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I’d rather write than talk. Nobody interrupts! Posting monthly or less now--see below. |
My original purpose for this blog, which I started in August of 2019, was to see if I could maintain consistency, to discover what I want to write about, and to find my writing voice. In January, I started a "niche-less" blog at Wordpress.com where I've published weekly. -- Kit’s Kontemplations  . -- I'm preparing to start a Catholic blog on Wordpress.com where I'll post weekly, and another site to put the rest of my writing. I also want to spend more time reading other blogs and offering thoughtful comments, both here on WDC and elsewhere. At most, I will publish once a month at no set time in this blog starting in September of 2020. Thank you to those who have read and rated any posts on this blog. I really appreciate it. I did NOT want to write “about” me on this blog. I wanted to share my interests, discoveries and maybe a few useful insights. If anything I've written helps even one person, whether or not they respond to the post, then this blog has been successful. |
| I want to start a personal blog on WordPress.com and I’m having a hard time deciding whether or not to allow comments. As much as I dislike complexity, I have an even greater aversion to conflict and argument. My available time and energy and attention are limited resources which I would much prefer to employ in writing posts than for moderating comments and purging spam. There are bloggers who have very strong opinions on both sides of this question. This fact makes it obvious that there are no right or wrong answers on this issue that apply to all bloggers. Enabling comments on my blog is not the only way to allow conversations to happen with readers. None of these alternative methods would be as convenient for the reader as simply enabling comments. Unfortunately, the option that is the most convenient for readers creates the greatest burden for the blogger. Requiring the reader to email or tweet their comment makes the conversation private between him or her and the blogger. Directing the comments to Facebook, Disqus or some other third party commenting system makes the conversation public but also requires an extra step for the commenter which is inconvenient to say the least. There are valid reasons both for allowing comments, for using other alternatives and for disallowing them completely Reasons to allow comments  Positive comments will encourage you. Good quality comments add to the value of your post Comments can alert you to errors or broken links in your post. Comments can raise points you never thought of and provide ideas for new posts. You can receive and answer reader’s questions. People who see a lot of comments will assume that your blog is popular Allowing comments shows that you are committed to your blog and helps you maintain credibility. “When we don’t have access to a human aspect, we find it easier to dismiss a blog as just a “brand” or faceless entity that doesn’t care.” —Julie Neidlinger You’ll make new contacts and may discover new blogs. Allowing comments creates a bond with your readers and builds trust. “Taking part in your own blog comment section shows the world you’re not a hermit. It says that you are not just a one-way street, blasting your content out to them but unwilling to hear them back.” —Julie Neidlinger Responding to commenters encourages them to come back to your site.Reasons to turn off comments Most comments don’t add any value to the conversation. Comment boxes attract spam and trolls which are time consuming and frustrating to manage. A large volume of comments can make your site slow and less responsive. The number of comments is not an indication of how many people are visiting your blog yet having too few comments may send the wrong message about the quality of your content Negative comments are not only distracting and discouraging, they could have a negative impact on your writing. Dealing with comments can cause plenty of stress if the topic of your post or if your niche attracts argumentative critical readers. Poor or obnoxious comments can make the post seem to be of poorer quality. Stupid comments can make you look stupid. Allowing comments make the time-consuming task of moderation essential. If you don’t have time to daily moderate comments, disabling them may be the best option.“Many commenters want to be able to interact in real-time with blog comment sections, so a moderator review option may discourage communication as much as a disabled comment section would. If you do not have a consistent amount of time each day to monitor your blog comments and respond to each, then you may be better off disabling them.” —The Pros and Cons of Allowing Blog Comments by Pingler Conclusion Though enabling comments enabled on your blog is not the only way to have conversations with your readers, it is the simplest and most preferable method for readers. In the early stages of blogging when I’m likely to have very few readers, I will allow comments. If I ever get so many comments that it takes too muvh time to moderate them, I’ll consider directing commenters to Twitter or some other option. I am an introvert who hates conflict so, if I am going to post on controversial topics, I may not want to deal with comments in any fashion. As you can see, I’m still conflicted about this. Sources — Are Blog Comments Good or Bad? By Kris Gunnars BSc- https://searchfacts.com/blog-comments-good-or-bad/ — 10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments By Julie Neidlinger - https://coschedule.com/blog/blog-comments/ — Debate! Should You Allow Comments on Your Blog? Find Out What Two Remarkably Popular Bloggers Think — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/debate-should-you-allow-comments-on-your-blog-find-o... - — Yes, blog comments are still worth the effort - https://gigaom.com/2012/01/04/yes-blog-comments-are-still-worth-the-effort/ — Dumb Comments by Others Make YOU Look Dumb - https://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/dumb-comments.htm — The Pros and Cons of Allowing Blog Comments - https://pingler.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-allowing-blog-comments/ — Should You Disable Blog Comments on Your Blog? - https://pingler.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-allowing-blog-comments/ — Should You Just Remove the Comment Section from Your Blog - https://selfmadesuccess.com/just-remove-comment-section-blog/ — A Blog Without Comments Is Not A Blog - https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-blog-without-comments-is-not-a-blog/ — 3 Questions To Ask Yourself About Blog Comments - https://www.patrickkphillips.com/blogging/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-about-blog... — Matt Gemmel’s first post about removing comments - http://mattgemmell.com/comments-off/ — Matt Gemmel’s follow-up post “Comments Still Off” - http://mattgemmell.com/comments-still-off/ Monique from Ottawa, Canada No matter what, WRITE! |
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Yes, I know some people do that but I'm a creative writer not a journalist. Poetry sells ... but it's a money-maker for only a few. I write A LOT. Almost 180 pieces since Spring equinox. My goal is 300-400 per year. One year I went over 1,000. I need to do more editing, polishing, sharing, submitting. Writer's block? Who has time for that? I don't.