Blogging Naked
I noted this week the recognition by the very talented L. that she published a post that received no comments. Now around here that is a common occurrence so I thought I would talk it through a bit.
First off I have a theory. I hold the position that commenting is down in general. There is a techno-social cause to this -- namely the new Blogger. You know how blogger makes you sign in now before commenting and then it throws you to the dashboard? This is 1.) sort of inconvenient so people are not commenting and 2.) folks are feeling compelled to post. If you are like me and your browser tosses the dashboard at you ... you think I MUST POST. Blogger tells me... PPPPOOOOEESTT! Do it you droid, come on, it's easy! Somewhere there is a statistical tool out there which can prove my theory: posting is up -- commenting is down.
So there you go L. Feel better?
Now, what about me? Do I feel better? Let's review.. I don't drink enough water or have adequate iron supplies in my diet. I need more sleep and I have a lot of people on my callback list. I would like to read a book. I don't shower regularly or take my kids to enrichment programs. I don't have good daycare arrangements or preschool waitlist positions... but I have a blog that I post for regularly.
We post a lot of posts on the fly. I mean I am only getting this post done by fitting clauses in between bites and getting dressed... Yes neighbour lookie-loo, that is how a nursing bra works... what of it? Honestly, I know you have seen me do the wiggle my ass into the not-quite-fitting-yet post-partumy jeans but you tell me ... why are you looking? ... I digress.
We maintain this blog of commentless content like four times a week. Why??? What am I doing? Let me be clear: this is no plea for comments. We have a small, smart, and precious readership who are as laissez-faire about commenting as we are and I wouldn't want to change that. No pressure you guys, we know who you are. But my interior stress about the comment dynamic is significant. I have wondered since A. was born if I should take a blogging mat leave? Part of me wants to change our tagline to "Twice the children, Half the blog!"
There are those who know when to go on break and keep the multitudes missing them on a visceral level but not us... Never say die! We will revise, reform, rebrand for a new and better tomorrow of whiter teeth etc. A while back, Jason gave us some linky-dinky love (and I use dinky with intention there). Maybe we should rebrand the blog a bit to recognize its partnership of homme/femme? That might happen. We'll see.
First off I have a theory. I hold the position that commenting is down in general. There is a techno-social cause to this -- namely the new Blogger. You know how blogger makes you sign in now before commenting and then it throws you to the dashboard? This is 1.) sort of inconvenient so people are not commenting and 2.) folks are feeling compelled to post. If you are like me and your browser tosses the dashboard at you ... you think I MUST POST. Blogger tells me... PPPPOOOOEESTT! Do it you droid, come on, it's easy! Somewhere there is a statistical tool out there which can prove my theory: posting is up -- commenting is down.
So there you go L. Feel better?
Now, what about me? Do I feel better? Let's review.. I don't drink enough water or have adequate iron supplies in my diet. I need more sleep and I have a lot of people on my callback list. I would like to read a book. I don't shower regularly or take my kids to enrichment programs. I don't have good daycare arrangements or preschool waitlist positions... but I have a blog that I post for regularly.
We post a lot of posts on the fly. I mean I am only getting this post done by fitting clauses in between bites and getting dressed... Yes neighbour lookie-loo, that is how a nursing bra works... what of it? Honestly, I know you have seen me do the wiggle my ass into the not-quite-fitting-yet post-partumy jeans but you tell me ... why are you looking? ... I digress.
We maintain this blog of commentless content like four times a week. Why??? What am I doing? Let me be clear: this is no plea for comments. We have a small, smart, and precious readership who are as laissez-faire about commenting as we are and I wouldn't want to change that. No pressure you guys, we know who you are. But my interior stress about the comment dynamic is significant. I have wondered since A. was born if I should take a blogging mat leave? Part of me wants to change our tagline to "Twice the children, Half the blog!"
There are those who know when to go on break and keep the multitudes missing them on a visceral level but not us... Never say die! We will revise, reform, rebrand for a new and better tomorrow of whiter teeth etc. A while back, Jason gave us some linky-dinky love (and I use dinky with intention there). Maybe we should rebrand the blog a bit to recognize its partnership of homme/femme? That might happen. We'll see.
Labels: blogging, comments, L., love fest, rebranding
posted by mo-wo at 4:09 p.m.
10 Comments:
I dare not refrain from commenting on this one.
I like your blog the way it is. But I`m sure I`d like it if you changed it, too.
My comments, as I`ve noted, are way down, and I always chalked that up to the fact that I comment way, way less on other blogs than I did before -- but as you note, there could be nefarious forces at work, too.
You know, I get a goodly number of comments these days. But still I probably get 1 comment for every 2-3 I leave. It's a tough business this courting of feedback. Sometimes I just want to say "please talk back to me. I live in a lonely house in a lonely city. I'm not crazy, no not really, but pleazzzzze talk to me."
All that said, I love your blog. I love the tag team you and the P-man gots going. I kinda feel at home here in a "whoa that's one sexy nursing bra and welcome to the new neighbourhood honey" sorta way.
word verification....destroy it.
evil anti commentatormonster.
I can't even read the one right now...it will take me a few tries
You're doing a fine job here. Blog when you want. Call it what you want. Just let me know if you move so I can re-set the feed reader.
I think I make as many comments on blogs as I ever did, but I read more blogs than ever, too. So, my comments are spread pretty thinly among the way-too-many blogs I read.
I am of similar mind. I just remind myself "I did not start blogging to become popular." But comments are so nice! And like Mad Hatter, I leave way more comments than I get. Oh well, I suppose most things in life are like that, no?
First of all, I love that tagline. I say go with it. Like that means something.
Second, I second (heh) the down-with-comment-verification suggestions by the lovely CC. It takes, like, 3 more whole seconds. Who has that kind of time?
Commentless blogging is my bread and butter, apparently. The weekly quote/photo most weeks gets 0 responses, but then I have had several people tell me that is their favorite thing on my blog. Hmm, I was offering that as a positive "see, sometimes things don't need comment, but are still worthwhile" but now I am wondering whether it is just that the other crap I post is just even worse. (Don't answer that, I am over it.)
I admit to feeling a little doolally about commenting lately - but I think it's a reflection of my general ennui and mildly depressed state these days. I just don't feel... engaged, somehow. By anything.
It's not you, it's me.
(Mind you, I've also noticed comments that I've left have disappeared, and not in a "this comment has ben removed" kind of way. Likewise, HBM told me she left a comment on something that I never saw, so I think blogger is snacking on them, too, which never helps.)
I'll be reading whether or not you change it.
I read far too many blogs but when I review my list, I can't find any to remove. It means I've been doing more lurking than I once did.
Or I'm catching up with 3 or 4 posts at once and comment on one.
Once in a while I'm transferred to the Dashboard, but not often. I don't know why it happens but it's a pain because it happens after I write my comment which means I have to remember to copy it; otherwise it disappears.
I love comments and I get quite a few with each post but I know most of my readers and how busy they are. If they aren't there on a couple of posts, they'll turn up eventually.
Word Verification. Everyone hates it but we hate spam even more. I tried to do away with it and had to go back.
Now, if I can't read the code, I just type xxx and make them give me another one. Usually the second one if legible.
Afterthought - because the first comment wasn't long enough?
Sometimes I read the 20 or so extremely clever and witty comments already posted and slink away.
Not here, necessarily - speaking generally.
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