No comments please?

How many times have you heard that pithy line uttered by public personalities when cornered by the press during their ‘time of shame’? I bet you must be wondering, those people must have a lot of things that could turn reporters’ ears red but they refrain from doing so in fear of incriminating themselves or lending credence to the rumors. Then blogs came along, and we could simply post a picture of that ‘defamed’ celebrity and see comments pour in. Of course, some people cross the line and free speech is a fine principle until someone yells “fire” in a crowded theater. But that doesn’t prevent us from speaking our mind, as my libertarian friends might agree. Charu examines the trends of blogs switching off their comments and wonders if they should be called blogs in the first place. Dina pitches in with her take too. If blogging objectives were found in a corporate report, it would read as following: weren’t blogs supposed to further ‘conversations’ and facilitate social communication? So what happened? Why are the bigger blogs switching off their comments and effectively making their blogs into mere one-way demagogic websites? Demagogic might be a bit harsh, but I will not necessarily agree with everything the authors have to say on their blogs and should have a space to disagree or sometimes even lend a supporting hand. The blog is theirs but the comments space is ours; I propose that we reclaim our space.

Instapundit and Boing Boing are notable blogs that do not facilitate comments but then again, they are literally weblogs i.e. a repository of links that lead elsewhere and do not necessarily reflect the author’s opinion. Slash Dot is one website known mostly for latest in tech news and; readers’ comments. Personally I don’t read SlashDot but my techie friends often point out to me some insightful comments.

On the desi front, Amit Varma of the India Uncut fame doesn’t solicit comments and instead requests his readers to email him (later even Gaurav Sabnis joined him) . He is quite prompt in his email replies too. He has switched off his comments due to abuse and spam (logical reasons to shut down comments) but as Yazad points out, abuse almost always makes a judgment on the perpetrator rather than the blog owner. Personally, I make it a point to respond to comments on my blog, even if it is a simple word of thanks. But on other bigger bloggers, I can understand that responding to comments might not be possible but nevertheless the commenting space is a great interaction space for bloggers and blurkers (blog lurkers). Check Alpha’s commenting board, if you don’t believe me. I could email the blog author saying what a great post that was but it is too much of a hassle. I rather drop in a couple of words (or couple of hundred) in the comment box.

The fastest way to get the word of your blog out there is to go commenting on other people’s blog (apart from self-nominating yourself on the Mela, of course). The only way to break into a blog network is to comment regularly on one of their blogs and not surprisingly, you soon are a part of the network. Blogs were always meant to be interactive; let us keep it that way. Are you listening, Amit?

Update: Amit promises to justify his no-comments policy in a longish post sometime soon. Coincidentally, Rhyncus has a similar post up today. It looks like Saket’s wish is coming true.

Update#2: Amit Varma has cross-posted his justification on Indicubed…with (gasp!) comments enabled. Interesting discussion already in progress there; I find myself vindicated. Sorry Amit, couldn’t resist that! :)

Tweet This“No comments please?” [Short URL: http://www.ipatrix.com/?p=690] was published Monday, May 16th, 2005 at 6:28 pm by Patrix, filed under Weblogs, and tagged as , , . Both comments and linkbacks are closed.

«
»

Related Posts

  1. No More Comments on Rediff
  2. Racist Commentators
  3. Nobel for Blogging

  • http://vulturo.blogspot.com Saket Vaidya

    I fully agree with you Patrix. What would be blogging without comments? Comments are everything to a blog and sometimes lot more interesting to read then the post itself.

    Those who subscribe to Slashdot by RSS get the whole article in the feed, but still check out the corresponding Slashdot page. Why? Comments! Seriously what would Slashdot be without its comments.

    I am seriously pissed with Amit’s reasons for not allowing comments. Its some kind of a ‘pussy-footed’ strategy. He ought to do better than be scared by abusive comments – there’s always a delete button if one is over the top, and too personal.

    Admittedly, he does respond to your mails. But he responding to mails in person, and those comments appearing on the blog are two totally different things. The former will be a private conversation, and the latter can start an intelligent ‘food-for-thought’ public debate

  • http://nanopolitan.blogspot.com Abi

    Hi,

    Great post! I too agree entirely with Vaidya and you on the comments section in blogs. Yazad’s recent post with 120 comments is a great testimony to the usefulness of comments.

    BTW, is comment spam still an issue? Doesn’t blogger (and typepad, etc.) do a good job of blocking spam (or, at least discouraging spam using on links within comments)?

  • http://www.indsight.org/blog Charu

    Nice way to carry on the conversation, P :)
    (why does Amit maintain a tight-lipped silence about the whole thing?)
    (why does Abi keep linking to my blog but never leave a comment in it?)

  • http://chetan.ckunte.com Chetan

    Quoting Dan Gillmor:

    My readers know more than I do.

    I have learned this again and again — and it’s no threat to me as a journalist. It’s an opportunity. And it’s an opportunity for every journalist who grasps it.

    It’s a shame that many still don’t think so, and is probably the reason, open channels are not available on their blogs, spam notwithstanding.

  • http://radio.weblogs.com/0121664/ Dina

    Patrix .. great to hear your voice on this … at my blog post on the topic, someone wrote in comments “what if comments start defining your blog” .. thought i’d throw that in here.

    I personally love it when comments start defining my post or my blog. Its only in that jazz play that we embrace diversity. And encourage dialogue. Thats the way i approach my blog … for others it may well be just a new form of journalism or MSM where the author, editor, commenter and publisher are one and the same. Hmmmmm

  • http://millionlightbulbs.blogspot.com Sqrl/NT

    I completely agree..
    We wouldn’t have had the classic Trixy sonnets ( u know which ones right?) had it not been for comments. :)
    And I never email Amit etc..though I read his blog everyday.. too much work.. commenting is easier too..

  • http://vulturo.blogspot.com Saket Vaidya

    I have got a brilliant (sic) idea. Let us all start a movement goading Amit to enable comments on his blog.

    A’la The Musharraf Campaign

    (Not that it will work, but it will be fun, and we will create quite a ruckus)

  • http://ipatrix.com Patrix

    Saket – I have tried convincing Amit otherwise several times but he simply points me to his no-comments-policy post. I guess, he does have right over what he wants to do on his blog but I agree his being one of the most popular blogs, I find it frustrating to comment right there on the relevant post.

    Abi – I get almost no spam on Typepad or Blogger. I guess, what Amit or other bloggers are afraid of is abusive comments. But then that is part of the game and you can always block individual trolls.

    Chetan – At BlogNashville, Glenn Reynolds made an open suggestion to the NY Times i.e. to allow readers to provide comments on their stories in their online version. This would create a ruckus but even few insightful comments can make the whole exercise worthwhile. Dan Gillmor, also at Nashville wants to make the media more transparent by giving more control to the online reader.

    Dina – Glad to see you here. I actually might be flattered if someone told me that the comments are defining my blog. That means, I am successful in encouraging a meaningful dialogue. Even, if comments go off on a tangent and off-topic from the post, I still find that entertaining.

    Sqrl/NT – Now the whole ‘Trixy’ origins is enough reason for me to block comments :) but the sonnets were hilarious. Trust Alpha, Gabby, and Spacey to make the most out of a narrative post.

  • http://indiauncut.blogspot.com amit varma

    Hmmm. Thanks Patrix, Charu and Dina, I am touched by your concern. I will, however stick to a no-comments policy. But a longer post explaining my views on this, and why blogs don’t need to have comments to be called blogs, will come soon, and I shall duly alert you.

    But briefly, I’ll just say that if you guys had any idea of the kind of shit I take from some readers, who are invariably anonymous or pseudonymous, you’d understand why I do what I do. It’s too much of a headache to have to deal with that. You guys are lucky, your comments sections see discussions that are always civil and often intelligent, something that I would crave. But alas…

  • http://gratisgab.blogspot.com Gratisgab

    I think the REASON one blogs comes into play too. Some people are in this for the discussion, for the fun, for making new friends….in some cases the writing is almost secondary. In other cases, they love to write but like the comments to BE ABOUT THE WRITING…which need not always happen. That’s where tolerance-levels come in. Still others just want to let the world know their thoughts…one-way only…what’s wrong with that?

    Hey it’s “MY BLOG. I’ll do what I like!”…can’t argue with that, can ya?

  • http://techpolicy.typepad.com/ Anup

    Comments make a blog fun, but they are not necessary. It is good to hear what is on your readers mind, but that is not why many of us blog. One of my favourite blogs is Whiskey Bar. The comments there used to be quite fun, until the redership grew very large. Billmon shut down the comments section when he could no longer have any control over them. I visit him never the less, because I want to read what he has to say, not what others had to say.

  • http://rhyncus.blogspot.com Rhyncus

    Its purely coincidental that my most recent post has almost the same title as yours, Patrix, except it is not as polite (no ‘please’) and not as detailed and deep.
    There clearly are two sides to this, both that I’ve experienced first hand. First, as a blogger, you are looking to express your views. And/or writing skills. This is my space, mine to rant and preen and cherish. People, drop in and make yourself welcome, but please respect the rules of the establishment. The house reserves the right to throw you out. So cow-ment at your risk.
    Second, there are so many blogs which connect with me at certain levels. I want to exult and inform them about it. Hey, you are right! Or, oh, you are so mistaken! And if that particular blog says, sorry, no comments please, you feel awww…cheated almost. I remember feeling something similar when I first came across http://omniverse.blogspot.com, I wanted to communicate with the blogger, but couldn’t. How was the blog different from reading a book? No, not similar to an editorial, you can atleast write letters to the editor there.
    I’m not overly bothered about whether a site which has turned comments off can or should be called a blog. I’m still sufficiently flushed with the opportunity of having an online forum of my own that I don’t worry about labels. My readers are a precious few. I think the problem arises when they become a precocious many.

  • http://ipatrix.com Patrix

    Amit – I will be waiting for that post but I don’t think I’ll be convinced by it because honestly I have no answer for the “My blog, my wish” argument coz I use it occassionally too. Bull-shitters are best ignored. If you stopped responding to them, they’ll go away.

    Gabby – Sure! we are all in this for social reasons but then no one would read a blog if the writing is consistently sloppy and arguments half-baked…afterall we do judge the authors based on their written words.

    Anup – Of course, they aren’t necessary. Except they make the blog more fun. I discover new blogs through the comments (assuming their blog is as good as the comments they leave). I don’t see any reason to control comments as long as you don’t get abused and there are plenty of ways to handle that too without removing comments altogether.

    Rhyncus – If you have a public blog, you expect people to read and better still, comment on “excellent points you make”. No comments just make me feel unwanted on a blog.

  • http://chetan.ckunte.com Chetan

    Glenn Reynolds made an open suggestion to the NY Times i.e. to allow readers to provide comments on their stories in their online version. This would create a ruckus but even few insightful comments can make the whole exercise worthwhile.

    I’m amazed by how quickly give up on the pretext that something is not going to work for the cons involved. The last time, I heard something similar from Tom Coates pronouncing that trackbacks are dead. Nobody is asking bloggers to start from the lowest common denominator.

    There are better ways to takle this:Put a note on your blog that any nasty or irrelevant comments will be removed (if you prefer).Moderate comments and trackbacks (better than shutting them down completely and losing some valuable feedback).

    I said before and I’ll say again, most serious bloggers take praise and criticism in the same breath, so this is never a problem, except for the occassional knee jerk reaction.

    My 0.02.

  • http://ipatrix.com Patrix

    Chetan – I agree. You got it right. Trackbacks certainly aren’t dead in spite of their spam flak they get. But guess MT has to deal with that since I get almost no trackback spam on Typepad.

  • http://chetan.ckunte.com Chetan

    A smart blogger is one who holds his audience in discussion. In the same breath, a smart blogger will use a smart software so that it saves his time and effort in getting valuable feedback and weed out the junk in moderation. Blogger is the lowest common denominator. For comments, it’s like a car without brakes.

  • http://chetan.ckunte.com Chetan

    Blogger as a service is what I meant when I said Blogger is the lowest common denominator. I’m straying from the topic, but I guess, no harm in discussing better tools when we talk about Comments.

    As you said, I think Typepad does a very commendable job in a hosted solution. I recommned TypePad a lot to those who are inclined to blog seriously, but don’t want to get involved in below the bonnet stuff.

  • http://alpha.blogdrive.com alpha

    thanks for the mention buddy! I for one, love comments ..it keeps me going. What’s one nasty comment for the many nice ones (generally bloggers/blurkers are nice people)? Not a big compromise at all.

    Rhyncus, cow-ments are the ones that help me get to know the reader better..instead of saying ‘nice post’ if someone says- ‘I love chocobar’ I know more about the guy even though my post had no inner meaning involving chocobars.

    I felt bad that I couldn’t comment on Amit Varma’s blog too…esp on some of his well written articles. I can see his point though. Too bad I am lazy to email. Heck, I am lazy to even fill out that extra detail on your comment box.

  • http://www.selectiveamnesia.org Ravages

    Comments are good. They give you a hsot in the arm. In fact most comments I get give me a shot in the arm and sundry other anatomical parts. I don’t like them, but they keep commenting.

    What do i do? Make it difficult for them to comment. They persist. What do I do?

  • http://indiauncut.blogspot.com amit varma

    Here’s my promised post on the subject: http://indiauncut.blogspot.com/2005/05/on-comments-and-blogs.html

    I must clarify that I agree with most of you when you speak of the value comments can add. But that is offset, in my view, by the other stuff one has to deal with. More in my post.

  • http://rhyncus.blogspot.com Rhyncus

    Well, alpha, I guess what is coming out here is the ratio of irrelevant (I won’t object to nasty ones, all comments cannot be positive, they better not be) comments to the relevant ones. As you say, one ‘off’ for so many ‘on’, may not be a bad thing. I think each blogger would have his/her own benchmark as to how much they can take of the arbit stuff. When it goes beyond, the time comes to say no. Yes, you are shutting out the good with the bad, but if it is mostly bad, then so be it. And yes, emailing is not a great alternative, especially for us lazy ones. But that is the compromise which the blogger is making. I assume they have weighed the gains (cleaner discussions, less time wasted) and losses (enriching their posts with diverse views) before taking the step.
    So what is the alternative to emailing comments (I never get around to doing that)?

  • http://alpha.blogdrive.com alpha

    Amit, your blog rocks and so does your naked forearm..I really enjoy reading it and was impressed with your efforts during the Tsunami. It’s also cool that your wife is a curator.

    Phew, now with that out of the way, Patrix, could you lure Instapundit here and have him lurk around so that I can have my say.

    Rhyncus..try voice activated comments with expletives censored with a *bleep*

  • http://gratisgab.blogspot.com Gratisgab

    I have to point out here that Alpha’s preference to “I like chocobar” to “Nice post” is exactly what I was trying to say. SOME people are in this for the interaction, they would LIKE to know more about their readers but NOT ALL. Patrix, you saying we’re all in this for the socializing is not true. Some writers WILL and CAN have the attitude of “I’ll write. I don’t want to really know what you have to say.” Or “If you care enough then get off your ass and email me!”…Why such a hue and cry about this? It is his blog, lets respect his decision to do whatever…!

  • http://ipatrix.com Patrix

    Chetan – I’ll second your opinion on Typepad…gives good value for money.

    Alpha – I guess the blogosphere would lose a lot if you shut off comments and you are right about the continual insight that we gain on the readers through their comments…its all about making it informal. Instapundit is too big to lurk on my blog although he does lurk on Amit’s blog.

    Ravages – most comments I get give me a shot in the arm and sundry other anatomical parts…now now, here we are talking about spam being more ‘useful’ for you. Can I forward all those ‘uplifting’ ads I have been getting in my email? :)

    Amit – Thanks. I still disagree but guess, we can agree to disagree on this one.

    Rhyncus – If you come up with an alternative, don’t forget to patent it :) what Alpha suggests with ‘voice activated comments’ is called podcasting (Do audio blogs have audio comments?)

    Gabby – Socializing can have a much wider connotation here. You can identify like-minded peers through their writing; more specifically their ideology or principles through their writing. But then again, you give me the “his blog” argument…so in that case, I am free to comment on anything ON MY blog, right?

  • http://alpha.blogdrive.com alpha

    Patrix, you talk like my dad. “accept people as they are” will be retorted with a ‘why can’t people accept me as I am?’

    (Wrt your response to Gabby)

  • http://gratisgab.blogspot.com Gratisgab

    Alpha, you ARE accepted, on your blog. Where you are the queen and and people love the queen they’re accepting alright. But the question here is why is Amit not accepting us on his blog on our conditions (i.e, no email, people want to leave comments as it’s more convenient TO THEM)…that’s the part I have a problem with..

  • http://gratisgab.blogspot.com Gratisgab

    Alpha …oops i mistook your comment to patrix as meant for me..see this is what happens when you rush back to your cube to blog between meetings…my wires are getting all crossed…

  • http://alpha.blogdrive.com alpha

    Gabby, also time to change your grey colored lenses.

  • http://rhyncus.blogspot.com Rhyncus

    Do podcasts have bleeps yet? If not, let us patent that, alpha, I’ll settle for West African marketing rights.

  • http://ipatrix.com Patrix

    Alpha – Ditto Gabby.

    Gabby – Thats what Amit needs to know. Sometimes people in between meetings cover for you by responding to comments meant for you.

  • http://sumanthputtur.blogspot.com sumanth

    Ok. this may end up in me fielding a few brickbats..
    Weren’t blogs started out as weB LOGs? So wasn’t it gonna be a personal extension of your thoughts on paper..or rather the web.. So if it is an extension of my thoughts..which i can choose to veil or not..don’t i have the privilege to see what i choose to do with those thoughts..a peek into my thoughts has made you happy or sad is secondary to me.. What mattered is that i have got an outlet for my thoughts..
    If comments was such a big deal..aren’t groups/forums the better option??? So, it looks like starting a blog has become more of a public awareness program than just to vent out your thoughts.. If awareness is all that one craves for, and setting up a network, then maybe you need your “comments”..but still doesn’t a group/forum fit the bill??
    Having comments is upto the blogger..why should the argument”this is my space” be thrown out the window.. when I have started this out for myself..and just to put my thoughts on the web..why do i have to let somebody spoil my party??
    “No comments”(please?) may be a rude ay to say..”I don’t care for your views”..but what is wrong with that?? at the end of the day..isn’t a blog one’s personal space.. can’t i choose, if i want it cluttered or clean?
    And for the ones who are really moved(?), they are the ones whose views count(if any), they can always drop a mail..

    I am sorry if anybody feels offended..but it just irked me to see everybody ganging up on somebody who was looking to exercise his right.and keep his personal space to himself..

  • http://ipatrix.com Patrix

    Sumanth – Noone is offended, at least not me. However I fail to understand why would you think that ‘everybody’ is ganging up on Amit. I voiced my opinion on how his blog could be better (according to me) and he countered with his explanation. Everything was civil in nature.

  • http://indiauncut.blogspot.com amit varma

    Alpha, thanks.

    Also, Sumanth, thanks for the support. Actually, though, I don’t see this as people ganging up on me. Patrix is a friend, though I’ve never met him, and I wouldn’t be here otherwise. We respect each other’s views, even if we often disagree.

    I crossposted my post elswhere, btw, with comments, ahem, enabled. There’s an interesting discussion there: http://indicubed.blogspot.com/2005/05/on-comments-and-blogs.html

  • Pingback: Pajama Pundits

  • http://gauravsabnis.blogspot.com Gaurav

    Before taking the decision, I did agonise on the points you mention. I also wondered if the readership would drop because of de-commenting. Eventually I decided to do away with the comments, because even though it gives me a kick that so many people read my blog, the blog was started for me. And if I am not comfortable with the crap some (small minority) readers write, I should get rid of the comments.

    As it turns out, the comments didn’t really have a lot to do with the readership, because it kept growing. And the feedback didn’t stop either, because I keep getting good emails about what I write.

  • Pingback: .: a scripted life :.


Copyright © 2012 Nerve Endings Firing Away. Designed by ckunte. Powered by WordPress.