Derek Semmler dot com - money, motorcycles and cars (with a little bit of everything else)

There were some new and exciting developments that took place in the month of August, including the first guest post and the process of getting approved for an account with Market Leverage. We also saw a handful of more regular updates, such as the weekly 100 push up program recap.

In what has become a tradition for the Most Vocal updates, much like the monthly Q&A Session, I like to start off by taking a look at the posts that received the most comments.

For the month of August, the following posts had the most active discussion:

• A Winning Proposition :: Help Me Win And You Can Win Too :: 40 comments
• Reflecting On A Blogging Milestone :: 30 comments
• Speedlinking - July’s Most Vocal :: 26 comments

There was a considerable drop in the volume of comments compared to last month, moving down from 616 comments in July to only 498 comments this month. On a per post basis, we decreased from roughly 29 comments to 23 comments per post. As we begin the new month, I will be doing my part to see the discussion continue to increase.

So, who were the people that were talking the most?

1. Andrea from According to Andrea had set a goal to secure sole possession as the top commentator and this month she has done it with 30 comments. For those that don’t know, Andrea lives in the path of Hurricane Gustav and her family has had to evacuate their home. I had an opportunity to communicate with Andrea today; she and the family are safe and sound right now as they wait out the storm. Please keep Andrea and her family in your thoughts.

2. Second place goes to Nicole Price from Great Prices Here with 23 comments. As I just bought myself a new ring, I couldn’t help but notice Nicole’s post on jewelry deals and discounts. In related jewelry news, I will soon be working on creating an Etsy shop for my wife to try and sell some of her jewelry creations so stay tuned for more updates.

3. As you can see in the image above, one of the issues with the KeywordLuv plugin is what happens when the same person comments with different keywords - they are treated as separate commentators. Since all of the comments were from the same person, I have credited third place to Ling from TripHow with 22 comments. With a trip to Miami quickly approaching, I had to check out Ling’s list of things to do in South Miami. Now if I just had someone to do these things with, I’d be set.

4. Eva White from EvaWhite.com brought home fourth place with 17 comments. Eva’s most recent post caught my eye due to an investment that I currently hold in a gold mining stock - who said gold prices will never fall? Personally, I am not a fan of gold as any jewelry that I own is platinum or sterling silver but the interest that others have in gold has made me money.

5. Larry from Commercial Lighting wraps up the top five commentators with 15 comments. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what that odd shaped light bulb is called, take a look at the Shape Finder to find your answer. Although I’m still left wondering what the small round bulbs in our hallway lights are called that seem to burn out far too often.

There were three holdovers from the top commentators last month and two new additions this month, which is always nice to see. There are already a few new names on the list as we begin September, will they have the staying power to compete with the regulars?

Before I wrap up this edition of the Most Vocal, I’d like to give an apology to Nicole. The other day Nicole left a comment indicating that she was disappointed as I had not responded to her comments. Nicole, I am sorry if I have slighted you with a lack of a response and will do my best to be more responsive to everyone’s comments. As I have always said, I appreciate your feedback - both positive and negative - as that helps us build a stronger community.

The summer months have come to an end and as we begin the journey into the cooler (and more enjoyable if you ask me) months of fall, I want to thank everyone for their continued support. As I commented the other day, having the opportunity to interact with all of you is why the juice is worth the squeeze when it comes to blogging.

Thanks!