Lee LeFever has a post this morning about blogs vs. more old school message boards. He resurrects a chart a couple of years ago that he says is still relevant.
One of the things that I found striking was the distinction the chart made between blogs and message boards when it comes to comments and discussion. On message boards, “replies are required for a discussion” while on a blog, “comments are extraneous, not required.”
I know that I’m nitpicking a bit here, but I want to point out that I find comments unbelievably relevant. I agree with Scoble that the most interesting information about a blog post is how (and whether) people respond to it. Commenters on all of the blogs I work for have challenged my thinking, corrected my mistakes, provided me with handy information and kept me honest. Without comments, blogs would not be nearly so powerful as they have become.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Kevin OKeefe 03.13.07 at 10:47 am
Comments though good, are not necessary as was the case with message boards.
I ran a few hundred message boards at lawyers.com. For any interaction, replying to a post and following the thread was required.
However, with blogs there can be all types of interaction via others commenting on something I said via a post on their blog, as opposed to leaving a comment on my blog. In addition the person who commented via post on their blog brings to the discussion all the people who follow their blog and all the people who may be monitoring relevant key words via Google blog search or technorati. Because of this, the discussion is much broader than a comment on another blog itself.
Not saying leaving a comment below the blog itself is not worthwhile (I’m doing it here), I just don”t see it as necessary for discussion. In fact commenting by posting on another blog may expand the discussion.
shel israel 03.14.07 at 9:16 am
It seems to me that the fact that Comments are voluntary, rather than required as they are on message boards, makes them more valuable. The most passionate people, pro or con, are the ones who leave comments on my blog. In that light, a blog without comments is like a day with neither sunshine not rain.