Reflecting on the Comments Challenge
Posted by blk1 on May 8, 2008
I’m not sure what day this is, but I’ve been getting to the Comment Challenge Wiki regularly and scrolling down the participants list, clicking on blogs I’ve never visited before, reading posts, exploring and leaving a comment and recording it with cocommet. Some blogs don’t seem to let me use that tool, but most do and it’s cool to see my record back at my blog sidebar, a way for me to keep track of my explorations.
I read the daily prompts and then try to incorporate the suggestions into my visits. What I like is the deep thinking about
1. The Comment: what’s the point? Something for me, something for the writer, something for the conversation. I am thinking about a good question to leave.
2. The conversation: Honestly, I never really considered the conversation in comments. I enjoyed reading a comment on my blog. Usually though, I was too lazy to return to my blog for read it. There it was in my email and I mostly just replied right there. Sometimes I returned to read them at my blog but I didn’t really consider the conversation aspect. Why didn’t I?
I am hoping that my SI coming in July will be able to benefit from my ahhas… here.
Bonnie
May 8th, 2008 at 8:20 am
You know what I have seen that is interesting?
Even if a comment is in moderation (such as at my blog), it still shows up as a published comment in CoComment.
For example, just a few minutes ago, I saw that you had commented on my quickfiction. I saw that in your sidebar, but had not been to my blog yet to approve your comments. I noticed that in my CoComment webpage, too.
I don’t mind, but it seems like a quirk here, in which CoComment is really its own space, outside of the blog.
Kevin
[Reply]
May 9th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Looks like I have to confess — I mostly read comments on my blog via email so will think that I have commented back but forget.
My personal rule with commenting back is I will try my best to comment back but I can’t guarantee that I will be prompt.
@Kevin – I’m not a fan of moderating comments on personal blogs (but agree it is necessary for student blogs). My reasons include it often confuses commenters making them not sure if they actually commented and it interrupts the conversation. However I can accept there are very valid reasons why a blogger will moderate comments so you have made some really valid and interesting points about cocomment which bloggers who moderate comments need to consider.
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May 10th, 2008 at 5:59 am
Sue
The Comment Challenge has me rethinking the concept of moderation and I might reverse my longstanding practice of holding comments in moderation.
Spam was the original reason but the filters seem pretty strong, so why keep doing it? I need to think about it some more. Thanks for pointing that out to me, though.
Kevin
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May 10th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Kevin, I really don’t think we should rely too heavily on SPAM filters. My student blogs are all run on WordPress using the Akisment Spam plugin. It does a pretty good job, yet I still find SPAM sitting in the Comment Moderation Queue. If for no other reason than being one more check in the system of checks and balances, I would still leave comment moderation turned on.
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May 10th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Thanks Diane.
I am still mulling it all over.
Of course, it will be part of my Comment Challenge reflection, phase two, whenever that is.
Kevin
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May 11th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Cool to have all of you here in a conversation. I think I gave up the moderation consideration at some point and never put it back. I think I will do the same for my SI group coming up just to have them see each others’ comments faster.
Bonnie
[Reply]
May 12th, 2008 at 4:21 am
Thanks for this conversation – not something I had really thought about. I definitely have moderation on my students blog but now I question the real need to have it on my own one. Like Kevin it will be something to mull over for me now. Amanda (heymilly)
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