No comment

The post title has nothing to do with the photo, in case anyone was confused.

Not that I'm saying that anyone would be.

Hell, I don't even know if anyone reads the post titles, come to it.

And for all I know the prairie crocus buds in the the photo might not have any comment, even.

I've never known them to be terribly chatty.

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Speaking of chatty, I have a question about comments. Years ago I debated about adding comments to the blog (well, the old blog) because A) a lot of "serious" bloggers seemed to think comments were evil for some reason, and B) I couldn't imagine that anyone would bother to comment.

Well, here we are NOT years ago, the comments have been a permanent fixture on my various blogs for some time, and... I'm sort of wondering why.

Ah yes, that would bring us to the question I mentioned but forgot to type. Do comments actually add anything to a blog?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I don't mind comments. Often I appreciate comments. Occasionally I'll comment back, and sometimes (ok, rarely) I get a little miffed when I've blathered about something that I think is interesting and then don't get any comments about it.

But the whole waiting for comments thing. Is that what blogging should be about?

Let's face it. Blogging, for the most part, is talking to yourself. For some it's a diary, for others it's their way of barging into the spotlight (not a high priority on my list, frankly), and for me... oh, see blog title, for pity's sake. Nothing here is terribly important.

So, should it be aiming to be a dialogue?

Should I be expecting people to debate me, or affirm me, or call me a big girl's blouse (even if it would be entertainingly weird to do so)?

Is a blog the place for that?

Over my internet life I've hung around in different areas depending on my mood and where my brain was at at the time. Those places had varying levels of interactivity. I've done chat rooms, message boards/forums, blogging... I never got into newsgroups, but I'd imagine that my lack of computer time during newsgroup heyday was really the only reason that I didn't.

I've jumped into things with both feet, got into discussions and arguments, been part of communities, made friends...

I don't expect any of that from blog comments.

As a matter of fact, although there are several blogs I read on a regular basis, I hardly ever comment on any of them. Why? For a few reasons, I think. Number one, if I'm going to be honest, is that as I've gotten older I've moved much more into lurker mode generally. Even the communities that I'm still a member of don't hear from me often. I suppose one gets to the point where it feels like everything's been said, and there's only so much me too-ing that can be done.

I also feel like blogs don't really need my comments. Forums without posts die, but blogs without comments don't usually wither away. People have stat counters (heck, even I have stat counters). They know if they have an audience for their blatherings. Comments might provoke a little more discussion or occasionally suggest a topic (in which case I should be begging people for comments, really. I almost never have topics), but they don't generally decide what's going to happen on the blog overall.

On the other hand, it is nice (every once in a while) to know that one of those numbers on the stat counter is actually a person.

So... blog comments. Valuable? Pointless?

I'm sure I haven't a clue.

Time to change laundry loads anyway. Later, then.





Oh, and WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T COMMENT ON THIS POST. I mean, really. I've given you such an opportunity to mess with my head. I'll be truly disappointed if you don't take me up on it.