Emailing New Readers Who Leave Comments

Projects to improve your blogging, Tips For Better Blogging

Emailing New Readers Who Leave Comments

Wasn’t me who said I’m currently unable to revisit Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog while also reflecting on Steve Dembo’s 30 Days to Being A Better Blogger! Course I’m able! Simple… I will write posts about each task on this blog but based on my interpretation of what’s 31 Days 8)…

Sue Waters

January 13, 2009

2 minutes

bb31days, comments

Wasn’t me who said I’m currently unable to revisit Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog while also reflecting on Steve Dembo’s 30 Days to Being A Better Blogger!

Course I’m able! Simple… I will write posts about each task on this blog but based on my interpretation of what’s 31 Days 8) .

Using Email For Relationship Building

The first task of the 31 Days Project is to email a new reader of your blog.

Why? Helps build relationships while demonstrating you’re grateful they’ve taken the time to comment. Writing comments and engaging in conversations on posts is intimidating for many readers. Yet readers’ comments are where so much of the learning happens for edubloggers.

Would I recommend that edubloggers make a practice of emailing at least one new reader a day? Your decision. There’s pros and cons.

What I can say is bloggers such as Beth Kanter, a non-profit blogger, and Larry Ferlazzo often respond to comments, to both new and old time readers, by sending an email. Being on the receiving end of their emails definitely makes me feel valued.

If you do respond to comments by email I also recommend leaving a comment to the reader on your own post. This demonstrates to all readers that you both read their comments and value their input.

Tip For Email Response

An easy method is to use the comment notification email:

Click on reply
Replace your email in To: field with their email address
Remove the text at the bottom of the comment
Write your response or thanks above the original comment notification text

Besides being an effective method of responding it also provides the reader with reference to their comment and gives context to the email.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks to Lisa Dick’s coordination, there is now 15 bloggers working together on the 31 Day Challenge. Would love for you to join us – leave a comment if you’re interested. And if you like you can bend the space-time continuum like me to interpret 31 Days as……

What are your thoughts? Do you email readers? What do you see as the pros and cons?

34 responses to “Emailing New Readers Who Leave Comments”

Ken Allan

January 14, 2009 at 3:28 am

Kia ora Sue!

Thanks for this valuable update on your progress through the 31 Days. I decided not to embark on this challenge, but your updates will be extremely valuable.

Thanks for the tip on emailing newcomers.

Catchya later

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 16, 2009 at 10:44 am
  
  Not like you Ken to be chicken of a challenge 8)
  
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  1. Ken Allan
    
    January 16, 2009 at 10:59 am
    
    Okay okay Sue!
    
    Here’s a challenge. How do I get a hold of commenter’s email addresses in Blogger. This has challenged me for some time.
    
    Catchya
    from Middle-earth
    
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  2. Sue Waters
    
    January 16, 2009 at 11:23 am
    
    Before I wrote this post Ken I logged into blogger to check and I don’t believe you can. Another negative of blogger.
    
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  3. Sarah Stewart
    
    January 17, 2009 at 12:43 pm
    
    No. Blogger deliberately makes the emails unobtainable, so doesn’t other platforms? I go through their profile.
    
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  4. Sue Waters
    
    January 17, 2009 at 2:02 pm
    
    Sarah – I think you may find that blogger is one of the few that doesn’t allow you to see email addresses. With both WordPress and Typepad you can easily see the email addresses.
    
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tidertechie

January 14, 2009 at 5:47 am

LOL, no that was me that said I couldn’t do both at the same time. In fact I was doing great until school started back.

We know “super women” can do it;) Thanks so much for all your help with the Challenge! I’m glad you are revisit and reflect on two challenges. It will be great for all of us working through the challenge to get even more ideas!

Lisa

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 16, 2009 at 10:45 am
  
  It’s my power’s Lisa off time shifting that allow me to stage it over many days.
  
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  1. tidertechie
    
    January 18, 2009 at 12:55 am
    
    LOL – thanks again!
    
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jeanettem

January 14, 2009 at 4:12 pm

Great tips Sue

I have often wondered whether to use the 31 Day Challenge link, the recipients blog, twitter or just e-mail them or a combination. Will get my head around this and do as you have suggested – awesome!
jeanettem

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 16, 2009 at 10:46 am
  
  Have to say Jeanette – I’m still getting my head around it to. I do visit and leave notes on their wiki pages but often it’s easier to leave a comment if they write a post.
  
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pnichols

January 14, 2009 at 5:29 pm

I’m am enjoying being part of the 31 Days Challenge and I was thinking about this very issue yesterday! Your post has reminded me that people, and building relationships are the most important parts about creating a learning community on my blog. Thanks, Sue.

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 16, 2009 at 10:46 am
  
  Hi Paul – very important part but can become time consuming. Wish that wasn’t the case.
  
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Tom

January 16, 2009 at 12:13 pm

I am new to all this, being in St.Louis, Missouri, USA. Ran across your site on Blogush.
I figured I could at least comment that I am interested in the educational climate in Australia.
I have written a novel about a veteran middle school teacher’s fun adventures. I have posted the first chapter of the soon-to-be published novel on my site, http://www.tomsboomertimes.blogspot.com. I invite you and all your readers to take a look sometime. Take care, and hope to hear from you.

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 17, 2009 at 8:44 am
  
  Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. While definitely try to drop past and visit.
  
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jeanettem

January 16, 2009 at 1:42 pm

Hi Sue

Thank you so much for the feedback:) I liken blogging to the clothes wear, the foods we eat and the individuals we are – different strokes for different folks.

I am keeping track of the fonts I use and realise the edublogs default one Calibri (Body) shows up small and does not feature in my list of fonts(even if I change, copy and paste from Word). I could find a download.

Once again, thanks so much for popping in…

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Sarah Stewart

January 17, 2009 at 7:33 am

Hi Sue, a complete change of subject: Do you know how/where do I get a widget like yours “What I write about”, but for Blogger?

cheers Sarah

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 17, 2009 at 8:48 am
  
  Sarah – you are not going to like the answer. What I write about is created by the categories I add to posts. Long term blogs that use WordPress have more features that a better for blogs e.g. tags, categories, email addresses of readers and ability to create pages.
  
  While blogger is easier to use initially if someone plans to blog for the long term than a blog that uses WordPress really is better to start with. I know Ken Allen will also be yelling at me at the moment also 🙂 There is just so much more functionality which ultimately is important.
  
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  1. Sarah Stewart
    
    January 17, 2009 at 9:07 am
    
    I just knew you were going to say that!
    
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  2. Sue Waters
    
    January 17, 2009 at 9:08 am
    
    But you also know deep in your heart that I’m right and if there was ever a time you were going to do it now would be the best time!
    
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  3. Ken allan
    
    January 17, 2009 at 12:35 pm
    
    Kia ora Sue
    
    No, I’d never yell about anything. But I might write a comment about it 🙂
    
    @Sarah – Sue’s right about the widget. But every widget can have a conterpart if you’re willing to put a bit of effort into doing it yourself. Let’s just call it a home-birth 😉
    
    There is a growing set of ‘Gadgets’ in Blogger. The innovative use of these can provide you with devices that mimic, if not are better than some commodified widgets. Check out your Gadgets list in Layout in Blogger. Depending on how you use them they can be very useful.
    
    @Sue – there now. I told you I wouldn’t yell 😉
    
    Catchya
    from Middle-earth
    
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  4. Sarah Stewart
    
    January 17, 2009 at 12:53 pm
    
    Hi Ken, yes, I am beginning to realise that there’s a whole world of widgets out there. I had a play today to try to get something that looks like Sue’s “What I write about” here. The trouble is, because I have very limited skills at html, I really struggle unless something goes right. I really need someone to talk me through things when trying to incorporate a widget that isn’t a Blogger standard issue one.
    
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  5. Sue Waters
    
    January 17, 2009 at 1:57 pm
    
    One day young Grasshopper Ken you will say that thy master was right. It’s not just gadgets or widgets – it’s the entire functionality that blogger just can’t compare to with blogs that use WordPress.
    
    If blogger was so good than more of the top probloggers would use it 8)
    
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2. Ken Allan
  
  January 17, 2009 at 4:01 pm
  
  Kia ora Sue
  
  You mean Bloggers like Stephen Downes, Edublog Award Winner Tony Karrer, or leading lights like Clive Shepherd or Donald Clarke. Gee, I guess I must just be following the wrong bloggers 😉
  
  Catchya later
  from Middle-earth
  
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  1. Sue Waters
    
    January 17, 2009 at 4:06 pm
    
    All lovely guys however Ken I specified probloggers as opposed to edubloggers. And if you look closely at Tony Karrer what blogging software is he using for Work Place Literacy?
    
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jeanettem

January 17, 2009 at 8:11 am

Hi Sue

I have become very puzzled about copying and pasting from Word – thanks for the handy hints – I so values your comments.

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 17, 2009 at 8:49 am
  
  Most people who blog or use websites don’t realise how bad Word can be — it’s like something no one ever told us about. I am planning on writing a post about it on The Edublogger as I have had to fix up several blogs in the past week damaged by this practice of using Word.
  
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Sarah Stewart

January 17, 2009 at 12:46 pm

If you’re interested, here’s a link to my reflections on the Challenge when I did it last year: http://sarahstewart-eportfolio.wikispaces.com/Completed+Projects+2008

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 17, 2009 at 2:00 pm
  
  Hi Sarah – I’m more than happy for people who did the project previously to list their posts on the wiki here.
  
  Feel free to join and compile your list. I did start but found it too time consuming so just left it open for others to add themselves.
  
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Ken Allan

January 17, 2009 at 4:38 pm

Ah Sue.

Tony Karrer is just an eclectic sort-of-a guy. He’s into everthing digital. He’s got so many blogs, I haven’t found them all yet.

With his background, and being the age he is, I’m surprised he doesn’t have his own blog-site provider. Time enough yet I guess 8)

Catchya

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Colin Becker

January 18, 2009 at 6:30 pm

Hi Sue,
I’m reading this after having ‘completed’ the day 1 task and I was wondering, is it lazy or rude to paste the email reply to a comment into your blog?
For task 1, I tried to make sure that my email message was different to the reply on my blog. I felt that both needed to show that I had given thought to the comment that had been left. Or, am I being too pedantic?
Colin

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1. Sue Waters
  
  January 19, 2009 at 2:11 pm
  
  Hi Colin – that’s a hard question. I try to ensure I always write a response under the comment 1) so I remember that I have responded 2) so other readers know I do
  
  Readers don’t always receive your comments in response to their comments – totally depends if they track comments. SO I think most people wouldn’t be offended if you copied and pasted your response under comment and by email. If concerned just say in email this is the comment I wrote in response.
  
  You might like to check out Larry’s post on his comment policy.
  
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Point of Departure: Food for Thought 1.1 (W to S) « Clyde Street

January 19, 2009 at 9:40 am

[…] Project (10 January) and links to the 31 Day Challenge wiki. She discussing emailing a new reader (13 January) and running a first time reader audit on your blog (17 […]

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Ike

June 12, 2009 at 9:06 pm

Badly need your help, it is very shit guestbook.
I am from Syria and also now teach English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: “The most asinine movie twist endings.”

With love :D, Ike.

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