…on your blog post if you leave a few holes in your argument.
I’m of the opinion that you’ll get more comments…
13 responses
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more comments? That makes no sense at all! Why in the world would you…. Ahhh, I see what you did there.
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I agree Dustin!
Rudy
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Ending with a question also helps…
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Comment, here.
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As opposed to “I effing dare you to disagree with me!”?
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I like the idea. I try to not leave holes in the bulk of the argument b/c then I look like chump, which is the norm, but still keep it open for discussion. What do you and other commenters suggest though when you are trying to write an authoritative post? i.e., I am one of few on the RE.net that knows all the ins and outs of 1031 Exchanges, so sometimes when I write, I am writing to teach, but still solicit comments. Maybe just a good one-liner of “What do you think?” to cap it off would be sufficient. What do you think?
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Jessie and Chad:
I’m not a big fan of questions at the end of a post. My take is that it panders to your audience since they already know they can leave a comment if they feel inspired. I really try to only ask questions when I want to limit the focus on the answers (i.e. I want an answer to something very specific)…
Chad: You got me thinking of authoritative posts, so let me through a comparison out there… There’s a concept in baseball that “homeruns are rally killers.” If you need to score a lot of runs near the end of a game, then singles and doubles are the way to go because they keep the momentum going!
Similarly, I’d say that a good authoritative post is a conversation killer. Assuming you’re right in your post, then rather than encourage dialog, you’ve said all there is to be said. Even if you solicit comments (i.e. ask a question), at best you’ll end up with a bunch of me-too comments (as in “great post” or “great work”).
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LOL. An authoritative post can sometimes invite people who blatantly disagree to post a comment supporting the other side, which gets the dialogue going. Intead of one-upping each other, both parties might actually come away with learning something new.
For the blog post author, it is important to ask yourself “how open am I to learning from my readers?”
It’s only an authoritative “dead” post if the writer believes himself or herself to be the person with the “right” opinion.
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Thanks Dustin and Jillayne. The things you don’t think about when it’s just you by your lonesome in front of the computer hammering away. My blog posts will be different now because of your advice. Truly.
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Chad: I learn from Jillayne every time she writes something! 😉
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Dustin pandering to his voters, hrm readers … must be Super Tuesday!!!
*** I know I sure have learned a ton from Jillayne as well ***
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comment baiting… the new link bait?
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It’s only comment baiting if it inspires you to comment! 😉
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