Anyway, the question was asked: Would you prefer to respond to each comment [on your own blog, in your own comment section]? Or would you rather go to others' blogs and comment there?
Also: do you prefer NOT to respond to comments (including going over
to a commenter's blog)? And if so, why?
And here was my response:
First and foremost and DRIVING ME NUTS is that I blog with Blogger. It
has developed some sort of glitch over the past couple of months where
it only lets me comment on certain types of blogs. So fellow Blogger
bloggers who don't allow anonymous comments and who don't have the pop-
up window option aren't getting any comments from me. And it's not
that I don't want to, it's that Blogger won't let me. I've ranted
about this a few times in my blog and filed a complaint with Blogger,
but yeah.
Second, and this may be a bit controversial, is that sometimes I'm in
a place where I can't comment on parenting or pregnancy blogs. After
my miscarriage, I received numerous comments of support and love, but
it took me almost 2 months to be able to respond to pregnant bloggers,
especially those who had gotten pregnant around when I did. I could
barely read their blogs and commenting felt so disingenuous that I
just couldn't. I'll sometimes go a few days after a BFN in a similar
place.
When things are going smoothly, I comment on almost every post I read.
(If I'm away from my computer for a few days and a blogger has written
multiple posts, I usually only comment on the most recent, unless one
of the other ones really "moves" me.) When I see a new name on my
comments, I go check them out, and follow them if I feel I can relate
to them or really like their most recent posts or whatever.
Oh, and also, I stopped doing ICLW because it was too stressful--I
always tried to leave GOOD, thoughtful comments, which take time. And
then my blog was flooded with people trying to make Iron Commenter or
whatever, with comments that made it seem like they hadn't even read
my whole post. I still scan the list for blogs to check out (it shows
they're current, unlike the blog role which has zillions of no-longer-
active blogs in it), but I don't add my name anymore. I always go back
and forth on this inside my head though, because I don't want to
isolate myself from the community.
Sooooooooo, what are your thoughts? Comment on my blog or write your own post, or keep them all to yourself. :)
4 comments:
I'm a pretty bad commenter. I'm inconsistent and, like you, don't comment if I can't say something thoughtful. So I've been MIA for a while
I try to make an effort to comment on other people's blogs, but never just for the sake of commenting. I always make sure I have something to say. I hardly ever check back to see if I've been replied to, unless there's an interesting discussion going on, because I feel like my comment is left for the blogger's sake, not for mine. I feel you on ICLW. I'm thinking of giving it a pass next month because it's so darn stressful! We'll see...
I like to comment on my commenters' blogs rather than emailing or posting additional comments on my own blog.
That said, I love when I get an email in response to my comment, like when I comment of Stirrup Queen and Mel takes the time to write back to me personally.
I wish I had time to write back to everyone who did comment.
I am a terrible commenter -- if I don't have anything to say I generally don't say anything at all. And I'm like you with the pregnancy and parenting blogs. Even with people I've been following forever and ever, once they get (and stay) pregnant or give birth it's like I just don't know what to say anymore.
I also don't do ICLW because I suck at it. Every time I sign up for it I either have some kind of emotional crisis and start posting crazy sh*t on my own blog (scaring the commenters away), or I get super busy at work and don't have enough time to comment meaningfully on other blogs.
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