Commenting on A Luxury Travel Blog has really taken off this month, thanks no doubt in part to the Hyatt competition that we are running throughout May 2009. Despite my best efforts to tell people that comments such as ‘Thanks for the information’ and ‘Great post’ offer little value to the blog or its readers, however, commenters have still persisted. So, today I’ve taken action! From now on, comments that are just 100 characters or less will not get through.
That might seem to some people to be quite a high minimum limit. Afterall, the very short posts would be easily dealt with by a limit of just 15-20 characters. But when I reflected on it, I thought that even those comments that say “I once stayed at this hotel and we had a fab time!!!” are not all that meaningful either. Hopefully, encouraging readers to offer a bit more will be good for the blog overall and will result in more meaningful discussions after each post.
If you agree or disagree, feel free to comment… but remember, it can’t be too short!
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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9 Comments
I completely agree, however I have to admit I have been guilty of a few short posts. Generally a post should offer a comment, and something value added, so this is a good policy to ensure we all add the value added portion of the comment, whether it is a tip, a question or an experience.
Seems quite reasonable. I’m not aware if I’ve committed any, lol. Anyhow I think the comment form is available so that the readers can participate in the discussion. I guess if you’re gonna commend the writer, at least say what it is that you like (or don’t like) about the article. It’s a good way to filter out spammers too.
An Internet contest that encourages quantity is never a good thing.
I agree that this is a good move to encourage quality rather than quantity postings. However, the competition did invite quantity, and there will always be people who want to take rather than give in the spirit of things.
It’s quite easy to post something like, “This sounds fantastic” or “I’ve never been there, but I’d love to go”. It doesn’t add any value or any useful info, but rules are rules. I’m glad you’ve tweaked them a bit now.
This is a good solution, I’ve seen forums where the same problem persists and you end up with lots of two and three word replies to the forum posts like “It’s good” or “it depends”. 100 characters is a good balance, one of the forums I frequent they just added a 100 word rule which to be honest just ends up going the other way and you end up with waffle.
For people who are seriously participating in the competition, this is probably a good thing. I’ve been guilty of short posts myself.
I understand the change, although it may discourage comments. It’ll be interesting to see. The comments might look like Twitter post.
I think a good rule of thumb that people should use when posting on any blog is asking themselves…’is what I have to say meaningful or would I want to read my comment?’
There are, of course, blogs that elicit a quick congratulations or a confirming comment showing agreement with the editor.
Composing/writing is a lost art; however, people who travel have quite a bit to share. I could have written a full review of my delightful experiences at the Hyatt.
You are going to laugh but I was tempted to write about the very first gourmet bologna sandwich I ever had called “The Houston” that I had at the Hyatt during this Memorial Day weekend. The sandwich had a pimento mayo relish, mildly spicy bologna, ham, provolone, and was served on a long, crusty baguette. Best sandwich ever…and it’s been 35 years since I dared to eat bologna. I shared the sandwich with my mom and niece and it was delish.
well done, Paul (is this enough? oops, I think I should write a few more words…) good initiative, otherwise you´ll end up full of 2-word comments…
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I completely agree, however I have to admit I have been guilty of a few short posts. Generally a post should offer a comment, and something value added, so this is a good policy to ensure we all add the value added portion of the comment, whether it is a tip, a question or an experience.
Seems quite reasonable. I’m not aware if I’ve committed any, lol. Anyhow I think the comment form is available so that the readers can participate in the discussion. I guess if you’re gonna commend the writer, at least say what it is that you like (or don’t like) about the article. It’s a good way to filter out spammers too.
An Internet contest that encourages quantity is never a good thing.
I agree that this is a good move to encourage quality rather than quantity postings. However, the competition did invite quantity, and there will always be people who want to take rather than give in the spirit of things.
It’s quite easy to post something like, “This sounds fantastic” or “I’ve never been there, but I’d love to go”. It doesn’t add any value or any useful info, but rules are rules. I’m glad you’ve tweaked them a bit now.
This is a good solution, I’ve seen forums where the same problem persists and you end up with lots of two and three word replies to the forum posts like “It’s good” or “it depends”. 100 characters is a good balance, one of the forums I frequent they just added a 100 word rule which to be honest just ends up going the other way and you end up with waffle.
For people who are seriously participating in the competition, this is probably a good thing. I’ve been guilty of short posts myself.
I understand the change, although it may discourage comments. It’ll be interesting to see. The comments might look like Twitter post.
I think a good rule of thumb that people should use when posting on any blog is asking themselves…’is what I have to say meaningful or would I want to read my comment?’
There are, of course, blogs that elicit a quick congratulations or a confirming comment showing agreement with the editor.
Composing/writing is a lost art; however, people who travel have quite a bit to share. I could have written a full review of my delightful experiences at the Hyatt.
You are going to laugh but I was tempted to write about the very first gourmet bologna sandwich I ever had called “The Houston” that I had at the Hyatt during this Memorial Day weekend. The sandwich had a pimento mayo relish, mildly spicy bologna, ham, provolone, and was served on a long, crusty baguette. Best sandwich ever…and it’s been 35 years since I dared to eat bologna. I shared the sandwich with my mom and niece and it was delish.
well done, Paul (is this enough? oops, I think I should write a few more words…) good initiative, otherwise you´ll end up full of 2-word comments…