Do you know what really bugs me? Bloggers who don’t participate in the debate or discussion they started.
It’s like they’ve lobbed a pseudo-intellectual blog-bomb into the ether then scurry away to hide in their blog-bunker. Jumping onto the zeitgeist bandwagon the sycophantic plebeians of social media swarm around their blog like it was the greatest thing since god knows what. Unwittingly feeding the behaviour and encouraging more blog-bombing. WTF?
Perhaps it’s ignorance… Perhaps if we don’t tell them engagement is an interesting dance between people they won’t ever know? That their beautifully crafted bouquet of a blog is in fact a Pseudo-Intellectual Blog-Bomb of Ignorance.
Perhaps standing up and defending what you have to say is hard work… Perhaps being brave enough to listen and change your views doesn’t come easy…
Guess what? IT’S NOT MEANT TO BE EASY. It’s called authenticity. It’s called integrity. It’s where you’ll find respect.
Perhaps the audience get something from this reverse monologue… I don’t. Would you write a message or talk to a book? No! Then why would you engage in a monologue with a blog post? I’d much rather have a meaningful conversation or debate with people who can do more than just vomit into a blog and suck up the adoration of the star-struck.
It’s my personal opinion of course but I’m happy to look at it through your eyes and learn something new.
Oh and if you’re reading this thinking it’s just David having a bit of a rant, I’m not. I’m initiating a dialogue with you and I’d love to hear what you have to say. You know where to find me!
People Performance Potential 
David,I loved your blog and do love reading others. The reason I tend not to leave a comment is because i feel that I have nothing meaningful to say! As for being a Blogger, I don't see myself as one and so on that basis, I again, don't feel I have anything to contribute.That leaves just having a dialogue on Twitter in as many long conversations as it sometimes takes! That's the contribution I can make and feel I'm able to without feeling "stupid" about it.As promised, here's my contribution.
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Posted by Bina | April 3, 2012, 11:23 AMHi Bina! Great to read your thoughts & contribution. I think it's fair to say that more & more of the dialogue around a subject (or even a blog post) now happens on Twitter. I think it's great and perhaps allows for a more divergent exploration than a blog does…My post was really about the bloggers who initiate but don't engage in the dialogue rather than those readers who don't comment. Commenting is a personal choice. Writing a blog post and then not engaging with the readers' comments or tweets on the subject just seems like ignorance. In my eyes it reflects poorly on the person.There's another dimension here in terms of expectations which I wrote about here which may add to the discussion :http://peopleperformancepotential.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/friday-wondering-our-social-contract.html
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Posted by davidgoddin | April 3, 2012, 12:19 PMThanks David, you're most kind! I would gladly contribute to #FridayWondering! Excellent Idea! I do understand when you say that once you've written a blog/a post, you do have that responsibility to engage with your readers, at least show them the courtesy of acknowleding their participation.
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Posted by Bina | April 3, 2012, 12:36 PMAnother great read David. I have to admit I find some well known bloggers to be very much as you describe. It's as if they have their view, they like having that view confirmed but struggle if there is disagreement or a further dialogue is required. For me it's a matter of personal pride to reply to commenters, to give the respect to their input, whether I agree or not. I appreciate that the likes of Seth Goddin don't allow comments just because of sheer weight of replies etc. but even that feels somewhat rude.I know my blog is much smaller but if you've bothered to comment you deserve a response is my motto
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Posted by Jon Bartlett | April 3, 2012, 7:07 PMGreat motto Jon – "If you've bothered to comment you deserve a response". What does it say when bloggers act contrary to that? "You don't deserve my response"? "I can't be bothered"? Doesn't seem like a great way to maintain any half-way decent reputation…@RafaDavies posted this today which I think touches upon the reputational aspect…http://hrchainsaw.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/the-most-amazing-awesome-essential-game-changing-post-ever-not-really/ Seth Godin is an interesting one… I wonder who he discusses/debates with and how? Where does he get his learning?
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Posted by davidgoddin | April 3, 2012, 7:54 PMhe he – Seth knows everything 😉 A Latin lesson. Ab = away. Rogare = to question. Arrogance is derived from these two words and the Latin definition says it all methinks.
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Posted by Doug Shaw | April 3, 2012, 8:06 PMI guess the flip side to his abrogation of comments is that perhaps he's found a better way?!?
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Posted by davidgoddin | April 4, 2012, 7:36 AMI get the distinction: throwing open a subject – and possibly for the traffic it will generate – and then not bothering to respond to the resultant reaction(s).I closed comments on my personal blog, but welcome and encourage dialogue elsewhere on social media or email. The result is that the blog attracts less people who want to be seen to be commenting (or for link juice) and more people who really want to get into it with me.I would rather that sort of meaningful dialogue than random and mindless commenting.Too often, I find, comments are used as some sort of barometer as to how good a blog is. The two rarely have anything to do with each other.
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Posted by Melinda Sealy Fargo | April 17, 2012, 8:27 PMHi Mel – delighted you commented as it adds to the discussion and debate. Without trying to be "cute" that's where I personally think blog comments can come into their own. I agree that platitudes or mindless comments are no barometer of the blog – just the person commenting.I increasingly enjoy more of the "in the moment" comments & discussions from my blog posts that happen on Twitter, email or even the phone. There's a spontaneity, connection & dialogue that is hard to find on a blog comment box.Yet I still feel I need a place for more lengthy, shared discussions to be hosted publicly. Would this seam of enquiry you've opened up here have happened if I'd closed the comments function?
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Posted by davidgoddin | April 18, 2012, 7:15 AMYes. Because when I am moved to comment or discuss I do. I would have conversed with you on Twitter or offline. In the time I have been blogging, I have seen a lessening of quality material and more sensationalism just to boost comment numbers.Like everything in life, though, it is personal choice how one chooses to run their space.I am leaning more to the old fashioned 'Letter To The Editor', which I may implement.
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Posted by Melinda Sealy Fargo | April 18, 2012, 7:37 AMThe sensationalism for popularity sakes doesn't appeal but there's a place for provocation – I think you'd agree!The interesting piece about blog numbers is who cares? We as readers are only aware if we see lots of comments – we can make our own minds up about the quality etc. Or if the blogger broadcasts their "stats" – how does that serve the readership?Don't get me wrong, there's an important place for celebration but self-promotional grand-standing wins a big unfollow in my book.Interested in your idea of "Letter to the Editor" – it's worth experimenting I think!
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Posted by davidgoddin | April 18, 2012, 7:48 AMDavid – interesting to see this raising it’s head again as I remember a similar conversation some time ago over a pint in London.
I must confess I still struggle to understand your point… Whilst you clearly set out your stall in your blog being a dialogue and are diligent in responding to comments – but that’s your choice and your position.
Personally speaking there are times when I’ve got nothing to add but enjoy seeing people challenge my thinking or take it in a completely different direction and there are times when I don’t want to interfere in the comments as they are building off each other nicely. That said there are times when I have just run out of time in the day and not got around to it and I can sense that for some that is percieved as rude.
My over riding view on this is that it’s a preference thing both for the blogger and the reader and that anyone commenting needs to do so with caveat emptor about a response…
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Posted by mastersorbust | April 7, 2013, 9:40 PMRob – a year on and it’s interesting to think about this topic again and ponder if anything has changed – thanks also for commenting! Let me clarify my point being made in the blog first and a view that hasn’t changed for me.
When you open up your blog for comments and then don’t recognise the effort made by someone who adds their thoughts, reactions, appreciation or difference then I believe it’s more than just preference… It’s a form of deliberate non-engagement. What I think is particularly interesting is how this appears to occur with certain ‘popular’ bloggers. Their popularity and writing attract a lot of sharing and commenting but the author does little to recognise their audience. What’s that about?
There are day to day practicalities of when it’s convenient to respond and I fully agree that if there’s a nice discussion building then interference from the author can disrupt. But if you never respond to the audience that promotes and adds value to your blog then what does that say?
As you can see, I feel as strongly about the engagement aspect of blogging now as I did a year ago! Blogs from apparently ignorant authors just don’t get my time or attention now. It’s a bit like the conference circuit and “the sage on the stage”…
So perhaps “caveat emptor” is an appropriate philosophy for some… Personally I rebel against it in the context of engagement. Maybe “caveat venditor” would be more appropriate from my perspective. However, if we engage with our audience appreciatively we needn’t apply any ancient language at all!
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Posted by David Goddin | April 8, 2013, 8:18 AM