Thing #4... Commenting, what is it good for?!

Commenting is a good way to show support to a fellow blogger. It is important to let other bloggers know that they are touching on a topic that is not only important to them, but to others as well. A way to increase the number of your comments is to respond or reply to some of the ones left on your blog. This doesn't mean you have to go through and type an essay for every "good post!" or "agreed!" type comments. Sift through and find the people who feel strongly, whether in the same or opposite way that you may feel, and reply. This lets the reader know you not only care whether or not your blog is read, but you care about the endless possibility of interaction between you as a blogger and others as commenters.

I commented on Debra Millan's blog. She says she's never blogged before and has always wanted hard facts like statistical data in articles she has read. That is very important, but at the same time I don't believe that teaching is so cut and dry. Using opinions and suggestions that other educators might provide via blog comments could make all the difference in the world.

I also commented on Laken's "Thing #1" post. The hardest of the 7 1/2 habits, play, is something we both share. I hope that through each other and learning the skill of blogging, we are able to get through our difficulty with "play" and can lighten up!

A comment I left on Symantha Norton's blog post "Thing #3" is about a similar experience in high school. We both signed up to a website that was similar to Facebook. I'm unsure at this point in time if it was the same website, or a different one. I am excited to hear if her experience is different than the one I had.

KaTreva Foster left a comment on my "Thing #1" post, and I commented back on her "Thing #3" post about the slightly negative side of blogging in the classroom. It really has nothing to do with blogging itself, but the people behind the blog like students and parents. A teacher can only suggest things. We can't go to every student's home and force them and their parents to use a blog. Not to mention there are still so many homes without Internet access.

I posted on Christy Washington's "Thing #3" post about implementing blogging in our classrooms. I shared an experience with Edmodo in high school. It is nice to share stories of success as well as those of failure. A commenter might be able to spot the tiniest thing to change and it throw the results in a completely different way!

While posting this, I read the CoolCatTeacher blog. Even though this blog is just for teachers, I can see it being a help to me while I finish up my BS here at Austin Peay. Any experience, even that of others' can prove to be beneficial if taken into account. In my opinion, you can never have too much experience. The blogger explains about commenting etiquette with legitimate reasons. I'm one of the people who just does better if there is a reason behind something.

I was very excited to read "10 techniques to get more comments on your blog" because of the advice it was given, yet when I went to comment, I could not find a place to do so. One of the points in their blog is to keep your comment box accessible. Then I realized the comments I was reading were posted in 2009. Despite the information being dated, I found it useful.