One of the frequent commenters who really impressed me during the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge was Nicole from The Madlab Post. She is a blogger who shows a similar comment philosophy to the one I have and even usually goes beyond the efforts that I make giving detailed well thought out comments.
Impressed by her comments I asked Nicole to offer some tips about leaving relevant comments that add to the blog conversation. In this guest post she takes a unique approach to examining the different styles of commenting. I want to thank Nicole for joining us today. Enjoy!
Harry? Hermione? What’s Your Harry Potter Commenting Personality?
Blog comments are similar to Harry Potter movies when it comes to their tone, quality and effect that they have on readers, including the author of a particular post. These miniature pieces of valuable feedback can transform blogs into a more in-depth source of information or an entertaining and lighthearted escape from reality, if only for a brief moment. Much like the main characters in the film series including Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, each blog comment has its own set of characteristics depending on who wrote it. Here are three commenting personalities related to the Harry Potter series that reflect the commenting habits of blog readers who rarely leave a post without adding their two cents.
Harry:
The gifted one who was born with magical genius in his DNA but is constantly questioning his abilities while learning to embrace the power within, stand up for what he believes in and protects those he loves. Unfortunately, it's hard out here for a young wizard who sometimes doesn't know who to trust. So, Harry moves with caution and questions more in his surroundings during the journey to try to be all that he can be during a time when others want to bring him down. Going toe to toe with Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire he not only made the decision to stop running and fight for his life, but also performed the noble act of bringing Cedric’s body back to the deceased boy’s parents. This shows how much compassion Harry has for others and how powerful he can be when using all of his might to survive.
Blog comments oozing that Harry Potter juice are likely to provide an aha moment that either the commenter realized or is offering to the author of a blog post and maybe even a compliment or two in there. Even with all of this good stuff, a commenter like Harry Potter still manages to back off of his or her blog comment by mentioning that this "is just my two cents," separating themselves from the post altogether with a comment that says "If it were me...." or “Don’t take my word for it, but....” or “So and so said this.....so it must be true.” Comments that fall within Harry’s personality type may need a little reassurance to believe that what they have to say is as necessary or as useful as the rest in the comment section.
Ron:
The silly one who jumps in head first and often acts on impulse resulting in unpredictable and sometimes wild outcomes that cause others in his surroundings to find more sensible solutions. Ron’s attempt to put a spell on Malfoy in defense of Hermione, using a broken wand backfired and had him throwing up slugs in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is one example of the fact that he means well but it make take time for him to flesh out his ideas. Of all that Ron gives viewers and his Hogwarts friends, memorable WTH moments and giggles during times of uncertainty are what makes him a unique character in the Harry Potter films. The chess scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone shows that Ron can be an asset when it counts during times of uncertainty and rough circumstances where those around him are at a loss for answers.
Ron may comment on a blog differently depending on his mood. He may find a way to add some humor to an otherwise bleak post or take the funny business going on inside the post up a notch. He may also punk out and not comment at all, agree with someone else's comment without adding anything to the conversation or just leave a quick one-liner and nothing else.
Hermione:
The confident one that shines in light of any shortcomings or slack from others. Her spontaneous and risky escape plan from Gringott’s Wizarding Bank in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is an example of how she makes calculated decisions based on the information and resources available at the time, to achieve the best possible results in reaching her destination. Hermione may sometimes use sarcasm to get her point across but she often does it out of concern for others while on the path to exposing lies, shunning betrayal and finding truth and safety.
Muggle magic is like no other with comments that have a Hermione type of flair within them. These comments will tell it like it is whether other readers and the blog author want to know about it or not. Each comment is almost always on-topic and may inform, enlighten and inspire not only the blogger who wrote the post but also fellow commenters as well as a few readers who after reading, wish they thought of a similar comment to write on the post. Comments sprinkled with Hermione's potion offer solutions to problems, acknowledge or reference good points made by other commenters and make a blogger proud that he or she wrote a particular post.
Comments featuring characteristics of Harry, Ron and Hermione are all likely to be mentioned by other commenters because what moves one doesn't always move another and vice versa. One of the most important aspects of the Harry Potter characters is their ability to learn from and benefit from each other’s different personalities, which is a factor that translates well in the blog commenting arena.
Which Harry Potter Character do YOUR blog comments reflect?
What is the most common Harry Potter personality type among the comments left on blog posts that YOU have written?
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