At some point in this blog-thing somewhere (I'm too lazy to look it up), I noted that it's the dashed-off, throwaway posts that garner me the most comments. This continues to be so.
I take from this that whenever I write more than a dozen words, I bore people.
But what I also take from it is this: The less you write, the more others can project their own thoughts onto the post. Or, the blanker you leave the canvas the more room to paint for everyone else, or create your own analogy, but I think you get the idea.
I don't know that this is a bad thing, but it's sometimes an aggravating thing. Then again, it's only an aggravating thing because why? Because VANITY. Because I think of all the things I took the time to craft and develop that were, comments-wise, failures, and then there to rub salt into my wounds is some half-assed post that's over a week old, off the main page, and still going strong. Well, I mean, it's still going; I don't know about "strong." People seem a little fatigued at this point. Hey, guess what? I WAS FATIGUED WITH IT LAST WEEK, you nerds.
All a long way to tell you that (1) comments are closed here and (2) if you have a blog, but you despair of ever receiving comments, just throw out whatever random thought comes to mind some morning (being sure to keep it short), and watch people get well and truly busy with it.
[SAMPLE POST]I Don't Like Doughnuts
posted by ilyka in were you going to finish that? at 1:07 p.m.I don't get the appeal of these things. Why're they brought to every staff meeting in every office in America? Doughnuts are gross. Fuck you, doughnuts.
[SAMPLE COMMENTS]
you dont like donuts? ill bet you dont like america either, bitch.
--some trollI can see where you're coming from, Ilyka, but are you sure you've thought this through? Imagine if there were no doughnuts. What effect would that have on our economy? What about the bakers? What about the sugar tariffs? I think there's a lot more to this that you could have explored had you taken the time to really look at the problem in depth.
--some guy who needs to get out moreAw, shoot, there's nothing wrong with doughnuts! You just haven't had any good ones. My grandmother makes hers from scratch and I'll bet if you only tried one of them, you'd change your perspective in a hurry. They're really good!
--a proud granddaughterI agree, Ilyka. I don't like doughnuts either, for what it's worth. A cinnamon-raisin bagel beats a greasy doughnut every time. Especially a cinnamon-raisin bagel with fat-free cream cheese. MMMMMmm!
--CorrupterOfBagels, Somewhere in the Midwest (or Maybe the South)Cinnamon-raisin bagels are an abomination in the sight of the Lord. So is fat-free cream cheese, for that matter. Crikey, you people.
--ilykagod, you anti-donut people discust me!!! MOVE TO FRANCE BITCH!
--that troll again
Etc. and so on. Try it! I'm sure you'll see results in no time.
Posted by Ilyka at June 6, 2006 11:01 PM in navel gazingHoly cow, Ilyka, where do you get these trolls from? (I want to know so I can avoid them.)
I mean, if folks like Bingley and I disagree (or even agree) that strongly with you, we write a post and link back. Otherwise a short comment is in order unless you are a long-time visitor.
Are these people too lazy to start their own blog and trying to write blog posts on your bandwidth? Cause that's plain rude. Not to mention their other behavior.
Posted by: John at June 7, 2006 05:35 AMYep. I have a theory that what we're dealing with here is human nature. I guess people want to participate and express themselves, but social conventions require substantivity in what they say. A long post risks "saying it all" to the readers with which it resonates and causing the nonresonators to steer away--on the Fox News principle that the major market share of people go where others are validating their sensibilities, and not to where they're challenging them. Also you've acknowledged yourself with your mock comments the stigma that goes with a thoughtful response. "Time on your hands." I suppose this reaction is a mix of "life is short" and "you should be working toward your own glory on your own blog" and "this isn't about you, you grandstander" and "you're making me feel guilty for being uncurious/unthoughtful/ungenerous." That's just blogospheric culture as we know it, I figure, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to think about it.
Still, academically branded sites like Volokh and Left2Right, where bloggers post under their real credential names, post lengthily and generate lengthy comments, even seemingly from non-academics. They don't talk much about pop stars or their lives or feelings, though, and I think that's part of the branding too. I think there's few brands or species of blog right now, and the comment psychology you've pointed to is the rule of thumb for the most common one. I suppose net behavior is likely to evolve a lot, but I don't know whether to expect it will for an established style/species/brand of blog.
Posted by: MT at June 7, 2006 09:14 AMNo comment for you. I keeping getting stopped for "questionable content." I'm clueless what it was.
Posted by: MT at June 7, 2006 10:33 AMSo you don't like really don't like donuts? I can understand disliking the abomination that is a bagel-donut, but to dislike Krispy Kreams, wow I'm shocked.
Posted by: phin at June 7, 2006 10:54 AMI got the trolls mainly from feministing.org, John, but I guess they don't bother me that much. Sticks and stones, blah blah. Plus it helps that (1) I grew up in a family that has a high comfort zone with arguing and (2) my computer comes with an off switch.
Posted by: ilyka at June 7, 2006 11:17 AMWere you saying something? I got as far as the donuts and my mind went blank.
Posted by: Ron O. at June 7, 2006 11:21 AMStill, academically branded sites like Volokh and Left2Right, where bloggers post under their real credential names, post lengthily and generate lengthy comments, even seemingly from non-academics.
That's true. I don't know much about Left2Right (I'll have to check that out, actually--I like the name), but one thing helping Volokh is having a long-established (in internet time, at least) reputation, and having a massive traffic-pusher behind him (Instapundit). I'd say roughly 10% of my readers ever comment at all, but then, I get very few hits. If 10% of the people who visit via an Instapundit link comment, though, you're talking lots and lots of comments, even though it's still a small portion of the whole.
I think there's few brands or species of blog right now, and the comment psychology you've pointed to is the rule of thumb for the most common one. I suppose net behavior is likely to evolve a lot, but I don't know whether to expect it will for an established style/species/brand of blog.
I'm actually stealing this notion in part from a joke I saw on the web years ago, about how all you have to do to generate controversy and argument on the internet is put up a web page--ANY web page, because no matter how innocuous you try to make that page, some people will be violently opposed to its content. I used not liking doughnuts in this post, but this thing I'm thinking of was a spoof in which various people emailed the site owner to protest the use of purple on the page.
This was something I ran across in the late 90s sometime. So whether it's going to evolve or not, I don't know, but I'd say so far it certainly hasn't much.
Posted by: ilyka at June 7, 2006 11:27 AMI haven't really noticed a change in the level of commenting since, um, 1986. That was the year I first started reading/commenting on BBSes.
I vote for the human nature side. Something about being able to voice your opinion without having to say it to a person's face turns average, quiet, normal people into class-one assholes.
I guess commenting is the internet's road rage.
Posted by: Meryl Yourish at June 7, 2006 03:00 PMWe were "fisking" on those old BBSes before it was called fisking, Meryl. The format has changed somewhat but the flaming and signal to noise ratio is about the same.
Posted by: Rob at June 7, 2006 03:41 PMMeryl is exactly right.
I bitch about not getting comments, but really, it's a good thing more often than not.
(And look how the comments are piling up on this post too...)
Posted by: Beth at June 7, 2006 09:01 PM