Getting people to post comments/start discussion

**hugegrowth** · 05-02-2007, 12:41 AM

Anyone have any useful ideas to encourage people to post comments on blogs or start discussions on forums?

**Dale Hubbard** · 05-02-2007, 02:02 AM

Like Adam's Google news posts on here. Works well.

**netdevil** · 07-13-2007, 10:24 PM

Sorry for being a devil here but I often discourage that type of things on my own blog. The mess and trouble it creates for me in deleting the pharma and adult comments is way too much for me.

But if you don't want to lose the user generated content on your blog then comments should be on along with akismet.

Thanks.

**dcristo** · 07-15-2007, 04:30 AM

Originally Posted by hugegrowth

Anyone have any useful ideas to encourage people to post comments on blogs or start discussions on forums?

Remove rel=nofollow on comment links, offer incentives for top commenters, etc

**zangief** · 07-15-2007, 05:01 AM

Politics and religion triggers people but you won't like the results

You should think about topics that you'll have the will to comment and go for them.

**beyond.domaining** · 05-07-2009, 03:25 AM

nothing gets a discussion going better than a few great starter posts. i suggest you seed the first few posts yourself and then let the momentum carry itself. i have sites with no comments and they get no comments. but once a site gets a few comments, it seems to just take off and before you know it you have 10, 20, 30, 50 comments. you can usually build the momentum by 'seeding' the first few comments yourself.

and, of course, if you have lots and lots and lots of sites out there like i do, you could hire someone part time to visit each of them daily to make comments, etc (some of them controversial) to stir up discussion

**Tia Wood** · 05-07-2009, 07:40 AM

Try Inb0x.com

**beyond.domaining** · 05-08-2009, 12:53 PM

Try Inb0x.com

nice! i hadn't heard of them before - thanks for the tip!

**victornumber** · 05-08-2009, 09:06 PM

try posting yourself or try to get ethusiastic people on the forums. Build a sense of community and people would want to participate.

**POLiSH** · 05-08-2009, 09:35 PM

Lot's of time.

**fpforum** · 05-10-2009, 03:08 AM

It's been said in this thread a few times already. However, I would also have to say, make an account that isn't "admin" and start posting some yourself. One reason some people may be hesitant to post comments is because they may not even know if their comment is ever going to get approved. Make sure you post on your blog consistently so people know you are always logging in to check/approve comments. Write a few yourself for others to read and possibly respond to. If this is to much then do as beyond.domaining said and hire someone to do this for you.

**NextClick** · 05-10-2009, 02:38 PM

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**NextClick** · 05-13-2009, 01:54 PM

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**Tia Wood** · 05-13-2009, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by NextClick

I signed up three days ago for the basic service. Just received confimation yesterday as follows:

-- Thank you for choosing Inb0x for your paid posting needs. I have set up your campaign and am currently sourcing our writers. I will email you a list of our writers on both your start and end dates.

Your start date is: 05/14/2009
Your end date is: 05/29/2009

Ill update this thread with my thoughts on the posts once they start.

--dd

It's rare I'm unhappy with them. Every once in awhile you'll get a writer who wants to not take the time to make good posts but overall been happy. I've used Inb0x for about....1-2 years. Something like that.

**dejanlesi** · 05-14-2009, 04:25 AM

Meganerd thanks for the info!

Somebody already posted this but i also have seen it work on some forums.. Get another username beside admin and start posting threads and topics to get the momentum going and then eventually it goes on by itself..

**draggar** · 05-14-2009, 06:29 AM

Originally Posted by victornumber

try posting yourself or try to get ethusiastic people on the forums. Build a sense of community and people would want to participate.

Originally Posted by POLiSH

Lot's of time.

These two are the best for getting consistent and reliable posters (and fpforum is right too with the non-admin account).

I've had a fan site up for about a year now and I had the occasional comment and forum post (with the exception of when the radio show's sports caster got fired).

The traffic was always there, 30-50 hits a day and that can get boosted up to 200-300 (and then goes back down after a week or so) when the radio show gives it a plug.

Now, I'm starting to get more consistent posters / contributors. The nice thing about that is that these are show fans so the posts are good quality posts.

If it is a Wordpress site, get Akismet up and running but in the beginning check the automatically rejected posts - once in a while someone's legitimate comment gets knocked out by that (and you can add it back in).

I just checked that site's Akismet - 14 blocked comments, 1 blocked pingback - all are spam. (from the past 30 days).

**PXLRAPTOR** · 05-17-2009, 09:59 AM

anything new ?

**NextClick** · 05-20-2009, 12:08 PM

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**PXLRAPTOR** · 05-20-2009, 02:11 PM

so almost 7 days after your campaign should have started you didn't even get message from them ? sucks !

**David G** · 05-20-2009, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by PXLRAPTOR

so almost 7 days after your campaign should have started you didn't even get message from them ? sucks !

If that is correct I am surprised they can stay in business and also manage to get good recommendations from members here?

I was going to use inb0x soon so wondering if it really works or not?