When you commented for the first time on AdesBlog (last few weeks), you might have received an email from me, thanking you for commenting and asking you to drop by again.
Actually that message was sent by a plugin called Comment Relish. This plugin, once installed will send out messages to your first time commenters. If they comment again, they won’t receive the message. So this is a one time message. You can configure a message to look something like this:
Hi %AUTHOR%,
I hope you liked my blog. Thank you for commenting on %ARTICLE%.
Please drop by again.
Thanks, Your Name
www.yourblogname.com
Tags like %AUTHOR% and %ARTICLE% will be replaced by the commenter name and the url of your article. There are about 11 tags you can use.
Here is how the preferences page look like for the comment relish plugin:
Installation
- Download the plugin
- Extract compressed archive
comment-relish.zipto desired folder on your local computer. - Upload
comment-relish.phpto yourwp-content/plugins/directory on your webserver - Activate plugin via administrative panel of WordPress
- Configure preferences on Plugins->Comment-Relish preferences page
- Enjoy!
Author’s blog is www.justinshattuck.com (warning: not a family friendly blog)
I have to say that I have mixed feelings about the thank you emails I get for responding to a post.
They are sent immediately after the comment is made which tells the commenter they are just another type of auto-responder.
Perhaps if they had a feature to specify when you want the email to go out. Even an hour later would make it seem less automated.
Visit Adesblog makes me realize new thing that I had never realized it before.
What if the visitors put in the invalid email?
I think it will be using our POP3 or SMTP server to deliver it rite Ades?
- James, you are right, delaying the sending out time would be a great new feature.
- xBrain, it sends out using your hosting mail (smtp) server.
It is extremely important that you use a message format which does not seem too “official”, and, also, I’d recommend including an invitation to drop you an e-mail if the visitor has any questions/suggestions. It’s just one of those little considerate details which can make a difference.
Alan Johnson
While I find this plugin useful, I agree with James that it would be of greater help if it is possible to configure the time the email will be sent out. Anyway, this is a great plugin
Thank you
Thanks.
This is an excellent idea and we intend to add this script to our blog.
Well done.
This is a great plug-in. I do agree that it would be nice to put a delay on the outgoing email, but it’s a good tool to help you get visitors to come back to your blog.
Ades, the email will go to inbox / spam folder ?
ive a problem, the comment relish email go to Bulk/Spam folder.. :(
AXA, it’s directly related with the email address that you specify in the email field (in preferences page of the comment relish plugin). If the email was marked by many as a spammy email source, then it will probably go into your SPAM folder.
That’s the drawback with such plugins: the email address in question will be marked as spam a lot of times, since more than a few people are not exactly thrilled with receiving this kind of messages.
Alan Johnson
If the emails from the script goes into spam/junk folder it means that the email(smtp) server is not properly setup. A few things to list:
1. It needs to have SPF ( http://www.openspf.org/ )
2. DomainKeys (http://domainkeys.sourceforge.net/ )
3. Server IP not listed in RBLs etc ( http://www.spamhouse.org )
4. Make sure the emails have good headers.
Other than that it should be ok.
Even with properly setting up the email server, you will still be facing the issue of having people who are not thrilled about receiving that message mark it as spam. A certain percentage of the people who will receive it will most likely choose this approach, you can’t really control that.
Alan Johnson
I think its a good thing to show your appreciation to your commenter…….
Actually, more than a few bloggers use it as a way to…let’s just say try to aggressively convince people who have commented to return rather than for showing appreciation :)
Alan Johnson
His website is not responding and I could not download the plugin just now. However I found some interesting side thought about using the plugin at all:
http://www.siteguide.us/2007/07/05/3-reasons-why-comment-relish-is-not-good-for-your-blog/
Happy 2008 from Semmy
http://www.semmy.tv
Semmy, those are all interesting points. I think if the delay feature is integrated, it will be a usable (and user friendly) plugin. After all, it’s only one email that they get, not that you are spamming them.
@semmy
it’s a nice article, after thinking for a while maybe this plugin it’s not really good after all because as a reader we don’t want a spammy “thank you” mail just for a comment though it’s just a first time.
That’s a good system but i’d like find the same than in
http://www.inner-live.com
where can i find it ?