I was just wondering which one would you be more excited to have if you could only have 1. More comments? Like 100+ comments to each of your blog posts? Or more social shares? Like 1000+ social shares for each blog post? And why would you prefer the one you choose? For me, it's probably comments because it's more engaging, how about you?
Social shares, because this will bring more new traffic to your website. I do not mean that the 1000 shares to be yours, but from visitors interested in your website content. More shares would mean that you have high quality content that is appreciated by others. With more traffic, the comments will come automatically.
I would definitely choose comments. I published a new article on my blog the other day. In its first day, it was shared almost 30 times on LinkedIn. Do you know how many visits I got from LinkedIn that day? Less than five. Shares are more of a 'social proofing' mechanism than a way to generate real, live, engaged traffic. Comments on the other hand indicate some level of interest and engagement. And for me, I use the Facebook Comments plugin, which often means my commenters are posting a link on Facebook to my article at the same time. I'd rather have 100 engaged readers than 1000 shares.
It depends on what is the purpose the blog. Personally I am trying to make money with it, therefore, i would appreciate 1000 shares more. My income depends on how many people sees the page. But having a comment or two is pleasant
If you provide a truly high quality content, it will make people think and lead them to commenting your text to express their emotions. And if they agree with your point of view - they may share your content further. It works this way for me.
that's also a good point! I only share the thing that I think other people should know. Things worth attention. And the shared content comes from the author and me at the same time.
Definitely comments. These people actually took the time to respond to your content. And this is the best thing. Your content actually moved someone enough. These people are more likely to convert (subscribe, buy from you or order your services). Social shares are mostly empty - I could get you 50 Facebook likes, by simply sharing through a ton of Facebook groups. And those are usually filled with other content spammers, just like you. Although, I must admit, the social factor kicks in at a certain point. When someone sees your article with zero reactions (likes, shares, tweets, etc.), they're less likely to actually share your content themselves. In this case, you might actually lose out on new audience.
Comments.. Comments give me some personal satisfaction that it made some impact on the mind of the readers and who the readers is. By knowing him, i can help him further in that particular topic.. Also comments will be helpful to other readers, who may have to ask the same question asked by someone else already. Comments also help me to add more "useful" information to an existing content, as the readers demand and i will get an idea on how my future content should be.. This will help me to make a brand image for my Blog. For me social shares are like people who pass by in front of me while i am waiting for my best friend to arrive.. means that there is no engagement .. without any engagement we can not improve ourself or our Blog and take the business into next level.. but it is true that social shares can give you new readers who may turn into a client in near future.. but the probability is less compare to comment... When a 100 shares can bring you a "new engaging readers" , an already engaging readers can bring you several new "targeted readers" to your Blog. Also remember that comments can give you the opportunity to include more keywords in a page and rank better in search engines.
I couldn't give a toss about people sharing any of my posts, because most recipients of a share ignore it entirely. I certainly do. On the other hand, I welcome comments, and I especially appreciate comments that the writer has obviously spent quite a lot of time over.
I have been thinking more and more about this question and I think that at this point in my blog, I would prefer comments. Comments are great as feedback and encouragement that I am on the right track.
I would prefer comments. Like and shares can be brought through service providers but comments looks natural and come from real people.
I prefer comments but only if they refer to the content in the post. I like to see that people really read my posts and want to discuss them... even if it involves criticism
If I only was able to chose one I would chose Social Sharing. I would chose this because with each social share you will reach out to people that you might not be able to reach on your own. Each share will drive traffic to your website, forum, blog, or whatever you want traffic sent to.
With each topic I share on twitter, I got a few clicks, but it displays to around 200 twitter accounts. Is it good? I will prefer blog comments for better discussion with other