Sun, 14 Apr 2024 18:33 UTC
I don’t know…I’m not sure. I might possibly be the only soul on this planet who thinks that comments on websites are mostly unnecessary. I view them as a distraction and find that the majority of comments do not add anything pertinent to the article or topic they appear in. That said, I have read some excellent discussions in the comments sections, but they are extremely rare.
It is true that everyone has an opinion. Unfortunately, in this era of Twitter and Facebook and a zillion WordPress blogs – where the voiceless have been given a voice – a lot of those opinions appearing in comments are essentially just noise. A lot of noise.
Webmentions
We now also have Webmentions:
a simple protocol to notify any URL when a website links to it.
Both comments and webmentions have essentially “socialised” the web, enabling even static page websites to be an interactive, living and breathing space.
Which brings me to “real life”. Every time, EVERY TIME I order a pizza or go grocery shopping, as soon as the delivery happens or as soon as I arrive back at home, I receive the ‘How was it for you?’ email.
Why the constant craving for feedback? For interaction? For acknowledgement? Look, I would not order pizza from you time and time again if I didn’t like it or I would not shop at your supermarket so often if there wasn’t a good reason to. The fact that I keep coming back should say it all…I do not understand why I am compelled to spell it out for you every week!
I’ve spotted mistakes on blogs and websites. All I’ve done is sent a quick line in an email to point out the issue. Or I’ve sent a message via something or other. Sometimes, I receive a response and a thanks; other times, nothing. There is no love lost and I still go back for more either way.
If not, then how?
Dear Reader, please visit my Contact page at your leisure. I’m reachable via e-mail (encrypted, if you prefer) or on the Fediverse. My humble blog posts are not really comment-worthy…we can have a proper conversation elsewhere!