Open e-mail
Click!
Check today’s list
Click!
Who’s on the list?
Shrug!
Pick one
Click!
What’s it about?
Shrug!
Where’s the like button?
Click!
The twitter share?
There! Click!
Did I put my #HASHTAG?
Oops!
Click again!
Yaay! One down, Nine to go
Hey, what about that comment?
Oh yeah, that’s there right?
Click!
Comment box, and type
one of the below
Great post!
Loved it!
Awesome post!
Nicely done!
Post comment!
Yaay! job done, I’m outta here
More useless blogs to visit
Sigh!
Rinse! Repeat!!
This might sound very bitter, but hey I need to unload something off my chest. I took part in #MyFriendAlexa not only to improve my Alexa rating, but in the hope that my writing would reach more readers. That is the dream, isn’t it?
My first post got nearly 150 comments, an all time high. But, I was not anticipating the deluge of completely insincere comments like the ones listed in the rant above. I know this is a long and arduous campaign, and I know no two bloggers are alike. I might write just for the pleasure of writing, but for some, their blogs might be the sources of income. So, trust me when I say this, I’m comfortable with the fact that you are on the lookout to just improve the traffic to your blog and the other plethora of metrics which might earn you a buck or two extra.
But, what annoys the crap out of me is someone pretending to read my posts and then having the temerity to post a insincere comment. For you, this might just be a bloody chore. Not for me, my dear blogger friend. Do you know how much time I dedicated to write a story for this campaign? How much time did I spend proof- reading, editing, changing certain things etc? And then, you decide to leave a comment like ‘Great Post.’
This is nothing but purely insulting me and my writing. Not just me alone, there are many of my blogger friends who take their precious time to read and leave fantastic comments on my posts. Your two-word insincerity laced comments are a slap in their faces as well.
If you are not interested in spending 2-3 minutes reading, and a minute commenting on my story, then PLEASE DON’T COMMENT. I BEG OF YOU! Just share the link of my blog post through Twitter and be done with it. Your job is done.
My good friends at Blogchatter, while preparing the defaulters list for week 2 please make sure that you don’t take into account of the number of comments on my blog. I’d rather prefer not receiving these lip-service comments.
This post is not intended to hurt anyone. As I stated, I understand. Maybe, what I write is not something you guys even read or enjoy. Maybe, you have a ton of work each working day. Maybe, your blog and your brand is all that matters to you. Perfectly logical and completely acceptable.
Just don’t annoy me with your comments.
Thank you
Ps: I assure you that I will not leave these sorta insincere comments on your blog. 🙂
I’m taking my Alexa rank to the next level with blogchatter.
L.E.R.T 
I so much agree with this.
LikeLike
So very true! There’s nothing more insulting than when someone posts a totally irrelevant comment or a generic two word one. The amount of effort that we put into each post makes us expect some level of commitment from your readers, especially from the ones that tend to leave a comment. But hey, on the bright side, I’m willing to bet that this post of yours received just the “sincere” comments! 😉 😀
LikeLike
Though this may be about the Alexa challenge (I don’t know much about it, as I am not participating), there are many bloggers out there who just want an increase in the traffic to their blog and go about pressing the follow button indiscriminately. If you don’t follow back, they never show up.
Write what you enjoy writing about and ignore insincere comments. Those who write for the love of writing, will be here for the long haul and the rest will disappear.
LikeLike
I got a few like this where people left comments like great detective etc for Ambu mami. It’s clear they just skimmed the title and went on to write comments.
LikeLike
First time I am reading a post/blog where the actual feel of a writer is poured into.. hats off to you for your boldness for the attempt of bringing the broad picture of a blogger who spends quite lot of his/her valuable time in penning down the thoughts.. waiting for your next posts.. 😊😊👍
LikeLike
I’m glad you wrote this, Varad. It applies all year around, but even more so during a challenge. When blogging becomes about the numbers (not dissing any challenge, just the bloggers), then we lose all perspective. We forget there’s another human being waiting to hear our views on the post s/he has slaved over. I’d rather someone leave a negative comment or no comment at all than dish out an inane comment!
LikeLike
I hear you Varad and its resonated with matching frequency from my side as well.
All said and discussed, my sincere request… please continue sharing the story that left us wanting us more to know about the old world charm of romance.
I have come to conclusion that “nice”, “interesting”, “well done” comments clan of visitors cant ruin my peace of mind, my love of writing and sharing. They are not worth it. I better show them the “delete” or “trash” way. That way they happy and I am doubly happy! Win win… how i wish was not laced with curdled taste.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I actually don’t feel bad when I receive comments like that but reading this made me realize what it means to you and the other people who complain about it. I get a different variant ‘informative post’ and so on.
LikeLike
I totally agree with you. Insincere comments and old posts has been my biggest grouse with the challenge so far. I guess BC can’t control the quality of comments but can atleast ensure people post new articles if they are participating in this campaign! I like your writing style by the way 😁
LikeLike
I agree with you Varad. I was even discussing it in the group of SBC (in which Nammy took part) and I mentioned it in that discussion that even bloggers senior to me are hitting the share button after opening the blog and are thinking their job is done and they have successfully done their job in the campaign. This is pathetic. I am glad you mentioned all the points in the post.
LikeLike
insincere comments pisses me off too. I guess it does to everyone. I have even stopped approving them and trash it. The thing is- when you write good it will find a way to good readers.
LikeLike
This post is so apt, Varad. I wanted to participate in Alexa because I heard so much about it. I have visited other blogs. But I can’t seem to get ahead of the reading lists. I am always lagging behind. I have some other pressing things in life. I can’t seem to dedicate as much time for reading at this point. I am also choosy about commenting. I feel insincere comments like the ones you mentioned are not my thing. I really need to like the post, it should stir something in me. Just because I have to do it, I can’t bring myself to do it.
I got a mail from the organisers saying if I don’t visit all the blogs from the reading list, I may be taken off the Alexa list altogether. I was told that I was lagging behind. I admit I was upset by it. But, still I cannot do something I don’t feel truthful about. I hope I have some regular bloggers who may take time to come and read what I have to say. I hope you will come and see. (wink wink).
I am waiting for the love story to continue. Please do, I am rooting for the nerd dad!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree that when someone writes – nice post you are left wondering what was nice about it? You know these guys will visit 50 posts in a matter of a few minutes and just paste it all over! I can surely understand that my genre might not be everyone’s choice and they may find it difficult to read and comment. I don’t mind if someone picks up 3-year-old post and comment on it if it interests them. A sincere comment surely makes a difference!
LikeLike
Glad you wrote this, Varad. Insincere, grammatically senseless, childish spelling mistakes, incomplete sentences and of course ‘good post’ ‘keep writing’ ‘informative’ ‘motivating’ etc. type comments, I’ve seen them all. Seems like an anticlimax to the thought, edits and re-edits we invest in a single post just to make sure it is worthy of being read. What can we say, some people just don’t get the concept of ‘reading’ a post. One glance, sometimes not even that, and they’re done! Their posts too are as half-hearted and timepass as these comments, have you noticed?
Please continue writing, we love reading you!
LikeLike
I agree. There are some cases when the reader does not read the post entirely and after reading it half-way he or she thinks he or she knows what it is all about. This is indeed annoying for a flash-fiction writer or a story-teller where it is the last line in the story that is the punch-line and which entirely changes the complexion of the tale.
LikeLiked by 2 people
More’s the pity, Jai. It’s not a joke coming up with a story or flash fiction. It needs genuine effort and the worst possible way of appreciation is false appreciation. My intention of writing this post is for these bloggers to understand that they are not doing a favour for us commenting their two words. It’s actually insulting. Hope they understand our plight, and change their approach.
LikeLike
Hey Varad,
I completely get your concerns. As a first time participant I too had similar concerns. But you know what, you will eventually reap the benefits for your efforts. Those who are here just for the sake of improving their metrics, will see a drop in their ranks for this month and then it will fizz off. While those like you will see the change even after the campaign is long over. Trust me. If you are here in the blogosphere to stay, do not let such things get to you.
And thanks for finding the relevant blog posts that interest you on my parenting blog and leaving such wonderful and encouraging comments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Anupriya, I understand what you are saying. I’m all for supporting the community and the endeavor we have taken together to improve our alexa ranks. But, I can do without these insincere comments. I’m actually giving these bloggers a way out, making their jobs easier. Let them not comment, just share the post and be done with it. Thanks for penning in your views. 🙂
LikeLike
I wouldn’t call this a rant, Varad. You just shared what a lot of us bloggers feel. I’d rather not leave, or have, comments like the one you mentioned on my blog too. As you said, we put in a lot of effort and hard work into our posts. Hope bloggers reading this realise what you’re trying to say.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If one percent of them change their approach, my job here is done. It’s not like we don’t have anything other than sitting in front of our laptops all day long, right? I know for a fact that a lot of us, post comments sincerely and in certain blogs we even search for posts that we can relate to and then leave our comments there. It’s basic courtesy one blogger could and should show another. Thanks for sharing your views, Mayuri.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You speak my mind Varad 🙂 So glad you came up with this post. This is my first Alexa challenge and I also created a new blog this month. It would have been very easy for me to just copy paste my old posts but I didn’t do that. I am trying to create fresh content for my readers, so that they enjoy ‘reading’ what I write. I am extremely happy to have received some very encouraging comments and people appreciating my efforts but apart from that most are just robotic. You can easily find out the genuine ones. Let’s not get disheartened, let’s continue creating good content, for the readers who love our posts 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly, Rashi. We create content for those who appreciate their worth. All I’m saying is, if you are not interested in my content, don’t pollute it with half-arsed comments. Just share it on twitter and be done with it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agree, but I guess commenting is a compulsory activity for this campaign. If a tech blogger is asked to comment on a beauty blog, what else can we expect. Maybe, we can brainstorm and come up with an alternative for the next campaign where you can read from your genre. What do you think?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thats a true picture . When your blog has been put in the reading list by Blogchatter , you get loads of comments -some genuine and some others , and 99% of comments are just on the topmost blogpost on your blog . What about other good posts that you wrote some time ago ? Are we here to read or comment compulsarily ? I mean just to bring Alexa down we are all doing it . How many of us got to actually read others with interest ? Plus the added stress of reading targeted 10 blogs puts us in so much hurry .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, that’s another important point you brought up. I wrote a complete story for MyFriendAlexa. The first part got insane amount of comments because my name was on the reading list. I was more interested in who’d comment on the second part, because they are the ones who are actually interested in the story. Surprise, surprise only the genuinely interested came back. I’m very happy to have just them on board for the ride. And yes, I have been receiving comments on other posts, which I’ve not even written for this campaign. So, what does that show? That they are just ticking off my blog before going to the next one. Yes, searching for specific blog posts is tough. For those who read the first ever post and drop in their inane comments, I say this: Don’t comment. Just like, share and be done with it. I wouldn’t think any bad of you.
LikeLike
I understand my friend,what you must be feeling while writing this,I have certain comments on my blog that are no where related to the content. Thank Goodness the rights to approve the comment is in my hands. I am sure 80% participating and reading thoroughly will get your point
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, we reserve the right to approve the comments. I have approved all these insincere comments, and have even replied to them. Why? That’s basic courtesy right? I know everyone is being inundated with the reading list and the cycle of reading, commenting, sharing… but hey the least one can do is be genuine right? It’s very easy to lose motivation and quit, but mad props to everyone who’s coming up with content and doing the Alexa routine along with their daily life. Good luck to you for the rest of the campaign.
LikeLike
I can understand your frustration. Just the other day I was discussing this with one blogger friend that how inappropriate and unfair it is for fiction writers to read and comment on parenting posts. I got a comment from someone good post, but I don’t write for parenting genre. I was upset and felt bad for the poor guy who had to read or skim through the post just because he had to. I must have replied to over 100_150 comments over the weekend. When I get sincere comments I feel like responding with a genuine comment myself otherwise it’s just thank you for reading the post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoy reading all types of posts, Anshu. I make it a point to leave a comment that actually gives the blogger some happiness in the sense that someone took time and read what I wrote and made a comment that makes at least a little sense. Is that too much to ask? And kudos to you for patiently replying to all the comments. I did the same for my first post. It had 125+ comments and most of them were the ‘good post’ ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I posted a comment and not sure if it reached ur spam. Do check.
LikeLike
Varad, after seeing your tweet, i knew you would either come up with a poem or a post very soon.. That was totally honest and i agree and support you on this. That’s why i stopped using the words, this post is a part of myalexa.. Bla bla.. I know poetry is not everyone’s favourite and some one would never be able to relate to.. It was definitely tiring for me to comment on sponsored, food, beauty, hacks, mommy blogs and advice blogs. I have seen all this facebook and its just repeating the same thing with different words in a different sequence. I took so much initiative in atoz, being a volunteer to read as many posts. All those who enjoyed my tweets were never seen after atoz. I unfollowed most of them. Then in writetribe, i found them suddenly like mushrooms and now in this challenge. I have taken pain as much as u say to write poems. That’s why i make it simple instead of using bombastic words. There are a few posts that i really don’t understand. Some in the name of fiction make it a way too complicate to understand with suspense. Those posts, either i like and leave or sometimes skip. Some of my posts, there will be views but the comments and likes will be less. Some like, don’t leave a comment. And in this challenge, i had few comments that made me go totally like hell. The blogger accused me and i had to trash the comment. I totally understand you and all I can say is ignore. Wishing u all the best in your future endeavors😃😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess we all have our share of such comments and commentators, Deepa. Think, we should gather up all the fiction writers and organize a mega campaign for ourselves. Far from the madding crowd, I say 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the fiction writers village is a great option. To be honest, i have not been an active participant there. Say whatever, your post really triggered many questions in me. I decide that hereafter i will not read many posts. Read few and reply the best. If i cannot understand, i will try to be frank asking for explanation or may be skip the post. I want to assure myself quality rather than quality. I did understand the pain u gone thru..
LikeLike
**quantity
LikeLike
Now that’s sad news. Is that really an obligatory to make comments on a post? Already, the not so sincere bloggers click the link, and tweet to share, and escapes. This is affecting the bounce rate too. Now if this commenting is compulsory, I am afraid. But frankly, last 2 days I did had good comments on my posts. But then, all bloggers are not the same. Or maybe I was just relatively luckier!!
I did dig some blogs for old posts bcs either that is not updated, or it is in a different genre than my taste etc.
But personally, this campaign does forced me to write. And I do my part of reaing and wait for the karma to take care of me. Let’s see what’s in store for next 3 weeks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The format and the campaign is not to be blamed at all. It’s only these insincere bloggers who keep dodging the rules by making such ‘my job is done’ sort of comments. I’m happy you had good comments on your blog. May it continue 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Varad, I wish I could express more gratitude towards feeling alike. I haven’t written a single word for the past 3 days. There’s been a stressful situation at home with the husband getting a promotional transfer to a remote location,making his return over the weekends dubious now. I normally find solace in such situations through writing. This time, I really didn’t feel like putting in the effort. I spend so much time reading, commenting and sharing all the posts in the reading list. Infact I go beyond the list to read some 15-16 or even more blogs because I love reading them. So many in the reading lists are repeated, many haven’t even written a post since March and some have such topics that I don’t really see much sense in reading (read promotional posts). Yet I read them, try to leave a comment and share them. But I hardly see the reciprocation. Week 1 has been disappointing. For starters, I had a decent Alexa rank. Yes it has come down but I guess if I had continued with my usual posts, it would have eventually decreased. I hope week 2 brings some changes and positive thoughts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can understand your frustrations, Sonia. As a male blogger who writes fiction, I’m totally out at sea when it comes to reading parenting and cooking blogs. I do try to be sincere in all my comments. There have been some blogs, where I have hunted for posts going back even to 2017 just so that I can leave a useful comment.
I personally know of some fantastic blogs who are not experiencing any sort of traffic whatsoever, whereas as you said some blogs whose last posts were in March/April are getting good traffic. The easiest thing to do is blame Blogchatter for their organization of this campaign, but they have absolutely nothing to do with the behavior of our fellow bloggers.
This post of mine, and the rants on twitter are just to let our fellow bloggers know what their insincere comments do to us. Even if one of them changes their approach, it’s a massive win for me.
Good luck for the rest of the campaign. I’m pretty sure you’ll rock the heck out of this one too.
PS: Should we organize a backalley linky for fiction writers?
LikeLike
I’m really hoping that things will take a turn for better this week.
There are the usual few of us doing fiction in this challenge. I’m game for a linky. Let me know how you want to go about it.
LikeLike
You echoed my thoughts here, Varad. It’s very disheartening to see such obligatory comments. Thanks for writing this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe, my expectations with this campaign was wrongly aligned. Still, spending 2 minutes per blog is not much of an ask, right? If one is entering a campaign based on reading, then they should make time to do the reading, right?
I have nothing but utmost respect for all bloggers. The problem is they are damaging that respect levels by such silly antics. Thanks for weighing in, Vartkia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hear you. Hope things change after this blog of yours.
LikeLike
Before reading this I almost knew what it was going to be. You have said it out earlier in your Twitter account. It is indeed heartbreaking when you put effort in making a post and plan a theme but turns out audience is not ready to share there thoughts or even read it. Hope you get sincere comments further. For you my friend #MyFriendAlexa is more than shrinking numbers may not be same for someone else.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for writing in. I would have been happy if they had just clicked the like button and been done with it. There are lot of bloggers with fantastic posts out there who are unfortunately getting disheartened because of such comments. As you say, the alexa rank doesn’t matter for me. My blog is just an online repository of my stories. And I do respect bloggers who are in the race to achieve better metrics et al. I’d like to say only one thing to them, Just don’t diminish your standing in your fellow bloggers eyes by such actions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agree. Varad, would wait for the next post. The one that you had planned earlier for Alexa.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. The post will be up tomorrow 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person