiving compliments as much as the next person, I appreciate them much more when the comment has value. I most enjoy conversation-like comments that allow me to get to know my blog buddies and readers. I also don't leave as many complimentary comments for this reason. If I'm commenting, it's because I enjoyed the post and like you and/or your blog. Do you really need constant compliments? If so, and you're only interested in getting a lot of complimentary comments, well, then I don't know what to say about that.

As a blogger:

While I can usually cook from taste and keep recipes in my head, I don't know everything. I know! Hard to believe, right? If I used someone's information, I link back. If I used or adapted a recipe, I link back. If I discovered a restaurant, I link back. And I don't do it half-assed by simply saying I got it from "here." I type out the complete name and link back to the appropriate page. That's the bare minimum. I also try and qualify the link. Afterall, if I'm linking to it, there must have been a reason why.

I rarely follow someone else's recipe completely. If I did or do, I'd rather direct people to the appropriate blog instead of republishing it on mine. Even a simple recipe post takes a fair amount of work. I hate it when I see my recipe printed verbatim on someone else's blog, even if they give me credit. It takes time for me to write directions that I hope you can follow. It takes many photographs to come up with a few usable ones. And then of course, again the editing, uploading, writing, etc. I would never cut and paste. I feel that doesn't give the person proper credit. So if I used something in its entirety, far better to direct people to the source. If I adapted something, I write it in my own words.

On linking forward, I tend to be more judicious than other bloggers. I don't provide a whole mess of links of everyone who made the same recipe. I usually link to people who have linked to me, or if I thought the information was useful. I also try to remember if any of the blogs I read posted about the same thing and link to them too.

This step isn't really an expectation, but more what I do as a courtesy gesture. If I have time, when a blogging friend posts about something that I've already posted about, I sometimes go back and include their links in my previous post. If someone makes my recipe, I try to include appropriate links as well.

What do you think? Am I asking for too much? What do you do as a reader and/or blogger? Does anyone else have these problems and frustrations?

I just wanted to add, this wasn't a call specifically for people to delurk. My blog is public. Blogging by it's nature is personal for many people. Bloggers are sharing a part of their passion and lives with others. Most of us do not make a living from blogging. I do not consider it the same as reading something you liked in a newspaper or a book. Journalists and authors are paid for that. Most bloggers are not. That's why I said that for the blogs that I truly enjoy, that I read on a regular basis, I do make it a point to tell the blogger I appreciate what they're doing. That's my personal choice. I am not asking for you to compliment me if you like my blog.

What I am saying though is that I know there are people who read my blog on a regular basis, who use my information, who link to it on various forums, and who have yet to ever once comment to even say thank you. Also, it's not just specific to me, but it is "creepy" if you read my blog, never ever comment, and then out-of-the-blue and in complete seriousness ask if you can come over for dinner. Or when you insist I reveal my name to you when I've stated why I prefer not to. I don't know who you are at all, and that is what makes you a "creepy lurker."

*****
1 year ago today, Cherry Lattice-Crust Pie.