Which do you prefer – more subscribers or more commentators?

Posted by Angel Cuala in Monday, July 28th 2008 under: Blogging Tips Tags: blogging

Last July 7, I started a thread at Sitepoint forum asking the same question. To my surprise, it had an astonishing 2,382 views and 73 hot replies including mine as of this posting. I even asked Graham, the humble founder of Entrecard and you can find his answers on his Q & A Round 1.

Although the result shows that that more are inclined to have more commentators rather than subscribers, here are some of the opinions from different bloggers as I only choose the best answers for me.

For more subscribers

1.0 They show interest on the whole blog rather than a single post only.
2.0 Comments can be unmanageable when you have a lot of them.
3.0 Comments can distract us while preparing for your next post.
4.0 They can unlock many doors and opportunities for the blog owner.
5.0 They are a good indication of a popular blog as gaining loyalty is hard.

For more commentators

1.0 They can give us broad ideas and techniques that we do not know.
2.0 They are better for SEO because of the increased backlinks on the blog.
3.0 This means you can write interesting posts to discuss with.
4.0 They add value to our blog as they help to promote our blog.
5.0 Comments can spark a further discussion which can lead to more comments.

Photo credit to tapasparida

My conclusion

Let us admit, we are amazed when see blogs with hundreds and even thousands of subscribers in their feed counters. This means that they are capable of attracting loyal readers and I must admit; I am among those who join the crowd. This makes us easier to read posts we do not want to miss especially if we are learning a lot from them. In addition, we may not be able to reply to some comments in which they may be expecting somehow. But this is very rare; unless they are asking a question you cannot help but answer.

However in my opinion, comments reflect our character as a blogger. The more commentators we have, the more excitement we feel. Positive comments inspire us more and negative comments teach us lessons. Either way, we can benefit from them. We can also moderate them if we want to, unlike for subscribers that we cannot control. Furthermore, commentators are most likely to subscribe to our blog and comment again to our succeeding posts but it is quite hard to invite subscribers to leave comments.

So with this, I go for more commentators as it also helps me to socialize with fellow bloggers. But of course, having a lot of subscribers is a bonus for me as it increases my loyal followers.

Now, assuming that your feed count is accurate and spam comments can be controlled, I am asking you the same question.

Which do you prefer, more subscribers or more commentators and why?

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13 Comments Already

Fitz Said,

July 29th, 2008 @1:53 am

I want more comments, why?

Because having lots of regular comments from visitors eventually converts into subscription after some period. Plus, it motivates you to write more because there is validation to your work.

I’m not very much impressed with blogs who have a lot of subscribers but very few comments because it usually means that they only used “sneaky tactics” to get feed readers. A sign that their content do not really hold much water, if you know what I mean.

Dominique Said,

July 29th, 2008 @11:33 am

I would love to receive BOTH comments and more subscription. So far I have only been able to get more comments but no increases in subscription. I too marvel at how some bloggers can build up such a big subscriber base of more then 1K within 1/2 a year.
I’ve subscribed to yours via google reader.

Angel Cuala Said,

July 29th, 2008 @1:56 pm

Fitz - You’re right. Comments motivates us bloggers to make our next posts more inviting to comments. Thanks for being my consistent commentator.

Dominique - Both are good for blogs but don’t worry, commentators can also be subscribers. Thanks for subscribing to my blog. This will inspire me more and hopefully, I can still convince you to leave some comments again.

Agent Jay Said,

July 29th, 2008 @5:34 pm

Both are important but if you are going to ask me, I would prefer subscribers.

Commentators can be one-time commentator while subscribers always visit your site every time you have new articles… Commentators post their comments sometimes just for backlinks and exposure of their sites… Subscribers are serious who want to read you fresh content…

Good traffic meter is not shown by how many commentators you have but how many subscribers listed in your RSS… advertisers are looking for subscribers and not commentators..

Nice post indeed..

bingskee Said,

July 29th, 2008 @9:08 pm

i think it depends on one’s objectives on having a blog.

personally, i prefer to have more commenters than subscribers. though it would be fun if they will also click on the ads ha ha seriously i am always interested about the thoughts of other people. that way, i learn. i get to realize, too, that i do not have the monopoly of wit, as one of the lines of a blogger goes.

Lindsay Said,

July 30th, 2008 @7:41 am

All of the above, hah.

Actually, it depends on the site. I have a home and garden site that’s a pretty big money maker for me, but I haven’t worked that hard on building a community (non-spam comments don’t come in that often) and it makes it easy to pre-post for a week and take off on a trip sans laptop.

For my new blog (where I talk about what I’ve learned about making a living from blogging), I’d definitely prefer comments and social interaction (and it’s already getting more than the home and garden one!). Even if I have to spend more time moderating, comments and emails let me know what people want to see and if they’re getting something out of what I post.

So… depends on the blog style, I guess.

Avatar Said,

July 30th, 2008 @10:16 pm

Well, I just started running a niche blog for about 3 months + now, articulating value investing, financial intelligence and personal development topics including speed reading. Although subscribers is up to 60+, there aren’t much comments…

So, for me comments are more important as it helps me connect with my readers. Some friends told me not to expect to many comments as instructional blogs with such a serious tone tends NOT to invite too many comments.

Sigh. It’s a bit depressing not knowing whether people find it instructional & helpful OR otherwise.

My Blog:
http://wonderwealthwisdom.blogspot.com/

billyboxergirl Said,

August 1st, 2008 @5:12 am

i prefer more comments…my reason is… i like feedbacks on what i write…i want to hear there opinion on what i write…i can even learn things from them.

nikky Said,

August 1st, 2008 @5:14 am

i like more comments…

because…

theres a good feeling on having feed back on somebody who reads your post…

that means they react on what i post

Tidbits Of Tammy Said,

August 4th, 2008 @11:05 am

I would have to say I like the comments more as well. I love to have subscribers but some get so many blogs they read that they may be inclined to either delete or rush thru and not comment.
With the comments I know people are taking the time to come and read and their comments let me know which topics people like to read about more than others.

yanjiaren Said,

October 30th, 2008 @6:10 am

I love it when someone takes the time to comment on a post as it means I have managed to gain some interest. I liked your post.

yanjiaren Said,

January 2nd, 2009 @10:47 am

Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous 2009.