No-reply blogger, no-reply comments, what does it mean?

Just so you know, this post is about using the Blogger/Blogspot platform. If you blog on TypePad, WordPress, Tumblr, or any other platform then this doesn't apply, but you can still read it if you fancy though... ;)

(Also, to avoid any confusion, if you use Google+ then your default setting is to be a no-reply blogger. Check out this tutorial and this one to help you change this situation.)

What does being a no-reply blogger mean?

Like a lot of people, I only found out I was a no-reply blogger when someone told me. Before then I had just merrily posted and commented and had no idea of this other way of blogging that was going on around it. It may be the same for you. If you are a no-reply blogger then, when you leave a comment on another blog, it will be impossible for the blog writer to drop you an email, saying hello, thank you, or anything at all.

When you write a post on your own blog and some nice person leaves you a comment, then that comment is also emailed to the address that is connected to your blog. You can respond to their comment on your blog, but if you want to be sure they get your response (without returning to your blog) then you can email them straight from your inbox. Except... if on their blogger account they have no publicly visible email address. This means that they are a no-reply blogger.

How to find out if you're a no-reply blogger

A couple of ways exist to discover if you are a no-reply blogger -

1) You can leave yourself a test comment (don't worry, you can delete it afterwards) and then check your inbox - you'll have a notification of the comment you left, and if you are a no-reply blogger then you'll also be able to find the words 'noreply-comment@blogger.com' next to it.

2) Another easy way to check your no-reply status is to click onto your blogger profile page.
To find this when you're logged in to Blogger, go to the top right hand of the page where it displays your name, your chosen icon, and a little downward facing arrow. If you click on this area a drop-down will appear, containing the words 'Blogger profile'. Click on this.

Hover your mouse on your profile page...

On the page that opens, beneath your photo on the left hand side, you should find an area which says 'Contact me'. Beneath this should be a link to your email address - if you hover over 'Email' (see image to the right) then your email address should appear in the bottom left hand corner of your screen. If it does, then you are NOT a no-reply blogger. You're okay, people can find you and contact you (and also spam you, but, hey, that's a whole other post).

How to stop being a no-reply blogger

If you have no email link, and you want to (because half the fun of blogging is contacting and chatting to other bloggers), then here's what to do.

In the top right hand corner of your blogger profile page you'll see a button that says 'Edit Profile'. Click on it. On the page that opens, the second line down will say 'Show my email address'. Tick the box next to this. Scroll down and click 'Save Profile'.

And that's it. Now when you leave comments, people can respond to you via your inbox.

A bit more info...

If you need anything clarifying then do contact me in the comments section and I'll try to help, or check out this post, this one, this one as well, and this one too, for other tutorials.

And if you're not sure you want to have people respond to your comments, then stay as you are - the web is a bog place, it takes all sorts, and you're as entitled to your view as anyone else!