Quick question about responding to comments

I've written and published a few stories recently and I've gotten some lovely comments from readers, some of whom have questions. I wanted to know what was the best or most etiquette-appropriate way to respond - should I private message them, or would it be better to post public comments on the story?

Also, if comments are better, is there a way to respond to a specific comment?

QuietElegance said:

I've written and published a few stories recently and I've gotten some lovely comments from readers, some of whom have questions. I wanted to know what was the best or most etiquette-appropriate way to respond - should I private message them, or would it be better to post public comments on the story?

Also, if comments are better, is there a way to respond to a specific comment?

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If you have received questions, then it's probably best to reply by adding your own comment. Someone has made a public comment, and it's likely other readers would like to see your response, too. Of course, there's nothing to stop you sending a private PM, thanking them personally. That's usually how writers widen their network behind the scenes, and what PMs are for.

There's no way of nominating a particular comment to reply to, other than saying, "In response to FastJack93, blah blah blah your answer."

Great, thank you. I appreciate the quick response.

I've received a few PMs in response to comments I've made on other author's stories, and the direct personal contact has always been quite meaningful to me. Of course you'd probably only want to respond to people whose comments you'd want to respond to.

The thread may be 11 years old, but the comments about LW responses are spot on today.

I would send a PM, unless the comment poses a question or comment that calls for a response that many other readers would be interested in, such as "when is the next chapter coming?" In that case I'd post a comment to my own story so others could see it.