Thing #4--Commenting------a work in progress

Commenting to blogs helps to create a sense of community and interaction.

-The person whose blog has been commented to feels like his/her blog is important and meaningful enough that someone else would want to comment.

-The interaction between people who are exploring the same topic should be mutually beneficial most of the time.

-The anonymity of blogging allows people to have the security of being honest and forthright, which should enrich the sense of interaction.

I read from Problogger. I was interested to learn that only about 1 out of 100 readers will respond to a blog. 90 % are only passive readers as they browse the blogosphere.
2 points that resonated with me were how we should invite comments in our blogs. So how do you feel about that one? The other point was the importance of asking questions to elicit reader comments. So how can you, as a blogger, structure questions to elicit more interaction from your readers?

I also read from Ten Commandments. A couple of pointers I remember were to contribute comments that have value instead of, "wow", or "me too"! and to use emoticons to impart a happy disposition.

Other fellow bloggers that I learned form:

1. "23 Things" wrote of how useful blogging can be to the classroom. For example, communication, updating assignments, homework postings, etc.

2. "Cricket's corner" made the point of how a blog can allow students to interface with each otherwhile working on a project or studying for a test.

3. "Loving Summer" has a beautifully designed blog site. She made mention of Google Calendar, which I look forward to learning about.

4. "mimiswordsofwisdom" has an interesting blog about igoogle. I plan to look into that one. Also her mention of automatic updates. Cool. I have read from more than one blogger about not putting personal info up on your blog site. Good advice.

5. "technocricket"-- I agree with her on how commenting creates a sense of community and builds rapport with other bloggers. I chose technocricket in case I need technical advice.

I have gone to Blogosphere. Then I logged onto BlogScope and entered the keywords, commercial lawn equipment. I did so because I have a very small lawncare gig to make a few extra bucks. I gained instant access to dozens of blogs related to lawncare equipment for sell, technical "how to" advice on topics from blade sharpening to the best motor oils, brand name comparisons, etc. Awesome!

I then visited PajamasMedia.com, from the Blogosphere site. I scrolled through several blog articles on current events. I stopped and clicked on the blog,"Yes Virginia, There Is A Special Ed Bounty" by Greg Forster and Jay Greene. Interesting article. I then scrolled through and read several comments left by other readers. I chose to remain one of the 99% and just read and not respond.