Commenting: the good & the bad

Did your mom ever say to you,“If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”? Well, mine did…ALL the time!

There are definitely good & not-so-good ways to comment on a blog post. Following are 5 quick tips to keep in mind when commenting:

  1. Keep it positive and compliment the author. Do it in a specific way by referring back to the one or two thoughts that really had an impact on you.
  2. Be sure to keep it short and make a point. No rants or rambling!
  3. Make your comment meaningful by adding your thoughts on the subject. Just saying ” I agree” or “good job” adds no value to the conversation. You will make a more meaningful contribution if you explain WHY you agree or disagree with the post.
  4. Know what you’re talking about. There is no better way to turn off your audience and undermine your authority then by admitting you don’t know what you are talking about. Do your homework, use other sources to find out more, if necessary, and add ‘content’ with your comment.
  5. Proofread! A lot of typos and misspellings is just another way to undermine your authority, and then – well, nobody’s gonna care what you have to say.

A great look at commenting from  Nicolas Weiss’s Leaving High Quality Blog comments video , with specific examples:

Below is the video mentioned  by Nicolas from Mrs. Yollis’ Class.

Thanks Mrs. Yollis’ class  for sharing How to Compose a Quality Comment! from yourwonderfulteacher on Vimeo.

 Your Task:

Using the quick tips above, Post at least 3 positive comments on your classmate’s blogs. Each of these comments should add or contribute something meaningful to the post.

Happy Commenting!

Mrs. C

A special thanks to Edublogs for sharing information on Good Quality Commenting Skills!

Welcome to blogging!

Many of you are probably New to blogging, so I will share a quick video that explains what this web activity is all about. What is a blog?

As well as two additional resources on the history of blogging and it’s definition that may offer more explanation of the topic.

So even if you are not so new at this and know how ( & why) to blog, as part of this class we are going to learn some of the ins & outs of blogging; the hows, the whys and the what fors.

It will be a learning process that I hope will strengthen your tech skills, your writing skills and your overall communication skills both in and outside of the classroom. We will start out slow and simple.

For your first task, simply view the video and read at least one of the articles on the definition/history of blogging.

Then be prepared to answer my questions in class or ask a few of your own.  Nothing online yet, but it’s coming…. 🙂 Mrs. C