One Way Blogging...

I found the following at http://news.com.com/2061-10788_3-6081284.html and thought I'd put something up, since I have not had a new entry in several weeks. It appears my blogging has slowed on because of two factors - first: it just takes a long time to blog (because blogging requires active participation reading other blogs, thus creating traffic) and second: work has heated up with a the fun cycle starting for 2007 business & product planning.

That being said, I kinda have a problem with one-way blogs -- if someone does not allow comments, they are not blogging in my opinion - they are writing articles for their own personal magazine. Nothing wrong with that, but don't call it a blog - it's an ezine, utilizing personal publishing software (such as Blogger or Moveable Type) to create their articles. No comments, no blog - it's that simple. So, here is the original blog from News.com....

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A firestorm over one-way blogging

June 8, 2006 9:00 AM PDT

Seth Godin has done something that would be unthinkable in much of the blogosphere: He does not allow comments on his blog. And, by doing so, he may have unwittingly inspired far more discussion than would ever have occurred otherwise, on his blog or anywhere else. (Note: Godin may also want to consider turning off his TrackBack feature, which effectively serves the same purpose as comments by surfacing posts by others on his blog.)

The reason for his decision? "First, I feel compelled to clarify or to answer every objection or to point out every flaw in reasoning. Second, it takes way too much of my time to even think about them, never mind curate them," Godin writes. "And finally, and most important for you, it permanently changes the way I write. Instead of writing for everyone, I find myself writing in anticipation of the commenters."

A heretical notion, in a medium that thrives and prides itself on interactivity. But Godin isn't the first to take this step, and he won't be the last. The unfortunate truth is that too many comments are mere insults and rants--far from any grist for productive dialogue--and civility is an increasingly rare commodity. Given this sad state, one can hardly blame some bloggers for wanting simply to chronicle their thoughts and to be left alone.

Blog community response:

"For some, having the ability for people to comment on your postings is that destination. For others, the main goal is to share what's in your brain. Either way, the conversation is still taking place."
--TwistImage

"I can understand why people like Seth Godin and, arguably, the world's first blogger, Dave Winer, have elected for the 'no comment' approach. It does make me feel uncomfortable though. It's a foghorn approach to blogging. A kind of 'I'm OK, You're Not OK' pre-judgement of their readers."
--Teblog

"I believe one of Seth's primary reasons for not enabling comments is so that his 'remarkable' (a Seth term) posts will be spread virally to other blogs, by individuals creating new nodes of discussions and spreading his word."
--Web Strategy by Jeremiah

Posted by Mike Yamamoto

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BTW, not that anyone will care, but I've read Seth Godin's blog and although he's out there in front (with his ideas, etc.), I'm not a regular reader. I feel his blog is more about him (and his ideas) -- a basic place for self promotion. His statement is valid about comments, but that's the point of interactive media - and in some cases goes completely against what he writes about. In IDEAVIRUS, he talks about interacting with your customer - and the comments on blogs are perfect places to do that. Even if you don't want to respond to every comment, it provides a way to get into the minds of the readers.

Now if I could only get a few comments!!!!

UPDATE: OK, I got a comment and from the guy I mentioned above (Seth Godin) - to be completely honest, it is humbling because I have read many of his books and "get" what he is saying. Now, as I commented back, the above was more of a "writing out loud" exercise - after reading it, I thought "so what if Seth's blog is self promoting, that's the point!!" Most blogs are self promoting, either what I like, my life, my job, my family, my dis-likes, my hobbies, my company - and that is GOOD!! The point of this medium is to "raise and hand and speak in class" - and if (in the case of Seth's blog) I don't what comments - then that's fine too. So Seth, thanks for the comment, thanks for the dialogue and thanks for having a blog for us hear you "write out loud".