In his evergreen 2006 article about user participation on online communities, Jakob Nielsen theorized that 90% of participants are non-contributing lurkers, 9% contribute now and then, and 1% of users are active, as popularly illustrated with this pyramid:
I believed that lurkers don’t like the stigma and want to be shown the way. You proved this true one year ago when I asked you to de-lurk and share something about yourself both for me and other readers and lurkers. You came out in droves and, as proven by Erica and Liz earlier this month, you continue to come out and add comments. Earlier this week, you also came out to share your thoughts why you like to read other people’s comments.
By increasing your social participation, you climb the ladder from spectator to critic, as shown in this Forrester Research illustration:
Hindsight may be 20-20, but your collective de-lurking and commenting actions in recent months tell me that you want to participate but sometimes need, if not like, to be prodded. Is this a fair assumption? Would you be more apt to categorize yourself as a commenter than a lurker, or as a sporadic commenter at best?
I decided to go with my gut. In support of the line in my blog disclaimer, “A valid email address is required so I can follow-up with you if necessary,” and as a means to increase blog engagement with you, I experimented with a new prodding tactic last night and emailed everyone who hadn’t commented here in 180 days.
You can thank (or blame) Wordpress plugin developer Ajith Edassery for his invention called Contact Commenters, which was the impetus for a customized albeit automated email message sent via my blog server to about 800 people.
The plugin, once installed and activated, enabled me to choose one of several options:
I chose the option to search those commenters who hadn’t added anything here in six months or longer.
Moments after selecting the appropriate radio button, I was presented with a two-side screen. One side showed me a scrolling list of all the matching email addresses, of which I deleted a bunch of duplicates and obvious fake email addresses. These were populated by the “email address” you typed when adding a comment. The other side showed me how I could fill-in a subject, a sender name and email address, and a generic message field.
I opted to send the messages individually, rather than as a bulk BCC, writing:
John Smith –
Happy belated new year to you and yours!
My apologies in advance for what appears to be a generic email message, but in testing a wordpress plugin that shares statistics about blog comments here at http://ariwriter.com, I noticed you’ve been lurking for some time.
As such, I wanted to send a quick note in the hopes that maybe my blog disappeared off your RSS or email radar, and/or to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks,
Ari
Perusing through the initial 30 responses over the past few hours, some admit they remain lurkers and others wrote life’s gotten busy for them and will visit when they have a chance. Many wrote they already read my blog and didn’t need an email, though appreciated it. A few criticized me for spamming them, and one so far told me not to send such a message again. The wide majority of responses I received (all of whom I have since replied back, more personally) noted they admired my reaching out, even if it was automated.
If nothing else, this direct marketing tactic showed me that email is holy ground compared to the secular act of visiting a blog. My rationale for using the plugin to email such a large number of people stems from the fact those 800 people are not in the 90% of spectators but in the 9 percent level. Can you truly blame me for hoping you would want to shift from the 9% to the more active 1% of critics and creators?
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I’ll admit to the people reading here that I was one of those people ‘too busy’ with life to take time to read and comment on here. But this little experiment that he has done today has given me some interest again in Ari’s world.
Hopefully I’ll be able to take some more time and get to know other bloggers (as I had tried so hard to do in the past). At the very least, they are great connections to have for future endeavors.
Thanks, Ari. Just remember you don’t have to wait 6 months to contact me again, lol. I’ll be sure to keep the same thing in mind as well.
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I view commenting less about engaging with the blog author, but also about engaging with each other. There is a reason there is a “reply” button under each comment, and it is not just for the author to reply to someone like you.
You’re exactly right, and while I totally agree with you that blog comments can be used more for discussion with the community that just discussion with the author, I can’t help but feel the whole system could be re-built to be more ‘discussion friendly’.
But that is, I suppose, something for future topics and discussions. It’s a thought I’ve been playing with for a while, and hopefully some day I (or even better if someone else) will come up with that solution to the problem.
Or maybe I’m just imagining a problem that doesn’t exist. In which case, I’ll stop blabbering. LOL
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What do you mean? How would you rebuild it? What would you keep or change?
I was one of the people who got the “test” email. I responded back to you. You responded back to me. Now keep that simple thought in mind. Even repeat the two main ideas over and over:
–
you send me an email, I respond to you. (say this 10 times.)
or
I send you an email, you respond to me.
–
So much for rocket science.
Yes, I did like the personal response – thank you! Makes you much more “human” to me. Could you restate you findings a little bit more clearly? I had troubles ( i am an old man) understanding what you finally concluded. Yes/No lurkers or something else? People reading your blog – as they used to read a newspaper? Not writing to you – until your content hit a raw nerve? What was your conclusion(s) ?????
I didn’t conclude anything, other than assuming someone who commented in the past and hasn’t commented more recently may want a reminder such as the message you received.
I hate lurking. I’m scared I’ll get caught. Lol!
Seriously, though, I think some people still think leaving comments feels weird for them. They are worried that they’ll have to commit.
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You’re more scared of lurking… or stalking?
Not to feed your paranoia, but there are in fact blogging tools that tell the blogger when someone is viewing their blog in real time…muahahahahah.
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Yes, one is currently at the bottom of this post…
I got the e-mail and appreciated hearing from you. I thought it was nice and a good idea.
I admit to being a lurker. My life is a giant suckhole right now, because I am caregiver to my mother-in-law who has Parkinson’s, and my husband who is a stroke survivor. It’s 2:25 AM here in Missouri, but I am up because husband gets restless leg and I have to help him out of bed to walk it off. So I go through my e-mail during this time, but I usually feel silly replying in the comments section, because I figure folks will think I’m crazy or on drugs to be up at this hour reading blogs *grin*
I truly wish I had a normal life and could visit and comment regularly. I enjoy your blog very much, and send you best wishes for much success in 2010!
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Never feel silly adding a comment at any hour, for your location (currently) is not listed. (That is something I’m considering, but I haven’t found a plugin I like.) Also, who’s to say you don’t work the midnight shift?
Oh Marti, no no no! LOL. That’s just one of the truly awesome things about the ‘net, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and no one really cares…as long as you’re not necessarily looking for a response at 3am, which also happens plenty of times. lol
Seriously, if someone has been online for a least 10 minutes, they know things can/will happen anytime day or night!
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Yes, I can identify with being a lurker.
I like to know what is going on in the lives of the real people in our society.
Blog comments are amazingly educational if approached in the sense of learning from them.
So, generally I lurk. But, I simply had to come clean here since you mentioned it.
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I know what you mean. I just wrote a blog post to appear next week that begins with something I found in the comment section of someone else’s blog. Very educational.
First, I have to thank you for that plugin information. I think I should test it in my blog. That will be best way to reach them and catch their attention. I think I’m ready to face those criticism because I want my family member back in the house, may be some family member don’t want to stay with me but I believe most of them just forget the path. I should instruct them the way of our house.
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Glad to inspire.
I’m one of those “sometimes” contributors, but I’m starting to interact more. So put me down in the 9 percent who is moving up towards the top of the pyramid.
Successful blogging, after all, is about the interaction. Conversation – not speeches.
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You can only do what makes you feel comfortable. No pressure from me.
I too received the automated email, and as I have newly re-engaged myself and re-surfaced on my blog this is a great reminder that I’ve been lazy in participating on some of my favorite blogs.
I definitely appreciate the gentle prod and don’t mind the semi-automated email reminder that I’ve been lurking. It’s a great reminder as I’m trying to re-engage some dormant Twitter relationships and establish new ones as well.
Great to see you here again, Wendy. Also, as an FYI, I’m currently taking a Twitter break so you won’t be seeing me over there in the foreseeable future.
I am completely and utterly depressed that I have been commenting here so much that I never got a lurker email from you..
In future I would appreciate if you could stop writing things I feel like commenting on so I can stop commenting long enough to get my email..
BTW, Easter is coming soon and I would appreciate a Happy Belated Easter email for that occasion..Sometime in May would be fine..
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Hmm. You got me thinking now. What if I amend the comment form fields to include an optional religious question, to send holiday greetings to people celebrating Easter, Passover, etc. It’s very doable.
Why stop at religious holidays.
There are holidays of some kind almost every day..
Sending emails asking why people haven’t commented lately could become bigger than Twitter as a method of social media..
Anyways, happy belated New Years to you and your family..
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If I start getting emails from every blog on which I’ve commented, I’ll stop commenting. I comment only when I feel I have a perspective, fact or link to share that hasn’t already been covered, and because I’m interested in the conversation taking place ON THE BLOG.
Emails between the blogger and me personally aren’t the same thing at all. If I wanted to have an email exchange, I’d look for the blogger’s email address and send an email to initiate that.
@BarbChamberlain
More–I use my Twitter handle because I *am* interested in having connections in that space with people who want to follow me because of something I said in a comment space. I appreciate seeing Twitter handles of others for the same reason–it lets me find people I may want to follow. That’s my choice as a means of cross-fertilization between different social spaces; others don’t choose to do so.
This whole thread has really highlighted for me my thinking on the various means of connecting and communicating. I’m going to think carefully about guidelines for collecting email addresses in blog comments, and when we launch our campus blog I’ll have a disclosure statement about any possible uses of the addresses.
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I already responded to Ari’s email via email, to say that I was interested in the response to his email blog engagement experiment since I’m planning a blog for the campus where I work. Then I came here to read the other comments.
I had a pretty strong personal reaction to the holiday greetings idea. I don’t comment on blogs to generate more emails in my in-box–I’m drowning in emails. I don’t even send holiday emails to my friends, and I delete unread almost all the holiday emails I receive from organizations with which I have a direct affiliation.
Getting a holiday email from a blogger because I commented once upon a time or once in a while? Creepy even though I’ve interacted with Ari any number of times via Twitter and email. Getting an email greeting because we have an email connection? far more logical (but I’d still delete).
Then I thought about this in terms of social media tactics and best practices. My question would be WHY you’d want to send religious greetings. If you were writing a blog about religion, sure–it’s related to the content and people are presumably at least open to the idea of providing their religious affiliation. But on a social media blog? Why on earth would I give you that information, and why would you want it? What will you ask next?
My guess would be that the day you add a field for religious belief to your comment log-in is the day you stop getting comments, period. Even if it’s optional I’ll wonder why you’re asking and it will affect my feelings about the type of community being created via the blog.
But you got me to comment again.
@BarbChamberlain
I also received your automated note. I would say I am an intermittent contributor with two thoughts on why I don’t comment more.
1 – I read a lot of blogs for information / education and my comment would always be – Thanks for the great information. or I didn’t know ABC was related to XYZ, or some similar comment. I don’t want to seem pithy and just have the same “Thanks for Posting That” comment over and over again. Blogs to me are similar to reading the newspaper – I don’t send notes to the article writers every time they have something published.
2. I read a lot of Blogs and don’t have a lot of time to participate in the comment commenting that often occurs. I usually only post if I read something I feel strongly about – agreeing or disagreeing doesn’t matter. But if it’s something I feel strongly enough about to comment on – I then feel responsible to go back and read comments from other posts, and comment on their comments – as other folks do – which means I have to reply to comments about my comments as well. Maybe I should just post and let go – not worry about what else is being said -but isn’t that the point of Blogging in the first place? To read about what you care about?
I certainly don’t mind gentle prods and Blogs with direct requests to comment with a specific opinion or request to answer a specific question I do find easier to comment on.
Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing who is reading. People who bookmark this site on their browser and/or people who subscribe by RSS are ghosts in the machine, unidentifiable. While Feedburner provides me the email addresses of those who opt for email delivery of blog posts, I’ll never know (in the current schema) who gets here otherwise.
I agree a comment for the sake of a comment might as well be labeled spam, but don’t hold back if you have a question or a comment to an existing comment.
Great plugin – although arguably they’re not entirely lurkers if they’ve commented at least once.
I’d love to see Nielsen update that chart: my assumption is that the percentages have changed as people have become more accustomed to being public with their thoughts and identities.
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Do you think the numbers have changed? How would you amend it? Many people don’t want the public to know their thoughts and identities. Stay tuned over the next week or two; I’m working on a blog interview with someone who may blow your mind.
Amen to that Andrea. I’d like to see us find a better way for classifying behavior online period. The hierarchical approach creates classes of users that preclude other users from wanting to step up where they can add value. We need to get away from the notion that lurker = bad. I am interested to hear what others think about this.
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Great post! I know I have to work on my audio and video and I love the sound of the word lurker, yet I think I am a creator?
Namaste, 365Muses Mo
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What are you doing with audio and video?
No strategy for these yet, focused on my blogs and Social Media clients (going to make video’s for them to generate content for their web & facebook pages.
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Ahh, you’ll create videos for others… but not yourself?
Ari – love the Contact Commenters plugin! It also list the blogs of your last 10 commenters – “Reminder: Have you visited these blogs lately?”
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But if you’re already engaging with your commenters, then you would be clicking over to their blogs already. And if you use the CommentLuv plugin (which Disqus doesn’t support, by the way), you’d see their latest posts displayed under their comments.
For what it’s worth.
I agree – but it still helps to have all the blogs in one place. That way, it’s easier to spend 30 minutes commenting on those specific blogs.
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True…
Another suggestion, John: If someone comments on your blog, go comment on their’s.
That’s exactly why I like the list of the last 10 blogs!
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As long as the post is worth commenting on, of course…
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As you just proved, Danny, sometimes a modifying clause is worthy.
Man! I didn’t get one of those e-mails! I feel left out, guess I will have to stop commenting for awhile so I can feel part of the “gang”
I love commenting (too much) and it has benefited me in so many ways, I don’t know if I could ever quit!
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Do what you must. Maybe you’ll get a different “most commented” email. Hah!
Now I feel part of the gang, I got an email from you about this post. It appears you have really hit something here with all the comments you are getting! {thumbs up}
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Hey there, I also got the email. At first it was a bit startling as I admit to being a lurker to my close friends but never think I will get caught
. I love reading what others are up to and find that you always have great information. I typically only comment when I have a strong apposing view. I guess that is not necessarily the best tactic. Of course, like others on here. I scan a large number of blogs a day and don’t carve out the time to share a response. Often it is because I don’t want to come of looking like an idiot. Lurking protects my inner idiot 
. But sharing with one another is a great way to connect with others with common interests so I am also an advocate of commentary. Thanks for this interesting exercise and for sharing the tool that you used.
If you only add a comment in opposition, that would make you out to be either angry or passionate. Not that such a position is wrong, but if you agree or if you’re inspired regardless why, that can only be a good thing. Something to think about.
We’re all idiots, by the way. I’ve previously confessed to being a social media dumbass.
Thank you for writing about this. This plugin is just what I needed. Very much appreciated!
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Glad to help and inspire.
I’ve recently moved up the ladder from Spectator/Joiner to Critic/Creator. I relish comments on my blog, from the little ones, “Funny!,” to the more involved ones responding to topic points. I’m new to the blogging, but I’m learning as I go. It is a bit frustrating (already) that I get a comment about 1 out of every 10 visits. I like the feedback and I like the interaction.
Thanks for the post!
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The CommentLuv plugin helps me (and others) see what people are writing as an alternative to reading it in RSS readers, so consider that another way to bring in more critics.
I always love details like this. I participate in serveral USENET groups which have a handful of frequent contributors but thousands of lurkers. I myself was a lurker for many years before I started to participate.
It’s much more fulfilling being a participant.
I love that there is now a plugin to help site owners interface more with their users. I’ll have to install that on several of my blogs.
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Hah, I love you wrote about the Usenet. I wonder how many Twitterholics know about the Usenet. I used to be addicted there in the ’90s.
Sweet, sweet article!
I’m taking the time to respond personally to everyone’s first comment.
It is time consuming, but so far it seems ok.
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You’re responding to who?
Ari, I’m responding to everyone’s first comment on Website In A Weekend personally.
I’m really impressed how you were able to extract so many lurkers. I’ve made several attempts in the past, but have only managed to get one or two to come out and comment. Then they retreat again!
I’m recapping this article tomorrow, I hope I’m able to send some of my lurkers your way so they can get some inspiration… and come back to join the discussion. We’ll see.
New from Dave Doolin: Website In A Weekend: Thursday evening – Get into the gate
Well, you read the fine print who was contacted, right?
Ari
I got your email but didn’t have time to jump on over here at the time. So today I actually stopped by because today your blog is the blog of the day on our Gov 2.0 Blog A Day Calendar!!! It is something I set up so that I can make sure I continue to visit blogs that help teach me about things I care about and people I enjoy seeing/learning about – all while supporting innovative and awesome blogs!
Hope your coming to citycamp!!
Pam
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What is citycamp?
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