Complimentary Comments: A Hubbers View of Commenting
Thanks for the Compliment
I don't know a writer here on Hubpages who doesn't appreciate a well constructed or well intended comment. I know I do! How does one really know how their audience received their latest work? Does it touch anyone, (if that was the intent) does the hub reach anyone the way the author intended? There are a thousand reasons why an author wants feedback. Heck, an appropriately placed at-a-boy or girl is enough to keep you writing, right?
There are also well constructed comments that are constructively critical and I enjoy those just as much. Why? Because I want to know how to improve what I do and there are people out there that still care about the quality of the writing as well as the content. But, I have to admit that when another writer, especially the ones you admire and respect for the quality of their work bestows a complimentary comment on a hub you've worked hard to construct...it's dynamite! For me, it's an encouragement to continue because I know I've touched someone. People offer compliments for all kinds of reasons and all of them in their own way are valid. The connection between the commenter and and the author is special, it creates a bond that can feed both author and commenter!
All that being said, there a more reasons than you can shake a stick at to leave a comment on another authors work and 99.9 percent of the ones I have seen have been, at the very least, a pick-me-up and at best a moving experience that impacts the author and their work for a long, long time.
I don't want to belabor this point as most of you reading this hub have experienced the validity of this statement from both aspects, author and commenter. So, without further adieu, I'd like to start this parade off with a few of my favorite comments. If you are new to Hubpages you will soon learn and experience this magical element and hopefully you will come to appreciate it as much as I do. To BillyBuc who has agreed to be my accomplice in getting this idea off the ground I can only say, on behalf of myself and all of the other hubbers who have enjoyed your work and your comments...thank you my friend! You've come a long way from the place you once were and there is a long way to go to achieve all you are preparing yourself for, but I am deeply grateful for your comments. I cherish them, I look forward to them and I am encouraged and inspired to continue this craft in no small way by them! Thank you and to all of the other hubbers out there who are participating in this site carry on your writing...someone's waiting to read and comment on your work!
Peace be with you!
An Encouraging Comment
On One Grateful Expression, a hub I wrote about 10 months ago the following comment came from Dee aka Nonna, a gifted writer and one who appreciates the work of other authors as well. She has supported my writing with uplifting comments like the one below. Thanks Dee, I cannot tell you what your words of encouragement have meant to me!
Dee aka Nonna 10 months ago Level 6 Commenter
I love the way you began this "What comes out is what's inside". I grew up with my mother saying to us "garbage in, garbage out". Anytime we would say something negative or "unlady like" she would remind us that we should not act in such a matter. Joy, peace, connection, innermost passion, gratefulness, lift and encourage...you have brought all of this to me with this awesome hub. Voted up, awesome, beautiful and again inspiring, if there were such a button.
Thank you for sharing.
Always Grateful
Comments Are Connections Around The World
Another amazing writer, this time found half way around the world, Fennelseed offered her comments on Using Gratitude & The Bluebirds of Happiness: Why not fly with them? and I was so humbled that I had touched someone so far away. Granted, I know we live in a global society now and have for some time but, it hit home when Fennelseed responded because it seemed like my back yard was her back yard...incredible! Little things become big things!
Fennelseed 8 months ago from Australia Level 7 Commenter
Finding gratitude in what we have and what our world presents to us every day to marvel at, enjoy and be grateful for, opens our eyes to more and more wonders.
Amazing cloud formations that change in the sky every split second, the beauty and intricacy of a bud bursting into bloom, a butterfly with delicate patterned wings, two perfect, warm, baby blue eggs lovely tendered to by adoring bluebird parents, so much to admire and be grateful for.
I get it Born2care and I am so very humbly grateful and so very much alive. Thank you for this amazing hub.
Your writing comes from a very warm heart and a very intuitive mind.
A Complimentary Comment From One of the Best
I have never met Bill Holland, except here on Hubpages, yet I consider him my friend! He is a professional in every sense, in his writing and in his commenting regarding the work of so many HubPage authors. He is a gentleman, a man of wisdom and character and one heck of a writer too! I am indebted to him for his complimentary style (evidenced on the hub) If You Love Me? Let me go! as a hubber and as a man of conviction! Thank you Bill...now it's your turn!
billybuc 7 months ago from Olympia, WA Level 8 Commenter
Hey my friend, you just hit a homerun! This, in my opinion, is your best work so far. You are growing as a writer, finding your voice and allowing your story to be released without restraint, like Stuart. Tough choices, ones I had to make thirty years ago....but necessary...so necessary. Bravo on an excellent hub.
An Unscientific Top Ten Commenters
First the Honorable Mention: 50 Caliber, Mr. Happy, Perspycacious, suzettenaples, ImKarn23, tsmog, DFiduccia, stessily, Dexter Yarbrough, mary615.
And now, those hubbers who are, in my opinion the Top 10 commenter's based on my experience of reading their comments on my hubs and the hubs to which I am connected. I recognize this list is by no means exhaustive, but these writers have contributed tremendously to the entire Hubpages family. Thanks and blessings to all of you!
10. izettl
9 xstatic
7 phdast7
2 billybuc
1 fpherj48
Let us know what or who your favorite Comment or Commenter is. It's kind of like sharing!
AUTHORHi Emanate Presence,
First, allow me to thank you for your time. I am, indeed, grateful. Second, now you've scared me. I thought we were able to hide behind our words. LOL Oh well, I guess if someone were going to find out about me, this would be an appropriate venue.
Third, this is only my opinion, but of course, you knew that! I hope in some small way you have retained something meaningful here, if nothing more than my sincerity. I enjoy HP! But mostly because of the opportunity to express myself, then the connection with others whom I've attracted for one reason or another. This adds great color to my life. I am, again, very grateful for that...and for you!
Born2Care,
Good to see you took the plunge to do a self interview on video. I watched it to gain a more rounded feeling of who you are, which comes across in face and voice, as well as to hear what you had to say.
Before finding this Hub, I posted questions this morning about integrity in commenting and self-assessment of one's HP activity. It was timely to visit here. Sure, I have to find my own way of integrating your points. They give me something to chew on and that is always helpful. Up and more...
- AUTHOR
Thank you Joe!
Writing here is a privilege I do not take lightly. I'm not always serious about the content but when it comes to the people, I'm so grateful. It doesn't matter whether we agree philosophically. It matters that we attempt to understand each other and make a concerted effort to understand ourselves as well. We are a very organic community, as you say, and because of that we are nourished by our interaction and communion of our collective soul!
Thank you for being who you are and I so look forward to getting to know you better.
Peace be with you!
Thank you sincerely, Bruce, for wanting to promote the glue of connectivity that is so vital to any organic community. In a few moments, I will be officially following you. You certainly make a significant and positive difference here in Hubsville, and I salute you and your diligent efforts in spreading cheer and goodwill.
Aloha and blessings!
Joe
PS Great video lead-in, by the way!
- AUTHOR
Welcome VickiW!
Thank you for visiting my humble Hubpages site. I am grateful for your time and for your being! Please come back soon!
Hello Born2Care, this is a really thoughtful and grateful Hub, that I really enjoyed reading. I have been blessed by comments from several of the friends mentioned, and always feel quite overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity, especially as I have only been on HP for two months. Thank you for this.
- AUTHOR
Oh LaThing, Thank You!
I enjoy doing video. (now that I've learned how) I just hope my arm holds out! Maybe I'll try to lose my Philly accent too, though it makes me sound a little like Joey Tribiani from "Friends." You know, "How you doin?" LOL
Hubpages is a special release for me. I have been in Corporate America all my life and though I worked for some really great companies I really like the freedom I get when I write...er...uh...minus the criticism, censorship, paradoxical juxtapositions and all the other stuff we find here! Again LOL!
I'm just a happy guy who enjoys listening to and telling people's stories. Anyway, I'll just say thanks for reading and having some fun with me.
BTW LaThing, I really like your LaName! How did it come to you!
See ya soon, okay?
- AUTHOR
Hi Debbie Bruck!
Thank you for the comment and YES, I'll be putting together more complimentary comments. I partnered with Bill Holland (Billybuc, who did his own version of complimentary comments in coordination with my initial hub. I really thought his was fabulous. If you haven't seen it it's definitely worth the read)
I have so enjoyed doing this! I care about Hubpages and its family of writers and I enjoy writing when I can.) I just want people to know that they can choose to be happy!
You have a great Thanksgiving too!
Gratefully,
Bruce
Your title caught my eyes..... I found your hub informative and a positive inspiration. Makes me realize how much comments mean to the writes, including myself! It's the positive feedback, and constructive criticism that really helps a writer. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, and I love the video! You did a great job.....
Bruce - Does this mean you will be posting many more "complimentary comments" as a series on Hubpages? I find videos very welcoming. Our own personal television production. Happy Thanksgiving. Debby
Bruce, You make excellent points and provide supportive examples. Writers rarely --- if ever? --- function in a complete vacuum because, by publishing their words, they are entering into a world of communication, directly and/or indirectly. The ebbs and flows of responses are critical to the process of creative communication. For example, Napoleon Hill and Albert Einstein stood at the edge of a cliff with their respective admissions of their use of imagination in achieving success. Ridicule, rejection, and intentional shunning of a writer's words can be devastating to the creative process; the degree of disfavor sometimes is extreme enough to penetrate even the toughest skins.
There are many motivations for responding to writers (not just here on HubPages), and sometimes comments seem dissonant with the topic, almost as though the commenter had skimmed and missed the essence. For me, reading reveals the writer's essence, so I read and comment with care. Comments are the frosting on the cake.
Appreciatively, Stessily
Hi Bruce,
Excellent Hub on Complimentary Comments, with lots of Good Examples. I for one Pride myself in trying to do so with each Hub that I read. It's what any Hubber looks forward to seeing. It reinforces his work, and brings a Smile or two.
I now look forward to Following your Hubs.
- AUTHOR
Thank you Suzette!
We are a family of people with a desire for inclusion and for what better way to include anyone, new or otherwise, than to let them know we're interested in what they have to say...or should I say write! All of us come from a variety of backgrounds, but one thing is for sure, we're all living on the same planet! So, until that changes, we all have at least one thing in common and writing here just added one more commonality to build on!
Thanks, for your part in it!!!
Sincerely,
Bruce
Great hub! This was delight to read. You give some good examples of comments and commentors. This is a must read for all newbies. I enjoyed this very much. Thank you!
- AUTHOR
You are so welcome Sir!
It is I who am grateful for your participation on this site and as a writer and commenter I greatly appreciate you and your work. There are certain people I look to for uplifting and constructive writing and commentary. You sir, are obviously one of them!
Thanks for being who you are!
Sincerely,
Bruce
Well Bruce, nice to see you and hear your voice as well! I really appreicate being included in that august company of ten commenters. I like good heartfelt writing like yours and Bill's and many others on that list and beyond, and try to give positive reinforcement. It is always great to get readers and commenters on a Hub that you put a lot of thought and work into.
Thanks for publishing this one!
- AUTHOR
Thank You lrc7815,
Everyone here is a superstar in my mind. Getting up in the morning or coming home from work or wherever it is one begins his/her writing day is a feat worth mentioning and uh hm...commenting on!
This site is full of folks, like yourself who care about the art and each other. It doesn't get any better than that!
Thanks again!
Bruce
- AUTHOR
Thanks Dex!
BTW, you earned it my friend. I am grateful for your work and for your comments. I am always interested in the perspective of others, especially those I value!
Gratefully,
Bruce
Well, this was certainly refreshing and a new take on the day to day of HubPages. The video at the beginning was a great idea. It's wonderful to recognize hubbers for their commenting skills also. It consumes a lot of time that rarely is recognized. I can't even imagine how Bill Holland does it. He reads every thing I've written and I'm sure I'm way down on a very long list. Every comment is personal and meaningful. How on earth can he do that with over 1000 followers. The man is superman!
But, back to this work of art. Very creative, well executed, and a real testament to who you are - born2care. Voted up!
Hi Bruce! Thank you so much for the Honorable Mention! I am shooting for the top ten next time!
Providing encouraging comments is a way for me to show how much I really care about the writers work. Kind words really do go a long way!
Thanks again, Bruce!
- AUTHOR
Hi Paula!
I do honor you and all of the other hubbers like you who not only write here, but read and comment on the work of others. Everyone has a model or hero and perhaps those we emulate are untouchable in many ways. Here on Hubpages however, we can communicate with them about what matters to us because through comments they make themselves available. So while I appreciate your humility, I am also very grateful for your comments on my hubs, but also and perhaps more importantly, on the hubs of the new folks coming to our family. Thank you very, very much!
- AUTHOR
Hi carol7777 !
You are so right! I have seen your comments and I agree with you. I notice key words in this comment; meaningful, truthful, and learning new things. Honestly, I really enjoy your ability to find a kind word or idea because our world so lacks that. Thank you for being who you are and please, keep the comments coming, okay?
sincerely,
Bruce
Bruce....I am honored, as well as humbled. You have validated my efforts to reply with interest and understanding, to works presented by fellow-hubbers. That you value and appreciate my comments, is more than I can hope for.......Thank you so much, Bruce. You certainly were Born to care!! I am grateful...............UP+++
I found this hub most interesting. I comment a lot and try to comment on hubs that are of interest to me. However I try to venture out to new topics and ideas as I love to learn new things. Also I try to leave something meaningful behind. I have a theory about compliments. You can go into a room and think the furnishings are pretty awful, but can find something you sincerely like and can give a truthful compliment. They should always be honest. In other words we can always find a kind word or idea. Thanks for sharing all this and it is a good reminder to all of us.
- AUTHOR
Hi Bill,
Just trying to deliver on a promise! I care about this site and our fellow hubbers and I want them to know how I feel. This is just one way to support the goodness that happens here! We are all connected, the good, the bad and the ugly! I'm representing the ugly (LOL) now you have your choice! (kidding of course)
Bruce
Bruce my friend, you are a tough act to follow! Thank you so much for your kind words, but beyond that, thank you for being real. It doesn't take long to separate the pretenders from the real thing here on HP, and you, buddy, are the real thing.
I'll be working on my segment tomorrow now that you have kicked this thing off. Sure glad I tuned in for this one as Sunday comes to a close. Thank you buddy and you'll be hearing from me soon.
bill
- AUTHOR
Hi Theresa,
You are welcome, but in my opinion, you earned it! You didn't get to be a level 8 commenter by accident! I have seen your comments on other hubs and I know you have a legitimate gift for encouragement.
Take care of your family first, then your students and your hubpages family can share you too!
Thank you for being who you are!
Bruce
Hi Bruce -- I liked the video at the beginning and of course I love the focus of your hub, very well-written and emphasizing something so important, "How much we can encourage one another and how much we need one another's encouragement." I am very pleased to be one of your top ten.
I have spent little time on HP the last 4-5 weeks (family member in the hospital - hut home now recovering). What a pleasure to visit HP today and see your great Hub. Take care. :) Theresa
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