One Blog Comment Plugin You Shouldn’t Be Without

This is a guest post by Ari Herzog. Be sure to let him know what you think of it in the comments!

Blog comments are the lifeblood of bloggers. I delight every time I see a new comment, recognizing people are taking precious time out of their day to thank me for inspiring them. That’s what a blog comment is, essentially — a note of thanks.

If you’re that blogger who is nodding along and knows what I mean, let me ask you a question: Are you thanking your commenter in return?

I don’t mean adding a comment in response. That takes time, especially if you’re away from your computer. Are you, rather, thanking your commenter immediately after he or she submits the comment? I’m going to go out on a limb and say no. I’m going to hazard a guess that if I randomly click some of your names below and connect to your blogs and add random comments, that I will not see an immediate note of thanks.

If you’re still nodding, why not? When you go on a job interview, you thank the person who interviewed you, right? You send him or her an email, or even better, a handwritten note of thanks, right? Why not echo that immediacy on your blog when someone writes something?

Let me elaborate by pointing to you to this thank you page which is something you would see if, and only if, you add a comment on my blog about social media strategies. Browse the archive and find a post, add a comment, submit it, and PRESTO! you will see the thank you page. It never fails (unless something is wrong).

If you want to see something like that on your blog, and you also have a self-hosted WordPress blog, head over to the plugin directory and download Joost de Valk’s aptly-named Comment Redirect plugin. Transfer the file to your blog server, activate it from your WordPress dashboard, and select the page you want to be displayed. (You will need to create a page, not a post, in advance for this to be an option.)

It’s as simple as that, folks. The next time someone adds a comment on your blog, he or she will see a customized note of thanks — which I recommend you update whenever there is something new you want to say.

Any comments?

Filed Under: Blogging

http://twitter.com/missycaulk Missy Caulk

thanks for the tip on the comment plugin.
http://broadcasting-brain.com Mark Dykeman

That's a cool idea, Ari – thanks for sharing it!
http://twitter.com/mickmel mickmel

The one problem would be that it takes them away from the page. If it's a decent thread, I might want to comment on more than one thing, or send the link to my friend, or otherwise interact with the page. If I'm taken to the “thank you” page, I can't do that, can I?
- http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown
  
  That's my issue with the plug-in as well. If it was a box that popped up on leaving, fair enough. But taking a reader away from a page they've just commented on, with no way of going back once the thank you message is closed (unless you do it manually) seems a bit counter-productive?
  - http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
    
    You forget that this is a one-time action. The second, third, fourth time you add a comment you don't get redirected.
    - http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown
      
      Correct. But if it's my first time to a blog and I'm taken to a page that I'm not familiar with (even one as “kind” as a thank you page), then not knowing how to get back to the page I was on and seeing the other comments might put me off?
      - http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
        
        Fair point, but if you're smart enough to know how to add a blog comment in the first place then I presume you know the basics of clicking the BACK key.
      - http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown
        
        You know as well as I do, Ari, that assumption should never be assumed…
      - http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
        
        So… are YOU complaining about this thank you page, or are you assuming others would complain?
      - http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown
        
        I'm just offering a take, like everyone else here
      - remarkablogger
        
        Danny, that's a good point, but would that happen as often or more often
        than the desirable effect? Only one way to find out for sure. My instinct
        says no, but I've been wrong before.
      - http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown
        
        I guess it depends on the commenter, Michael, and the user experience. Personally, where I've seen that plug-in used, it's put me off as it takes me away from reading any comments I may not have seen (especially when the comment box is at the top). But then again, I'm a picky bugger
      - remarkablogger
        
        Danny I'm sure your attention-to-detail and concern for the customer
        experience are great assets to your clients.
      - http://www.nextlevelblogger.com/about Christian Russell
        
        Just code the landing page to display the post they just commented on, with a thank you box on top. Thoughts?
      - http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown
        
        Definitely be an improvement
      - http://www.waynejohn.com/ Wayne John
        
        The “thank you” page should definitely have a link back to the original page, if you listen to all the usability experts at least.
      - http://twitter.com/kar3n2 Karen Maskall
        
        Yes I agree. You can add a link back to the post with some code. Any ideas what the code might be please?
tomvolkardelightfulwork

I'll check this out. Some of these auto-responding tools build community and some don't even register as valuable. The automatic direct message on Twitter for example does nothing for me.
- Yjcy617103743
  
  This is a very nice post!And it is very useful for me!Thank you for your sharing!
http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

It's a great plugin, Ari! I get a lot of people asking me about it. If fact, I think this was how we connected first after you tweeted me about it.

It's definitely on my list of Must Haves.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  I may have tweeted you about it — if you asked about it.
  - http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall
    
    It was the other way round, as Twitter seems to recall: http://twitter.com/ariherzog/status/6609933224
http://twitter.com/David365 David Rogers

Thanks for the advice and plugin link, reading related articles I may draw up a comment policy first, so the thank you page doesn't have to explain why I don't end up publishing their spammy comment or keyword filled “name”!
- http://ariherzog.com Ari Herzog
  
  Good point to have a comment policy. You can see mine at http://ariwriter.com/disclaimer
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

Does it have a cookie feature that lets you pick and choose who it re-directs?
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  What do you mean by “pick and choose?”
  - http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen
    
    Can you turn it off for people that comment regularly or set it up to only work on first time commenters?
    - http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
      
      Yes, if you look at other comments on this page, you'll see it only affects first-time commenters.
http://www.radicalmarketingsolutions.com/ Bill

Ari,

Awesome and “concise” post. Thanks so much for the nugget! Great tip!

Bill
dj_hochzeit

THX 4 the Plugin, cool!
bretsimmons

I will have to check that out! I personally believe that response to comments are what make a blog effective. If the author does not reply to comments, I won't return and won't spread the word to my tribes. Thanks! Bret
ramartijr

Nice! Thank you Ari for the tip. I actually do thank people who comment both on the blog and publicly on twitter. Stimulating conversation is what it is all about. If you dont reply, the conversation ends.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  I've noticed others thank commenters on Twitter. I used to, but didn't find reciprocal value in that so stopped it.
http://www.seshu.net/saffron Seshu

Nathan Hangen stole my question out of my mouth. I wouldn't like to be subject to the same THANK YOU page each time I come back and comment on a person's site. A cookie feature would be awesome.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  Only new commenters see the message.
http://wpbloghost.com/ John Hoff – WP Blog Host

I noticed on the plugin's download page that it only sends people to the thank you page after their 1st comment on a post, but I'm not sure I'd want to send my regular commentators to the same (or similar) thank you pages each and every time they leave a comment on a new article.

The first time, great, but after that I'm not sure I'd want to be redirected to someone's thank you page every time I left a comment on a new article. It's that, “I already saw that”, thing.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  Only first-time commenters see the message.
http://www.goodtrueandbeautiful.com GoodTrueBeautiful

Ditto to the other comments about the cookies…

I think this would be great as long as it only happens with the first comment. Otherwise, I think it would get annoying. The first time though? Really nice.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  Only first-time commenters see it.
http://cuberules.com Scot Herrick

The plugin notes that the person is redirected to this page IF this is their FIRST comment on the blog. So you wouldn't see it if it was your fifth comment on the site (which is good).

This reorients the thank you page to one of addressing a person making their first comment on the site; a very different message than if you assumed the person was sent there all the time.

Good to know it is working; it is a great plugin.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  Indeed. It's no different than an auto-thank you message sent to new Twitter followers, something I've tried and nixed in the past. The concept is the same: thank someone for taking an action.
  - http://cuberules.com Scot Herrick
    
    I implemented this plugin this morning; we shall see how it goes. And, yes, it works on 2.9.2 WP…
Anonymous

Hi Michael,

I have what may appear to be a stupid question, but I am going to ask it anyway. I do have a self-hosted WordPress blog http://theinvisiblementor.com, but when you say create a page, what do you mean. I have created several pages on my blog such as resources, contact and so on, is that the kind of page you are talking about? Because the sense I am getting is that the page you are talking about is only visible if someone comments, so would this page be like a landing page or something?

I am trying to understand what you are telling me to do so I can do it. I think it’s a very cool idea and I intend to implement what you just said, but I first need to understand how to do it.

Thank you! Avil Beckford @avilbeckford
- remarkablogger
  
  Depending on your theme, there are ways to prevent pages from showing in the navigation. In Headway, it's as simple as checking a box in the page editing screen.
http://www.winterbluescoach.com/ Marsha Stopa

I like this. Do you know if it's compatible with the latest version of WP? Many thanks.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  I have WordPress 2.9.1 installed and the plugin works fine.
http://frankdickinson.me Frank Dickinson

Great tip Ari – I have this on my list. It’s always nice to hear a “thank you” – such is true on blog comments as well.

Thank you!
http://blogs.wcnickerson.ca/ LoneWolf

I struggle with the concept of automatic responses to comments. Aren't automatically generated comments considered spam? Automatic DM's in Twitter are considered spam.

If you want to get personal with people leaving comments (which you should if at all possible) you need to make it real. Responding with an actual comment or even an email is far better than a robotic redirect.

A polite “Thank you” in a thickbox or popup for a few seconds would probably be okay, but leave them on the same page and you still need to follow up in person.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  The irony of your suggestion is I consider pop-ups to be invasive if I don't ask for it. It's like music automatically playing or a Flash video welcoming me to a website. Let me choose if I want to see it. A comment redirect for first-time commenters is different, because someone took a moment out of their life to write something so I take a moment out of my life to share something back. Is it automatic, yes; but it keeps the person on my site and explains why they are seeing the message.
  - http://blogs.wcnickerson.ca/ LoneWolf
    
    I would definitely prefer the thickbox option (Disqus uses this when you hit Post as Guest until it is done and then just goes away). Popups would be a distant 2nd, but as a user I'd prefer a popup over being taken away from where I was, especially if the popup went away on its own after 10 seconds or something like that.
    
    Another thing to consider is how does it know you're a 1st time commenter? Does it scan the DB on the blog for the email address or does it use cookies? The first could get your server bogged down and the second would annoy any visitor that has cookies turned off.
    - remarkablogger
      
      It knows by placing a cookie on your system. When it recognizes the same
      cookie again, it won't show you the thank you page.
      - http://blogs.wcnickerson.ca/ LoneWolf
        
        That leads to the question — does anybody turn off cookies anymore? I know some people used to be scared of them as a threat to privacy, etc.
        
        How does the plugin handle someone who has cookies turned off? What if they don't always use the same browser or even the same machine? What if they run a weekly cookie cleaner?
        
        Don't get me wrong — I like the idea of a thank you, especially for first time commenters, but it has to be as unobtrusive as possible and redirecting to a page is too obtrusive for my tastes, especially when some users could get this over and over.
        
        I'd like to see something that added the thank you right under the comment after the comment was refreshed (similar to the “Your comment is awaiting moderation” message but more prominent). You could even have it set to something different with a link for 1st time comments with a different message for repeat commenters.
      - remarkablogger
        
        Most people don't turn off cookies. Since the cookie is planted in a single
        browser, then you know what will happen if browsers or location changes. Not
        the end of the world.
  - http://cuberules.com Scot Herrick
    
    I did a simple 3-paragraph thank you page. First paragraph is thanking the person taking time to comment and contribute. Second paragraph is letting them know that if they left a link in the comment that I moderate it (in case they wonder why it doesn't show up right away). Third paragraph is inviting them to sign up for free newsletter and join the Cube Rules fan club. You can read it in about 30-seconds.
    
    One could endlessly argue about the format and type of what you do; I'm a bit more oriented in what message I am sending if I implement it (which I did; now we will see results…).
http://www.justenoughmarketing.com/ Gary Gudbranson

This is a really great idea!
http://www.suzanne-bird-harris.com/ Suzanne

I've been using this plugin for awhile now and it has increased the stickiness of my site. Of course, I do like you do, Ari, and give my first time commenters more than a simple “thanks for commenting” message. I've found that new visitors to my site are sticking around longer and reading more of my content than before I started using this plugin.

As for whether I care that it takes them away from the post page they were on…not really. If their intention was to go elsewhere and comment again, they can do that still. What I like about this plugin is that it captures the moment that visitors engage for the first time and gives me a way to acknowledge it and reward that behavior.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  Thanks for the boost of confidence, Suzanne, and glad to hear it's been working out well for you.
- http://cuberules.com Scot Herrick
  
  For those thinking about this, look at your bounce rate off the site now and compare it after you implement the plugin. The other metric would be the time spent on the site; see if that goes up.
http://www.ecstewart.com EC (Lisa) Stewart

Fascinating. After reading all of the responses, I'm going to give this a try. As Suzanne indicates, I'm hoping new visitors will stick around a bit longer.

@ecstewart
http://lagniappemarketing.net/ deb

I like his much more than the plug in which sends an auto email thanking commenters..Much less invasive! THANKS for this one to JOST and to Michael and Ari for bringing it to my attention!
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  I don't like auto emails of thanks, either. I prefer to manually email people here and there.
http://www.mafudabogados.com/ Jorge Mafud

Sounds great! Thanks… I'll try it.

Regards from Mexico.
http://goinglikesixty.com GoingLikeSixty

It's not idiot proof. I installed it and doesn't seem to work. WP 2.9.2 may be the issue.
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  I don't know about 2.9.2, but works fine with 2.9.1.
- http://cuberules.com Scot Herrick
  
  It works on my 2.9.2. Make sure you switch the page it redirects to in the options.
ramartijr

Great points on being taken away from the page. I use Disqus for comments. Perhaps there is a way to direct them back to the comments, or include a back button on the comment page.
zephyrmarketing

I think this can work well, especially if you're moderating comments or requiring approval of 2 prior comments before automatic posting as Ari does. I was at first concerned the immediate thank you page was akin to a Twitter auto DM upon following someone, but Ari's treatment of it is a genuine value-add and I'm going to look into using this plug-in. Thanks for sharing! Greg
- http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog
  
  Hrm, yeah, I suppose I should have mentioned that in the above post. Indeed, to combat what was an increasing amount of spam comments, I moderate the first two comments by any single email address. I also explain this on the thank you page.
scottcowan

This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing it with us.
remarkablogger

Not only could such a plugin do a nice job of thanking the first-time commenter (pay attention, folks, I see a lotta people asking the same question over and over again), but it could also do a good job of giving the reading something to do next.

I can see how this would absolutely boost traffic, reduce bounces, and naturally lead to an engaged reader. And an engaged reader is more likely to subscribe or otherwise convert.
jeffatrackaid

Great tip, will have to see if I can do something similar in Expression Engine.

Beyond the blog, I think “Thank You” type messages are drastically underutilized. I recently met with our tech staff and asked them to send out “thank you” replies any time a client provides the information that we need to resolve an issue.

I am finding that this simple “thank you” can go a long way.
http://www.squidoo.com/xbox-troubleshooting-red-ring-of-death-fix Marc

I wonder how long before the visitor figures out that he's being thanked by a script and just ignores it. This is analogous to the Hi {first name} that everyone uses in the emails they send to their lists. People probably discount this but maybe it softens them up at the subconscious level.

Hmm…you could use it to send the commenter to an up-sell or a “one time only” sales page…just kidding…I used to get a thrill shaking up hornets nests as a kid.
- http://blogs.wcnickerson.ca/ LoneWolf
  
  I think it depends on the wording. A simple “thank you for your comment” is something that I don't mind if it doesn't take me somewhere I didn't ask to go. Something that tries to pretend there is a real person responding (like so many DM's in Twitter) is annoying.
  - Marc
    
    I agree. It's a common human reaction to react negatively when taken somewhere one didn't ask or expected to go to.
    
    It seems like a no win. Even if a simple thank you were posted on the same page as your comment, imagine a post with 100 comments followed by 100 mechanical thank you's.
    - http://blogs.wcnickerson.ca/ LoneWolf
      
      Actually, what I'm thinking of is the thank you will only show up when the page refreshes after the user submits the comment and will not show up for anyone else. WP does this for comments when you have moderation turned on to let you know that the comment will not be displayed right away. Other users never see it and you won't see it a second time.
      
      This solution would allow you to have an automated response similar to the redirect without taking the user off of the page they just commented on. It would probably still be abused, but at least you can just ignore the message and continue reading the comments.
- remarkablogger
  
  There's no way the visitor could think anything other than this is
  automated.
  - Marc
    
    Yeah, my mistake. The dangers of skimming.
    - Marc
      
      I'll save you the effort of pointing out the non sequitur of my reply to your reply. I was skimming but that doesn't excuse the fact that my original comment still mentions using the plug-in to bring the commenter to another page which can only be understood as automation to the commenter. One of those days…
Pingback: Is An Automated Response Better Than No Response At All?
http://wahmbizbuilder.com/ Melinda | SuperWAHM

Looks like an interesting plugin, will definately check it out. Thanks Ari.

I'm one of those people who regularly clears my cookies (or rather, my husband does) so it'll be interesting to see what happens with that.
http://www.melaniekissell.com melaniekissell

Michael and Ari, my only concern with this plug in is that it will thank all the “spammers” who leave first-time comments. And I get a lot of them. These are folks I really don't want to thank. I moderate all my comments but it sounds like the thank-you page will come up immediately after someone posts a comment before I have a chance to read what's been posted.
- remarkablogger
  
  Melanie, why should you care about them one way or another? Do not expend
  the slightest amount of energy over it. Spammers don't care about your thank
  you page.
  - http://www.melaniekissell.com melaniekissell
    
    Good point, Michael. I sincerely get where you're coming from. I guess it's just the principle of the thing. It's like thanking someone for spitting on your shoes. Still in all, I'm going to download the plug in and give it a go. Thank for bringing it to your readers' attention. I know it's trite, but … You rock!
    - remarkablogger
      
      “Spitting on your shoes.” <— I liked that! And you're right. But your
      readers and customers are where we put our energy, yes?
- http://cuberules.com Scot Herrick
  
  Melanie,
  
  I used to have pretty decent levels of spam, but now I use wp-spamfree on all my sites and the spam is virtually gone. This has allowed me to only moderate comments with a link in them, greatly increasing my productivity.
  
  Most spammers use bots of some sort; wp-spamfree nails that before it hits your site. At the plugin page, you can see the thought that went into making the plugin; it is regularly updated as well.
  
  Seriously, it will save you a ton of grief. And remarkablogger is right!
http://www.adelaidedj.com/facebook locspoc

wow, very cool!
juliusCharles

Thanks for this post, and for providing those comments. I think it seems to have its own set of issues, but it's worth a try. Perhaps we can try it for a few weeks and see how our own visitors react to it.
- remarkablogger
  
  Opinions are just that. You never know until you try.
http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

Love it, I am all about the comment plugins
http://twitter.com/sayasatria Satria Nugraha

thanks for the great tip that you post in here.
http://twitter.com/IAC_Heather Heather

Thanks for the recommendation. After reading the comments, I'm going to look into the plugin.
rackmanager

i wonder you are using this plug-in or not?
rackmanager

I wonder you are using this plug-in for this blog comment ?

The answer is no.
http://evolvingwellness.com/ Evita

Well I have to say, as someone who is always thinking about how to make the most of the commenting issue, this gave me a lot of good food for thought.

When I first read your post Ari, I thought, yes I love it, I want to get it. But then I read the comments – which were all so valuable and I realized that there are downsides to it too… I guess I got happy too quickly.

I think it is definitely worth looking into, but does it solve everyone's needs? No. I am starting to realize that just as with many other things in life – we can't make everyone happy and have to look at what makes us comfortable and happiest
- remarkablogger
  
  Don't be afraid to experiment. Only then will you know what works for you.
http://webuildyourblog.com/ Andrew

This is a plug-in that's worth thinking about. I usually thank my commenters using the keywordluv plugin.
- http://www.webuildyourblog.com/ Andrew
  
  Just added it – thanks Ari. I already had a new visitors page set-up so it was just a matter of installing.
  
  Andrew
http://authenticrealities.com/ Dian Reid

I love love LOVE this. Just spent the last 20 minutes or so loading the plugin and creating my page. I have to admit, I stole a little bit of your layout in thanking my commenters…so thanks for the “template” on that, as well.

Cheers
Bill

thanks for all your help
http://www.aionkinah.ca/ aion kinah

'm glad I'm not the only one who feels less inclined to read comment-less blogs/journals. To me, a blog without comments is more like a newspaper, and it has to have really fine writing in order for me to read it. A blog with comments is more like a conversation, where there's a give and take that reading the paper just lacks
http://www.markshandymanservice.co.uk/ handyman bristol

Wow,i think blogging has transformed the internet even though when i first heard about it i was sure that it wouldnt catch on,boy was i wrong.
http://www.nikemaxsale.com nike air max

Thanks for sharing this
http://www.sksdesigns.com Shannon – SKS Designs

Love the idea of the automated comment but wonder if the automation part adds a disconnect to your readers. Do you find commenters put off by an automated response?
- remarkablogger
  
  I would say that depends on the wording much more than whether it's automated or not. I think most of us at one time or another have received automated messages we accepted and enjoyed or found useful even though we knew they were automated.
http://www.sksdesigns.com Shannon – SKS Designs

Love the idea of the automated comment but wonder if the automation part adds a disconnect to your readers. Do you find commenters put off by an automated response?