Serious Thoughts on Commenting
By Brent Diggs on Sep 25, 2007 in Most Joking Aside
Today I am going to take a moment to interrupt the generally humorous content of the Ominous Comma and try to explain my view on the role of comments on this site.
Blogging purists like to speak of blogs as conversations, where an author introduces a topic and everyone can add their opinions and experiences in an orderly fashion. One of the roles of the author/blogger then, is to moderate the comments and ensure that a clear and coherent discussion ensues.
This is a format that works well for blogs that are discussing issues or actual events.
At a site like this where I pride myself on having as little point as possible, I haven’t found much use for the “raise your hand and wait to be recognized” paradigm. Instead of one orderly discussion, the OC comment area usually resembles a group of good friends at a cocktail party, with offshooting jokes and spontaneous sub-conversations arising at irregular intervals and people sometimes dashing from one knot of revelers to to another trying not to miss anything.
I don’t see this as a bad thing. Deep conversations are good but sometimes you just need to relax.
Unfortunately visitors, and even some regulars, sometimes become alarmed at the seeming chaos of the celebration.
This is why I have switched to a nested comment system, ( Brian’s threaded comments ) to allow readers to respond directly to any previously posted comment and hopefully present a more easily decipherable comment stream.
I want to improve the overall Comma experience for everyone, while still doing my best to allow the commenting community to develop and evolve into its own unique character.
I am open to any suggestions you might offer.
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You lost me after “spontaneous sub-conversations”.
I’m afraid my intellect can’t handle nested anything. Unless of course, by being nested I can follow the conversation better. You know, like reading lips but for stupid people.
Your Highness,
I was toying with a really cutting edge plug-in that would allow readers to skip all the reading and typing and read each others thoughts to see just what they meant.
But I decided that was a little too closely nested.
Besides, who knows what kind of viruses you might pick up that way.
Wow, I want the telepathic cutting edge plug in…just make sure you plug me in to the same system as everyone else. I mean, I can see Dr. T toying with the idea of two opposing systems just to shake things up around here.
I don’t really have a comment. I just wanted to make the comment thingy get smaller.
I heard that! No, don’t deny it! You WERE thinking it!
And smaller!
Help me - I’m shrinking!
Yea, stay out of the cold water…
Actually, I’ve been trying to cut back on thinking. I have vague idea that it may help save the environment by reducing my mental footprint, but I’m afraid to explore that matter any further because it would require thought.
It’s quite a quandary.
That’s right Deb, that’s exactly what happened. You had your system so that we could manipulate you while the rest of us continued with our own conversation. Who told you? Was it the squirrel? Now Dr. T is going to have to think up another way to inflict your next melt down. Oh well, break out the jello!
Yes Chris, unfortunately it was the squirrel. Dr. T.’s cruel joke of only plugging me in with that arboreal bushy-tailed rodent (no offense Lynn). This explains my sudden passion for the acorn nut and my strange crush on Ruckford (raised by carnivorous squirrels).
Don’t laugh to hard Chris…you may be next. Be careful if you find yourself connecting on a different level with your tea cup moose!
Oh and Chris mentioning my jello-phobia is just not funny.
(Squirrel snickering…)
My fabulous, beautiful, wonderful and amazing squirrel was not snickering. He just had a little gas from all the lime jello he ate last night. He was; however, snickering last night when some of the lime jello he threw across the room landed on the tea cup moose.
I love pistachio pudding as well as lime jello, although the two don’t mix too well together.
Chris,
I apologize for squirrel’s behavior last night. I really do have to be careful with what I feed him. I hope that there were no stains as a result. I know how much moose likes his hair to be shiny and radiant. What color is that by the way?
Lynn,
No problem about the jello stains, and I believe that the TCM’s particular hue is called dirt. (its from the LL Bean color pallet)
I’m lost are we suppose to be commenting about commenting or squirrels?
I think that commenting squirrels might be an appropriate topic at this point.
I feel like I’m cutting in line when I comment to a comment.
see I just cut infront of Brent and Chris.
That’s ok Sally, they don’t mind. They are gentlemanly that way.
We saved two squirrel babies and brought them to a local petting zoo type of thing. We named them, of course, Chip and Dale. I like posts about squirrels.
Sally,
We are supposed to be contributing to a serious discussion about commenting but I think Brent may have over estimated our collective ability to behave.
Can someone send him a latte to make up for it?
Lynn, I think it is your turn to keep Brent caffeinated and conscious.
I have to behave all the time around my kids, it’s nice to have someplace where I can have a non-serious discussion.
I feel compelled to explain that this post was an explanation of weirdness, not necessarily a challenge.
“I was toying with a really cutting edge plug-in that would allow readers to skip all the reading and typing and read each others thoughts to see just what they meant.”
You can subscribe to a blog’s comment feed. :)
Nested blogging? I don’t trust it. Everytime my ex wife used the word “nesting” it meant reorganizing the office or some gad awful home project.
Every time my wife used the word “nesting” it meant another kid.
you say that like it’s a bad thing.
Squirrels can be very disruptive when nesting.
My mother, for instance, has had her car’s ignition wires chewed up 4 separate times by a Momma Squirrel who decided a Cadillac’s engine compartment was a good place to raise children. There was no Jello involved, so far as I know.
There was some talk of installing the “subscribe to comments” plugin, to notify the squirrel when my mother cussed her out. In the end, we decided it might be a bit overwhelming, considering how often the cussing occured.
Said plugin might be useful on the Comma. Or not.