Comment Horror, Comment Whore April 14, 2007
Posted by brandy in blogs, confession of the day, friends, the world according to me, what the hell.trackback
So a few days ago I posted this lovely ditty. I thought it was well said, with some interesting points written in a lovely, non-confrontational way.
I checked my email later in the day to accept those who disagreed with me and feel warm and fuzzy for those who did. I expected compliments and flowers. Disagreements but acceptance. I expected sentences that started with ” Well, I don’t agree but…”. Instead, I got crickets.
There were no comments.
At first I thought nothing of it. I have always felt that all you bloggers secretly meet to discuss when you post, since you always do so when I least expect it. (This is frustrating since I’m always the 14th person to comment and all my “original” comments have been said already by persons 1-13). I imagine the “blogger.com” people meet in a warehouse drinking dusty kool-aid out of plastic cups and eat prepackaged foods high in sugar and low in taste. The ‘wordpress.com’ kids get together at a Ramada hotel and drink diet sodas out of real glasses and marvel at the pretty landscape paintings adorning every wall. And those with their own domain? They meet each dripping in diamonds and sweating in mink, via satellite- since they are all on their own yachts and phone reception is iffy.
Anyway…
So the ‘no comment’ thing didn’t bother me. I mean, as I recently told Miss Fabulous (who herself has started her own blog), writing for comments is like, working for the man. It’s prostituting greatness, and if I’m going to prostitute myself, I’m going to do it for big bucks. More bucks than the man could ever pay. (Actually, I think I just told her I didn’t write for comments, and left the man out of it). I was sure that you were all busy with Easter and work and family, and the comments would come flooding in, and suddenly my world would make sense and I would once again, feel whole.
I checked back.
Nothing.
I re-read the post searching for something that would have caused you all to slap me with silence. Did I accidentally type “I believe the only good orphan is a working orphan?”, or “I believe when my *grandma doesn’t polish my shoes the way I like, it’s a free pass to pistol whip her and kick her good hip while wearing stilettos?”. Nope. I didn’t say any of those things. So what the hell?
I was stumped.
Later on I started getting emails from people saying they couldn’t comment. I checked back and realized I had the ‘no comment’ filter on. Suddenly, my world made sense again. People weren’t shunning my post, they were forced to not write something. It was only when I realized this, did I fully understand how comments can really be useful, or at least nice to get once in a while. In short, I realized, I’m a comment whore.
This led me to think about all the times I read something I enjoy and don’t comment. This was the last one I read on someones site that I really, truly and madly enjoyed and left without commenting. All the comments seemed to be what I was feeling, so I didn’t add anything. Now I realize how important every comment is. So do I go back and comment and say ‘ditto?’, or do I just leave it? Sigh, I don’t know. Perhaps I should invent an abbreviation for the line “I really enjoyed this post, and wish I had an original comment but I don’t. But I still want you to know I enjoyed it”. Perhaps this could be shown as “IRETPAWIHAOCBIDBISWYTKIEI!”.
Or I could just stick with ‘ditto’.
* the grandma reference was just for you e.b.
I had that happen to me, too: I thought no one loved me anymore, but actually my comments were turned off. I don’t know what I do to blogger to make it do that to me occasionally, but it does. Maybe it’s because I hate Koolaid and so I always skip those meetings.
If I really enjoy something but have nothing good to say, I say something like “Loved this!” or “This was so funny!” It’s like saying “What a cute baby!”: it’s not exactly original or informative, but no one ever gets sick of hearing it.
Oh, I hate the feeling of having an underwhelming response. I like the abbreviated “nothing to add” comment too.
Comments are the reason I get up in the morning. When I get none, it’s like a punch in the gut.
It’s ridiculous. I need a life!
You cannot blog without being a comment whore. You show me someone who says they only blog for themselves, and I’ll show you a bald-faced liar.
haha i feel the same way! i loved your “i believe” post and also plan to steal it.
i too, sometimes read really great, wonderful posts and find that all the comments i had in mind have been said. so i dont always say anything. but, when you think about it, a ditto really does make all the difference.
Almost all comments are great, but I especially enjoy it when there’s great dialogue in comments between the blog readers. Or when someone says something that challenges me to rethink my position. Or that makes me laugh out loud. Anyway, I always enjoy your posts; you’re very entertaining. Happy weekend!
Booo, I’m drinking dust kool aid in an old warehouse. You’re totally right.
I recently had a post blow up with comments, but it got to be so stressful that I immediately had to post something really fluffy on top to put out the fire. It worked… now I’m getting nothing.
I guess I’ll never be happy.
That happens to me all the time. I go through phases where some posts ilicit an onslaught of comments - others get nothing at all.
I never know if its just that people are busy, or maybe that they didn’t find the post interesting, or maybe if they just forgot the blog was there.
It doesn’t usually last though - see, theres lots of comments here!
LOL this must be a sickness we have. I love when I get lots of comments on a post, I try to figure out why some do and other’s don’t the truth is sometimes we leave without leaving a comment not realizing the hurt LOL I will do better we all should
I found your blog through reality bites.
Have a great weekend
Too funny lady!
I agree with Ally - I love the comments as much as the next girl, but I also like the questions, critiques, dialogue, conversation and advice
Comments are my favorite part of a blog. Unfortunately I don’t get many, maybe because I write in a too serious and “profetic” way. I should write a post saying that I’m not gonna kill people who comment in my blog!
Meh, I like the crickets, me and the crickets, we’ve struck up an accord
I always enjoy your posts but don’t always leave a comment for that very reason (everything I thought of has already been said). You’re too popular for my own good! xx
Oh darling I never blog for comments!!
(but if you want I’ll trade you okay? Just don’t tell anyone)
Don’t feel bad brandy!! When I don’t see any comments I feel kind of
- but at the same time it’s hard to leave a well-thought out and relevant comment when readers 1-12 have already said everything you’ve wanted to say.
But we do read what you’re writing!!!
Hehe I think we all like comments
I like them a lot more now than before when I wanted to keep my blog for friends only it got boring!
Btw, what grade do you teach?
It’s always the days that I think I’ve written something terribly witty or profound that I’ll get no comments. Unfortunately, it’s never that my comments are turned off. It’s just that only two people will visit my blog that day. There’s nothing like good ole StatCounter slapping ya in the face with reality.
haha I did notice that and it drove me crazy! I blamed it on blogger being dumb, because blogger is my favorite scapegoat!
Comments….a long debated subject among my blogger friends.
I always say I can’t comment unless I feel like I have something to contribute…but I love getting comments that ignite interesting conversations even if off subject. Plus, my posts are usually pretty pointless LOL
For the record…I am NEVER online over the weekend so if it is blogged on a weekend I don’t get to it until Monday.
Yep, I hate to admit it, but I guess deep-down I’m a comment whore too.
Blogger has turned off the comments feature on me on at least 3 occasions, too. Thankfully, like you, I received emails from wonderful bloggers asking how they could comment. It’s so irritating, and of course only happens with the posts I work on the most….never when I do a meme.
I like your abbreviation. It would be very useful to all of us who are in the same predicament. (Oh, and I think I’ll be swiping your ‘I believe’ piece too, with proper linkys and bowing down before you, that is.
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