Are you a Blog Hijacker?

Ronovan Blogging, , , , , , ,

The original version of this article I was working was huge. I’m going to try to make it simple.

What is a Blog Hijacker?

A person that comments on a post and does at least one of the following on several posts:

  • Writes a comment that is so long it should be a post of its own and is mostly about the bloggers own blog and writing. Meaning you CAN TELL it is an obvious self promotion comment.
  • Comments some nonsense and leaves links to their own blog when it’s obvious they haven’t even read the post.
  • They reply to other commenters with what they think you meant by your post.

You are probably able to come up with some additional Blog Hijacker behavior. If you do, leave them in the comments. I mean that.

What if YOU are a Blog Hijacker?

If you are doing these things be careful, they WILL eventually have a negative impact on your own blog.

  • People will begin to notice and stop visiting your blog.
  • Not only the people you are doing it to, but their friends that are seeing your comments.
  • You will one day wonder why you haven’t seen ‘likes’ from someone in a while.

Most comments should be:

  • To the point, unless the blogger has asked for comments that are of an engaging nature or you are sincerely commenting with honest feeling.
  • Supportive and/or complimentary or at least leaving an intelligently and courteously phrased comment about why you don’t agree with a post.

I personally don’t do the last one unless the blogger has asked for feedback of that nature. If I don’t like it I am going to move on and not be negative in another persons creative realm. However, I rarely find a post that is a waste of my time. I learn from most blogs. I learn what is bad and what is good. Both are instructional.

Do not mistake Blog Hijacking for being supportive.

  • Look at what you are writing and see where the focus is.
  • Is the focus on the post and the content and how it affects you, the blogger, or yourself?
  • If the answer is mostly that last one, you’re Blog Hijacking.

How do you know if you are a Blog Hijacker if no one tells you AND you are doing these things?

  • Are you receiving comments from the blogger when there should be a reply from them?
  • Do your comments not receive ‘likes’ by the host when all others do?

Now for me, I use ‘likes’ to talk to people who comment. Unless there really is a reason to reply, I click like.It lets them know I read it and appreciated it.

Added for clarification:

Sometimes a post asks for comments that may be about self. That is the nature of some blogs entirely. Commenting about how the post relates to you and may touch you is great.

What this post is about are those random comments with links and off the wall unrelated comments or those people who as you read the comment you can tell are self promoting. We, as bloggers, love comments. It lets us know we are getting something right.

So those of you out there who write comments with honest feelings, you are good to go with commenting. Those of you who read your comment and realize, hey, this really is all about my own blog and does look like I’m trying to get people to go read my blog, well, maybe see if there is another way to do some phrasing.

As a result of putting out this post I want to let people know I’ve lost some friends who didn’t get it. They either misunderstood OR perhaps felt they were Blog Hijackers. I’m going to continue to be honest in my tips and helps. It is impossible for me not to be. Since I suffered a concussion I tell it like it is. And I rarely say anything maliciously. I’m not sure I have.

Remember to connect with me if you can at the following.

 @RonovanWrites    Google+   Facebook   GoodReads

Ron_LWI

 

 

 

 

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

30 thoughts on “Are you a Blog Hijacker?”

  3. Hmmm this is definatly food for thought. I ocasionally leave long comments. Sometimes I comment on what I have written if it relates to the topic at hand, but I don’t leave links as a rule. I may comment how I relate to the topic, just like I’m doing right now. This comment is getting pretty long already… But I also try to be suportive and to add what know-how I have on the topic at hand. So honest question do you think I am a blog high-jacker?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • I think comments where one discusses how the post content affects a person as a reader is great. Having that feedback makes our writing mean something perhaps more than we ever intended. I think everyone has the blog hijacker in them at times. Some people are more expressive than others and communicate more than others. It’s a fine line that maybe the reader of a comment uses their own opinion about. Ultimately if you aren’t being deleted then I suppose you are either doing fine or the blogger just lets the comments stay that come in.
      Thanks for the comment.
      Ronovan

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      • Well, if you feel I’m high jacking your blog – please let me know, since I do comment on here often. 🙂 But ultimately I think you are referring to spammers and trolls, and I try not be either.

        Like

        Reply

  4. Have to say, Ron, I don’t quite agree with this – I think blog comments often take on a life of their own as more and more people comment. I can’t see the point of a load of people saying ‘Great post, Terry!” and me saying “Thanks!”. Many of the subjects about which I blog are slightly controversial of contain elements people can disagree with. If I can offer a link to a post that adds more information or another view about the subject, I’ll add it – and am happy for people to add them to mine too. All this (and the length of my comment!) possibly already makes me a ‘blog hi-jacker’ – so I promise I won’t do it again!!! Honest! xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. I have left some long comments in the past, but the blogs in question deserved the long comments. There’s nothing worse than a random link to something when you don’t even know what it is or who it is from.
    Great information!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  6. Its hard not to refer to yourself in a comment, because that is where your own experience comes from. A good blog post will often make you look at yourself in relation to the post content. Personally, I love that personal interjection when someone comments on my blog posts. But if its all about their books or their blig without relevance to the content of the post, I can always remove it if I want. I’ve never had to do that. One can express an opinion without hijacking.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Sometimes a comment is warranted or you even ask for one within your post. It’s those obvious self promotional ones I’m referring to. You can read the comment and see what’s happening. I’m not a comment deleted unless it is a expletive filled, derogatory type comment. I may add something to the post to make it a little more clear. You are AWeSOME! 🙂 really, no, I’m serious. You are, you!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. I haven’t really witnessed much of the three instances you mention. Felt a bit nervous at first because I can be long winded in some comments. The long comments I have seen by others have for most part been well balanced and attention to self seemed relevant. I have actually witnessed more short replies that are mostly links to their selves, not seeming appropriate. In my short time blogging, the longer replies with links I have come across usually have merit and add to the conversation. Your last paragraph is good to consider before pushing ‘post comment’. Thanks for the great advice and food for thought.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. I don’t think I have hijacked a blog, but I know I have left the odd link to one of my posts, or that of another blogger, where I have felt it will benefit the author of the post.

    I have seen blog hijacking, the worst case when a blogger left a comment along the line of “We recycle coffee cartons in Finland” on the blog post of somebody who had written about how much they miss their dad, who had passed away a few years earlier. The blogger who left the comment did come back and apologies but he/she had obviously not read the post and was just out to get some traffic to their won blog.

    The comments I tend not to agree with are those which just say “Nice Post” or where a smily face has been left without any comment. I tend to bin those as they are not adding any value to the post. After all, if you think the post is great, but have nothing worthwhile to add, then press the like button and move on. That is the correct way to show you like the post without having to say anything.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      • Noooooooo! I love smilies. In fact I leave them in comments all the time, but always with a worthwhile comment that I think is beneficial in leaving to the post. I just don’t see the point of them when they are all on their own. I mean why leave a 🙂 all on its own when you can like the comment or the post?

        I feel sorry for smilies when they are left all on their own. They need good beneficial and worthwhile words with them.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  9. Thanks for giving this activity such a catchy name Ronovan. I was just thinking about this over the weekend because I had someone ask that I check out their site on one of my posts. I don’t usually mind because I enjoy meeting new people. I responded with a follow, which was not reciprocated. That was annoying; you should at least follow the people you are asking to follow you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. I have seen this and cringe at the thought of doing it myself! I, for the most part, only “like” posts rather than comment. But of late I’ve been doing a bit more “speaking up” since I realize the positive comments, no matter how short, can be very uplifting to the author. Great thought-too in here!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. I get comments that include a link to their own post on a related subject. It does not bother me because it is related and good to hear their viewpoint. What you are talking about is self promotion and rude. I agree with you. If you can’t think of something nice to say, don’t say anything. Well done, Ron!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. I don’t feel right “liking” this post. 😉 “Blog Hijacker”. Awesome name for it. I can’t stand this. Long comments can be alright if they add to the conversation but REALLY long comments, like you said, can get annoying if left all the time and should just be a post of their own.
    Also, the links people leave saying “look what I wrote that has absolutely nothing to do with what you’ve written here and these are my political views on such-and-such and, by the way, did you see my article in such-and-such magazine and buy my book”. Roar.
    *end rant*

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. These are good points. I don’t think I’ve encountered any such and I hope I don’t. (smile)

    I like compliments, yes.
    But I like when people share their own experiences relating to the subject matter on which I posted. I also like when they provide complementary (not just complimentary) material that gives another aspect or some new insight. Just today I was marveling on how much I’ve learned because of what other bloggers share with me in reaction to a story I wrote.

    Thanks for this.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.