A few months ago, I got called out on Mitch Joel’s blog for challenging his approach to engagement.

Mitch (who is one of my favorite bloggers by far) suggests that it is his role to “start the conversation” by putting out a great thought piece (which he does).

He argued that responding to the comments with something like “thanks” or “interesting” isn’t really that valuable.

While, on the surface, it may not seem valuable to acknowledge a simple comment (though I think longer comments do require some response, no matter what), I think there is a point that he misses.

Namely…how the lack of response makes your readers FEEL.

In the world of Raving Fans, how people feel about your brand is part and parcel of my long-desired “passion-o-meter.”

What I want, what you want, and what I think Mitch wants are people who are as excited as they can be about your brand (be it one person or a company.)

As someone who has commented on blogs often, I’ll give you a data set of one (though I’ve heard this from others as well).

If I take the time to comment on your blog (and you could even possibly extend this argument to a tweet or status update, possibly), it means a lot to me to know that you read it and acknowledged the effort on my part.

Using a tool like Disqus, for example, makes is ridiculously simple to respond to comments via email.

When someone invests their emotional energy in your blog, your response (or lack thereof) will nudge their passion for you one way or the other. Sure, a non-response may not kill it, but when you don’t respond, I am every so slightly less inclined to invest the time in a comment in the future.

My take: Engagement (of any kind) by a Raving Fan is a gift and an opportunity to deepen/build/strengthen a relationship. Don’t let it pass you by without a tip o’ the hat.