Comment Challenge Day Nine: Should We Be Commenting on Blogs?
Now that we've spent several days trying to build up conversations
through blog comments, I'm going to challenge you a little with a
question--should we be using the commenting capacity to generate
conversations between bloggers, or should we be interacting through our
blog posts?
Check out this article and the many references to bloggers who think that comments should be disabled on blogs. Read through those posts and consider whether or not you think it's better to build community through comments or through conversations occurring across blogs--or maybe a combination of both. What, to your mind, is the purpose of comments on blogs and are we better served by encouraging people to respond to ideas on our blogs or over on their own blogs? Then write a post on your reflections. Be sure to tag it with "comment08."
Interesting point. I'm all for encouraging comments on blog posts - it's a great opportunity to hear what other people feel about things I'm blogging about and often leads me to discover new stuff.
Disabling commenting on the basis that readers can interact via their own blogs seems madly elitist to me. Only a tiny proportion of folks maintain a blog and I'm just as interested in hearing from readers as from other bloggers.
Posted by: Bryan | May 09, 2008 at 04:20 AM
This is not a comment.
Posted by: Ken Allan | May 09, 2008 at 07:36 AM
I have a friend who says that linking and trackbacks are the new comments. LOL
Posted by: Lori Reed | May 09, 2008 at 11:05 AM
I would second Bryan's comment. I'd also add that people who do maintain a blog usually have some focus for that blog. They shouldn't have to pick between having a focused blog and interacting with others who write about subjects outside the scope of their blog's focus. That's one way to almost guarantee the "echo effect."
Posted by: Eric Hoefler | May 09, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Probably will not get to a blog post on this (hitting the road for the weekend)...but after reading Sameer's post and the comments, I was wondering why we have to have one size fits all? As Bud Deihl noted this morning, the ideas are in the air and some hit you through blogs, some through comments, some through F@F conversations, some through Twitter, some through........
I tend to blog for myself, but I value when others take my idea and run with it, whether that is in a comment or a trackback. And I love to comment on others' blogs and respond to comments on others' blogs. I do not have a set way to "converse."
Posted by: Britt Watwood | May 09, 2008 at 03:07 PM
I think Britt's comments are great. As for blog comments. I'm for allowing comments and the author responding to comments. Unfortunately so many of the comments are comment SPAM. I learn a lot from the good comments and appreciate it when people leave comments on my blog. It makes one feel all of the efforts you put into creating good content is rewarded when you receive feedback.
Posted by: Daryl Clark | May 09, 2008 at 04:44 PM
Thanks for the link Michele, it seems to have spawned some great discussion.
I have to echo Britt's comment above that states that there is no "one" solution to creating conversation. In the past, I have had comments, trackbacks, twitter references, friendfeed comments, and even discussion boards tied to posts. Each one has been fruitful in their own way to engage with readers.
And Bryan, while limiting conversation to trackbacks may seem elitist to you, it might make sense depending on context: after blogging for close to ten years, I found that the majority of my readers (especially those that would take the time to respond to a post) were in fact responding through their own blogs. Because of that, it made sense to have the discussion spread across blogs.
My audience seems to have changed recently (as is wont to do with any site) so it made sense for me to re-evaluate the way I interact with them. Hence the post. If that sounds elitist to you, so be it: for me, it's adapting to the needs and demands of the people who read my blog and engage with it.
Posted by: Sameer Vasta | May 12, 2008 at 07:18 AM