Is Commenting Really Worthwhlie? (TLDR - Yes!)
I was chatting today on Steem Speak and the subject came up of Upvoting comments on ones posts. I chimed in that I upvote all early comments on my posts, and was surprised to hear many others who do the same. It got me thinking, and that got me investigating!
Sacrificing the meager rewards from dedicated curation, I tend to use my votes for comments on my posts. The idea is, rewarding visitors who comment with Upvotes encourages them to come back and comment in the future. I need them and they need me. This symbiotic relationship between publisher and audience is at the heart of Steemits whole paradigm.
A post that appears busy with many comments during the first hour of it's life is more likely to attract further Upvotes, so I'll encourage activity with 50-100% votes on early comments. Turns out, many others are doing something similar, so as it happens, a good commenting strategy is a viable way to gain rewards on Steemit, specifically targeting dolphin accounts that tend to upvote commentors.
It's not spam if it's not spammy!
It might feel "spammy" to take this approach, but comments are an important part of Steemit. Indeed, there is a need for much more commenting and engagement. As long as your comments engage with the subject matter, they are adding value to the platform, and you deserve any rewards you get.
Be Selective
If you're after the highest rewards, you would obviously be wasting your time commenting on minnow accounts. Whale accounts might have more reward potential, but the competition will be fierce. My advice is to target "middle-weight" dolphin accounts, but for time efficiency, only target those who have a habit of upvoting comments on their posts. Take some time to research. Some of these accounts regularly throw out large upvotes to anyone making a reasonable comment.
Dolphins want to be targeted!
Does "tageting" sound cynical? Again - it's not spam if it's not spammy. In fact, dolphins want as many genuine comments as possible on their posts. Set your sights and pull the trigger. But remember, you're not looking for just any dolphin account, only those who tend to Upvote comments on their posts.
Where do I find these generous comment upvoters?
As of today, I'm building a folder full of these Steemians, but I've put hours of work into it and will hardly be sharing it. There are hundreds of generous upvoters out there though. That is for certain. Consider starting with the trending posts, or perhaps find some leads from the Steem Whales website..
Help your browser help you.
If you're anything like me, you'll be following a lot of different people for different reasons. Until Steemits follower system is improved, I suggest using your browsers bookmarks system to help you sort and find different groups of Steemians for different purposes. I have, for example, a folder for local Irish Steemians, another for photographers, etc. And as of today, a folder for generous Upvoters. These pages can be opened all at once and you can efficiently spend some time doing nothing but commenting.
I'll leave you with some screenshots of some juicy comment payouts. These were all very recent and easy to find.
There are hundreds of examples of these very generous comment payouts on any given day here. An efficient, targeted commenting strategy, involving genuine comments and questions is a worthwhile pursuit for anyone, especially if you're just getting started and want some quick cash and some engaging followers of your own.
Best of luck with your commenting, and please let me know how you get on. Any other tips, very welcome in the comments on this page...
Words: @condra
All images from Pixabay, except screenshot
Thanks condra, very nice post indeed, i am thinking the same thing the other days. Sometime when a stories will lead a further question and thinking process and thay you will need to reward good comment if they are contributing to the stories. But comments do seem getting too little reward for now. So like you, i also reward early and good comment whenever i feel they are very useful to others.
Looks like you're doing pretty good with your comments ;)
Thanks :)
Thank you very much @condra for putting some of my own thoughts into a post. I often comment often daily. I am not the biggest content creator but still feel that I can bring value to the platform and an individuals post through a thoughtful response. I am going to definitely take your advise and make lists. I currently follow many people for a variety of reasons, but it would be nice to have them further separated for each reason I am following. Thanks for the great content!
Cheers. Looks like good-karma and his merry men agree with you. Kudos!
Stop giving away the secrets! Well written article! I'm just kidding because I have been doing this exact thing for a few months now. I figure the happier someone is the more likely they will come back and nothing makes people happier than free money. Although you do have to watch out for bots, especially if they comment without up voting your post.
Namaste Condra,
This is by far the best advice I have read about Steem - I use to upvote other people's posts, but didn't realize that I should upvote people who comment on my own posts as a way of thanking them and giving them a reason to come back.
Wow what an excellent idea.
Thank you so much.
Hope it goes well for you dude.
I think this is really good advice for building relationships. I like to vote comments up to encourage newer members and others. It is easier for me sometimes to go back through the comments when exploring for the accounts that I have found the most connections with.
I know it feels good knowing someone's read your post and bothered to comment too.
Too often lately I notice many posts with heaps of votes, but only a few views. (At time of written this comment I see this article has 77votes and only 39 views... maybe some of those upvotes will come back later to read it, but I doubt it).
But if you're upvoting comments means people will come back next time, the go for it! It's a reciprocal relationship, like you said, and everyone benefits.
Cheers. And I notice you are a regular on my page, so I really try to show my appreciation by upvoting your comments and visiting your page. Symbiosis!
I'll just say.. i love comments and critique! I also TRY to reply to everyone and maybe upvote their comment if its relevant!!!
Yeah, it's nice to know someone's bothered to read or look at what you're posting.
Totally agree :)
Yes, engagement rocks, and as you say, it has genuine value to the OP
Sorry i guess im still a noob.... OP?
Original poster. The author.
lol also a noob here and i wondered the same haha
My bad, yeah Original Poster, as @mattclarke said.
It is true that commenting reports well. It is enough to come to the aid of the community and we are rewarded. I love that! Have a great day
Cheers!
Of course it is.. You all must upvote this comment to prove my point.
OK
Not sure if I should reply or not ;-) I know that I should follow a better strategy for commenting, but I tend to think of Steemit like Real life, of someone at tea break or in the pub told me something about their life or day I would tend to say something back to them.
I think that Steemit should be no different.
Minnow, dolphin or whale everyone deserves the save treatment and respect.
Sorry @condra for the preachy post, but I do feel strongly that all good posts deserve some kind of a comment.
Upvote if you like this comment ;-). Just joking :-)
I Upvoted you 100% and I appreciate your comment and agree with your sentiments for the most part. I think in an ideal situation, we would all be incentivized to behave completely naturally, but there is much refinement yet to be made. Still, I don't think anyone should be ashamed for strategically commenting, so long as they are genuinely adding value. It's akin to looking for business opportunities. Steemit is a social platform, but the commercial aspect is rarely far from anyones minds.
You are right, it is naive of me to think that people only comment and blog for the same off it, I am including myself in that comment - text can lead to misunderstanding (I once made a joke on a text message and nearly lost a friend)
I'm agreeing with you :-) Everyone has to have the commercial aspect of this platform in their mind.
I suppose all I was saying was that we shouldn't limit your responses to those that make money only.
Don't know if I talked myself into a circle, bit Im sure you know what I mean :-)
Yeah I get you completely. My behavior is a mixture of both really. Often I comment or vote purely sincerely. I like when that happens. There really is some great content and engagement on here. Hoping the new communities feature improves on this when it's introduced later in the year.