Day 18 and some comment forensics
Image: thanks to Stephen Downes
Which of my posts have attracted the most comments, and which have kicked off the best conversations? I thought it a worthwhile exercise to track back over all of my posts to get a feel for this, not just those during the current 31 Day Comment Challenge. Whew!
OK … well I have to ‘fess up that I received very few comments at all during the first life of my blog. This blog Spinning a Learning Web started as something else altogether, and got a makeover during 2007 into its current focus on adventurous e-learning, and with a big nod to good design and Mac things.
The first comment I received (do you remember how great it felt to get a comment … at last) was from Sue Waters. Why am I not surprised about this? Sue’s curiosity about e-learning, what works and what doesn’t as well as her relaxed style make her a prolific and always readable blogger and a great responder to others’ writing. Spinning … also changed platforms a couple of times to where it now sits proudly on its own domain in a self-hosted WordPress site. Boy have I learned from that exercise … but I digress somewhat.
So, the most comments to posts have come in response to my video postings … no doubt about this. I think the format had as much to do with the reaction as did the content. I’m not sure whether it’s curiosity about what the writer looks like, technical stuff … the newness of the whole thing … but up to now video posts have been a drawcard. And this has been from posts that predated this challenge. However judging by the responses to my postings about the use of Sesmic as a way to comment as well as to post, I doubt many people will take up the idea, as the fear factor is a real issue. Still … I’m going to stay interested in how this very personal way of communicating pans out over time.
Michele Martin touches on this from another angle in a reflective post:
One of the biggest reasons people don’t comment is fear. They’re worried they have nothing to add to a discussion or that they’ll look stupid to the blogger, other commenters, or both. And the idea that their mistake will be forever enshrined online only adds to the pressure people put on themselves.
Indeed! In my work as a presentation and performance coach I find that people suffer real anxieties about presenting themselves. Standing up in public is torture for many. And so when it comes to commenting on how one feels or thinks about an issue, words are far more preferable to the ‘naked’ face and voice because apart from anything else, they can and do work as a ‘mask.’
As to patterns … well apart from the aforesaid … ask a question, ask for help in your niche area and I’ve found that you will get it.
May 19, 2008 at 8:05 PM /
Kia Ora Kate.
Interesting point you made about the popularity of video-clips. Also Seesmic, new to me, though you may have read John Larkin’s most recent post about it. Looks like it could be about to take off, so hang on a bit.
Ka kite
from Middle-earth