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September 24, 2004
Blogging 101 - Blog Comments
By QBlog in Blogging 101
One of the coolest features built into most blogging tools is the ability to allow reader comments. As blogs have gained popularity, it's the comment functionality (in part) that has appealed to individuals and businesses who wish to explore new and dynamic methods of communication. As you undoubtedly noticed, I enable comments to virtually every post on this blog and I do so because I believe it adds value to my ramblings.
Comments: Enable or Disable?
Because I enable comments on this blog, some may wrongly assume that I'm some "raving comment advocate." In fact, I regularly read (and enjoy) blogs that do not enable comments and I even run a couple of private blogs that don't allow comments (yes, private blogs do exist - oxymoronic as it may seem). The truth is, the decision about whether comments should be enabled or disabled is determined by the author (blogger), the purpose of the blog and in some ways the blog's audience. Different needs and goals call for different methods.
Value of Comments
I've often said that blogs are a lot like talk radio in that blogs provide a format for one dominant voice (blogs = blogger; talk radio = host) and many secondary voices (blogs = comments; talk radio = callers). Rush Limbaugh is arguably the pioneer of modern talk radio and his show is defined by his persona (love him or hate him) and could probably sustain much of its popularity without taking a single caller. Yet Limbaugh does take callers (some days more than others) and I believe such exchanges add depth and value to his show. "Open Line Friday" wouldn't really be much if the lines never opened. Similarly, blogs with comments enabled often become much more dynamic and can allow new ideas, new discussions and new debates to flourish. Web communication at its finest.
Problems with Comments
There are some very real problems with enabling comments, though some of these problems are being solved through technology. The main reason bloggers decide to disable comments is the fear of being "flamed." As a blog grows in popularity the potential for flaming or comment spam tends to increase. Managing such nonsense can become a royal hassle and some bloggers would rather avoid such a task. However, as Danny Ayers points out, you won't know for sure until you've tried it. Additionally, requiring comment registration (like Blogger) or adding improved filtering (like MT 3.1) diminishes the impact of flamers and spammers.
As I stated previously, a blogger must truly understand her purpose for blogging and what she wants to accomplish. The Uber Geeks present a compelling reason for disabling comments in "Disabling Comments, The Pros":
...for those that decide to disable comments, an added step would need to be taken on behalf of the reader in order to comment. They would actually have to post about it on their own blogs. Genius. This not only creates countless amounts of links back to their Blogs from various other blogs, but it also puts to use the Trackback feature, which if used correctly, can really help the blog in search engine results.I agree that such a move is pretty clever but don't forget that it also eliminates the instant feedback and exchange of opinions and ideas. There is a trade-off and again, the blogger must know what he wants to accomplish.
I've already mentioned some of the benefits of enabling comments. A couple that I haven't mentioned is the potential for meeting new people, discovering new and interesting blogs (via the links left with the comments) and letting the audience feel that you (the blog author) are approachable and accessible. Such access often nurtures a strong relationship between the author and the readers, a relationship that is much more difficult to achieve when comments are disabled. I've experienced this first-hand and it's an awesome thing.
So What Should I Do?
The decision about comments is up to you. Personally I'd like to see them enabled on almost all blogs because I prefer the real-time feedback and the open exchange but it's really just something you'll have to decide for yourself. Just remember, if you disable comments you need to be prepared to clearly explain why you've disabled them.
Blogging 101 publishes every Friday and the archives can be found by typing "Blogging 101" into the blog search. Tune in next Friday when Blogging 101 discusses the value of Blog Competition.
Comments
So many questions. Seriously, send me an email and I'll go into this. Maybe (no promises) I'll go into which blog tool to use in a Blogging 101 post.
Briefly, I use MT here but I also use Blogger and am familiar with PMachine, BlogHarbor, WordPress, GreyMatter and LiveJournal (and probably some others that I forgot). When the talk turns to blogging, I know my stuff.
I use a combination of about 3-4 tracking systems on most of my blogs. Some are public, some private. The detail in those statistics varies greatly.
Beginners should probably start with Blogger. It's so much better than it was when I began years ago and it allows (or did allow before the newest version) exporting of entries. Most blog tools allow for importing them so if you start with one, you're really not locked into it forever.
Anyway, you want more details, send me an email.
Wow, the comment spam I've been receiving means that my blog is getting popular? Who'da thunk it?
:-)
Well, that's what I tell myself ;o)
Leonard! It's so good to hear from you on this abnormal blog. I always love it when normal (non-Quixtar savvy folks) people stop by and say hi.
Go CARDS!
QBlog, you should consider putting up a "recent comments" set up on the navigation bar that shows the last 10 comments on your site. I believe that would help the discussion flow better on your site.
Great post QBlog. Do you recommend Movable Type? Is that what you use? Do you use a third party statistics tracking system? What would you recommend for a beginner that doesn't want to have to upgrade later and change their whole blog? Thanks.
Posted by: chris | September 24, 2004 10:45 PM