Those who have spoken up over the past…oh, however long it’s been…about the “dangers of do-follow” are focused on the evils of spam and the increased maintenance side of things. Yes, if you’re going to manually monitor and approve blog comments (as I still do), it adds a bit of time to your daily routine. But I think this perspective is missing the point. Blogs are about self-expression, yes…but they are also about community. For me, if you don’t want community on your blog…TURN OFF THE COMMENT FUNCTION and just use it as a newsletter.
But on the flip side, I appreciate it when folks come and actually contribute to my sites…and I certainly want to reward them for their contribution…which is why I use Do Follow, CommentLuv (which highlights their most recent blog post, if they link from a blog) and KeywordLuv (which allows them to identify themselves by name…always a good thing…as well as to preserve their anchor text in a very graceful way).
But that’s not what I’m writing about this time. I am a busy guy. I won’t go into all the reasons, but they involve family, friends, vocation and many other priorities. If I’m awake and not engaged in other entanglements, I’m working. Thus, it’s very difficult for me to carve out time to read and respond to the blogs of others. And yet, it’s something I really love to do. I enjoy the heck out of sharing my perspective, memories, personal experiences or knowledge of relevant resources (i.e., where possible, I like to help people!).
And, as a part of link building for my own web sites (made possible by the Do-Follow philosophy), I have committed to setting aside some time as the day winds down to visit some blogs and comment a bit. I am STRONGLY opposed to spam in all its forms…and that includes “Great post!” and other lame blog comments along those lines. If I don’t have something to say…something of value and something that is uniquely me…I won’t comment at all. I’m not there just to build my own business…which would require me to lower my standards. I’m there as “me” (why is why I don’t farm this task out to someone else!), contributing what I have to share. I’ve been doing this for a couple days now…and I’m really enjoying it. It’s pleasurable…and profitable, too! No, I’m not there to subscribe to their feed. I just want to leave a little piece of me for the benefit of the blog owner and other visitors.
What about you? Have you considered setting aside some time to contribute to some web sites, and benefit a bit yourself? If so, here’s are a couple nice resources for finding Do-Follow Blogs: Tricia’s Musings and Court’s D-List. Don’t worry about PageRank and all that. Every link counts for something. Instead, focus on contributing something worth everyone’s time. Bring some humanity back to the web…don’t let those Grinch-y Internet Marketing spammers win! 
UPDATE: As a result of my frustration in looking for good do-follow blogs on which to comment (many of the lists out there are woefully out-of-date), I’ve started a new directory of do-follow blogs:
I’ve been seeing this becoming a trend (both Keyword and Comment Luv).
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“GREAT Post” ….
Hi C, i don’t know why i did not find this blog sooner. I guess Ive been so bzy pushing my I forgot to time the time to see some “old” frinds… And say old, not like you are have known each other a lorg time, i mean it the othet way…
Well, I know last year you told me to get in to the new tech and focus one blogs.. well, it finaly got throgut my thick head… thans for all the help, I’ll check in often now.
Chato
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There are excellent plugins and I hope they are here to stay.
Thanks so much for respecting we blog readers too! New plug-ins certainly do help us a lot. Comment Luv has gained tremendou popularity.
Hi, I was just browsing internet when I came accross this. I think that if we do not do it the regular way(manually), it may stop getting the right and natural comments from bloggers. However, it is still a good idea for a busy person to use plugins and tools to do this. What do you say?
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Thanks for going with Keyword luv!
I try to set out an hour a day just for reading and research. Reading blogs forms a great part of that time. There is just so much knowledge and experience out there for all to read.
I have a nice schedule in place as to networking and commenting on blogs. I love to comment on blogs, even the no follow ones lol.
I love networking and meeting new people….I think it’s important to add value with your comment. I absolutely hate the “great post” and such, as it’s obvious what they are there for.
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Thanks for expressing a reasonable view there. Lots of bloggers are almost paranoid about do follow and do not follow and they certainly have it in for keywords.
This is a cool blog…I wish you were more active on it!
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