Comment Less?
6. Do you think gardeners comment less than other bloggers?
- [TG:] “No comment…just kidding! I’m really not sure why that would be, though. Are we just a bunch of silent voyeurs checking out each other’s landscapes? I get a fair number of comments on my blog. Unfortunately, Blogger doesn’t have a good method for responding to comments.”
- [MSS:] “No. Of my blogs, the garden blog has the most comments and the least number of entries. I do think gardeners write more interesting comments. They tend to expand on the topic and relate their own experiences. I would rather have one articulate comment than ten useless “Lol!” comments.”
- [PO:] “Seems so to me. My blog garners very, very few comments, yet the statistics that my host provides me show that the site gets a respectable number of hits. Then again, the blogs we garden-types write aren’t about the issues that move folks to heated debate. They tend to be gentle, easy reading things with pretty pictures of blooms that lull consciousness, not engender controversy. “
- [PS:] “Yes. They answer questions, but do not feel obliged to remark on everything everybody says. I attribute that in part to the more specialized knowledge in the field. Compare Waiter Rant.”
- [EBD:] “I, personally, am not a frequent commenter–not on the blogs of people I really know, nor on the blogs of others. For that matter, I seldom even respond to the comments I receive; mostly because it’s too darn hard to type with a squirmy baby in my lap. But I don’t think garden bloggers as a group are necessarily less likely to comment than anyone else. “
- [IL:] “I think so. Not sure why. Perhaps it is because a garden is so personal. I have seen some forums that have alot of participation… maybe all that will move toward the blogs once gardeners online discover more of the blogs.”
- [DW:] “No, I would say that garden bloggers actually comment more than others…at least in my experience.”
- [JZ:] “Quite the contrary, I think we are a talkative bunch.”
- [KP:] “I have to confess, I’m a comment junkie. After each new blog entry I write, I eagerly check my email hoping for comment notifications. And when visiting other garden blogs, I get sometimes get “comment envy” when I see an entry with more than, say, half a dozen comments. But I probably wouldn’t have included this question if I hadn’t seen Yes, You Are Allowed to Leave a Comment on A Gardening Blog. Thank you, Hanna, for helping me realize I’m not the only one! So, while I agree in part with MSS and PO, my honest answer is, no matter how much my readers comment, I’ll always hope for one more.”
Winter is the icicle in the soul of the gardener.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
i think it’s not that garden bloggers or their readers are less talkative but
that they are a little bit wiser then others and if you don’t have something good to say, just saying wow or i’m amazed or saying hi it’s way to common without any meaning so why say it.i also saw some blogs having some good conversations in comment area. i think it’s also because of the article, some articles leave place for comments others are just to complete so there is nothing else to add.
i’m impressed with how many comments some garden blogs get. the bloggers who are really good at generating comments seem like they are probably very gregarious by nature. that seems to come across in the blogging.
this question seems like it should have more reader comments than it does. how can people not comment on a blog post about commenting?
I think leaving comments is like saying hi to the owner of the blog and it’s one way of giving respect for entering someone’s garden. So why not say something, even short note only. You dont have to be a genius to say hi to someone. There’s a saying “Gardening feed your soul”.. i think looking at their work ( pictures ) and reading their thoughts or ideas are feeding the readers soul too. I think we should say hi to owner, what do you think?