Should I allow commenting on my blog is a question that I have pondered since starting this blog, I want this blog to be as interactively real as possible, it has been decided not to allow comments, so how else can it be interactive and how can it be more real than a commenting forum to discuss topics? Comments allow engagement and interaction, they are not without the downsides though. Theodore Roosevelt gave a wonderful speech commonly known as “The Man in The Arena”, the full PDF of which is at the following link – The Man in The Arena Speech. What a wise man he was that his words are as relevant today if not more than they were when he wrote them and spoke them, that they can transcend time effortlessly.
This idea lends itself very well to commenting and internet trolls and how to manage this type of human behaviour, it is very easy to say what you want to say to a screen using a keyboard, and to say nasty not nice comments to me is indicative that the person definitely is not a gladiator and not someone I want to interact with. The gladiators in the arena are more likely to reach out and get in touch in a positive way. The choice of not allowing commenting is in no indicative of a lack of engagement. So how to get in touch email me. Tweet me. I can moderate both of those mediums quite easily and enjoy those interactions immensely.
As an aside I have done the Pros and Cons of Commenting as how I see them. The Cons far out weigh the Pros as you can see.
Pros of Commenting
- Interactivity
- Conversational Style
Cons of Commenting
- Comments need to be moderated, this seems an unnecessary waste of time and resources. We can thank the internet trolls for this.
- So for the trolls, it allows a soapbox that has no positive function. To be clear negative feedback is perfectly acceptable so that is not what I am discussing here.
On that note please get in touch via social media. @naoimigillis on twitter and lets have a real interaction.
