Note to readers: This is the last half of my previous post. I thought it best they stand alone. Sorry your comments got separated. But I have changed the content a little, so if you’d like to add more, please do.
Comments I Enjoy
On my previous post I listed the reasons I blog. Some of those reason don’t depend on comments at all– I would blog even if I did not get comments: to organize my thoughts, practice writing out my thoughts, leave a legacy, use my creativity and to study other bloggers in an anthropological manner. But comments, were an unexpected source of pleasure in blogging. And I imagine they are a large part of why I continue blogging. Indeed the lifespan of personal blogs is said to be between 1-2 years and it is because of comments that I still blog. They offer me company with the kind of people I like to spend time, they help be polish my discussion and argument skills, they help me improve my thinking and give me a way to influence others.
So what at the type of commentors I enjoy? I like commentors:
- who follow my spirit of my comment policies (see the tab)
- I enjoy substantial comments, sincere comments
- I like argumentative arguments that avoid personal attacks, strive to make progress, are open (don’t hide their cards)
- that avoid verbosity when possible — though I love long comments that are on topic, informative and focused. But long comments are often preachy, scattered, self-absorbed, verbose and …
- I really love learning from my commentors.
- I enjoy being corrected by my commentors.
Commentless Blogs
So, since I enjoy good comments so much, I am amazed when I come to personal blogs (atheist, religious or otherwise) where there are consistently no comments. My speculation as for why many bloggers don’t get comments is that they:
- are too verbose
- write only about common sense things that bores readers
- lack dialogue skills
- don’t listen to others
- writes to the wrong audience
- doesn’t know how to advertise or doesn’t care. That is, they don’t visit other blogs and make interesting comments.
- are categorically confused
- have obvious psychological issues people avoid
As I wander the web and find new blogs, if I see no comments, I typically will stop reading fairly quickly unless the post’s writing is amazing – which it rarely is. And indeed, I begin to suspect one of the above reasons for their lack of comments.
Thus, my advice to bloggers with commentless blogs who want to be read is: figure out how to get people engaged in your posts (looking for hints from the above).
Question for readers: So, what do you feel about comments?
Re, commentless blogs: I think some blogs just don’t leave any “hook” for a comment. Some lack of perfection, sense of openness, non-dogmatic opinions, or raw-but-not-too-raw emotions make it possible for commenters to contribute, advance, or just share. Otherwise, it’s just a TV program with a too-accessible remote control.
@ Orange,
Great points. Thanx for sharing.