Thing #4

I commented on:

wilson1999--Thing 18
Roger's Science Spot--Thing 21
Amelia Bedelia Crotzer Becomes a Teacher--Thing 24
Miranda's Blog--Thing 14
Joradan's Space--Thing 19

I also commented on a couple of other blogs earlier in the project but I couldn't remember which ones!

As far as outside blogs I have commented on:

www.cookiemadness.net
www.cuteoverload.com


To me, the essence of why commenting is important in blogging is that it is the only thing that separates a blog from an online diary. Blog posts are about the viewpoint of the blogger but they're also about the interaction of that viewpoint with the rest of the world. Commenting can help steer the direction of future posts and comments that link to other blogs help create a network around a particular topic. Comments are what can make blogs feel like a community bulletin board or a notebook passed between friends in high school. I agreed with what CoolCatTeacher explained in her post about commenting when she said that comments like

"'Yeah' or 'Right on' may make the author feel good, but of more interest to conversation participants is 'Why do you think it is right on?' If you don't care, don't comment, but if something truly resonates with you and you have something to share, do it!"

I can't tell you how annoyed I get when I go to read the comments section of a blog post and see a 3 foot tall column of "yeah" or even worse, "first." It really defeats the purpose of blogs to gunk everything up with useless comments. I only ever comment on a blog if I genuinely have a reaction to the post, and I would hope visitors to my blog would do the same.

I also enjoyed the discussion of blogging etiquette from Drape's Takes: Edublogger Etiquette. The comments section of the post had some interesting observations from subscribers that I agree with. In the post, the question was raised about how much a blogger should comment back to comments on his own blog. The author felt that it was important for bloggers to comment on comments. A few subscribers felt that when they read comments and see that the blogger has responded to many of them, they feel that the blogger is stalking their comments and being defensive. I agree with the subscribers. I am less likely to comment on a post if I feel that the blogger is going to read it and respond to it right away. It makes me feel self conscious and it is a little like pulling the curtain back in the Wizard of Oz. Part of what makes the internet appealing is the ability to be anonymous and when a blogger responds immediately to comments it's a bit like having an awkward IM conversation with a stranger.