With newcomers swelling the WordPress ranks daily, this seems like a good time for a refresher course on the all-important topic of comment etiquette.
When navigating the rocky shoals of comment etiquette, even the most grizzled WordPress veteran may find him or herself adrift. Commenting rules are, by and large, unwritten. This makes them no less real. The unwary commenter risks breaking one of these rules and getting smacked upside the head so hard their kids will be born dizzy, metaphorically speaking.
Fear not! Miss Peg-o-Leg is here to guide you in the gentle art and exacting science of the effective comment. Read these Frequently Asked Questions. Memorize the answers. Live by them.
- I really don’t know the blogger. Wouldn’t it be too bold to comment? Not at all! That’s why writers write and bloggers blog – for the appreciation of their audience.
WordPress is like community theater. Hard-working actors donate their blood, sweat and almost every evening after work, and for what? They get paid diddly-squat. All they want is a chance to exercise their creativity. And, perhaps, just a moment of glory. Don’t begrudge them that. Tomorrow they must put away dreams of fame and fortune and go back to their humdrum lives as accountants and recent high school graduates working at Burger Planet while yearning to be on Glee.
A thoughtful comment is like applause at the end of a performance.
- I left a comment on a post and the blogger didn’t come over to visit my blog. Does that mean she is a rude, self-involved witch? Not necessarily. Be patient. Blog reciprocity is like dating. It’s a process of getting to know one another – to see if you are compatible. You wouldn’t expect a new “friend” to come up to your apartment to see your “etchings” on a first date, would you?
- I want to tell everyone how Angelina Jolie is really an alien who comes to my house in the middle of the night to eat all the raisins in my pantry. If you are striving for funny, please proceed. If you believe this to be true, you may want to reconsider before you hit “submit”. The goal is to remain a welcome guest and not be the object of a restraining order. Try to remember to take your meds.
Also, those raisins may stay fresh longer in the refrigerator.
- Can I include a link to my own blog in my comment? This is tricky. If you did a post on a closely related subject, then yes. If all you want to do is leave a link to drive traffic to your blog – we see this most often on Freshly Pressed posts – then no. That is considered more tacky than wearing white after Labor Day.
- I disagree with/don’t like what the blogger had to say. It’s perfectly fine to disagree – just be respectful. If the blogger is laying down some particularly nasty carpet bombing on a topic that you hold dear, however, it may be best to sneak away quietly without comment. Miss Peg-o-Leg agrees with your mother on this point: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
- May I drop the f-bomb in my comment? Nowhere is the commandment “thou shalt know thy bloggy host” more important than here. If your host works in obscenities as an artist works in oils, you may drop the f-bomb (and any other letter bombs) with impunity. If you are visiting what is clearly a family friendly blog, then ix-nay on the bomb-fay.
Remember that obscenity that is neither funny nor advances the dialogue is rarely appreciated. This rule does not apply, however, if you’re commenting on a blog that celebrates crude AND stupid. In that case…carry on.
- Do I have to respond if someone leaves a comment on my blog? Experts are split on the duty owed here. One school of thought holds that if someone takes the time to read and come up with a reasonably thoughtful or clever comment, they deserve the courtesy of a reply. If Miss Peg-o-Leg crafts a witty comment and gets no response on a blog she is visiting for the first time she seldom makes a return visit.
Many bloggers scale their response to the amount of work evidenced in the original comment. A casually dropped “L-O-L” or smiley face does not require a dissertation in reply.
Another school of thought says, “I can’t 
reply to every comment. For God’s sake, am I supposed to be chained to this computer? I’ve got a life!” This response is especially tempting during the comment ballyhoo that surrounds being Freshly Pressed. Miss Peg-o-Leg suggests the lucky FP host just hunker down with a supply of Power Bars (she prefers chocolate & peanut butter.) She also suggests one of those baseball caps with the beer cozies attached on both sides and a straw that extends down to the mouth.
On a personal note, Miss Peg-o-Leg makes it her practice to respond to all comments. This does not mean the average blogger must do so; Miss Peg-o-Leg strives to be above average in all things.
- Can I just hit the “like” button? The “like” button is a perfectly acceptable response. This is the equivalent of leaving a calling card with the butler when you drop in and the host is not at home. It shows you cared enough to stop by.
The “like” response is especially effective if the post is a simple picture, or a quote-of-the-day sort of offering. You can also use it if you’re swamped with “real life” and have no time to spare. Finally, this is useful if you just can’t think of anything worth saying. Even Miss Peg-o-Leg has, on very rare occasion, gone to the Clever Comment Well and found it dry.
If you exclusively hit “like” without ever commenting, however, your host may get the impression you aren’t actually reading the posts. That you are parking out on the street, slouched down in the front seat hiding behind a Star Magazine, just waiting until they leave the house so you can drop off your card without having to bother to talk to them.
- What is the Comment Hijack? Is it OK if I do this? The comment hijack involves jumping into someone else’s comment stream. This may be as subtle as expressing your own reaction to that commenter’s thoughts. It could be as bold as a total takeover; turning the plane around, as the term “hijack” would suggest. This type of comment banter is a favorite of the more advanced practitioners of the noble art. Always remember that you are a guest on someone else’s blog: make sure your host knows they are welcome to join in the fun.
A variation on this is the comment hijack on the blog of someone YOU DO NOT KNOW. This game is fraught with danger; a thrill ride that is not for the faint of heart. It is like juggling chainsaws. Both are amazing feats to witness when properly executed. The amateur, however, risks cutting off a vital organ. Both chainsaw juggling and extreme comment hijacking are activities best left to the experts.
Bloggers should make commenters feel welcome as guests in their home. Commenters should remember they are guests, and always wipe their feet before entering. That way they won’t track the blogging equivalent of dog crap in on the host’s rug.
In the end, as with all etiquette, comment etiquette comes down to good manners. As Miss Peg-o-Leg always says,
“Treat others as you wish to be treated and you will rarely go wrong.”
Bon Commentito!
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Don’t forget to enter my Weirdest Valentine Contest – the deadline is tomorrow! (Friday, 1/25)
Peg-o-Leg's Ramblings 
First I’d like to say, Angelina Jolie never eats raisins at my house.
Good lord, why on earth would we stock those vile things?
All of your pointers are spot on. Where were you when I first started blogging?
I have a few more questions for Miss Peg-o-leg: can I reblog this post? because I think it’s brilliant and very Freshly Pressed worthy and I’d like to steal some of your thunder for my own blog because I have zero things to post about lately. Sound like a fair deal?
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(anxiously awaiting your reply…..)
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GO for it, Miss Darlinski!
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BTW, I believe it was an extreme comment hijack that lead to our friendship, was it not? DEFINITELY a practice best left to the professionals.
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’tis true, I think it was about Mr. Skittles. Comment hijacks are such a fine and delicate art. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, the magic just flows. The witty banter keeps on bantering….too bad lately I can barely string a few words together…
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Fear not, Miss Darla! The bantering will flow like a river once again…as soon as you’re done with all this smarty-pants, college business. Nose to the grindstone, Missy! Nose to the grindstone.
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Done. I can’t believe it’s my first reblog. I love you, Peg!
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Comment Hijack!
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Be careful everyone – I think he has a gun!
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Noooooo! A guy at work just got an air rifle and shot down a crow last week, I was horrified. Now I’m really misbehaving by changing the subject matter in a comment thread. 🙂
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How’s the guitar playing going, Joe? Learn any new jams? any riffs? laying down any cool tracks? is that what the young people call it these days? (and so concludes my attempt at continuing comment hijack)
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Note to self: buy a guitar. It will take me a while to fulfill my ideas. And less of the young – I’m aging and proud!
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Oh! Yeah. First guitar lesson: buy a guitar. It’s such a hard lesson to learn, but I have faith in you, Joe. I borrowed my brother’s and played “smoke on the water” about 100 times (and badly) then he wanted to smash it over my head Nirvana-style. Gotta rock it out, dude.
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I can play “Country Roads” by John Denver on the guitar. Then my fingers start to bleed.
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Phew, now I’ll have that song in my head – it;s a good thing as I’ve had Word Up by Cameo stuck there all day thanks to another blogger.
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Wait a minute…let me get this straight. Did he shoot down the crow AT WORK? Where, exactly, do you work?
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yes, more please about this crow-shooting episode, Joe….
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….”West Virginiaaaaaa…mountain mama……take me hoooooooome….”
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“Word up…everybody say…when you hear the call you got to get it under-wa-a-ay!”
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I agree with what you say. I find it rude if I leave a nice thoughtful comment somewhere and they don’t reply – I understand if someone is receiving hundreds of comments it may become unmanageable to reply to every one, but usually that’s not the case. Of course everyone is free to run their own blog how they like, and we are free to visit or not, but like you, I will not keep frequenting a blog where I don’t feel I have been made welcome. A big part of the pleasure of blogging is the interaction within the comments. I can forgive somebody if they post a lot, and I comment a lot, and sometimes they reply and sometimes not, at least there is some interaction going on there, but if it’s my first visit to their site and I get no reply, or I’ve left a few comments and got nothing back, then I’m off!
Oh dear, sorry, what’s the etiquette for people rambling on incessantly and repeating themselves in a comment?
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Miss Peg-o-leg finds the rambling comment evocative of how one actually talks. Please carry on.
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Ahhh, now I see the light!
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So glad to have helped.
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This is excellent advice for life, too, Peg. I can apply this to work situations (never use the F bomb) and comments from my husband (always respond or he might think I’m not listening). I do wish that life had a “like” button though. It would be a real time saver!
Your turn…;)
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That is a wonderful idea! Staples has that “easy” button – you could invent a “like” button. Of course, I’m such a grouch I would probably use a “don’t like” button a lot more. Get going on that plan, hmmm?
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My “Like” button IRL is a “thumb(s)-up”. 🙂
By the way, Miss Peg-o-Leg, I love Miss Manners and likewise, I love your etiquette tips: both thumbs up!
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Reblogged this on She's a Maineiac and commented:
Questions about blog comment etiquette? Have no fear, let wise veteran blogger Miss Peg-o-leg guide you with her tried and true tips for the newbie blogger.
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And very elegantly done, too! I would have no idea how to reblog. You’re a genius!
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Really? Yeah! I hereby declare every comment made to me forthwith should be ‘you’re a genius’ and also not include the word ‘forthwith’ or ‘hereby’ because then I just sound like a pompous ass. (I didn’t really know how to reblog, either. My brain isn’t the same lately. Must buy more raisins. Thankfully WP is pretty much moron-proof, you just click and done.)
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You are a genius.
The. End.
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I think you meant to say “You are hereby a genius, forthwith. The. End.”
You’re welcome.
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I stand corrected.
I hereby declare both of you geniuses!
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As are you, Jackie. As are you. And not just for saying we’re both genuises.
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I will print this as a manual of instructions for effective commenting. I hope everyone else does too. 🙂
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It would be lovely if someone would cross-stitch the rules on a sampler and have it framed.
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Full disclosure, rule number 2 is partially responsible for me holding back a ‘huge return’ to the blogosphere. The sense of obligation to visit every person that may ‘like’ a post and/or write a comment bothers me. I understand the logic – I truly ‘get it’. By the same token, I don’t like the thought that I am welcome to write and receive comments provided I visit those that comment, and if I do not visit those that comment, I run the risk of losing readers.
Are published writers held to the same standards? If Anne Lamott signs books during a promo is she required to read the blogs, books, and other creations of those waiting in line for her signature?
For the record, I am no Anne Lamott, nor am I a Peg-o-Leg or Darlinski. I am merely a lowly – non freshly pressed, occasional blogger who writes when the time/energy/mood/inspiration hits, and doesn’t like the fact that there are rules/obligations within the sphere she resides, when the said time/energy/mood/inspiration hits. *sigh*
Great post. I always enjoy posts about comment etiquette. Seriously.
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You may have inspired a post, Peg-O-Inspiration. Now, I need to work on the time and energy….
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Both commodities in continually short supply.
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I can SO see what you mean, Lenore. I balance that sense of obligation all the time. While I try to return COMMENTS all the time, I usually can’t return VISITS. There are only so many hours in the day. I guess all we can do is our best.
And might posting every, single, mother-loviin’ day last year have a teensy bit to do with your reluctance to do a “huge return?”
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Seriously. I sound so incredibly bitter. Had I known…. had I only known. Friggin’ frackin’ Project 366.
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I don’t know HOW you did it. I would have shot myself, and not with a camera. Although the boys might be feeling a bit neglected since you rang in the new year, since mama isn’t photographing their every move, hmm?
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I do find it odd that they are dressing so wonderfully every single day, smiling widely, and uttering the word “Cheese”. Do you think they are trying to tell me something?
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What was your clue?
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I Love this Miss Peg-O-Leg! It should be Freshly Pressed!
You hit on all cylinders. The only thing I would add is if the host is viciously attacked in some way, it is better to delete the comment than to engage, keeping the blog site free from flame wars!
I remember I wrote a 100 word flash fiction and some dude told me how horrible it was and rewrote it using over 300 words. In a comment. Really? The Universe handled him. I found him in my spam filter! *delete*
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I can’t beLIEVE the nerve of that commenter. Nice topic, but I could do it better???? Pu-lease!
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I know and he must have left two links to his blog which sent him straight to spam jail!
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I love this post so much. But if you don’t reply to my comment I’m just going to start dropping F bombs.
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I have the F-Bomb Removal Squad all suited up and standing by.
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I await the day when our little JULES starts dropping F-bombs. You’re talking about Fudge, right? Or was that Fromage?
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I’ve heard a bomb or two from those innocent lips. Only in appropriate settings, naturally.
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Hmm… is it considered acceptable to drop implied f-bombs in a comment?
Because I do that all the ******* time.
I hope that I didn’t **** up.
Now that I think about it.
****.
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Me too. (oops, Miss Peg-o-Leg would say “moi, aussi”) Even if the original post contains obscenities I always star out a couple of letters in my response. Because mama raised me to be a lady.
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I had a fellow blogger ” respond” to one of my blogs. Instead of speaking about my blog his comment was totally unrelated and it plugged his blog and his rant against WordPress. I kind of thought that was rude and removed his post from public view.
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Some spam does a good job of masquerading as a real comment, and others are clearly just interested in driving traffic to their own blog. Rude, indeed! (sniff)
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Hurray, Miss Peg-o-Leg has found her way back into my Inbox. For some reason she had been shuffling around in my spam folder. Was there anything interesting in there? Because I seldom look. Except for that one day I did look and there you were. It was a happy reunion, Miss PoL. Welcome back (to me) and thank you for sharing your well crafted and well articulated wit!
PS: I don’t have a blog, so there is no pressure for reciprocity. 😉
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Thanks goodness you found me – I couldn’t breathe down there! But I did find that second blue and yellow striped sock you’ve been looking for.
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http://thecvillean.wordpress.com/ (Is it Labor Day yet?)
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Moving THIS comment to the spam folder FOR SURE.
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Oh God. Just realizing how horribly tacky I am most of the time. Rethinking those dirty rap lyric comments I left on a Christian Homeschooling blog 😦
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What, can’t they take a joke? $%^&* Christians!
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nicely done–this morning I think I left a comment that should not have been left–but I will make it up to the blogger–I rarely do this–I try to be kind but sometimes a statement rankles me.
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Good idea – go back and try to smooth things over. You don’t want your name on one of those lists of unwelcome visitors, like the list of bad-check writers at the store that they shuffle through every time you write a check and then say, “Sorry, cash only for you.”
Or so I’ve heard.
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I did get it smoothed over when she wrote back–the comment was not directed toward her and I was afraid she would think it was–but we have it all under control now
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credit cards are my bugaboo
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Well run comments can make a blog much more fun to read. One of my favorites is most interesting in the witty banter below the post.
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So true. Often the best part of the post are the comments below it. Although sometimes I don’t have time to go through them, and run the risk of repeating what someone else has already said. I HATE when that happens.
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what a response…I thought that I would never ever get to the comment box… what a thrilling , well written and oh so true post….I hope that my comments are always done politely and with love
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Always, Miss P! You are a delightful visitor.
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Pegoleg, you’ve made some excellent observations. I’ve always appreciated thoughtful and/or funny comments. They add to my knowledge on a particular subject and/or just lift my mood by being so creative and funny.
For the few blogs I’ve visited where I got no response, or no return visit, I’ve just moved on. There’s plenty of enjoyable and informative blogs out there. No need to tie yourself to one that doesn’t appreciate you as a reader.
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Well said! “no need to tie yourself to one that doesn’t appreciate you.” Thanks for stopping by.
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I am constantly amazed at how many “blog” friends you have! You should have sort of a reunion and meet face to face sometime just for fun.
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Some people have met and reunions have been discussed. I actually did meet one blog friend last summer on our way to Michigan – it was great. The problem is that we live all over the place, with some overseas.
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It was f&^king great!!!
http://k8edid.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/bloggers-in-paradise/
The only thing worse than a comment hijack is when your best blogging buddies carry on all day while you are slaving away (thanks a lot, guys) is when you hijack your own comments http://k8edid.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/when-comments-attack/
I had a spam comment the other day that said “This was pretty bad, I’m fairly certain you (or any trained monkey) could do better. I suspect Mr. Skittles.
Have I broken enough of the etiquette rules? If not, I can probably try again…
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No, no ..we’re good on the broken rules. Don’t knok yourself out. You need to be fresh for another 24 hour workday tomorrow, right?
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That WAS Mr. Skittles! The little twerp! Always quick with the zingers. God, I miss the buggah.
I think I’m breaking lots of blogging rules by leaving a huge trail of comments all across Peg’s poor blog.
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I’m always delighted to have the Incomparable Miss Darlinky,dinky-doo stop by. I was just rereading the Caption Contest falderol that started this glorious relationship more than a year ago. Good times, good times.
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My comment is awaiting moderation? WTFrack? After all we’ve meant to each other, Peg-o-Licious? I drove 1500 miles to meet you!!! I had a Wendys built just for the occasion!! Peg-o-my-heart, Really?
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It wasn’t me, Katy! WordPress must know something about you that I don’t.
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Hey – you’re commenting at night – does this mean you have the interwebz at home or are you still slaving away yourself?
I guess I’ve been showing up in many spam folders for folks lately. WordPress probably knows EVERYTHING about me (along with Facebook and the Twitter).
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WHy, do you have a new post that I missed? Curse you WordPress! Yes, I got a new smart phone, then added WiFi capability to it, then figured out how to link my tablet to it, then how to download the Android WordPRess app so the keyboard works right.
I am exhausted.
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Gawd – that does sound exhausting. I am so busy at work and trying to recover from my little concussion thingy…that I haven’t been posting too much…2013 has been off to a rough start.
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I once had someone (long gone now) who would occasionally respond to comments on my blog before I did. That’s appropriate and welcome once in a while, but he would answer almost every comment as though he’d written the post. I tactfully deleted the least substantial of them, which he may have noticed, because I haven’t heard from him in at least a year.
Thank you for addressing these issues, Peg. I agree with some of the other readers: this should be Freshly Pressed.
(Bon Commentito?)
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I have been guilty of that same offense, but only on a good friend’s blog. Otherwise, it’s kind of like a casual acquaintance moving into your basement. Not good.
On the Freshly Pressed question, let me see…where did I put the FP Direct Hotline?
Bon Commentito – what, too Julia Child?
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Well said, Peg. It is an art.
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And a science, Elyse. Don’t forget that part.
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Man, those first few weeks on WP seem lonely. Clicking on recent posts, almost at random… leaving a comment and hoping… coming across blog posts that are just vile, hateful rants and quietly clicking away…
And making lots of little mistakes like blatantly leaving a link to my site or trying to out-clever the author…
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What…you mean trying to out-clever the author isn’t the main POINT? Dang! No wonder so many blogs I visit never come over here.
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This is so funny. I wrote a post that had nothing to do with comment etiquette. The post was entitled Confessions of a constant commenter, it got FP’d (I do not know why, because it was lame bilge water) but people made comments telling me I shouldn’t be afraid to comment (they didn’t see “constant commenter” in the title I guess). The comment section got tatted up with links, some weird meth head babble, and remarks that I should be brave and say whatever I wanted on other people’s blogs, and so, I did a follow up post just to clarify my point was that when I see my own frustration seeping into comments, I reel myself in and rant on my own blog instead.
I often don’t get a response to my comments. I usually respond to all comments on my blog, but I recently tried letting others have a voice without needing to add my reply to their comment. I see so many blogs that regularly get hundreds of comments with no reply from the blogger at all.
Hmmmm.
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I see those blogs, too. Part of me envies the bloggers “above it all” confidence. The other part thinks they are missing out on the best part.
I did that once- skimmed a post and made a light-hearted comment. It was only after the host’s somewhat confused reply that I read it in depth and saw the post was REALLY about a very serious subject. Awkward!
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Great post, thanks for the lesson! 🙂
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I live to serve.
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Oh, I’m sure I have some doozies out there, on recent posts too. The sad thing is, I am not a newbie. I just always assumed I didn’t sign up for that WordPress package. Great commenting costs extra, right?
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That is one school of thought. By the way, your check is in the mail. 😉
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AS a veteran blogger, I thought I was pretty well-versed in comment etiquette. But this goes to show me that I can always learn more. Hijacking a comment? I’ve done it, but never knew it was called that and never thought myself in the ranks of terrorist organizations or just plain wack-a-doodles to be doing this kind of thing. I sure will think twice before I do it again! 😉
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Oh no, that does not apply to YOU Lorna. The comment hijack is a noble art when done properly, as I’m sure you do.
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Well, thanks, Peg, but I’m sure the wack-a-doodles who hijack planes think they are pretty noble, too. It’s all about perspective, right? 😉
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Very well done, Peg. And necessary. It really needed to be said.
And please stop hijacking my blog! :p
Actually, I am an always responder. Although it might take me a few days (weeks?) to respond, I will definitely do it. I also will try to visit someone who I see has made many comments on my blog, feeling that if they have put that much effort into multiple comments, especially if funny or thought provoking, that they deserve at least a visit. Sometimes I hang out, and sometimes it’s just not for me. I have also found blogs and even friends from reading other people’s comments and hijacking (Jules & you come to mind). All in all, I consider it a conversation and a creation of relationships and should be treated that way.
Now where did I put that FP button? 🙂
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It IS a conversation, Misty, you are so right. And that’s how I’ve met most of my bloggy buds as well, like you.
You know, there really IS a FP button. I was looking at some general “topic of the day” kind of thing on the WordPress homepage the other day and read something about how you can nominate a post for FP. Not that I’m hinting or anything…
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how do you do that, Peg?
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Do what?
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Suggest to WP a post for FP….I had no idea you could do that (I am so out of the loop)
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Well, I THOUGHT I saw that somewhere. But now I can’t even figure out where the Daily Post Idea Of The Day is that somebody told me about. So I may have been hallucinating. What are you doing fun this weekend?
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I originally was going to “like” this then move on because you already have so many comments, but then I remembered your rule and I wanted to comment so you know I actually read the whole post. Very well written and great advice!! Now I have to go back to all of my previous comments and make sure I followed the rules…
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No need to agonize over the ghost of comment errors past. If you are resolved to go and sin no more in the future, Miss Peg-o-Leg is satisfied.
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This is great, Peg.
I love it when comment hijacks spring up on my blog. It’s like the comment section takes on a life of its own. Maybe we need another name for them, like comment wildflowers.
Whenever I think about leaving a link back to one of my posts in a comment on someone else’s blog, one factor I consider is my relationship to the blogger. If it’s my first comment on that particular blog, I’m much less likely to leave a link than if it’s my 100th.
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Except that wildflowers never magically spring up in my garden. Perhaps comment dandelions? Comment poison ivy?
How about hijack hijinks?
Good point about the relationship factor. I once left a link on a FP post because I had written something on the eXACT same topic, but they never came over. I just know they thought I was a newbie, FP coat-tailer. I wanted to go back and protest, “I’m NOT that annoying newbie! I’ve been here a while, so it’s OK that I leave a link. Do you people KNOW who I AM???” But I didn’t – it somehow didn’t sound like my normal, humble self.
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This should be required reading. Excellent tips! I especially agree with your point about the f-bomb. I am not one to drop it – it’s just not my style – so when other people use it in my comments I can’t help but squirm. I mean, my MOM reads this stuff! As far as I’m concerned, if I can’t cuss in front of her, no one else can either. What can I say? I’m just a prude.
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Not a prude…a well-brought up young lady. I, too, write everything with the assumption that my mom might read it and I suggest the same approach to both of my daughters. “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want me to see.” That probably curtails their social lives quite a bit…but that is not a bad thing.
Carry on.
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OH If we all yell really loud like the Whoville whos will FP notice? Such and excellent post!
The comments section is the most fun. I always try to respond fairly quickly – and try to return visit commenters as they took time to say something…time doesn’t always allow return visits to “likes” and I try not to feel guilty about neglecting those at times – but you do what you can do.
Great post!
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Thank you! You’re so right – often the comments are the very best part of the post. I guess we all just have to do our best.
There is a suggested FP button somewhere in the WordPress galaxy, but I don’t know where it is.
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I just found your blog today and it’s wonderful. Great post! Also, I grew up listening to Steve Martin’s stand-up records so “Ram..Blin!” immediately jumped out at me. 🙂
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Bingo! I think you’re the very first to GET that reference. I added it a couple of months ago. Only one person mentioned it and that was with a big question mark. I was thinking of taking it down because it was too obscure.
Bless you my son.
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Yay for getting random references! I have most of those albums memorized. My dad was surprised that his daughter and not his son was the one who thought they were so funny. Steve Martin is one of my all-time heroes. I even met him about ten years ago and it was the dream I hoped it would be.
And I am ALL about obscure references. 🙂
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So sorry – I assumed, and you KNOW what happens when one does that. Bless you my daughter.
I would LOVE to meet Steve Martin. I grew up listening to him and thought he was the funniest guy on the planet.
Last year I had a tag at the top that said Kimono My House. I was totally thrilled when somebody recognized the Sparks reference – talk about obscure. I haven’t heard that album in 30 years and I doubt many ever have.
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No worries! I get sent letters to Mr. all the time. 🙂
I am a big enough nerd about him that I wrote a 25 page conference paper on him in college. Have you read Born Standing Up? I read it and then listened to him narrate it on Audible. It’s SO GOOD. He plays the banjo on it and does different takes on some of the material that ended up on the albums.
I like obscure references because they are so rarely recognized, so it’s extra fun when someone catches one.
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Yay for getting random references! I have all those albums practically memorized. My dad thought it was great that his daughter took such a liking to his work. I’ve been such a huge fan of his for so long that when I met him about 10 years ago, it was a dream come true.
And I am ALL about obscure references!
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(It posted my comment but told me there was an error, so now you get two that are almost the same!)
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Came by courtesy of Darla. Very poignant and pertinent post!
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Why thank you, and welcome! Pull up a tuffet and have a cookie.
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One of your best posts, Peg! I learn from the master, or the mastriss or, well, you know what I mean. From my lips to the FP Gods. You are due, sista! 🙂
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“mastriss?” I sense a new, favorite word has just been born! Thanks sis, this is one of my faves.
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This eloquent bit of advice will serve any blog reader well. It harkens back to a simpler time, when people weren’t such jack-asses. It’s got Freshly Pressed written all over it.
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From your mouth to wordPress’ ear, o recently FP’d one.
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My word IS law here at WP, after all.
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Oh Mighty King Dave, intercede for me with the FP gods. WordPress has turned its back on me.
Matt Mullenweg, Matt Mullenweg, why have you abandoned me???
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Who’s this Matt guy? Should I be jealous?!
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Very. He’s the 18-year-old who founded WordPress.
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Too old to be a wunderkind, too young to appreciate well-written blog posts about temporary irregularity.
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Too old? At 18? I’ve got SHOES older than that! Although I think he’s about 30 now, so…
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30? I have shoes older than THAT.
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Good plan. You never know when those 6-inch, Huggy-Bear platforms will come back into style.
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My feet are so freakishly large that things like a nice pair of snow boots have actually lasted me almost 35 years.
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My feet are so freakishly large that things like a nice pair of snow boots have actually lasted me almost 35 years.
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You know what they say about a man with big feet…..he has big shoes.
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So I’ve heard….more than once
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Dang! I always like to be original.
Well, my work-day is done (tee hee hee) and all this talk of Lambrusco has me thirsty so I’m heading out for a night on the town. Enjoy your evening, Dave!
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Have fun, I’m snowed in with the wife and grandkids….talk about your zany fun night!
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For reasons unknown, WordPress has deactivated my blog and I cannot access any of it. I have written several times seeking clarification without success. All 124 of my posts are no longer accessible to me, and I cannot write new ones. Apparently they see nothing wrong with suspending a blog on a Sunday morning without having any staff available to explain what happened. I have no idea if I’ll ever get back on here.
I’ve enjoyed (hopefully) entertaining my readers and being enlightened by other writers. I hope to be back on here as soon as possible with a new post I just wrote this morning.
I’m not optimisitic this will be resolved, as it has been quite some time since the suspension and no one has contacted me to resolve it.
My actual name is David Lovett. If this doesn’t get fixed, please be on the lookout for the novel which I’m writing. Without a blog to post on, I’ll finally have the time to finish it.
Love you, miss you.
Dave
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Dave, this is terrible! Did it just happen this morning? Surely they’LL get you going again soon??
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After roughly seven hours, some folks wrote back to me and we got it ironed out. You can see a thinly veiled reference to it in the caption of the first picture in my current post. I really thought my blog was gone for good….it was a really scary, frustrating experience.
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The comments to this post literally have Freshly Pressed written all over it.
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I have the best commenters in the business. Er, not BUSINESS per se, because nobody is getting paid here, y’all. It’s more pleasure and entertainment, really, but I say business because that’s the expression.
Anyway, you’re joining an elite squad of specially trained commenters who can kill with a single “bwa ha ha!”.
Welcome.
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Gotta say, I must disagree with you on one point – the blog hijack. Having successfully done that a number of times, I must say that a total hijack is fairly easy, once you do one key, crucial thing – surrender all sense of self-respect. Once you have given up any sense of self-respect, hijack options come thick and fast! 😀
But then again, on many occasions, you’ve see my wit – or half of it, anyway. 😉
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I have seen many examples of your hijack hijinks. Carry on, sir. Carry on.
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Hey! I remember this one from a ways back. I had it linked (it’s that good) on my home page for quite some time, until I cleaned house and changed my blog look. This is a great post. Crossing my fingers for a Fresh Pressed piece for you once again. It’s been a while! Cheers. 🙂
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Thanks Shannon. It’s one of my favorites, so I dusted it off and spruced the post up a bit.
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Hi, came over from She’s a Maineiac, (as well) love the post…
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I am delighted to have you! Any friend of Darla’s…usually has to undergo a full body cavity search before they come anywhere near my blog.
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I’m used to that, so if it has to happen, so be it. Gently gently please. 😉
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All good points. I respond to nearly all comments in my blog but, despite having been on wordpress for nearly four years (though not in my current blog) and blogging in various places since 2004, I’ve only just realised that I don’t have to respond to comments straight away! I leave some of them now for a day or two, sometimes longer and it eases some of the strain. The comments I miss tend to be ones to old posts that I’ve forgotten to keep track of.
By the way, do I get a biscuit (cookie) as a reward for commenting on this post? 😉
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Certainly! Of course you’ll need to come to Illinois to collect the biscuit.
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Ah. There’s always a problem, isn’t there. Just wait til I find my pelican. (It’s the best way to travel…)
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???? I would think the pelican would eat the biscuit.
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Great points. I try to respond to everyone who comments on my blog, which isn’t hard because there aren’t that many comments most of the time; and I at least visit the blogs of people who visit and/or follow mine. I don’t follow all of them, because some of them are just not for me. And I do thank new followers – again, not many. But one day, when I’m famous and rich, I may have to hire someone to answer all those comments for me. 🙂
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That is the thought that sustains me…someday I’ll have minions.
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And I can say “I knew you when…” LOL
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I have been following your blog for some time, but I guess I was wary of commenting, not knowing your comment policy. Thank you for liberating me at last!
I agree with a lot of your points, and actually try to follow your rules already – which recently caused me to spend nearly half of my vacation responding to comments on an FP post and checking out many of the commenters’ blogs. But I disagree (respectfully, as recommended above) with you on the comment hijackings. I think it’s great when people who comment on your blog are able to sustain interesting conversation with little input from the blog author: it creates a sense of community rather than a series of mini one-to-one author/commenter relationships.
Now, off to hijack a random comment thread, or as I call it, to create a sense of community!
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I am delighted to have you, AND your comment. But I may have not been clear on the hijack issue. I am fine with commenters doing their thing without the host. I just want to make sure the host feels welcome to join in – after all, it is THEIR home.
Go forth and community-build, forthwith! (too many forths there? Can one ever have too many forths?)
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A fourth forth is one forth too many, I think.
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PEG-o, I love you so much that I am responding while I am on vacation. Yes, on vacation. Because I want you to know that you are an important blogger in my life. It is important to me that you understand this. I also try to respond to every comment, but alas, I am no Peg-o. You are the queen. My queen.
Also, when I tried to type Peg – o, my iPhone auto corrects to “pedophile.” I thought you should know.
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GACK!!!! MIss Renee-nee, your phone clearly needs some maintainance. That’s just wrong.
And I love you too. I hope you are enjoying the new house(?) and getting a goddess-like tan.
Oh, wanted to tell you that I just heard that 2 people I know in my town are going to be on the Great Race next month, so don’t give up the reality show dream. It will happen!
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I totally agree. I was actually working on a somewhat similar post about how I think you ought to try to respond to all your comments (at least the ones that are longer than smiley). And here is a link to my blog telling all about it! Just kidding. Really, why leave a link? It should be in your name already. If they want to visit, they can just click on your name – unless you’re leaving a link to a specific article related to theirs.
Like you, I rarely repeat visit blogs that never answer comments. I get it taking time if you’ve got tons of comments or one of these life things, but come on. Bring on the power bars!
Oh, and I once clicked on another blog and it was all reblogs of freshly pressed posts. Weird.
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You are right about your avatar including a link, but the only time I can see leaving a link in a comment is if you are referencing a specific post on the topic. In that case, you probably should link to that post or you risk the blogger getting lost in your archives.
I wonder about those FP reblogs- aren’t they all selling knock-off designer handbags?
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I just got a reblog on a Bible Barn website – a reblog of a post about Cosmo. I’m thinking maybe they didn’t read my post.
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Or they were using Cosmo as a vivid example of the Wages of Sin.
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::applause::
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(takes off hat – with ostrich plumes- and flourishes it elegantly while executing a deep, graceful bow)_
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I love your blog and the way you write! My “skills” are worthless compared to your creativity. “I want to tell everyone how Angelina Jolie is really an alien who comes to my house in the middle of the night to eat all the raisins in my pantry.” I couldn’t stop laughing when I read that one!
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Thanks so much! But don’t put yourself down – we all have our own special way of putting things, right? Now we’ll all join hands and sing a chorus of Kumbaya.
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You see!? How do you do that?
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Oh, how I love this post! The comments about FP posts and link-dropping are especially astute. As is the rest, every single little bit.
May I call you Miss Peg-O-Leg from now on? Or is that too presumptuous?
🙂
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You, Deb, may call me anything you like! 🙂
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btw – I got a mysterious text about a month ago from someone in a small town that begins with “C” in Illinois — simply stating, “Hiyaaaaa, Georgette” or somesuch– that wasn’t you was it going to great lengths to comment out of the post? just kidding–this post was spot on, every single bullet point. 🙂
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Sorry you were languishing in the Spam folder all this time. Apparently WordPress has a hard time telling the knock-off purse sellers from the truly gifted bloggers. Nope, that wasn’t me with the out-of-post comment. Sounds like a mystery!
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168 responses! That’s a lot of power bars! 🙂
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Well hello there, stranger. How are you and the birds?
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Always good to reaffirm how important nice behaviour is….. Thank you 🙂 🙂
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Even with one’s tongue in one’s cheek, it is important to be well behaved, hmmm?
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🙂
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I agree on the responding to all comments. (Aside from LOL, even though a lol back should suffice.)
Not sure about this though: “Also, those raisins may stay fresh longer in the refrigerator.”
They’ll get harder and besides the entire point of a raisin is that its not fresh. its preserved.
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btw – great post!
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Good point on the raisins. I’ll pass your tip along to Angelina.
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Jolie?
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Who else?
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the other angelina is the one in the Harry belafonte song. but i didnt think you meant her
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Thank you, Miss Peg-O-Leg for your insight and expertise on reading and commenting.
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I LIVE to serve.
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Pingback: Blogging Part 3: Comment Etiquette | MikesFilmTalk
This post is fabulous! I am guilty of overcommenting I think, but I can’t help myself sometimes. It’s hard for me to tell if I’ve offended since I forget that bloggers don’t know my personality from Adam’s. The original Adam, duh. The F bomb and hijacking portions of this post give me confidence that I’m not being a total dbag (see, I didn’t say douche because I don’t know you like that yet). Thanks so much for Freshly Pegging GoJulesGo so I could find your blog. She’s great, and if she and Manieac like you then you must be pretty ok.
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Pingback: A Brief History Of WordPress As It Pertains To Why I Rarely Get Freshly Pressed Anymore | Peg-o-Leg's Ramblings
HA! Just what I needed! A whole new area of social graces that my mother is not here to guide me through, and I have been musing over. One thing I do remember from my maternal notes is that you never go wrong saying “thank you”. So–Thank YOU very much!
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So true! It’s always a good idea to say thanks.
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This actually kinda really helps me .. thank you!
I’m a newbie blogger, so everyone’s always like “comment, comment, comment!” Half the time I really have nothing to say .. and then half the time I just don’t know exactly what to say! I’m sometimes a “liker” because I think it’s polite and I don’t mind of others do it to me. But I guess it really only comes down to the fact that I really don’t need to comment on everything just for the sake of it. That’s a good thing because I hate looking fake.
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Good thinking – being fake is death to forming relationships. Thanks for stopping by!
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Thank you very much for posting such an excellent guide to correct behavior in the online world of blogging. I’m new to said world and much of what you said was useful information I tucked away for future reference, including that raisins keep longer when stored in the fridge. Manners are an increasingly forgotten art, deemed irrelevant in the Information Age, and I give you a standing ovation for reminding the general populace that good etiquette never goes out of style and is the grease that allows the wheels of civilized society to turn smoothly. Now tell me, if I re-blogged this, would visitors to my site feel I was making a polite suggestion that their comments needed a little, er, fine tuning?
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Thank you. It was done tongue in cheek, but most of it still holds true. Your readers might get that impression, but they might just think you found it funny.
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I have another question to put to you in regards to the protocol for using pictures found on the web in my blog. Can I just cut and paste the image into one of my posts, or do I need to laboriously embed the image location? Just wondering if you’d consider pictures from movies and TV shows to be treated the same way you would a quote from someone else. I’d never post another person’s words without giving them due credit, but in this case, I don’t think whoever owns the rights to the movie would mind a little free advertising.
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That’s a tough one. I give credit if I know the source, but often an image has been passed on so often you can’t tell. One time I doctored an old photo I found on the web and got a message from someone saying it was his photo, and please take it down. I apoligized and did so right away. I felt like a fool, but the guy was nice about it.
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Since I do reviews of movies and TV shows, I think it’s safe to only use stills from the show/film or publicity shots. I still give credit at the bottom of each review to the various production companies and studios and if I post anything else, I always include the domain of where I got it. Thanks for contributing to my crash course in giving credit for pictures. I learned a lot very quickly and hopefully will not have to go back through my posts (again) if I learn I have to do it differently.
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I’m glad the guy wasn’t nasty to you. Did he say how his photo wound up online? It was nice of you to take him at his word and simply take it down. I know some people who would have asked for proof of ownership or asserted that since the image had been altered, it was no longer solely his. But again, we’re back to good manners and the importance thereof.
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Reblogged this on Reviews by Bethany and commented:
This is a rather hilarious guide to blog etiquette. I found it highly amusing while also being quite practical.
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Hi Miss Peg-o-Leg. I tried the reblogging thing, but couldn’t figure out how to do so as a new page, not a post (it didn’t fit in with my reviews, so I wanted a separate page for it). So here’s a link to what I came up with. Please let me know if you approve or if it needs work. I don’t know how to make an image a link – can you tell I’m very new to this? I want to make sure you’re happy with how I’m representing your stuff.
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Thank you so much! I’m afraid I ‘m not that good at the technical stuff, but I’ll be over for a visit as soon as real life settles down a little here.
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Oops, forgot the link: https://reviewsbybethany.wordpress.com/pertinent-posts-from-others/
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Good advice to live by as I blunder through this blogging arena. Thank-you!!!
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Thanks for stopping by!
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Pingback: The Dark Side of Freshly Pressed: Handling the Highs and Lows | The Daily Post
This is the best post I’ve ever read about blogging etiquette – all true, and very amusing at the same time. Great write 🙂
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Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.
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I have to disagree. Raisins in the fridge? They’d have the consistency of a Lego brick. Loved your bit on the Dark Side of FP. I nodded along for much of it.
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That raisin thing is purely a matter of individual choice…at least that’s what Angelina Jolie tells me.
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Well said. I never heard of the term “comment hijacker” – if I understood it right – wouldn’t it just add to a nice conversation all over? As long as you stay in the topic I wouldn’t mind but find it refreshing.
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No, it’s not a bad thing. Some bloggers are hesitant to respond directly to a comment of a stranger, but it can open up dialogue and/or be a lot of fun.
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Dear Miss Pegoleg,
Loved the article – I’m definitely going to reblog this once my site is fixed… please don’t think I’m inviting you to review it. Wouldn’t dream of it. Anyhow I found it so funny that I didn’t notice my laptop slowly sliding off the bed (where I do my writing) until I realised that my head was at a rather extreme angle and my neck hurt. I think I was unconsciously trying to correct for it. Anyway I just wanted you to know that I as a new writer appreciated what you wrote (there’s the gratuitous praise). I have said that I’ve started my bog for self-gratification but what’s the point of writing awfully clever/meaningful things if there’s no one around to give you praise? I think that’s a bit like if a tree fell in the forest would anybody hear? Your opinion on this matter would be grately appreciated.
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So glad you rescued your computer before something dreadful happened! Most start blogs as journals…sorta. Because we would just keep a diary if we didn’t want people to read our stuff. Thanks for stopping by and best of luck.
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