Getting Rid Of Comments

If there’s one dead horse that’s not worth trotting out when it comes to Social Media, it is the one about "comments." Should you have comments on a Blog? Should you respond to comments on Twitter or FriendFeed? The staple answer is, "yes. Always." But that tide may soon be turning…

Here’s a personal rant: each (and almost every) day, I take a chunk of time to think about something that may be important to people like you (those interested in New Media) and write an article about it. It could be about a news item, a trend or something that happens to have come across my desk. Because I can’t publish a book everyday, or have the content I am producing published in a mass media channel when I want it and how I want it (like a newspaper or magazine), I post it here on this Blog, Six Pixels of Separation. A lot of times, I am interested in how people can contribute, debate, comment on and extend the piece of content. I even take the time to let the people in my two primary online social networks (Twitter and Facebook) know that I’ve posted something new, so they can check it out and pass it along (if they liked it).

Many of the times I don’t add anything additional to the Blog post in the comments section because I have said everything I wanted to say about the topic in the Blog post.

In short, if you think differently or think I’m acting like a jerk in my posts, yes you can feel free to leave me a comment about it, but it doesn’t really motivate me to want to continue Blogging (especially when I do everything in my power to be kind and always think of the value to you first). So many people have dumped on great thinkers like Seth Godin for not having comments activated on their Blog, but I wholeheartedly disagree with those who say, "it’s not a Blog unless you can comment on it." I don’t like waiting a year (sometimes longer) for new Seth Godin or Tom Peters content, so if they’re going to provide additional thoughts and insights and publish them on a Blog platform without comments, I’m just thankful for access to that content (oh, and did I forget to mention that the bulk of this content is 100% free?). I don’t feel any particular right to that content (or a right to question them). These thought leaders (or anyone else) do not need to "open up" their content for discussion or criticism – it’s a personal choice. In the end, if you have something to say (whether you agree or disagree with them), you too can start your own Blog, Twitter feed or Facebook Page to publish your own thoughts.

Don’t get me wrong, the Internet is an amazing platform to share ideas with, but there is a little part of me that sometimes thinks about disabling comments.

Is that too grumpy?