How can I get over my fear of commenting online?
I have noticed personally and read studies indicating that between 50 and 90 percent of the people who are in communities don’t participate by commenting. There are many reasons for this ranging from feeling like they have nothing to add, not being interested in the topic, to fear. If it is fear that is holding you back this post is for you.
Start by listening first – You probably already do this naturally. I usually recommend when you are new to a community to kick back and read posts and comments for some time so that you get a good feeling of the tone and topics of the community and learn a little about the personalities that make it up. Some fear of voicing opinions is justified and normal. If you don’t feel safe or feel that the people in the community are judgmental then by all means trust your instinct.
Start easy- If you feel like it is a nurturing and supportive community but you are still uncomfortable commenting publicly, you can start by asking questions or stating opinions in private. It will give you a chance to add value to the community in a safe way. There are some very real positive reasons to participate in communities by commenting and joining the conversation. Studies have shown that people who participate in communities feel more like they belong than others who don’t actively participate. By your participation the others involved in the community get to know you and start to build trust in you, and you in them. You start to build relationships. Relationship building is one of the most powerful aspects of social media and communities online. That is why it is called social media and not some other name. You begin to take some ownership in the community and feel more connected when you participate.
The Upside of participating for website owners.-A positive reason for participating in a community is to build inbound links back to your own site. Inbound links are a sort of social proof to search engines and other visitors to the popularity of your site. There are no real effective short cuts to building inbound links. Yes there are services that submit your site to many directories. But those directories don’t carry as much weight in search engine ranking as do links from sites that are relevant to the topics on your site. It is a quandary that new site/blog owners need to get over.. The more popular your site is to others, the more followers you will attract and the more weight your site will carry with search engines .You can create links back to your site through your comments in communities, blogs, and websites.
Participation is valuable to the community-Often times we feel like the answers we will provide to the community will not be accepted by the group. The reality is if you raise a possible answer or question, others in the group probably have the same question. Social media is a place for two way communication. It is the reason it is more powerful than old push media. Your voice in that two way communication is critically important to the group. If all the views are not represented, then any solutions created will be less than optimal..Your participation will stimulate new ideas and new opportunities for further discussion.
Finally, I can guarantee that the facilitator of the community very much wants you to participate. Like the quandary of inbound links, the more that people participate and comment, the more people will comment. Your input adds the possibility that new topics will be sparked and will invite even further participation. It is important to the community and needed so comment away. If you are ever unsure, you can always ask questions or add comments in private via direct message or email to others in the group.
