3. How to post comments and reply to comments
ENGAGEMENT is what draws eyes and supporters, and COMMENTS promote engagement.
Writing Comments
- Comments are PERMANENT. Proofread before posting!
- Commenting/replying in your own story: Readers appreciate the opportunity to interact with a candidate.
- Commenting/replying in someone else's story: Readers learn more about you by seeing you interact in other areas of the site.
- Comments from campaign staff and other supporters are welcome! Please see the next resource page for a few specific rules about staff and supporter posts.
Comments are permanent
Comments cannot be edited. Once you click submit a comment, the internet is forever. Story posts can be edited easily. Comments CANNOT.
We urge you to be mindful of the permanence of this publishing platform. In some cases, you may choose to edit or even completely unpublish a post. But it’s almost never possible to delete a comment, and to do so requires specific administrative intervention. (Contact the Help Desk if that proves necessary.)
Commenting in your own story
Site users value and appreciate interaction with candidates in their posts. Of course, you’re busy and you have a million things to do and places to go all at once. But carving out an hour or so immediately post-publication, so that you can participate in the discussion below your post? That can pay big dividends.
Using the "reply" button at the bottom of each comment is best, because it lets everyone follow the conversation and know exactly which comment you are responding to. If there are a lot of comments, that's great! If there isn't time to answer them all, answering about a half-dozen or so is enough to show that you are paying attention to the conversation.
Engagement goes a long way at Daily Kos, even if your responses are not much more detailed than “thank you.” If you get into a conversation, so much the better. The more you express your sincere interest in the community here, the warmer your reception will be. Once users see a pattern, publish-and-run posters are usually not well-tolerated.
Commenting in a story written by someone else
The real key to being known as an active member here is commenting on posts that were not written by you. This site is about building connections. The more people see your name and see your comments on a variety of subjects important to politically active Democrats, the more positive buzz you build.
If there is a policy area that interests you, search for a story on that topic or hashtag and drop a comment. As people see you discussing climate change stories, Ukraine updates, or posting a picture of a pet, they will get to know you better and feel more connected to you.
As you develop a pattern of responding and publishing diaries, you build a readership—which makes it easier for you to develop organic shares, and build your online work into real-world connections with voters, activists, and donors in your community.
Posts by Your Staff and Supporters
Your staff members and supporters are very welcome to join and post on our site!
Volunteer posters in support of a candidate are like volunteer canvassers: They offer important affirmation of the candidate’s appeal. Such testimonials humanize a candidate and can be particularly compelling. It’s great to have your staff and/or your supporters contribute posts or comments to promote your campaign. See the next resource page for a few specific guidelines that apply to these staff and supporter posts.
NEXT: How to involve your staff and volunteers: Best practices