Every blogger loves getting comments. Then why do so many of us sabotage our own comment sections and reader good will?

There's an art to running a blog that has a lively conversation going in the comment section. One of the most important tricks: leave comments on your own blog! Unfortunately, new bloggers often think that sending emails in response to comments will generate more traffic. As a result, they ignore their own comment section.

Worse: they clog the email InBoxes of their readers. It doesn't take long for someone to decide that if commenting at a blog is only going to beget unnecessary email the best solution is to not comment at all.

Here's how to run a good discussion on your blog that keeps people coming back to respond.