Reading the blogs of insightful people and commenting on them is not only a fun past-time, it is also a way to network with people in your field. However, no one wants to sound like they do not know what they are talking about. There are several tips to follow when you are commenting on blogs to help ensure that you will come across as informed and intelligent, even a little bit like a genius.
1. Use good spelling and grammar.
Nothing says ‘idiot’ like someone who misspells simple words or has terrible grammar in their native language. Taking a moment to proofread your comment before posting can avert a blog commenting disaster. Check any words you aren’t sure about quickly online or rephrase to use different words.
2. Avoid slang and curse words.
Though slang and curse words are used frequently throughout mainstream American television, there are many who still believe that it is a sign of a poor vocabulary and intellect to resort to coarse language. Using relaxed by proper English protects your reputation and prevents blog altercations over language choice.
3. Give credentials if you have any.
If there is a reason you know so much about a subject, such as a degree, career, specialized training, etc., drop it into the comment or blog signature as naturally as possible. Credentials give authority and weight to your words and opinions.
4. Support opinions with statistics or resources if possible.
When you have a strongly varying opinion to another commenter or the author of a blog, you will sound smarter with something concrete to back up your words. Do a quick search online or in Google Scholar to see if you can find statistics, studies, or famous experts who back up your beliefs. If there is a pithy or poignant quote from a well-known, respected person that complements your comment, include it.
5. Make connections between the blog or other comments and pop culture, politics, history, or classic literary or artistic works.
One of the hallmarks of genius is the ability to see connections between widely varying disciplines. You will also sound informed be referencing items that have been in the news or are a part of classical education.
6. Draw new conclusions that are an extension of the blogger’s thoughts.
Expound on their ideas, taking them one step further. This shows insight. It especially smacks of genius if you can combine connections to history and implications for the future. Finding a thread or theme in the blog and stating a similar thought, but more eloquently or memorably, will stay with readers longer.
7. Use analogies or word pictures to clarify themes.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Relating an experience or comparing an idea or concept in a blog to a picture can make other readers sit back and say “wow! I never thought of it like that before.”
8. Don’t write a book.
Keeping your comments as short and sweet as possible is the way to ensure that your tidbits of genius get read at all. If you really want to convey long ideas, split them up into several comments and wait for some replies in between postings. As my high school English teacher always said, “Your writing should be like a lady’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to keep it interesting.”
9. Gently correct mistakes in the blog or other comments.
You can ignore grammatical and spelling errors. Correcting those just seems petty. However, if the content is incorrect or the basis of the blog is faulty in logic, politely questioning the problems or calling attention to the logical fallacies will make you seem more intelligent by comparison for catching what others have not.
10. Use long words.
Okay, so that was a little tongue in cheek, but the idea of using specific words that clearly give your comment a feeling quality and unique bite is a good way to show off the literary side of the genius brewing in your hefty brain.
References:
<a href=”http://missionizhar.com/the-art-of-blog-commenting-to-do-what-not-to-do/”>http://missionizhar.com/the-art-of-blog-commenting-to-do-what-not-to-do/</a>
<a href=”http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-write-a-blog-comment.aspx”>http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-write-a-blog-comment.aspx</a>
<a href=”http://www.wowonline.org/ourprograms/eesi/documents/TipsforAuthoringaGreatBlogComment.pdf”>http://www.wowonline.org/ourprograms/eesi/documents/TipsforAuthoringaGreatBlogComment.pdf</a>
<a href=”http://www.mackcollier.com/how-to-write-great-blog-comments/”>http://www.mackcollier.com/how-to-write-great-blog-comments/</a>