It's been pointed out to me once or twice that I don't enable comments on my posts. Today, I read that this is the number one habit of highly annoying bloggers. Oh well, I'm innocent of the other nine.
My rationale is pretty simple: if someone wants to comment on a post I've made, I'd much rather they post the comment in their own blog and link it to me, rather than putting the comment in my blog. Why?
- If I post something interesting enough to pass comment on, a link gives the original post a wider audience.
- A comment will be read only by those people who view the article after the comment is posted.
- If I respond to a comment in the same forum, chances are the original commenter isn't going to read it, because they'll forget to check back.
Essentially, responses in the blogosphere promote conversation, and widen the field of discussion. Responses in comments tend to bury it. That said, it seems that I'm in the minority, and being annoying. I'm going to experimentally start enabling comments for a while, just to see if anyone actually wants to comment on the drivel I produce.
As my inaugural comment-enabled post, I'd like you, dear reader, to introduce yourself! Do you read my weblog, and I don't read yours? Post a comment and tell me where I can find you. Do you read my weblog and don't have one yourself? Post a comment just to say hi. I'm curious. I get about 3,000 hits a day even on days don't post anything at all, so there must be a few of you that I have no clue about.
(Oh, and to anyone reading this syndicated on livejournal, you'll have to click-through to the original post to get at the comments page here: I don't read the ones posted to livejournal)
Excellent. :-)
I read you!
I have your blog on my check-thrice-daily list.
Hi Charles, you've been on my blogroll since I started it 5 or 6 months ago.
Good on you.
One problem that I've always had with the "put it on your own damn weblog and trackback me" solution is that it assumes that any comment on your post will be on-topic for their weblog: talking about the IE6 CSS bug from your previous entry was perfectly on-topic for me, so I was happy to do my commenting on my own nickel/dime/quarter (especially since it got me several nice solutions in comments), but if someone else happened by, who knew the perfect solution but had a firm policy of never talking about weblog technology in their weblog, then unless they were in the mood to email you they wouldn't have anywhere to comment.
I've been reading your site for about as long as I've been reading weblogs, about six or seven months, and I can say I've even learned new words (like 'agglutinated') from your site.
I had initially agreed with your initial statement about enabling comments, partially because I have to write the code to enable comments on my weblog and I'm a lazy bastard. But you and Jeremy (and all the other blogs by their examples) have worn me down, so I'll probably get something simple cobbled up over the weekend.
I read you (syndicated through LJ). You already know who I am :)
At least on LJ, the comments are emailed, so it's a little better there.
(What the hell is a Blogroll, reading from the Highly Annoying Habits)
Commenting is like breathing: so good I'm going to make a habit out of both.
I read you! (But you knew that already.) Now the question is, should I go back to all those entries I wanted to comment on and try to remember what I wanted to say, or have we already re-hashed the questions and answers to death? :>
Oh.. and Lisp Rocks! :)
Hello! Long time TrackBacker, first time commenter.
Re Phil's comment, I keep thinking I might make a special MT category just for TrackBacked remote comments. That could be part of doing for comments what RSS and aggregator software does for weblogs themselves.
Max: A blogroll is the weblog version of a friends list. And comments could be emailed--I think someone wrote a Movable Type thing to do that. LiveJournal-like community features across the distributed weblog system is something I'd really like to see.
I first noticed your blog about 3-4 months ago, it's in my daily reading list. I'm now working on fixing my own blog to avoid all the 10 highly annoying habits :-)
Mark mentioned an MT mail-back tool. I think this is the one to which he refers --
http://www.scriptygoddess.com/archives/000982.php
If you install this, people can click a checkbox when they leave a comment, and further comments on that entry will be emailed to them.
I found your blog from a link off of http://www.crazedmonkey.com/ and threw it into my installation of EffNews, so now I check it about once a day.
Comment only with trackback assumes that you actually have a weblog. What about someone who doesn't have a weblog, but would want to make a comment ? I think having comments helps people like me, stay in the conversation :)
i'm a stalker.
just playin'...but i do read your journal often, and browse around on your links every time i'm bored at work... sometimes I get carried away, i feel i know way too much about you.
Also guity of the trackback-not-comments sin, among a few others. Been enjoying your blog for about 5 months, I think.
I've been only reading your blog for the last couple of months but it has become a daily ritual.
I'm a (lazy?) reader guilty of not adding you to my blogroll. Going to fix it now ;-)
رسالة مختصرة فيها تعريف مختصر بالإسلام وحث على التعرف عليه ودلالة على المواقع الداعية إلى الإسلام باللغة الإنجليزية
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Excuse me!!
Would you stop for a moment?!
O...man...Haven't you thought-one day- about yourself ?
Who has made it?
Have you seen a design which hasn't a designer ?!
Have you seen a wonderful,delicate work without a worker ?!
It's you and the whole universe!..
Who has made them all ?!!
You know who ?.. It's "ALLAH",prise be to him.
Just think for a moment.
How are you going to be after death ?!
Can you believe that this exact system of the universe and all of these great creation will end in in nothing...just after death!
Have you thought, for a second, How to save your soul from Allah's punishment?!
Haven't you thought about what is the right religion?!
Read ... and think deeply before you answer..
It is religion of Islam.
It is the religion that Mohammad-peace upon him- the last prophet, had been sent by.
It is the religion that the right Bible- which is not distorted-has preached.
Just have a look at The Bible of (Bernaba).
Don't be emstional.
Be rational and judge..
Just look..listen...compare..and then judge and say your word.
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http://www.thetruereligion.org
http://www.it-is-truth.org
http://www.beconvinced.com
http://www.plaintruth.org
http://english.islamway.com
http://www.todayislam.com
http://www.prophetmuhammed.org
http://www.islamtoday.net/english/
http://www.islamunveiled.org
http://www.islamic-knowledge.com
We willingly recive any inquries at the e-mail :
muslim5@hotmail.com
I've just added you to my daily blog readings. Just like to let you know that. :)