Of Commenting and Replying Comments
Commenting is one important feature in a blog. That is where the interaction comes, between readers and authors, and also readers and readers.
Commenting is really good, this is where everyone gets to voiced up any issues that the blogger writes. But, I find it a big problem when there’s actually commenters who’s commenting something irrelevant to the topic that the blogger is writing about. I find it even more annoying when some commenters actually thinks that leaving a comment is like chatting with the blogger.
What shall we do with comments like that?? It is not spam. I feel bad when deleting comments like that, so most of the time, I just let it be.
When there’s comments, the author will read, and sometime respond to it. It’s a big problem when it comes to replying comments. In default, a blog’s comments isn’t threaded, when you post a comment, it just goes in chronologicaly. There’s plugins for wordpress that allows you to have thread comments. The problem with threaded comments? You can only reply one comment with one comment. It will be really messy if people keeps replying the replyer, making a designs totally mess up.
And there’s another trend of how the blog author replies readers comments. Go here, here or here. They tend to edit commenters comments and add their own notes. This, thus doesn’t give a comments number increase when you are replying. I am not implying that “the more number of comments, the better the blog’s reputation”. But, I am the type where I only click on read comments whenever I want to leave a respond. If I am expecting a respond from the author, I am also expecting a comments number increase. If it doesn’t increase, I couldn’t be bothered to click on read comments. That is my style, and I bet not only me does that.
The final trend that I see is the author adds their own comments and they write the commenters name in front, then state their replies. This is what I do. I find this way more efficient and a lot better than the previous two ways. BUT, it’s a big problem for everyone to refer what the commenters write and why the blogger replies that way. In forum, we can quote from people and reply straight away. In a blog? I wanted to do that, but I find doing that takes time and making comments replying way too long and a big fuss. It’s not like there’s automatic quoting like in forum. In a blog, it is all done manually.
As a conclusion, a blogger should at least create a commenter’s ethic page or some commenting rules. Shit like manual spammer happens, and it can be a really big problem. As for comments replying, I am planning to take it as a serious issue in my next design. Making comments replying using a breakthrough technique. Ok, I am just imaginating things.. 
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March 25th, 2006 at 10:43 pm
I take the stand of “Blogger reserves the right to delete whatever he likes from his blog”. That way, there’s really no need to outline ethics or rules to visitors. Well, maybe “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”.
If I’m responding quickly to a comment, I just add it under. If it’s a bigger reply, I make a whole post out of it.
March 25th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
for whatever the reason is, you should never delete any comments or any post that you have publish. you can write whatever you wish, but you cannot control how people interpret what you write. sometimes it may sound foolish to you, but maybe you have written it in a way that you yourself did not noticed it to be such a way. if its a foolish comment, you can either ignore it or reply it jokingly or better still just fark the commenter for such an irrelevant remark. so if this comment did not get deleted, then i presume you agree with me at a certain degree or make me an example of “irrelevant to the topic”, else like what dzof said “Blogger reserves the right to delete whatever he likes from his blog
March 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Remember blogs and weblogs are created out of joy, playfulness and creativity to share your thoughts and observations. You are using your natural abilities freely.
Now as life is spontaneous so blogs should be as free as air and spontaneous comments and interactions can then flow through them indiscriminately.
Interactions with others do occur, yet none occur what you do not attract or draw to you by your THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, ATTITUDES or EMOTIONS expressed in your blogs
March 26th, 2006 at 12:34 am
I agree with both of you, dzof and ducky. Blogger does have the right to delete whatever he likes from his blog, but I think it is very rude or limiting the way blogs works if the blogger happens to delete any critical or contructive comments. Of course, comments that is racist or may cause our blog to be hunt down by the ISA must be moderated/deleted too.
GeminiGeek says:
March 28th, 2006 at 12:21 am
all in all…
that’s the reason why I seldom reply to my reader’s comment…
or rather…
sometimes.. i dunno what to reply…