Friday, May 9, 2008

Should We Be Commenting on Blogs?

Good grief! I’ve just read Michele Martin’s Day 9 post and I can’t believe my eyes. Well, that’s not quite true.
I know she's a master at initiating discussion.

She is up to her tricks again.

Here are my thoughts (I'm going to be brief!)


If we are to have posts with no commenting, forget about the blog. Forget the whole Web 2.0 thing! Just revert to the web page blurb:
“Oh, you can go scribble your opinion somewhere for all I care.
Don’t expect me to read it when you post it to me, snail-mail.”
Get rid of the mailto:webname@sendit.nowhere link at the bottom of the page. We don’t want to be festooned with unwanted emails.

Yes, a wonderful thing is this 20th century thought-delivery-idea.
It’s like the archer with the poisoned arrow says: “This’ll shut you up!”

When asked if anyone disagrees, you can say “No” with impunity.
Those who concur. . . same answer.

Remember what the foreign adviser says in Sid Meier’s Civilization when you successfully wipe out all other civilisations.

“Make more friends!”

Bye now.

6 comments:

Britt Watwood said...

I have to admit I had problem with her post as well...but I suspect that she is playing the devil's advocate. I would hate to see one size fit all for blogging - it is the richness of bloggers and commenters that makes this so meaningful!

Blogger In Middle-earth said...

Yes Britt, I am in no doubt that you're correct. Michele got me working on the homophily thing a few days ago. She suggested that the Internet might be making people stupid.

I think that was just another of her ploys. As you say, "devil's advocate" (! Don't take offence if you ever read this Michele! I think you're great!)

But now look what I'm doing. Far from getting dumber, I've learnt more on blogging and writing comments in the last 10 days than I did through all the years since I first heard about a discussion board.

That "richness" is meaningful. Strength in diversity is what the geneticists say.

Cheers from Middle-earth

Lovekandinsky said...

Hi Ken and Britt--Yes, I was playing devil's advocate. I remember awhile ago reading something Stephen Downes wrote about thinking that we should be using our own blogs for commenting, rather than commenting on his, so I thought it would be interesting to have us intentionally explore whether or not comments are the way to go. I can see that I ruffled a few feathers in the process. :-)

Blogger In Middle-earth said...

@Michele - I haven't put a comment on Stephen Downes' blog since the start of the 31 Day Challenge. His blog software does not permit tagging a comment - I understand that it's his own code too. Fair enough. At least he allows comments to be posted. But I have a mission :-)

Stephen might get a comment from me in a week's time.

Cheers

Unknown said...

The thought of going back to the read only web and calling it a blog is not a good one. Glad you 'lured' Michele over here to explain she was writing tongue in cheek. It is rare enough to get breadth to a conversation about a blog post with the easy-to-use comments box supplied. If people had to respond from their own blog you would be limiting the range of contributions even further.
BTW, on a tengent, I found at a recent home-school-partnership where we got the parents onto the student blogs to leave comments that the word verification is a huge barrier to leaving comments. Granted this is a Decile 1 community (NESB and lmited access to computers), but I struggle with reading the things myself!
Dorothy

Blogger In Middle-earth said...

Haere mai Manaiakalani!

Thanks for this! I have passed your tip on to Sue Waters who is currently trying to find ways of encouraging parents to read blogs, never mind commenting on them.

Hey, it's great to have you visit my pad. drop in again some time soon!

Catchya later