Lissa Wiley started a Facebook discussion about blogging that seems to have prompted several bloggers to resolve to write more frequently and comment more on each other's blogs. Do you remember the 2005-2006 blogiverse, when people would read thousand-word posts all the way through, and leave thoughtful comments along with 30 of their online pals, and discuss back and forth in the comboxes and then write their own blog posts about the topic? I'm not suggesting that we resurrect the trackback, but I miss those days.
These days I am as guilty as anybody of reading the first sentence in a Facebook link and skimming the rest of the article. In those years blogging took up a little too much space in my head. There's no perfect solution, then or now, in the quest for online community, but if you have been looking for a nudge to write more frequently and connect more often with the bloggers whose posts you enjoy, maybe this is your nudge.
Say the word if you'd like to be added to the shiny new blogroll in my left margin -- the only requirement is a commitment to reasonably frequent posting and commenting.
Comments are one of the things I've been thinking about. I don't often reply to comments on the blog, because I have the feeling that people rarely check back for replies these days. If someone requests clarification, or something along those lines, I'll comment here with the idea that it will be useful to anybody else who gets that far. Most often I reply to comments via email, because for me that's the best way to continue the conversation. But I don't know of anybody who says, "You know what I need in my life? More email." Maybe email isn't the best idea.
I'm interested in your perspective here: are you a blogger or a former blogger? If so, what is/was your motivation for blogging and how has it changed? How do you prefer to find out about new blog posts? Where are you most likely to comment -- FB, Twitter, on the blog post itself? What's your preferred channel for responses to comments?
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