Freedom of Speech – Comments are A Good Thing… usually

At the bottom of every post on this blog is a button that lets you leave Comments. Please, please, PLEASE – make use of this. Whether you agree or disagree with what I’ve written, even if my post has caused your thought processes go off on a seemingly-random tangent… please leave a Comment. It’s the only way I can tell if it’s worth my while sticking to this blog. There have been times, especially at the start, when I thought I was whistling in the wind. I’m pretty sure now that there are folk out there who read my blog, but I still need a bit of encouragement now and then. Give the dog a bone, eh? Then maybe I’ll try even harder.

But there’s one thing I’ve noticed in Comments that doesn’t make me smile. In the past few months I’ve noticed an increase in Comments that are actually thinly-disguised adverts for something else. They all follow the same general tactic: the Comment is general positive, no doubt to stroke my praise-greedy ego…but the Comment isn’t actually anything to do with my post at all. And somewhere (maybe in the Comment, maybe the Commentator’s name) is a URL for a site, usually a commercial site. Now, I don’t mind helping out fellow bloggers – if you want me to spread the word about your blog, tell me – but use the Contact Form, not the Comments. I check out all comments and contacts pretty regularly. Give me some info about the blog (and about yourself if you like), I promise I will check it out, and I’ll give you some publicity. But I’ll want a little give-and-take here – if you want me to draw attention to your blog, you gotta do the same for me. That’s fair isn’t it? I could even put your blog on my blogroll, if you do the same and put I HATE HATE!!! on your blogroll.

Well, I guess that’s all I have to say on the matter now. Comments is A Good Thing. Free speech is an absolute necessity on the internet. I love conversations online. So hit the Comments button and make this a conversation!

Cheers!
Martin X