Image: a spring evening in Lancashire
These days were all about comments. Should we allow comments etc and asked us to read a really interesting article about why some people may disable the comment facility. It seems that some people prefer to use a blog very much as a published diary type site, where they open up their thoughts and creativity to be viewed by all - and yet do not want to engage in conversations about it. I can understand this to some extent as I am also running a personal blog alongside this blog that I have deliberately not identified myself to readers and only give the url to close friends - so it becomes more of a "show and tell" than a discussion (although it is suggested in the article that this is not a blog if it only contains thoughts etc of an individual). I have deliberately not linked you through to this in order to maintain my anonymity - but I wonder how many of you would be interested in knowing more about a blogger's personal thoughts and ideas as opposed to professional ones?
Another point raised by the article is that one can only bear so many "0 comments" at the end of their posts - I understand how that feels - but then again maybe it's to do with the way in which the post faciltitates and encourages comment or not - which is in fact the lessons of these few days and beyond I guess. If you've had the opportunity to read other posts on our blogs - do we encourage comment and discussion do you think? What would make you want to comment on something or indeed create/ join an ongoing discussion? How well are we doing?
Are comments necessary to keep discussion going? It was suggested that if people are using their own blogs to respond to posts on other blogs then this is a conversation already. I guess that only work if a) all people involved have a blog and b) all people involved regularly visit said blogs or have signed up to a feeder that alerts them to new posts.
I think on balance I quite like to option to comment and will therefore leave ours on! Please use them and help us to generate more discussions.....
1 comment:
A really interesting blog Angela. I also have an anonymous blog (as well as a more public work one) that contains my short story writing and reveals more of my personal thoughts (as opposed to professional). I keep track of how many hits it gets which is now in the 1000's but I have only had 3 comments. I find it a bit disconcerting that so many people read it but don' feel as though they want to say 'good writing' or ' crap'. I find that as a short story writer I have only had three stories published yet probably have sent away hundreds for publication and, despite the advice of all the those who comment on writing, it is very depressing. I find my blog as an outlet for my creative ideas and a place I can be me.
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