Blogging question and *** GIVEAWAY ***

September 5, 2014

I have a question for all you readers, bloggers and non-bloggers alike. And I'm sweetening the deal with a lovely *** GIVEAWAY*** for those who help me out.


My question is about responding to comments on my blog.

This is what I've been doing. Someone comments on a post and I email them a response. I also try and visit their blog.

The problem with responding by email, of course, is that many bloggers are "no reply bloggers," and there is no way to respond to them. In this case, I make sure I visit their blog.

If the comment is from a non-blogger, and I can't email them back, I'll respond in the comment section of my blog.

I rarely respond in the comment section of my blog for two reasons: 1) I don't want my readers to be burdened with having to return to the post to see if I've responded, and 2) I don't want them to have to deal with a bunch of emails in their inbox if they check the "notify me" box after they've commented. 

This is what I do when I comment: I take a look and see what the blogger does. Does she respond to comments on her blog? If she does, I will check the "notify me" box. If she doesn't, I don't check it. When I check the "notify me" box, sometimes I'm happy to get all the subsequent comments and replies in my email because it is a topic I'm interested in. Other times I just look for a response to my comment in my email box and delete the rest as they come in.

Okay, so here's my question, if you're still with me.

Would you like me to continue the way I'm doing things (emailing responses, and just figuring out what to do with "no-reply bloggers"), or would you prefer me to respond in the comment section of my blog?

I am thinking I might want to switch to responding to readers right in my comment section. Sometimes the most interesting part of a blog, the real action you might say, takes place in the comment section. But I don't want to burden my readers either.

What do you all think? Leave a comment with your opinion and I will randomly select one of you to win the tea, linen napkins, and spoon. I'll leave this open for a week, and announce the winner on Monday, September 15.

some tea, perfect for cooler weather, which I picked up at a little tea store in northern Michigan this summer

two vintage luncheon napkins, in fall-ish colors

and a new little tea spoon

Thank you, friends. You truly are the best part of blogging.

Again, the question. Would you rather that I:  respond to comments by email, as possible, or respond in the comments section of my blog?

45 comments

  1. I like to see the interactions of bloggers and their readers so I'd vote for the comments on your blog.
    If you get a lot of comments you may not have time to address each and every one so you may need to be selective and answer questions and if the comments are thought provoking chime in on them.
    I read many blogs where bloggers are inundated with hundreds of response and one could never keep up with that load...and still write new blog posts...in the end it is completely up to you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Though my Magnolia Cottage blog is a new blog, I've been blogging since early 2006. In the beginning, blogging was much more personal and intimate than it is now. (For many, it is now a business, and that is fine, but that is not the kind of blogging that meets my needs.) Back then, pretty much any blog I visited, that blogger visited mine as well. We developed a relationship that way.

    On my classic film blog, I began doing what the majority of classic film bloggers did---responded back to the blogger in the comments of my own blog. I rarely do this anymore, as I think it is fairly impersonal. I also subscribed to comments when I left a comment, so I could get the blogger's response to me. Doing that became a burden, as my email was bogged down with every comment, as well as the blogger's response to me and others. (I'm still getting emails from one particular blog post. That post must trigger something in a Google search, because I usually get 5 "anonymous" comments for it each week. I've tried to unsubscribe from comments, and the response page always said I am unsubscribed, but it's not really unsubscribing me, because I continue to get them.) Anyhow, for that reason, I no longer "subscribe" to comments on any blogs.

    I figure that if the blogger is interested in wanting to get to know me, she will visit my blog. And that is the reason I blog---to actually meet people and make friends. If I visit a blog a few times and the blogger doesn't return the visit, I just stop visiting.

    As for what I do, I respond via email if the blogger has their email address available. I always visit their blog as well, so I can respond to a question that way. Generally, though, people don't leave questions in their comments. They usually just leave a kind response to what I have written about.

    I have my email visible, so bloggers can respond to me. I do think that is nice, but what is nicer is actually visiting the commenter's blog. I have visited a few blogs, and the blogger responds to me via email, but she never visits me. For me, that is a 1-sided relationship, like always going to a friends' house but she never comes to mine, and I'm not interested in that. So, I just don't visit their blog anymore.

    Long-winded response, but for me, the bottom line in blogging is relationships.

    Love,
    Patti

    PS Hope your magazines arrive today or tomorrow. I know you will love them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Deborah, Wow what a really nice giveaway you have going on. To answer your question, I have been responding to people the same way that you have been doing it all along. I think that either way you decide to go with responding to people is fine with me. Thanks for the giveaway and wishing you a wonderful weekend.
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Do what works best for you, Deborah, but in response to your question, here's what I do.

    1-I return a blog visit with a blog visit, not always immediately, but definitely. I think it's rude not to. Bloggers don't just communicate through writing, we communicate through creativity, so a lot goes into a post and a page design.
    2-I return an email with an email.
    3-I respond to a comment in my blog comment section only if I think the answer will benefit other readers in some way or other, but I still follow up with a visit.
    4-As far as worrying about burdening readers with successive blog comments in their inbox, it they have checked the "notify me" box, then it's their choice, and this can always be unchecked by them anyhow.
    5-I would never respond only on my page, try to keep that to a minimum, and typically stop visiting blogs that do this. Again, I like to take the time someone else took to visit me.

    Hope this helps a tad. And thank you for the lovely giveaway.
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have no idea! It's such a dilemma and I empathize. I feel I should respond to people in my comments. However, some days I am so pressed for time that I rather visit their blog, and comment there. But more and more, I find blogs are linking back to a google page, which then makes it time consuming to find the link among the google page to visit back.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good morning Deborah
    I have been deep in packing boxes and have been unable to blog or read blogs, but I have my favourites and read them even if I am not commenting right now. I couldn't resist a question, though!
    I like the responses in email. They can lead to conversations I might not wish to have in a comment section. I find it a good way to further an online aquaintance. I hope you'll continue this way. I will be back up and running once we are into the new house!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting question. And I like how you've handled it. After all these years, I was unaware of the 'notify me' box allowing me to see if you've responded on your comment box. Where have I been?

    I'm all for simplifying. Sounds like comments are easier, especially since I get it now! An email is sweet, but more time-consuming.

    Sorry to be so long-winded!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Debora!, I always enjoy finding an email from you in my inbox. However, responding in comments creates a type of forum where conversations can occur. Guess I'm not much help, am I? :) I think what feels right to you is best for your blog. Go with your instinct!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I would do what is most convenient for you. My policy has been to visit each one who comments on my blog and if they have asked a question, I usually answer it there. I have many bloggers who do not make their email add. available.
    Wishing you a very nice weekend. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I absolutely can see advantages to whichever option you choose, but for me, I prefer responses in the comments. So many bloggers are doing this, and I have become used to it. It's not a big problem to check back if you were expecting a reply to a comment. And, it does allow for a little more conversation. Betsy at "My Five Men" blog does this really well. Your giveaway looks very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello Deborah
    It seems we're all pondering the comment issue. I don't expect a reply back to a comment I leave, nor do I often reply to the comments left on my blog. It is nice to have the option occasionally (and not a no-reply) because sometimes the conversation can continue.
    I never go back to a blog to see if there is something further to my comment from the author.
    Your giveaway is lovely, please enter me for a chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  12. As someone who does not have a blog, I do appreciate an email response, although I do not "expect" one. However, if I ask a question, I do HOPE that I'll get a response, and in that case, I would re-visit a blog to see if there is one. For other times, I really do not expect it. A few times, I've visited a blog, left a comment, and just left it at that (not expecting a reply of any kind), only to later (sometimes months later) discover the blogger DID leave a response in their comments section. . .and it made me feel bad that I did not know it at the time. The only thing that does frustrate me is when I leave comments on several posts of a specific blogger over the course of time, and never once hear from them. . .those are bloggers that I tend to not visit after a time. . .

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello, I guess the choice in the way you want to comment is yours. But I personally do not enjoy ready the responses that the blogger makes to each comment on the post! Also it makes it look like you have a ton of comments. And also if you spend too much time responding to comment you will lose your life in blogging. This is the real issue!
    Commenting should only be done as you love and enjoy! And only once in a while for each of your friends! Or burn out will develop.
    No reply bloggers mostly choose to be that way for a reason.
    But usually I enjoy just visiting their blog and just leave a comment on their blog.
    You are a sweetie and you need to not make a hard fast rule, and leave a reply comment on your post to sometime answer a question that seems like many are asking as a group answer!
    Yours, Roxy

    ReplyDelete
  14. What you are doing is really nice, Deborah, both in posing the question and doing your best to reach all your comments in whatever manner you do. It is something I have tried to be good at but have struggled with, both as a reader and blogger.

    I have read all the comments here and agree with Patti in that blogging is about relationships. I appreciate comments, and really appreciate when someone notes they are a new follower, how they landed on my page, etc. I always try to visit anyone who comments, to see if they have a blog that I can return visit and comment directly on their blog, begin following if our interests immediately appear to align or, if they repeat visit and/or add me to their circles, follow them back and see if it develops into a kindredship of sorts. Sometimes it is hard to find their blog when it's linked back to a Google page and you have to sift through it for their posts (if they are very active in commenting on other's posts, esp.), as Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow stated in her comment, but I will still try (please let me know what difficulty you've had in navigating mine!). If a person comments on my blog and they are on G+, I will usually reply right there and tag their name so they will get notice of a mention and see my reply. I will also visit their blog as mentioned above. If I can't reply to their comment on mine, I will try to find their email and send an email if they don't have a blog. I have been told I am a no-reply blogger, and have read and worked through steps to eliminate that, but I believe Google has its way of reversing that action. I have also been told that if you started out on Blogger, it forced you to link your posting with a Google+ account (which, I think, was my only option when I chose to start on Blogger in Jan 2013), Google has been trying their darndest to usurp Facebook, which will likely never happen, but what has happened is that commenting on blogs got really messy, and/or difficult.

    As a reader, I have commented, emailed the blogger, and have subscribed to comments. I don't always expect an answer by return visit (although it would be nice), and will go back sometimes to see if there is a reply on the post, esp. if there is a question I posed.

    I am an ad-free blog, don't ever intend to become one, and may or may not invest in better blog design, although I lean more and more that way because I crave organization (but have not been inclined to teach myself yet as of yet). I think it is sad when those who blog for $ don't ever take the time to visit a reader with a blog or respond to readers who faithfully read their posts and comment, even if they have no blog. It is not wise to overlook those who helped lift you to the place of earning potential in blogging - ever. Even as a no-ad blog, I hope I never offend anyone by not responding in some way or worse, shut them out as if they don't exist.

    I started to email this feedback, as it became lengthy, but decided there may be something in it that someone else may have some input on as well, just like I did on a couple comments here.

    Thanks for asking us.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rita,
      I just read this and I am so with you on this!! I am also a No Ad Blogger and will never be one unless i am destitute!! LOL! I have stopped reading many blogs because of how their blogs have changed because of Ads.

      Thanks for posting your opinion on this!!

      Hugs,
      Debbie-Dabble

      Delete
  15. This can be a tricky situation, I agree. I get tangled up in this whole question.
    I read rather a lot of blogs, and some have thousands of followers reading them. Not every post stirs me to answer with a comment. There are little cultural differences, from country to country, region to region. I learn from these. Sometimes the comments I read are even more interesting than the original post.
    My blog appears on Google+ as well. Every comment made through either the blog or Google+ generates an email, but not if I post a reply to the original comment. One particular post from a few years ago gets viewed many times a week and occasionally I get a comment from that. Responses to my comments on other blogs do not generate any notifications to me at all. Often I remember to go back and check. Sometimes I am able to find an email address and send an emailed response directly to someone, if I want to be more personal.
    Lately I have taken part in an interesting exchange of comments about the novel A Town Like Alice. Eventually I posted a comment on an older blog entry rather than on Google+. Perhaps if my computer skills were better, I would have been able to respond in some other way. I found I wanted to respond more privately to the discussion, but was not sure how. Maybe Google+ would have been a better avenue than the one I took.
    I am interested in all the comments bloggers are making here. This is like a happy little lesson from a bunch of friends.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lovely giveaway! Thanks for hosting it!
    I personally prefer replies on the person I commented-on's blog if I post a comment that I'd like a reply to, but it's really no big deal as long as the blogger shows somehow that the readers are loved as you do (or at least liked) ...some blogs completely ignore commenters, which is unpleasant.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you all for the comments so far. It seems as though this is something everyone has had some difficulty figuring out. For this particular post only, I'm not going to respond to each of you individually, but gather all the comments as they come in and then blog about my "findings" when I announce the winner of the giveaway. Frankly, some of this is coming to the forefront because I'm finding myself spending more time than I want on blogging, and I'm afraid of burnout. On the other hand, my life has been so greatly enhanced by all of you, I really do want to dialogue. It's an issue.
    A blogger I know says she spends one hour two days a week on her blog. And she does a link party! What?! I am spending hours a day, and I only post two to three times a week. So another question would be, how do y'all do it??

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ah! The proverbial blog comment question! I can't speak for anyone but myself, so for me - I find that if someone asks me a question in particular, I will answer on the blog comment section, or I will answer by email if I have time. As for all the other comments - if there are no questions, I don't reply. I try to be a good blogger friend and visit faithfully, instead. It is just too much to respond to each and every comment and in order to keep my blog manageable time-wise, I find this is the best for me. I try to post about once or twice a week, sometimes more and sometimes less, depending on how busy I am. I want blogging to be a joy and not a burden, so this works best for me. I know some bloggers reply to each and every comment, but I rarely go back and look for that on a blog, unless I have asked a question. I also don't like my inbox to be so full that I can't even open the door. Lol! So keeping it simple is best for me. Also, the link parties are time consuming, so unless I actually plan ahead for them, I don't bother. It's supposed to be fun, right? Oh, don't answer that! Ha ha! Love the items you have for the giveaway. xo Karen

    ReplyDelete
  19. I just wrote a comment and it disappeared :(( that is very sad!

    I feel very guilty at times when bloggers leave a comment and I don't have the time to go visit their blog. But sadly I only have so much time each day for blogging and I try hard not to spend too much time on my computer in the evenings. Therefore I miss these personal visits :( Instead I try and make a personal comment on my blog as a reply to a comment. This sort of thing can tie you in knots!!!

    I try and nut out my stories as I drive home from work and by the time i get home I can usually put it to paper so to speak !! I use to write daily, but that became too hard and now I manage 3 stories a week which I fine tune on the weekend between other jobs.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Deborah,

    You won't believe this, but I've been pondering the exact same questions lately! Ever since I started blogging, a little over two and a half years ago, I've been very consistent in how I interact with my readers, some of whom, have become very close friends, in which case, frequent emails and phone calls are blessed gifts!

    Having read all the comments so far, I am in total agreement with my charming new friend, Marcia Pilar, a kindred spirit right from the moment I read her first comment on my blog just last week, and then connected further when I visited hers, some days later, which quickly led to a few email exchanges, and what I hope will be a budding friendship. Case in point: when a blogger comments on a post, I ALWAYS visit them back, for they took the time to leave me a kind word, made me smile, appreciated my photos, poems, or songs, and surely, they are deserving of the same sweet gesture. I will answer a question or a confusing issue in the comments section, but it is rare that I will reply to every single comment there. Case in point #2: recently, I wrote a post asking my readers to say a prayer for a sweet friend who is presently facing some health challenges, and I thanked everyone individually in the comments section. On such an occasion, it's just good manners, isn't it? Lastly, I will stop visiting a blog if I have taken the time to leave comments and never get any kind of response. It's almost like one is being ignored or snubbed, and maybe I'm just too sensitive, but I find this lack of consideration, rude. Of course, the whole 'Following', thing is also tricky. I recently was 'unfollowed' by a new reader, after having left a nice comment on her blog, and could not understand why. I thought about it for several days, and in the end, decided to discreetly do the same, dismissing the situation as yet another unsolved bloggy mystery!;))

    Ultimately, you need to do what feels right for you, and you may discover that your attitudes may change as you continue your blogging journey in this great big blogosphere! At this point, I don't pay as much attention to stats, but prefer to take the opportunity that blogging gives me to share my thoughts and artistic tendencies, but mostly, the pleasure and privilege it gives me to connect with so many lovely and talented personalities.

    All the best!

    Happy weekend!

    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
  21. I will spend 3-4 hrs weekly on my own blog, writing new material (most of the time I already have the photos taken). Link parties take time, but by looking at Google analytics I know which ones draw the most views for me personally, and that helps, I think.

    Where I spend a lot of time is in reading and commenting on others' blogs, probably 2-3 hrs/day. It has replaced a lot of FB time, which is a good thing. Drawbacks are that it often replaces other reading time. Catching up if away, or busy doing other projects is hard to do, esp when following several. I'm learning to pare my list down to those I have common ground with and who are engaged with me.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Deborah,
    I totally understand your situation...about answering and about spending time blogging.

    Here is how I feel......

    Responding to comments....I enjoy reading comments and to me, it shows me who took the time to visit my blog. So I feel out of appreciation for their visit, I owe them a visit to their blog and a comment. Hence the reason why I am here because i want to thank you for your visits and very sweet comments.My problem is that I work full time and I am involved with a LOT of other projects so my time is very sparse. I do tell people who comment that i will return their comment but it may take time because of this. I do email those who do not have a blog if i can. If I can not then I will answer them on the Comment section of the post where they initially commented. I really do feel that if they took the time to visit my blog, I owe them a visit too out of appreciation.

    Blogging...... A few months back, I considered not returning to blogging after i took a much needed break. I believe you even commented on this post if I am not mistaken. I found out that Blogging fills a hole in my life and that hole is friendship. Because of the hours i work, it is hard to maintain friendships because i am at work when everyone else is sleeping and I am sleeping when most people are awake. I also enjoy sharing my life with people who have similar interests because in my area where i live, there are not a lot of people who like what i like as far as decorating , etc. Sometimes, I can spend several hours blogging but it fulfills a need for me...that need to connect with people who know me in a different way than people who know me through work. So I have come to terms with it all and maybe that is what you need to do.....
    If you ever need to "vent" about this topic, email me and I will lend you an ear!! LOL!!

    Once again, THANKS for all your visits!! I do so appreciate them!!

    Many Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Deborah, I have to agree with my dear friends Patti and Marcia. I started blogging nearly 8 years ago and a lot has changed as now everyone replies with an email rather then a visit as it started out to be. I have had some bloggers only reply and never visit. That is rude I feel and not good blogging etiquette. It sends the wrong message that they are not interested in your blog.
    Visiting should promote visiting and if there is a pertinent question from someone, then of course a follow up is the right thing to do. What I do it I have not already visited a blogger when they comment to me, is I visit them back and thank them for their visit in my comment and also answer any questions if there are some. I have seen more and more bloggers having a no reply to their comments. I think this tells the answer that it is just too much to reply to everyone and visiting is what it is all about anyway. To all my friends who love to reply to my comments, I am not saying to stop as I respect that is what they do, but I may not always reply back because there are only so many hours in a day. For me, running a business, painting and shipping plus my own home with all my blogging is enough to do. For replying on the comment page, I do this only if necessary to answer a question for all or to say thank you in a feature or something of that nature.

    You are right about burnout and then the blogging becomes no fun at all but a burden to do.

    Thank you for the great giveaway. I would love to enter.
    Have a great weekend my friend and I hope you find the answer you are looking for to help in your planning. In the end, it still is what you are comfortable with and have the time to do!!
    Big hugs

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi, Deborah! Eventhough my first blogaversary is this week, I'm afraid I'm still not going to be of much help to you today. I'm still very unsure how Blogger works. When I first started, I would reply to comments in the reply section. I didn't know there was any other way to do it! Then I started getting emails notifications that someone had replied, and just started replying to those emails. I thought maybe Blogger had changed, and this was the way to respond now. See how uninformed I am! I think you have to do what works best for you. I certainly don't want to see you burn out and stop blogging. That would be a great loss to your readers who enjoy reading your posts so much, myself included! Please take care. Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wow, Deborah, thus is very interesting for me, as I am a very new blogger and all thus is new as well. I took the time to read what your other bloggers had to say and learned a lot, as well as it has left me with questions for my own blog.
    I love to hear from my followers, and I love to respond back to them. I have no reply followers and didn't know you could reply back other than to visit their blog, but then some do not have blogs, do you can't reply back.
    Really... I'm still lost in all this blogging and learning as I go, very slow I must say.
    You must do what works for you, Deborah.
    You have a lovely giveaway here.
    Blessings to you, Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  26. I like to see the interactions of bloggers and their readers so I'd vote for the comments on your blog. I love reading your blog and return to read replies. I'm sure your readers enjoy the replies also. do what works the best for you. RoseMary @ www.heartandsoulquilts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. As a non-blogger, I prefer reading comments and responses to those comments on the blog itself. I enjoy the interaction between readers and the blogger almost as much as the blog itself! Thanks for sharing your writing with all of us, Debbie.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I like to see the comments in the blog and the notify me is good to see your response, if that happens. Usually I don't mind seeing what everyone is saying about the topic. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  29. (Ooooo -- thanks for the give-away chance!!)
    Well, I'm one of those who NEVER checks the box on other people's blogs to get notifications of other responses on a thread. I just don't have time to come back and read everything that is subsequently posted. Rarely -- rarely -- there will be a thread of comments after a post that I'd really want to keep up with. But that almost never happens.
    I tend to reply to the comments on my own blog, using email. I did a post a while back about how difficult it is having "no-reply" folks who will comment, and I named some of my regular commenters who were "no-reply"! I wasn't rude. And some of them went and switched their settings :) I told them that I really was missing out by not being able to "chat" with them via email, which are (to me) the conversations where real friendships are grown, for bloggers. One girl had a good reason for being "no-reply," but she gave me her email address, so I shoot her a msg. directly.

    So, that's my take. I prefer email, but everyone is different. I enjoy your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I accidentally deleted these two comments when I meant to publish them, so here they are, pasted from my email box. I wanted to make sure these ladies got in the drawing . . .

    bj has left a new comment on your post "Blogging question and *** GIVEAWAY ***":

    Because most of us are doing really GOOD to visit a blog, I never, EVER go back to that blog in the same day. Too many other blogs to visit. So, I happen to think that answering comments in your own blog is not a good thing. I would never ask my readers to come back a second time on that day. Sure,it's much easier and less time consuming for us to answer in our own comment section...but, a little rude, to me.
    This is just MY opinion and the way I think blogging is best for me. I like getting the emails....I nearly always send a reply back to each one.
    I am now following you thru Google Friend Connect. :)
    xo bj
    FlowerLady Lorraine
    I want to thank you for visiting my blog via MK's blog, and your kind comments.

    I used to answer every comment on my blog, but realized most people don't go back to read. I try to visit their blogs in return and leave a comment there, sometimes I send an email.

    Recently I've checked the 'notify me' box, but won't be doing that, as you get everyone else's comments.

    I really think it is an individual thing. Sometimes if I've gotten lots of comments, I post a thank you post to everyone for their kindness.

    I look forward to reading more of your blog now that I've found you. We sound like kindred spirits.




    ReplyDelete
  31. I like reading the comments on the blog. I might just learn something new! Thanks for the giveaway!
    kellam.susan@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Oh, this is a tricky issue. I like getting email responses to comments I make on blogs, but only if they add something to the conversation. Like Pondside has said, the conversation becomes private and can develop into something more. I'd rather have a return visit to my blog, and I try to visit everyone who comments on my posts, although I don't always leave a comment. Commenting is becoming very time consuming and I've given myself permission to not leave comments on every post I read. I don't want to stop blogging because it has so enriched my life.
    I don't have time to return to blogs to find out what response, if any, has been made to my comment.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I don't leave comments on my blog, Deborah, because I don't know if people go back and visit again. I visit them and respond, if they're not a no-reply comment blogger. I often wonder why people want to be a no-reply comment blogger?? Anyway, you're giveaway is so lovely and someone will be happy to receive it. Hugs and blessings to you.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I am a no-reply blogger. I have tried to fix it but, I haven't yet. It still is no-reply. I always try to respond to the comments on my blog. I leave them unpublished till I can go back and get to them. If they stay there for the better part of a week, I finally give in and hit publish, always disappointed that I didn't go and comment. I have 6 children in the house now weekly with my nieces children here half of the week and I am lucky I get with what I get done. Sometimes I just have to cave in and let the commenting go.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I never come back to blogs to see a reply unless I've asked a specific question.
    I respond in my blog if it's a reader with no blog.
    If it's a blogger I usually try to get back to visit them within a day or two.

    I am no-reply but that is simply to avoid having a bazillion emails from bloggers that say "Thank you!" or something and then my time is being sucked up opening and deleting emails, lol...blogging takes enough time :)
    Now I'll go see what everyone else says / interesting :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm - I've been gone ALOT this summer, and have missed readings here and there because of it.

    This is something I've pondered alot over the past few years. I typically will respond by dropping by someone's blog and responding, as well as leaving a note about their post(s). If they aren't the posting type (and I don't always leave notes if I get busy reading and push on to older posts - tsk tsk, I know), I will respond to their comment through the email notification that comes through my mail (I also have my comments section blocked to anonymous comments, due to gross amounts of spam I was getting).

    I have a little button on my sidebar that says No Obligation Blog...meaning just that. I love chatting back with someone, and have made some really wonderful friends through the blog, but don't worry about the small stuff. I have SEVERAL bloggers where I go and read on their blogs, leaving comment after comment...they will reply back to me through email responses, but NEVER drop by my own blog. Bothered me at first, but now I just laugh. The ones that only concerned about numbers of followers crack me up. If I leave a comment on a blog, I usually won't go back and read a response until the next time I drop by. Just me.

    I hope you get it all figured out - let me know when you do! :-) XOXOXO Off to read your newer post.

    ReplyDelete
  37. What a sweet giveaway! I love that pretty tea spoon! Well, I would say do what's easiest for YOU! And now I will add what I do. I reply to the comment if someone asks me a direct question....most of the time. When someone comments on my blog, I try to return the favor by commenting on theirs. I don't have time to email everyone that comments AND visit them. I know everyone has their way of handling it. I don't have a fixed rule. Sweet hugs, Diane

    ReplyDelete
  38. I read comments AFTER I write mine. And I've really enjoyed reading everyone's advice on this subject. We all want to have fun with our blogs and visiting my favorite blogs and commenting is fun for me! Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I am like you, Deborah, and often reply through email to those who are not 'no-reply- bloggers. For those that I can't email I will respond on my blog if they ask a question or visit their blog if they have one. I often forget to revisit blogs to see if they replied to my comment on their post just because life is busy.

    Anyway, thank you for the wonderful giveaway, dear friend! The linen napkins are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi Deborah - I am not a blogger but I like it when bloggers reply in the comment section. Many times another person (or several) asks exactly the same question(s) I would like to ask so it easy to see the answer there. What a nice giveaway - you have love things! Have a great day from a former Michigander stuck living in Texas!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Deborah-

    Hi, there! I happened upon your site today (love it!) and here I am jumping into this discussion. It makes me laugh - because I have also faced this dilemma and can relate to all of this! I say follow your gut. Like in real life, we all want to be polite, appreciative, friendly, and hospitable (did I leave out responsible and kind?), but that has to be balanced with time, real life, and logistics. So pretend you're chatting over the back fence. If someone is genuinely interested and you seem to click, reach out, enjoy a good conversation (no matter how short), and maybe invite them in to tea! If a particular comment seems hasty and not pertinent (hmmm...working the system to get more followers?), be polite. Do what you can but don't feel guilty trying to do everything for every comment on every day. This may not be the most politically correct answer, but it is human. =) Now to get back to those chocolate chip cookies...

    Best, Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  42. Personally, I usually respond in the comment section if a comment is appropriate. I don't even know HOW to email someone! Where do you find the email addresses?

    I'm glad you visited MY blog recently :) I do usually go check out first-time commenters and try to let them know I appreciated their visit and comment....

    ReplyDelete
  43. Deborah, I think it's whatever works for you. Honestly, I don't check the box to be notified of a comment reply because I just can't go through all of that e-mail. I to try to respond to comments and visit blogs. Now and then I get behind and just can't get to all of them. I hope that others understand. I do when people don't reply to me. In fact, I visit a couple of blogs that I don't think have ever visited me or replied to my comments. The give away is lovely!
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! I'm truly delighted to hear from you.