I wish I had more readers commenting on my posts

1) I run a technical blog and my comments are fairly light, 246 “real” comments in the last three and a half years. I would like more participation because I believe that it would make what I do better.

I receive around 100 to 200 SPAM comments a day. Thankfully they get blocked and are automatically deleted each night, though I have had three SPAM comments get by.

2) Though my blog does not have a “fairly active” commenting community, I have received a few personal attacks and they were devastating mostly because my blog is G rated.

If the comments are off topic, SPAM or profane, I delete them. The blogging software I use does have the option to set comments by default to moderated, but I just don’t want that much work and feel that the commenter should have the opportunity to see their comment immediately. I subscribe to my own comment feed and look at the comments to make sure that the commenting guidelines are followed. So in a sense, I moderate after the fact.

Shade, Kemper, Tatercon, Heliotrope. And other I should mention but their nick is not rolling off my tongue.

So Lashawn thank you for a good blog.

And a blog has to be easy to sign in to and not refer me back to some old typepad login I no longer remember but it still used to block my new attempt at creating an account.

Last Friday, Bill Maher made the breathtaking statement, “I’m just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact.”

I’ve commented upon blogs, usually when there is some point, even a very fine point of disagreement, or in rarer cases to amplify or agree with a given point.

I like and encourage comments as well, though I’ve removed some that are either vulgar or hate-filled.

The “Be careful what you wish for” admonition is a good one. Recently I received the most comments for a piece on a horrific double rape/murder in Knoxville with obvious racial overtones.

Some of the comments on both sides disappointed me, but unless they were way over-the-top, I wouldn’t delete them.

To me, that’s a part and parcel of such an open and interactive system. You have to take the good with the bad, as in most things.

It’s good to hear that I can’t be held liable for the words of others, though.

One thing I have noticed:
If someone offers a flame or personal attack in the comments section, more likely than not they help my case by illustrating the ignorance and pettiness of my detractors. Thus, even a bad comment can help further my views, and furthering my views is one of the main reasons I blog.

I’ve deleted the comments that had nothing to do with my post (sometimes spam, and sometimes friendlies on a rant) or that have foul language. On the non-spams, I’ll leave a note saying why I deleted it.

One guy left a pertinent comment that was littered with bad words, so I copied it into Notepad, replaced the bad words with acceptable ones in brackets, and then reposted his comment with a note that mine is a family blog. Then I posted my comments addressing his points.

I leave comments on other blogs because I can’t always keep my mouth shut.

Beyond that, I am fascinated to watch the extrapolations that many liberals will make from my highly specific comments when they have virtually no information to base a substantive determination beyond the specificity that has been clearly delineated. It’s really quite extraordinary and amusing.

At the end of the day, I blog for fun and to find out what folks think about issues.

I actually like the fact that nobody comments, because it makes me feel less inhibited, and that I can write whatever pops into my head.

That’s a good thing?

Probably the Groucho Marx syndrome (Or was that Mark Twain?) …wouldn’t want to be in any club that would have me as a member….

If I thought anyone was reading my blog I’d be too scared to write!

2. There’s a saying (I don’t know who said it)…”What you think about me is none of my business”.

Also, I think anonymity can foster a greater degree of intimacy. It works both ways. Anonymous isn’t always a bad thing. It’s fun to think of the famous people that might go “Anonymous”. Who knows who it could be. I always think cutting off anonymous comments, you could be cutting off someone big.

Besides, going by “Let your conscience be your guide”….obviously some people have flawed consciences, but that’s not La Shawn’s problem, in my opinion.

One more thing. IP Addresses can be faked. Knowing someone’s IP address tells you virtually nothing. I’d say over 60 % of IP addresses are fraudulent.