Commenters

Comments on blogs can be funny. For many people commenting is a way to get noticed. They troll around the blog world on sites that seem to be linked everywhere and they comment just to get their name out. There is NOTHING wrong with that in my opinion. I've recently been frustrated however when the commenters try so hard to come off as 'pithy' and intelligent that they actually sound like the opposite.

I figured I'd take a second to paint with a broad stroke some of my thoughts on commenters. Maybe this will be added to my post about Blog Maturity and help us all navigate a little easier.

Before you post, ask yourself...

1. Am I a drive-by commenter?
A drive-by commenter is a person who comments but never comes back to take part in the conversation. Typically these are people who just like to hear themselves talk. They aren't interested in the dialogue... they are interested in using the blogs of other people to spout their opinions. Drive by commenters are boring because they just take pot-shots to sound smart and then they bounce without sticking around to talk. It's kinda like someone starting an argument, saying something that isn't true and then walking out of the room slamming the door. I recently found a new tool to help me avoid the drive-by mentality for myself. It's called coComment. This tool allows you to track all comments so that as others post, you can go back to take part if you are addressed.

2. Am I going to come across angry?
When you are typing a comment... be sure to stay aware of the word choice. Sarcasm doesn't come across well so you have to be sure to select the right words.

3. Why don't I REGISTER?
Anonymous isn't a name. Get a name so that you can be identified. There is nothing worse than an anonymous comment that has a negative slant. Be a man or woman and attach your name to your words.

4. Why am I commenting?
Are you commenting to encourage or to irritate? The blog world is a lot like Ebay. Over time you will be known as a person with great insight or just an ignorant person who talks too much. Be sure that you are commenting for the right reasons because people will take what you say seriously. Comment out of edification to others. Comment to push the conversation forward... not to try and get everyone to tell you that you're smart. If you need that, get a mirror and tell yourself or get a goldfish. Other blogs aren't there to edify your low self esteem. Comment to help, not hurt or be arrogant.

5. Did I read everything correctly?
This issue has been the most irritating as of late. People (who again want to sound pithy) will make a smart comment just to sound intelligent. It's so frustrating to have someone take up your time with a lazy comment. I moderate my comments and I'll delete comments that show that the commenter didn't take time to actually understand what I wrote. It's important that a commenter has their facts straight before tossing out thoughts. Just think about a conversation in person... how dumb would you look if you constantly made comments that didn't make sense? You'd look foolish. Well, that's how you look online if you do the same thing. Be sure you are reading something correctly first. Ready, Aim, Fire, not Fire, Ready, Aim!