It’s Okay To Have The Last Word
June 29, 2007
I usually get upset when my kids try to get the last word in, whether they’re arguing with me or amongst themselves. But the one time I think it’s okay is when it’s a blogger doing it. In fact, I would say it’s critical they do. I’ll explain.
I was having a conversation with Mike on a post of his, which happened to coincide with something I’ve been mulling around in my head for a while. The way I see it, a blog is no different than me sitting in front of you (a.k.a. your blog) while you tell me a story. I listen, I contemplate, and if I feel like it, I reply. But if you were to get up and go talk with someone else, then I would find that extremely rude.
Let’s turn that around real quick. You ask me a question and I just sit there staring at you or whatever. Not nice, right?
That’s why I encourage bloggers to respond to their visitors when they take the time to write a comment. It’s also why I have unsubscribed from some blogs who don’t at least acknowledge my existence.
Get the last word and acknowledge your readers. And if you’re using WordPress, do you and your readers a favor by using the plugin Subscribe to Comments. It just makes communication flow a little more smoothly and less hassle for the reader to remember where he commented to check on things.
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Mark · Filed Under Blogging
Comments
18 Responses to “It’s Okay To Have The Last Word”
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First-time commenters will be moderated and will display if I approve.
on your own blog in response to other comments is an important part of blogging, and it sets the blogs in the movement apart from other blogs where comments may go unanswered. As Mark says in his blog, blogging is the one place where it is okay to insist on always having the last word. When I comment on blogs that are “alive” I always check back to see how the blogger responded to my comments. And I am also more apt to return to blogs that follow this practice. It’s not fun talking to yourself, after all. So, if you want your
Couldn’t agree more! User comments are what makes blogging worthwhile, w/o them the blogosphere is a lonely and desolate place. *nod*
This seems to be prevalent among a lot of the bigger blogs. For me, having people comment is one of the most important ways to build a community. Why throw that away by not replying in kind?
Yeah. I mean, I’m sure it’s hard when you get big to respond to everyone, but at least make an APPEARANCE on your posts.
Great minds (great blogs, perhaps?) think alike!
Ignoring a comment is like ignoring money on the floor.
I think we should start a little movement with this, Mark. What do you think? “You comment, I reply”
Hehe…power to the people!
Hmm kind of like the DoFollow movement but this time it’s “DoReply”
Might not be a bad idea.
Yep, that’s something that crossed my mind. We have “Don’t be an idiot”, “U comment, I follow”,…hmmm
Let’s dooo it. We’ll be famous for being the pioneers of the movement….or something
Seeing as how you’re the artistic one of the bunch, maybe you can whip something up?
We can all write about it then.
I actually have a very simple idea for it that I think will work. Gimme a few
What do we call it? The DoReply movement or iReply haha ..
We need a good name.
Hey, I like the iReply!
Let’s follow-up via email.
[…] reading a post by Mark from MAMD which was related to Mike’s article on Ordinary Folk, the three of us decided to start the […]
[…] iReply idea itself was born in a comments exchange on Mike’s post It’s Okay To Have The Last Word, which was encouraging bloggers to respond to readers who took time to leave a […]
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