Posted on February 06, 2008 by Katy

Ask any blogger what their strategy is for networking and you’ll get one of two answers:

I don’t have a strategy but they’ll still go into detail of the many things that they do. Or they’ll give you their tried and true strategy of how they accomplish specific goals.

The truth is that all bloggers have a strategy to their networking, even if they don’t realize what they’re doing is a strategy.

Believing this theory, I was not surprised when I ran across Caroline Middlebrook’s blog and her post detailing her comment strategy. At the end of the post, I was surprised by the calculated moves she had for how she comments on blogs, how she finds her blogs, and how she adds to the conversation.

If you haven’t read Caroline’s comment strategy, check it out. You may not be able to implement the system that she has but you’ll certainly learn a new trick of the trade. I admit her strategy is not one that I have put in place for myself.

Actually, I’m not great at commenting on other blogs. Sure, I can respond to any comment left here but to leave a comment on another blog I really must have something to say.

Now, the question becomes, is this the best strategy to have?

Well, when you’re talking about Technorati blog rank and authority, the answer is no.

It sounds confusing, I’m sure. But here’s what I’ve discovered.

Blogs using the top commentator plugin are helping you gain authority and better your rank at Technorati.

After reading Brian’s post on Elite by Design discussing getting links to your blog by commenting on his site, I decided to investigate.

Apparently, being the top commentator for any blog is a “blog reaction” for Technorati. When you receive a new blog reaction your rank changes and so does your authority.

So, while Brian points out the two-fold benefit of being a top commentator on his blog, I’ll point out the third. Blogs using the top commentator plugin are linking to your website which is helping out with your ranking on Technorati.

Here’s Technorati displaying the reaction to I’m Blogging That by being a top commentator on Brian’s blog:

Likewise, at the end of January the top commentator on I’m Blogging That was Sarah. So naturally, she’s got a blog reaction from I’m Blogging That:

So, what’s the point here?

Maybe, like Caroline said, having a commenting strategy is going to work out well. Seek out blogs that will help you increase your authority as well as blogs that you can contribute something to.

Your comments should add to the conversation. While it’s nice, from time to time, to leave a comment that says “Nice post, I agree… blah blah” Bloggers usually want your insight or opinion on the topic. If you have something to say, take the minute to say it.

Too many times I have passed up on commenting because of time. Now, my strategy is to make sure that when I’m reading my feed I’ve given myself the time needed to add to the conversation. In the end, that’s what bloggers want. And it’ll do you good to.

The lesson is, thanks to the top commentator plugin on a couple of blogs I regularly visit, my Technorati authority is now at 72. This is up from 65 on January 28th. And my Technorati ranking has been affected as well, now at 99,658 from 132,210 I had on January 28th.

Technorati Tags: Technorati, Authority, Technorati Rank, Top Commentator, Elite By Design, Caroline Middlebrook, Networking, Comment Strategy, Increase Technorati Rank, Increase Technorati Authority