According to an Internet usability study by Jakob Nielsen (an Internet usability guru), the majority of online users are "lurkers." No, not the spooky type that get arrested, but the type that "lurk" in the background, reading without contributing. This involves as many as 90% of your readers. The study further found that 9% contribute occasionally, and only 1% of your readers contribute the majority of the discussion. He designated this as the 90-9-1 Rule.
There are a number of ways that this ratio can be adjusted in your favor.
- Ask Questions. Seems like a logical approach. If you want a response, a question is a good place to start. Asking specific questions will increase your comment responses. Consider placing your question in the title or opening sentences of your post.
- Respond to Responses. When readers know that you read their comments and you respond with more than a "Thanks" comment, they'll feel more like posting. Sometimes responses are meant for other readers; sometimes they want to speak directly to you. When the lurkers see your active involvement, they will feel encouraged to contribute as well.
- Be Human. Your posts need to demonstrate your humanness. People are drawn to humble people. Your posts should demonstrate your knowledge and confidence, without coming across as a know-it-all, who can't be told anything. Discussing mistakes and asking for help, will draw people in, and they'll feel more compelled to respond. This also includes acknowledging errors. Your error could be as simple as a grammar mistake or maybe the essence of your post is dead wrong, and someone just pointed it out – publicly no less. Well you could flame them, but how likely would your other readers be to point out something in the future? In fact, you would likely lose readers, not just comments.
- Ask for Comments. When comments are invited, you will see a much higher number than when they are not. After stating your opinion, ask, "What do you think?" Give them permission, and many will tell you what is on their mind.
- Make it Easy. If you require readers to be registered before they can leave a comment, they most likely won't. It takes time to register and who wants to give out their personal information again? If your readers can simply post a comment when the urge strikes them, then you'll get significantly more comments. If spam comments are a concern, then you could set your blog to require comment approval prior to the post being displayed.
- The Universal Law of Blogging: Content is King. Let's slightly twist the words of Thumper (the rabbit star of Bambi) "If you can't post something compelling, don't post nothing at all". Having compelling content is the essence of a great blog. Generating great content is crucial to building an active community.
Remember, an engaged reader is going to be a loyal reader. And isn't that the whole reason for your blog?
