killing blog comments/the eradication of interaction
I blogged about the illusive social facade of web 2.0 before, things seem to be getting worse still. In a long awaited sign of life update, Roger Johansson (456bereastreet.com) proclaims he will be closing the comment sections on his articles, referring to the following article on blog comments. Not a good thing. At all.
While web 2.0 still claims to be a social endeavor, places where people can interact keep disappearing. The social nature becomes more and more focused on statistics (last.fm, digg, del.icio.us) and actions (facebook and the like), less so on people conversing and interacting about certain topics. Even though several sites do boast options to discuss (last.fm again - you can leave a comment on every artist page), discussion is so widespread and impossible to keep track of that people often don't reach beyond praise/flame posts.
Blogs have always formed a welcome exception to this trend. Each article typically boast a comment form where people can react on the article and discuss the finer points. Blog posts are quite limited so discussion remains centralized, even then there are systems that can warn you when people reply to your comments.
Before we take a closer look at the argumentation given in the linked article, I must stress that Mr Johansson states a lack of time as his primary reason to close the comment sections. A decision I can only respect, especially considering the work it must be to moderate a blog like his. On the other hand, I wished he'd just left it at that. What follows is a small analysis of some quotes pulled from the article on adactio.com.
abusing blogs for commenting
quote That's what's important about blogs, not that people can comment on your ideas. As long as they can start their own blog, there will be no shortage of places to comment. unquote
Starting a discussion about the difference between a blog post and a simple comment sounds futile, but apparently it is necessary. Comments are short, concise and to the point. They are messages left behind by people commenting on a certain subject. While a blog post can do the same thing, a blog post is usually a lot longer and elaborates on the subject.
If blogs are abused for commenting, readers of the original article will need to scatter over the web trying to gather all the comments on the original article. Not only that, they will need to wade through long and elaborate texts before they reach the point a commenter is trying to make. Of course, using your blog to comment on another blog post isn't actually wrong, but should be done only when the original article is considered worthy enough to spend an entire blog post on.
my freedom above others
quote You don't have a right to post your thoughts at the bottom of someone else's thoughts. That's not freedom of expression, that's an infringement on their freedom of expression. unquote
So basically, you can't reply to anything people are saying, because that is infringement on their freedom of expression? Sigh.
Wat happened to freedom of challenging the ideas of others? Blogs are a public platform to vent one's opinions. If you wish to use a public platform you can expect public reaction. Of course freedom also means people have the freedom to disable comments, but doing it for this reason only is pretty cowardly. I'd hoped the days of magazine articles and selected feedback were over, sadly some still crave that protected shell.
abusing email
quote Anyone who feels the need to comment on what I write may send an email to me just as easily as writing a comment in some form on my site. unquote
So first we were told to abuse our own blogs for commenting, now we should be abusing email?
Remember your teacher, back in the day, asking his class if there were any questions left? Know why they did that? Because some people didn't understand too well what had been said, or thought they'd understood but hadn't. Others were actually too afraid to ask. So addressing these questions in public meant that everyone listening could learn something from them.
Email isn't like that. Of course it's safer, as people can call on your faults without the world noticing, but what good is that? Use email for personal communication, not for public commenting. Should be obvious. That's why besides comment forms, you have a contact form on your blog, no?
me, myself and I
quote I wanted to write a site for someone it's meant for. That reader I write for is a second version of me. I'm writing for him. He's interested in the exact same things I'm interested in; he reads the exact same websites I read. If I turn comments on, that goes away. unquote
Again, if you want to write for yourself, maybe it's better to start yourself a diary. No matter how you look at it, the web is a public forum where anyone and everyone can read what you publish. If you don't want people with different views and/or ideas to read it, put your articles behind an account and have people pass a list of questions before they can register.
comments, why they are needed
Blog posts (especially in our line of work) are often about putting forward ideas. People will not always agree with these ideas. The comments on your article will tell you why. Only by challenging your own ideas will they prove their worth. Other people will offer you different views on the subject you are talking about. Even when these views are factually wrong, you can tell those people why and help others who had the same doubts. Which is good, as this only serves to enhance your original post.
People seem to be afraid of negative comments, but those are the ones that actually matter. Someone telling you you wrote a great article is nice, but in the end meaningless. Someone challenging your ideas might be tough, but is ultimately meaningful.
It's sad that comment forms are abused for spam or are often seen as community glue. Still, look past that and you'll see the true value of comments. They take time to manage, especially on huge blogs, but if you have that time, they are an important asset both for the writer and all the others reading your articles. So don't listen to these people above, keep your comment forms open and embrace people actively trying to improve what you have written. And safeguard one of the few pure social corners of our new web.
Comments
Wayde Christie
I completely agree on your opinion towards negative comments. Positive ones are great of course, but I find the only time I reply at length to a comment is when it opposes my argument and provides me with a new way of looking at the situation.
I learned much more in my early days of blogging by making mistakes, and it was the support of people pointing out my errors or having an alternative viewpoint that made me better at both communication and my job in general.
Tom
Excellent point of view, I totally agree with the importance of comments. I understand Roger Johansson decision, but a good blog needs comments. If comments are closed, it seems to me just like a magazine.
Jeremy Keith
A blog owner is free to do whatever they want on their own blog.
Sunlust
I am a fan of negative comments when they prove me wrong/ extend the topic. I don't mind that someone has a different view on things as long as they explain it, then it even adds value to my blog post, comments are often a place to add a link, for example in "hated" lists of "do-follow-blogs" or any "top templates" lists.
About disabling comments: when I was in my early days of blogging, my friend told me to disable comments so that it doesn't show that my blog is new and that there's no commentators yet. I think that kills the idea of blogging, blogs were created not just to be easily update able websites but to encourage a response, feedback.
Andrew Brown
It seems like whenever I want to leave a comment someone has commenting disabled. Such as Giles Bowkett Blog.
Jason Robb
That's quite true. Well said. Thanks for that. And thanks for allowing comments.
To echo what Wayde said, failure is a great teacher. Allowing comments opens the possibility of public criticism. Some are more afraid of that than others. It's the self-righteous ones that fear it the most.
It's humbling to have holes poked in your posts. A humble blogger is a teachable one.
Rock on Niels.
Niels Matthijs
This is of course true, something I already acknowledged in the article itself. But it says little about the decisions a blog owner is making. And from where I stand, disabling comments for any other reason than lack of time is pretty cowardly.
Jeremy: anyway, since you are commenting on this article I can assume you're not really in favor of all the quotes in your article either. Otherwise, you're seriously infringing my freedom of expression and you could just as well have emailed me, or written a reply on your own blog ;)
As for the other replies, it's good to see there are enough people sharing my views. I guess it'll be a while before all comment forms have closed.
David
It looks like the article you are referring to is an exercise in satire. List a whole bunch of stupid reasons why you have turned blog comments off and frustrate your readers because they can't respond to your senseless arguments. Looks like we've all been had.
Jethro Larson
I wouldn't use Andy Rutledge as a reference on this issue. He writes inflammatory stuff constantly. The reason he doesn't have comments is likely because he wants his statements to stand uncontested. He'd rather preach than discuss.
So, if you're a preacher, go ahead and turn them off. If you want to lead a little community, at the cost of possibly defending your opinions, well, you know what to do.
Elle
Very nicely written.
Quakeulf
Can I tempt you with some C1@L335 and \/|@Gr@? >:3
I am setting up my own blog now, again, after having my previous blog killed by spam. I hope it will go better this time. As for updates, don't count on it!
vardis
Obviously it's down to the blog owner. But by turning them off, surely you are turning people away?
Faruk AteÅŸ
"So basically, you can't reply to anything people are saying, because that is infringement on their freedom of expression? Sigh."
You're misunderstanding the meaning of the words "have the right". Having the right to something means you can demand it with legal, government enforcement. You don't have the right to leave comments on my blog, in so far as it means "you don't have the right to demand with government enforcement that you may leave your comment(s) on my website".
Nobody ever suggested that you don't have the right to respond with your opinion on what other people say, but the key is "respond with" — if someone turns off blog comments, "respond with" is reduced to other areas, such as your own website.
"Wat happened to freedom of challenging the ideas of others? Blogs are a public platform to vent one's opinions. If you wish to use a public platform you can expect public reaction."
Nowhere is it written in law that you have to be the host to public reaction to anything you say. I can stand in my apartment's doorway and yell out to the world whatever I want, that does not mean that you have the right to walk into my house suddenly. Freedom means you can stand there in the street shouting back at me if you'd like, or alternatively, you can stand in your own home's doorway and shout out to the world.
Facilitating public reactions inside your own home by enabling comments on your blog is a luxury granted to you by the blog owner, but that's it. He/she has the right to silence your voice on the blog, the right to remove you from the digital premises, or, as is being discussed here, simply not allow you or anyone else inside the house.
The problem with blog comments isn't so much the time management aspect of it, as it is the lack of reliability and accountability regarding the commentators. Anonymous commenting has made quality discussion on blogs a fortunate coincidence, not the rule. Until it can be guaranteed in an extremely easy way that a commentator is fully identified to show who they are, you'll see this trend of comments disappearing from blogs continue and grow.
Niels Matthijs
Heh, I never meant to take it in a legal direction, not very constructive either I think. Furthermore, your analogy is a bit off, as a blog is not comparable to a home. People visit your blog, they walk through it, explore all the corners, invite others to do so ... I suppose your house is a little different from that. A blog is a public place ... managed by you alright, but still a place others can wander at will. Think of it as "speaker's corner".
And you are right, there are other places to comment on a certain piece. In your example, you opted for Twitter. As your reaction suggests, those 150 puny characters don't really suffice to give a decent reply. Comments on other blogs tend to miss the original author and mess up the dialog completely.
I've had my blog for a good year now, and I've only had to remove one or two comments. All others were constructive in some way or other. I don't see any need to worry about that. I really don't see the problem, unless you're managing a site like YouTube.
testking mcts
Hi There,That is great post.I like it very much.so nice to see this.It is very much helpful. I think the the key is "respond with" — if someone turns off blog comments, "respond with" is reduced to other areas, such as your own website. What happened to freedom of challenging the ideas of others? Blogs are a public platform to vent one's opinions.That was the main point. Keep it up. Thanks for sharing it. MichaeL