As I've mentioned before, I do a lot of blog surfing. My predominant preoccupation is in finding new blogs that discuss Taoism, but I also look at blogs that focus on a myriad of topics. Recently, I've discovered a peculiar trend: more and more blogs are choosing not to allow comments.
I'm certainly NOT suggesting this represents a new norm; most blogs still allow comments. That said, the number that do not seems to be on the rise.
From my nonscientific research, I would say that most of the ones not allowing comments are not the personal journal type (i.e., what I did or thought today). Most of them -- just like this blog -- come at things from a particular perspective and it should surprise no one that most such blogs lean toward the conservative and/or fundamentalist Christian side!
I don't know about you, but this trend strikes me as a bit egotistical; it's like a new form of virtual masturbation. Rather than trying to engender dialog, such blogs seems to be making pronouncements. It's like the blog host doesn't have the time nor energy nor interest in sharing their soapbox with anyone else. What they think is most important of all and such individuals are gracing us with the opportunity to suckle at the teat of the great master -- them.
One blog I visit periodically just switched from comments to no comments and I appear to be somewhat to "blame". It seems the host -- a most conservative chap -- didn't like my leftist viewpoint cluttering up his space. Since few others left comments and my comments were deemed unacceptable, the simple solution was to ban them altogether!
I do understand the irritation brought on by trolls who simply surf the internet to find people to argue with and insult. I also understand the problem of having to put up with automated comments that tend to include links to porno sites. However, if one or both of these problems becomes vexing, a blogger can always switch over to comment moderation.
I don't plan to switch to comment moderation or not allowing comments at all. You get to say what you want here even if it drives me up the wall. :-)
I'm certainly NOT suggesting this represents a new norm; most blogs still allow comments. That said, the number that do not seems to be on the rise.
From my nonscientific research, I would say that most of the ones not allowing comments are not the personal journal type (i.e., what I did or thought today). Most of them -- just like this blog -- come at things from a particular perspective and it should surprise no one that most such blogs lean toward the conservative and/or fundamentalist Christian side!
I don't know about you, but this trend strikes me as a bit egotistical; it's like a new form of virtual masturbation. Rather than trying to engender dialog, such blogs seems to be making pronouncements. It's like the blog host doesn't have the time nor energy nor interest in sharing their soapbox with anyone else. What they think is most important of all and such individuals are gracing us with the opportunity to suckle at the teat of the great master -- them.
One blog I visit periodically just switched from comments to no comments and I appear to be somewhat to "blame". It seems the host -- a most conservative chap -- didn't like my leftist viewpoint cluttering up his space. Since few others left comments and my comments were deemed unacceptable, the simple solution was to ban them altogether!
I do understand the irritation brought on by trolls who simply surf the internet to find people to argue with and insult. I also understand the problem of having to put up with automated comments that tend to include links to porno sites. However, if one or both of these problems becomes vexing, a blogger can always switch over to comment moderation.
I don't plan to switch to comment moderation or not allowing comments at all. You get to say what you want here even if it drives me up the wall. :-)
I moderate comments but only to avoid spammers. Once you have an approved comment on my blog, you can post whatever you want.
ReplyDeleteThe ones that don't allow comments I don't tend to visit -- if you're too busy to deal with comments, or not interested in it, then I don't really want to deal with you or whatever you're selling or preaching. The other end, though, is the ones whose comments get overrun and too busy for me to read -- and I tend to stop commenting on those blogs, or the ones where one or two people take over the comments. So I do understand moderating for those reasons.
I've just set moderation for comments on old posts; I write about Chinese topics from time to time, and get a number of Chinese invites as you say, to porn and cheap drugs. Strange new warfare. But I love comments; and don't you enjoy the letters to the editor in publications? Why have thoughts if you can't dialogue?
ReplyDeleteI am a new blogger and all my few comments have been a delight for me. My wordpress blog catches the spam, so that isn't a problem. I love the blogoshpere for this reason - we have 2 way communication. One blog I read, recently stopped the comments and removed the blogroll from the blog. I think this was due to the blogger feeling like blogging had become a popularity contest - how many followers, comments, etc. I can still email this blogger if I have something to say, so I don't mind that the comments are gone. Most of them were telling the blogger how great is the blog and not adding content. I will still read this blog, because the content is great and the blogger's style is inviting. Attaboy comments are good, but only benefit the blogger.
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