Topping and Commenting On Blogs & Discussions

I just wanted to touch on this subject, as it seems to be a really "hot" topic. I have seen many discussions and blogs all complaining about the lack of tops and comments to their blogs. When I write a discussion or post a blog, of course I hope someone reads it. But, the comments and tops are just a bonus. I am happy that members read what I write, because it shows that they are interested in what I have to say. I would think that would be enough for most people. Yet, now that Apsense has started paying, some members mindsets have changed. It seems they are more interested in tops and comments, adding to more views. Instead of reaching the members who are truly interested in what they are saying. I always tell people that I was earning at Apsense before they started sharing revenue with their members. Your business center and the opportunity to write quality discussions and blogs have always been here, and are your biggest assets.

Now when it comes to topping and comments on blogs. I top blogs that are interesting and well written, because I feel they should be seen and read by other members. I read MANY blogs each day. There would not be enough hours in the day, to write a comment on all of them and live the rest of my life as well. So when I top it, it is my way of showing appreciation for the topic. Just because members do not comment doesn't mean they don't like it...many times other members have already answered the question and there is no reason to post "me too" or "I agree". Or the same view point has been expressed over and over. There are also alot of advertisements posted in the blogs and members really shouldn't expect those to be topped or commented on. Unless they have went out of their way to add valuable information.

I would suggest doing the following if you are the poster of a discussion or blog:

Write quality content.
Use a informative title
Then relax. Members will see it.
You could also promote your blog in the "Ask Apsense" section, if it pertains to a question.

I would suggest doing the following if you are reading a discussion or blog:

Read it in full.
Read all the comments before replying with your own.
If you don't have time to respond or the other comments have covered it. You might want to top it, if you think other members would benefit from reading it.

I guess I should also touch on the "drop it". Some members have received drops in their discussion or blog rating. This will happen occassionally. Especially in a community of this size. Don't worry about it, as it always seems to work itself out. Your ratings are a reflection of what a community thinks of your content as a whole, not just a handful of members. There has also been alot of talk about having the drop feature removed. This hasn't been decided one way or the other at the time of this post. Currently it is the only method that lets members express that they felt the post was out of line or maybe just out of category. I have noticed some posts in the Apsense group that had negative marks before I read them and deleted them...they were ads. So there are reasons to use it. But, please think before dropping a post or blog. If its just because you don't agree with them or you want your blog to be rated higher...it would be best to just to leave it alone and go one to the next one. Thanks for reading, Lynn