On Removing Comments

2013-05-07

I haven't had comments enabled on this site for quite some time now. The previous, very light-weight version of TDH.me did away with the comment block. Obviously there are no comments now either, and I'm seriously contemplating taking similar action on other sites I run.

Removing comments have had these effects, both immediate and long term:

The conversation rate has increased, but moved. We're now talking on Twitter and to some extent on App.net.
The tone of the conversation was always pretty decent here, but it has improved nonetheless. Criticism is constructive, praise is just as nice as ever.
There is no moderation, and no missed comments, to manage and apologize for.
I don't have to worry about spam, which includes both it spam bots and the occasional trolling.

This would've been the perfect opportunity for a graph of some sort, but I've got no numbers to share. Sorry. 

[caption id="attachment_19118" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Photo by Connor Tarter (CC)[/caption]

Some claim that a blog without comments isn't a blog. I don't care about this, as I've never really bothered too much about what you call a site. I publish stuff on TDH.me, how you categorize it is more your problem than mine - at least that's my approach.

Others think that removing the comments is a way to distance oneself with the readers. Since the conversation has increased, and I'm easier to get hold off than ever, I disagree with this notion. The same goes for the argument that removing comments is a way to not stand up for your content. Again, I'm available, and I give you more power to criticize me since we can talk on even ground, as opposed to within a comment box where I, the publisher, am in complete control.

Should everyone remove their comment boxes then? Probably not. I'm actually having a hard time deciding wether the next version of my Swedish site will have comments or not. There are so many good discussions in the comments there, but there's a lot of nonsense as well. It's a tough call, even with the positive result from this very site.

Your mileage will vary has to be the safe wrap-up to this post. If you have something to say, I'm @tdh on Twitter, and @tdh on App.net.