Comments on: Don’t comment on this blog http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/ Product management in media and tech Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:52:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Cheeseburger ROM Drive (CB ROM). http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-107 Cheeseburger ROM Drive (CB ROM). Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:26:23 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-107 If you want to know how many people read the comments just check out number of replies and people going back and forth on a topic. I know a lot of sites that get comments and some sites reading the funny comments is half the fun; like on engadget.com I can tell you not everyone reads comments, but a lot of people do and comments can be just as important as the blog post or news article it's self; they often point out a bias, errors or ideas or points or missed by the author. If you want to know how many people read the comments just check out number of replies and people going back and forth on a topic. I know a lot of sites that get comments and some sites reading the funny comments is half the fun; like on engadget.com

I can tell you not everyone reads comments, but a lot of people do and comments can be just as important as the blog post or news article it’s self; they often point out a bias, errors or ideas or points or missed by the author.

]]> By: Ciara http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-106 Ciara Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:50:48 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-106 well dickie i just found your blog from answerbag and never mind not commenting (which i know doesnt matter since i never read any of the previous comments although i am rather drunk which means i never even read your blog past how many times do you comment) you never write your goddam blog. hmmm. still i like your style "shut up and stop commenting no one gives a crap" oh yes merry xmas? well dickie i just found your blog from answerbag and never mind not commenting (which i know doesnt matter since i never read any of the previous comments although i am rather drunk which means i never even read your blog past how many times do you comment) you never write your goddam blog.

hmmm.

still i like your style “shut up and stop commenting no one gives a crap”

oh yes
merry xmas?

]]> By: Steve http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-105 Steve Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:21:46 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-105 maybe we'll get lucky and some weird virus like in the tv show Heroes will wipe out half the population, then the leftover people will have to give up thier blogs and get back to growing food that we can live on, and we won't have this problem of worthless blog comments. and it's neat that your Mom comments on your blogs. my mom wouldn't know what a blog is, she'd think it was a typo. try being a system administrator and see how people use their copmuters and the web. it's scary, like Idiocracy the movie. nice web spam too! maybe we’ll get lucky and some weird virus like in the tv show Heroes will wipe out half the population, then the leftover people will have to give up thier blogs and get back to growing food that we can live on, and we won’t have this problem of worthless blog comments. and it’s neat that your Mom comments on your blogs. my mom wouldn’t know what a blog is, she’d think it was a typo. try being a system administrator and see how people use their copmuters and the web. it’s scary, like Idiocracy the movie. nice web spam too!

]]> By: joel http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-104 joel Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:28:27 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-104 As mentioned above, there are already several companies trying to do this. And while it might change the "blogosphere", it'll do little to change how the vast majority of people use the web. As mentioned above, there are already several companies trying to do this. And while it might change the “blogosphere”, it’ll do little to change how the vast majority of people use the web.

]]> By: Dan Luke http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-103 Dan Luke Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:03:00 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-103 I strenuously disagree. It is true that people infrequently leave comments, (in most cases, but there are notable exceptions. When the NYT publishes an article for which they activate comments, the comments will number in the hundreds, typically) but the comments that people do leave are frequently as interesting as the post itself. What would be great is if you could track people's comments throughout the blogosphere. What I mean by this is if by clicking on the comments of a particular person you could be brought to a page that would list all the comments posted by this person on all blogs you would see a lot more people leaving comments because the person leaving the comments would have a much stronger incentive for doing so. You could track a person's travel through the blogosphere by following the comments they leave. This would be very good for blogging generally because one would then have a way of being exposed to more blogs. It would also give people an incentive to leave better comments too. Essentially it would be like Digg in reverse. Someone just has to write the code for it. I guarantee that it would change the blogosphere. I strenuously disagree. It is true that people infrequently leave comments, (in most cases, but there are notable exceptions. When the NYT publishes an article for which they activate comments, the comments will number in the hundreds, typically) but the comments that people do leave are frequently as interesting as the post itself. What would be great is if you could track people’s comments throughout the blogosphere. What I mean by this is if by clicking on the comments of a particular person you could be brought to a page that would list all the comments posted by this person on all blogs you would see a lot more people leaving comments because the person leaving the comments would have a much stronger incentive for doing so. You could track a person’s travel through the blogosphere by following the comments they leave. This would be very good for blogging generally because one would then have a way of being exposed to more blogs. It would also give people an incentive to leave better comments too. Essentially it would be like Digg in reverse. Someone just has to write the code for it. I guarantee that it would change the blogosphere.

]]> By: Mom http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-102 Mom Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:09:21 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-102 Always good to get a concept of what my kid is thinking about these days. I guess "blogs" is as good a theme as any. :) However, it's true, my response is essentially useless except for letting him know I'm thinking about him. Always good to get a concept of what my kid is thinking about these days. I guess “blogs” is as good a theme as any. :) However, it’s true, my response is essentially useless except for letting him know I’m thinking about him.

]]> By: joel http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-101 joel Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:12:00 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-101 Some good points there, Peter, but I still assert that the majority of comment activity is useless. Yours excepted, of course. ;) Some good points there, Peter, but I still assert that the majority of comment activity is useless. Yours excepted, of course. ;)

]]> By: peter b http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-100 peter b Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:34:39 +0000 http://joeldowns.com/2007/08/07/dont-comment-on-this-blog/#comment-100 Couldn't resist :))) But... comments create a degree of "relevancy" in search engines, raising the likelihood that random searchers land on your web site, and possibly, click on an advert, because they're not really looking for your website, they're just looking for something that was discussed on your website. It happened to me last night -- I was searching for an ESL school for my niece -- the first click from google put me on to some rant about ESL students in a forum -- by scanning around the rant, my very next click got me to what turns out to be one of the best ESL schools in the city. Interesting comments about the trolls -- so true!! But I think they're contribution to the economy of clicks might be more than you think. It's a paradox in a sense. I know there are a few trolls on Answerbag that made it much more entertaining, and therefore more relevant... it seems like quite a paradox. Couldn’t resist :) ))

But… comments create a degree of “relevancy” in search engines, raising the likelihood that random searchers land on your web site, and possibly, click on an advert, because they’re not really looking for your website, they’re just looking for something that was discussed on your website. It happened to me last night — I was searching for an ESL school for my niece — the first click from google put me on to some rant about ESL students in a forum — by scanning around the rant, my very next click got me to what turns out to be one of the best ESL schools in the city.

Interesting comments about the trolls — so true!! But I think they’re contribution to the economy of clicks might be more than you think. It’s a paradox in a sense. I know there are a few trolls on Answerbag that made it much more entertaining, and therefore more relevant… it seems like quite a paradox.

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