Boldness In Commenting

On a recent guest post of mine, there were numerous comments that showed up about the topic I brought up, but the only ones that are memorable days later are the ones that were made boldly.  To have an impact, one bold comment will go further than 10 comments which are devoid of any boldness, remark-ability, or emphasis.  Although this is true in numerous realms where commenting occurs, this discussion will mainly be about boldness in online article commenting.

Comments: Bland vs. Bold

There is so much that separates a bold comment from a bland comment that they are two separate items.  A bland comment will leave the reader thinking “OK”, while a bold comment will leave the reader thinking “who does this person think they are?”.  The way to assess if your comment is bold is if you are worried about making it.  If so, put it out there for the world to see.

Signs of a comment that lacks energy are that it:

1. Doesn’t challenge anything brought up in the article
2. Says something the majority of the audience already knows
3. Is missing a personal point

What you need to make a comment bold and memorable:

1. Challenge the concept the article is based on
2. Point out a truth that the writer or commentators appear to be afraid to say
3. Attack another commentator for their message you don’t agree with
4. Make the comment a mini-article that outlines an extended point
5. Present a joke about the material being discussed
6. Link to an article of your own that matches up well with the message of the article being read, and point out how they connect
7. Point out personal experience that adds to experiential information provided by the article

A Bold Comment Makes You The Focal Point

Some sites will get 80 comments on each new article.  It is often the case that the owners of these sites will not have motivation to respond to any comments until they see a couple of bold ones that they have no choice but to respond to.  In this way, the comments section then becomes focused on what the bold commenter said, and the way the article-writer will respond.  This shift only happens at times such as when a commentator risks their reputation to make a strong point that their mind feels is accurate, or the commentator presents a personal experience that exemplifies the message of the article.

Become The One Who Is Talked About

A bold commentator is like the student in a class who asks the question that is on their mind, standing out in the crowd.  There might be 60 comments visible, but to someone scanning the comments section, there might only be 5 that are noticeable from the pack.  The people who create these comments are likely to produce effective comments later as well, and one would be wise to acquire some understanding from their mode of communication.

The Worth Of A Comment

For those looking to comment to spread their brand and self-message around, a bold comment can be worth 20 times what a pacified and limited comment would be.  From a return-on-investment perspective, it would make no sense to make a comment lacking risk and punch, as the time taken to formulate it would be worth far less in comparison to if it was used to put out verbal risk.

Boldness Helps Everyone In A More Direct Way

A closing point about commenting boldness is that it actually does more to help everyone involved.  You are helped the most, for the risk-taking experience, audience acquiring, and message spreading.  The other commentators who see your comment will then feel more pressure to step their commentary up to the next level of risk.  Finally, the writer of the article will feel challenged or surprised at first, but will then be quite glad that someone had the audacity to make their site a location of more truth and youthful directness.

Tagged as: commentating, commenting, risk-taking