As we tiptoed into 2009, I wrote “it’s rare that I will post comments on blogs.” But, recently, I’ve been trying to be better about commenting – well, really, engaging with the communities on a few of my favorite blogs. In short order, I’ve learned a few key lessons.

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Check back. Most blogs offer a quick, no-hassle way to do this: subscribe to comments. You can elect to receive an email on any comments left after yours. It’s a great way to keep track of conversations. I used this for a blog tour at Motherlogue and loved it.

Really, check back. Just a few days ago, I left a comment on Freelancedom blog and subscribed to comments. Minutes later, I got an email telling me that I had left a comment. When I looked at it more closely, I realized that I had not written it. A spammer had copied my words – and when you clicked on my name, you went to a site about calculators. I have to clean out spam on my own blog everyday, and I’ve never seen anything like this.

Bloggers are approachable. Not of sure what to do about the mysterious spammer comment, I emailed Steph at Freelancedom and explained the weirdness – or at least tried to – and asked her if she’d delete the comment when she had time. Within minutes, she sent a friendly reply and had removed the spam. I appreciated her friendliness, especially considering it was the first time I’d comment on her blog. Thanks, Steph!

I’ll keep commenting and encourage you to do the same. Extra points for sharing your commenting experiences (including the odd ones) and tips.