A firestorm over one-way blogging
Seth Godin has done something that would be unthinkable in much of the blogosphere: He does not allow comments on his blog. And, by doing so, he may have unwittingly inspired far more discussion than would ever have occurred otherwise, on his blog or anywhere else. (Note: Godin may also want to consider turning off his TrackBack feature, which effectively serves the same purpose as comments by surfacing posts by others on his blog.)
The reason for his decision? "First, I feel compelled to clarify or to answer every objection or to point out every flaw in reasoning. Second, it takes way too much of my time to even think about them, never mind curate them," Godin writes. "And finally, and most important for you, it permanently changes the way I write. Instead of writing for everyone, I find myself writing in anticipation of the commenters."
A heretical notion, in a medium that thrives and prides itself on interactivity. But Godin isn't the first to take this step, and he won't be the last. The unfortunate truth is that too many comments are mere insults and rants--far from any grist for productive dialogue--and civility is an increasingly rare commodity. Given this sad state, one can hardly blame some bloggers for wanting simply to chronicle their thoughts and to be left alone.
Blog community response:
"For some, having the ability for people to comment on your postings is that destination. For others, the main goal is to share what's in your brain. Either way, the conversation is still taking place."
--TwistImage
"I can understand why people like Seth Godin and, arguably, the world's first blogger, Dave Winer, have elected for the 'no comment' approach. It does make me feel uncomfortable though. It's a foghorn approach to blogging. A kind of 'I'm OK, You're Not OK' pre-judgement of their readers."
--Teblog
"I believe one of Seth's primary reasons for not enabling comments is so that his 'remarkable' (a Seth term) posts will be spread virally to other blogs, by individuals creating new nodes of discussions and spreading his word."
--Web Strategy by Jeremiah
