"Nice pic!" "Thank you for sharing with us." "Upvoted and followed." "Awesome post bro!"
Does any of this sound familiar? My "favorite" is when we receive the link to someone's post as an advertisement in our comment section. How is that any different than the pop-up window on my computer?
By now you are wondering, "if he dislikes the spam, why is he arguing for it?" There is a simple reason, it sets the quality content apart all the more.
Crossing the Chasm
The book, Crossing the Chasm, is a blue print that outlines the process of moving from a niche market to a mainstream market. The chasm, is the gap between visionary early adopters and the pragmatic majority.
Ok, that is great, but what in the world does that have to do with comment spamming? Let's invert our viewpoint for a moment. Why are people commenting on posts? They are working to build a following. The reason it is annoying is because they are marketing to us like a commercial telling us what they are selling. I am not going to buy your product (visit your blog and upvote) by you telling me what you are selling, it does nothing for me.
What does attract me to visit an individual's blog is when they share a comment telling me why they enjoyed my post. Shocking, right? The point is that the why comment stands out all the more when there is spam around it. It becomes clear to me who is going to cross the chasm from a good blog to a great blog, and that is someone I want to follow and support.
Keeping Our Focus
Since it is easier to stand out amongst the crappy comments, I enjoy replying to quality articles that have received boring comments. Are you not a breath of fresh air for the person reading those replies?
The nice thing about being in control of your blog, is that you can mute, ignore (difficult I know), or flag the replies to your article. You are in complete control of what goes on in your blog business. And those genuine people who took the time to tell you why your words meant so much to them, they receive your favorite commenter award. How easy is that?
Yes, it is a nuisance to read through the comments and see people giving a half effort, but frankly I feel sad for them. They are not receiving my upvote, they are not receiving my loyal follow to their blog, and they will receive a flag in short order (it's better than a force choke from @lordvader)
me for more great content.