The comments section below online articles and videos, it often seems, is where the English language goes to die. Posts lack capitalization or commas, use “your” and “you’re” incorrectly and may have a long string of exclamation points at the end. Worse yet, they may be inflammatory, offensive and rude towards the article author or other commentators.
Luckily, it’s not difficult to write a respectful and meaningful comment, though it may take a little more time. This article sets a few guidelines in place.
Use Proper Grammar and Spelling for Internet Writing
Poor grammatical structure and spelling errors can make a comment hard to understand, and may influence how intelligent or reasoned the writer appears to others. While English is a dynamic language, and its grammar changes over time, standard rules for writing do not become irrelevant on the internet; rather, they become more important. After all, while only a few people may read students’ high school essays, the comments those students post under online videos become visible to the world.
If a commentator wants to make a good impression to the internet community, he or she should make a solid effort to capitalize properly, punctuate, use words like “their” and “its” in the right manner and make sure the comment’s wording is not unclear. The comments section may be more informal than other venues for writing (save for the bathroom wall), but these simple measures can demonstrate intelligence and a skill with words to the internet community.
Abbreviations like “lol” have a legitimate use in comments. If a word is already short, however, commentators should not abbreviate it further. Typing “u” ion a keyboard instead of “you” is not worth the two keystrokes that it saves.
When Writing Comments, be Kind and Remain Peaceful
It seems that a heated debate about America or the Holocaust can arise out of nearly any Youtube video. When otherwise gentle people have the opportunity to post their views under a screen name, it seems that their sense of politeness often decreases or disappears. It’s fine to argue on the internet, but just how debaters phrase their comments is important.
No comment should contain a personal attack. What commentators write should be respectful and kind at all times, meaning arguments and must be composed in a truly peaceable tone. Writers should be slow to judge but quick to admit their own faults, and should ask themselves if they would say their comment to the recipient’s face. If not, perhaps the comment needs to be revised.
Suppose that one is faced with a nasty and prejudiced comment from someone else. In this situation, Jesus’ commandment to love one’s enemy makes an appropriate guideline. No matter how wrong or inflammatory a comment is, the response should remain calm, loving and reasoned.
One Comment can Make a Difference
The first comment after a video or article can be a guide to those below it. If just a couple commentators choose to write in a civilized manner, the rest of the responses may fall in line. Regardless, If someone takes the time to write a respectful message with proper grammar, that comment will likely be taken more seriously.
Website Marketing Basics
After you’ve gone live with your new web site, it’s time to begin your online marketing efforts. Continual advertising and getting the word out online is critical to your site’s success. It is up to you, and the job is never done. Below are some web site marketing basics to help you achieve better search engine results and also build traffic to your web site.
Send Out Press Releases
You can announce your site and your products for free through several online services.
There are many, many more press release services available for you online.
Find Relevant Link Directories
Listing your web site in directories that specialize in your particular topic can help you build relevant links to you, which the search engines love. Web surfers follow them as well.
Write Articles
Show the world you are an expert in your particular topic or sales item. Writing articles and posting to blogs not only demonstrates that you are a master of your field, but also provides relevant links back to your web site from different resources, making it easier for visitors to find you. Concentrate on providing helpful information instead of shamelessly promoting your product or service. If you’re selling jalapeno seeds, for example, provide your readers with jalapeno pepper recipes rather than posting something that screams, “Buy My Seeds!”
Build A Blog
Like writing articles above, creating your own blog allows you to control content and build links back and forth between your site and your blog. Allow visitors and readers to post comments at your blog, building content even further. Just be sure that the posts you make are relevant to your particular product or service.
Exchange Links with Relevant Websites
Even though the search engines switch up the way they rank web sites, it will always be a good idea to trade links with similar yet non-competing web sites. The higher the Google Rank, the better of course, but make sure the content is similar. Swapping links with a calendar printer for your jalapeno pepper web site won’t help.
These are just a few of the basic ways to get your message out about your product or service. In the world of the web, “content is king”, and the more relevant your content is, the better chance you have of achieving positive search engine results. Just be sure to provide links back to your site.
