This is just a thought about things already happening. It is funny how at the moment, communicating via blog posts and blog comments seems to be the most primitive form of communication for many people. What do I mean?
If you meet someone on your blog and would like to talk more and become closer friends, you would probably e-mail each other more, or talk via instant messengers, voice chat with each other online, see each other through webcams online, text each other, call each other or meet in person. It seems as if everything else is one step higher than communicating solely via a blog post and a blog comment, for most people and as of now. You do not see most people talking on the phone first and then, in order to get closer, talking only through blog comments.
What do you think? Does that make blog posts and comments more or less important than other forms of communication?
Zain B. Thought: On blog posts and comments being the lowest levels of communication for most people. The Reasoner. 2007. Available at: http://thereasoner.com/articles/online/thought-on-blog-posts-and-comments-being-the-lowest-levels-of-communication-for-most-people. Accessed March 15, 2010.
APA citation:
Zain, Bes. (2007). Thought: On blog posts and comments being the lowest levels of communication for most people. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from The Reasoner Web site: http://thereasoner.com/articles/online/thought-on-blog-posts-and-comments-being-the-lowest-levels-of-communication-for-most-people
Chicago citation:
Zain, Bes. 2007. Thought: On blog posts and comments being the lowest levels of communication for most people. The Reasoner. http://thereasoner.com/articles/online/thought-on-blog-posts-and-comments-being-the-lowest-levels-of-communication-for-most-people (accessed March 15, 2010).
Harvard citation:
Zain, B 2007, Thought: On blog posts and comments being the lowest levels of communication for most people, The Reasoner. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from <http://thereasoner.com/articles/online/thought-on-blog-posts-and-comments-being-the-lowest-levels-of-communication-for-most-people>
MLA citation:
Zain, Bes. "Thought: On blog posts and comments being the lowest levels of communication for most people." 14 Jun. 2007. The Reasoner. Accessed 15 Mar. 2010. <http://thereasoner.com/articles/online/thought-on-blog-posts-and-comments-being-the-lowest-levels-of-communication-for-most-people>
14 Comments to “
Thought: On blog posts and comments being the lowest levels of communication for most people .” Please leave a comment below, thank you.
Nicole (25 comments)
:
( June 15th, 2007 at
6:04 am )
I would say less important. Well, maybe not LESS important, but in my opinion, it is the lowest level of communication. It is difficult to have a conversation via blog comments. You might go off topic if you start talking about the weather or what not to the blog owner. And there’s always the possibility that the person you asked a question to will see your comment many moons after you asked i,t and then you will forget what you asked them in the first place. I guess what I mean is, it is difficult to have conversations via blogs; at least ones that move smoothly. These types of conversations are more like writing a fan letter to a celebrity. Only a few will write back, and even then, it isn’t true conversation.
Simply Precious (39 comments)
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( June 15th, 2007 at
8:53 am )
Hehehehe, nice thought! I’ve thought about the same thing before, but not as “thoughtful” as you. I’ve had MANY online friends who’ve commented on my blogs on almost every entry, and then when their site dies, or if they don’t want to be online anymore due to their hectic offline life, they’d always say, in one of their blog comments to me, that they’ll miss me, and that they’ll keep in touch, etc, etc, but most of the time, that’d be the last I’d hear from them! LOL. It is DEFINITELY hard to keep in touch via e-mail, instant messenger, etc, when you’ve never done that before when the 2 of you only communicated through blog comments! I actually think blog comments are important, but e-mail, instant messenger, and all of those other forms of communication is one step higher, and even more important than blog comments. But I still LOVE and appreciate blog comments, if that’s all that they can do(some of them have hectic lives, so they don’t go online much).
inspirationbit (75 comments)
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( June 15th, 2007 at
11:04 am )
I think that it’s impossible to be friends and exchange emails or chat with everyone who comments on your blog. So even though the comments maybe the low level of communications on a personal level (I agree with LGR regarding the Twitter though), I still think that they’re very important.
Vics (3 comments)
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( June 15th, 2007 at
2:21 pm )
I’d say it’s not so much the lowest form of conversation as a different one. You can’t get to know someone in a public place, you need at least the illusion of privacy around you which is why the blog comments are merely a starting place, an introduction if you like.
Twitter is pretty much the same, you don’t just leave comments about what you’re doing you see what others are doing and as you see parallels forming between you and them, a conversation strikes up and suddenly, like with the above example, you move from the twitterlines to pm’s, emails, im and phone conversations.
I like twitter, it’s a great tool both for procrastination and discovering new people with similar interests.
Bes (1234 comments)
Find/Add me at these places: Flickr | MySpace | Twitter
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( June 15th, 2007 at
10:28 pm )
Nicole, thanks for the comment! So you think it’s less important or a “lower form” of contact compared to other forms, I see.
Yes, communicating solely via blog comments can be hard, since other forms of communication allow better interaction on a whim. For example, on instant messengers I can say “Haha” and you can respond right away saying “Stop laughing like a retard all the time!” Through blog comments, however, direction of a conversation can go in different directions based on who else responds via comments too, unless each post allows only 2 people to interact with each other.
Good point about “true conversation”; it won’t be completely normal for many people because of the delay and the difference from other forms of communication.
LGR, thanks for sharing! Hmmm, I had not thought about Twitter, great point! It is probably going to end up being only a one way conversation, or not even a conversation. “I want you, LGR, to know that I just rubbed my forehead.” Wow, do you feel lucky? Sure, finding out about what people do right away is good, but are we doing it because we want to know, or because we want others to know what we ourselves do?
SP, thanks for the comment. Yes, many people in the offline world also say “Keep in touch, yay!” and then when you meet them a year later, they say the same thing. All the time, no one keeps in touch. Yes, blog comments are nice, but it seems many people prefer other forms of communication more than solely comments and blog posts.
How about you? Do you communicate with your readers mostly through blog comments and posts?
Vivien-Inspirationbit, thanks for the comment. I personally think it is very hard, yes. I am also trying to achieve it, though. I am a few e-mails behind, but it is hopefully going to work. Maybe I am aiming for an illusion or the wrong thing?
I like your idea that even if a comment is of a lower level of interaction compared to other forms, it is still very important. Do you think we can find out an equivalent of something in the offline world that comes close to blog posts and comments in the online world?
The Dog, thanks for the comment. Heh, that is interesting: “how do you get anything done
if you are always writing about what you are doing?”
Hmmm, that is very interesting. They “enhance“, and “not replace” other levels and forms of communication. I can dig into this further, since that is very interesting. Do you think blog comments and posts can stand on their own, without depending on other forms, and compare/compete with other forms of communication on their own?
Vics, thanks for the comment.
Good use of word again: “different one.”
“Illusion of privacy” and “introduction“, that is a very good way to look at it. I wonder how many people post and comment to gain more exposure, and how many post and comment in order to start interacting with someone online, with as much privacy as possible.
I have not tried Twitter that much, or at all. So, you do contact and interact via different channels, including phone, with people who post similar activities on Twitter?
You said Twitter is nice for “procrastination.” Could you elaborate a bit on that please?
Bes (1234 comments)
Find/Add me at these places: Flickr | MySpace | Twitter
:
( June 15th, 2007 at
10:36 pm )
Thanks for the quick response! Do you mean all the readers, some readers or most of the readers? It would be very interesting if one can completely, and effectively, communicate with readers only through blog posts and comments, since that is how many readers may want to be communicated with.
Simply Precious (39 comments)
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( June 15th, 2007 at
10:43 pm )
LOL, it’s actually most of the readers… Unless they contact me through otherways, like instant messenger, first, then that’s a different story. Most of the time, it’s just through blog posts and comments… LOL… I usually don’t initiate the “conversation” through other means, unless it’s REALLY important. I may e-mail some readers from time to time, but it’s mostly through blog posts and comments.
Bes (1234 comments)
Find/Add me at these places: Flickr | MySpace | Twitter
:
( June 16th, 2007 at
3:42 pm )
SP, I see, thanks for explaining. I do see a lot of interaction going on between you and your readers through the comments, on a regular basis. Are you satisfied with it? Are there any situations where you feel the need to move away from comments and onto something else, besides privacy?
Vivien-inspirationbit, thanks. So comments in your view add more input and “feedback“, I see.
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( June 15th, 2007 at 5:57 am )
I would say less important. Well, maybe not less important, but it is, in my opinion, the lowest form of communication.
Reply & quote this
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( June 15th, 2007 at 6:04 am )
I would say less important. Well, maybe not LESS important, but in my opinion, it is the lowest level of communication. It is difficult to have a conversation via blog comments. You might go off topic if you start talking about the weather or what not to the blog owner. And there’s always the possibility that the person you asked a question to will see your comment many moons after you asked i,t and then you will forget what you asked them in the first place. I guess what I mean is, it is difficult to have conversations via blogs; at least ones that move smoothly. These types of conversations are more like writing a fan letter to a celebrity. Only a few will write back, and even then, it isn’t true conversation.
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( June 15th, 2007 at 7:02 am )
While I follow your post I have one form of communication that is lower. Twitter.
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( June 15th, 2007 at 8:53 am )
Hehehehe, nice thought! I’ve thought about the same thing before, but not as “thoughtful” as you. I’ve had MANY online friends who’ve commented on my blogs on almost every entry, and then when their site dies, or if they don’t want to be online anymore due to their hectic offline life, they’d always say, in one of their blog comments to me, that they’ll miss me, and that they’ll keep in touch, etc, etc, but most of the time, that’d be the last I’d hear from them! LOL. It is DEFINITELY hard to keep in touch via e-mail, instant messenger, etc, when you’ve never done that before when the 2 of you only communicated through blog comments! I actually think blog comments are important, but e-mail, instant messenger, and all of those other forms of communication is one step higher, and even more important than blog comments. But I still LOVE and appreciate blog comments, if that’s all that they can do(some of them have hectic lives, so they don’t go online much).
But yes, nice thought, Bes! =)
Reply & quote this
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( June 15th, 2007 at 11:04 am )
I think that it’s impossible to be friends and exchange emails or chat with everyone who comments on your blog. So even though the comments maybe the low level of communications on a personal level (I agree with LGR regarding the Twitter though), I still think that they’re very important.
Reply & quote this
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( June 15th, 2007 at 11:33 am )
LGR, What is Twitter anyway? I went there and don’t get it..how do you get anything done
if you are always writing about what you are doing?
BTW, blogs, comments enhance existing mediums, not replace IMO.
Reply & quote this
:
( June 15th, 2007 at 2:21 pm )
I’d say it’s not so much the lowest form of conversation as a different one. You can’t get to know someone in a public place, you need at least the illusion of privacy around you which is why the blog comments are merely a starting place, an introduction if you like.
Twitter is pretty much the same, you don’t just leave comments about what you’re doing you see what others are doing and as you see parallels forming between you and them, a conversation strikes up and suddenly, like with the above example, you move from the twitterlines to pm’s, emails, im and phone conversations.
I like twitter, it’s a great tool both for procrastination and discovering new people with similar interests.
Reply & quote this
Find/Add me at these places: Flickr | MySpace | Twitter :
( June 15th, 2007 at 10:28 pm )
Nicole, thanks for the comment! So you think it’s less important or a “lower form” of contact compared to other forms, I see.
Yes, communicating solely via blog comments can be hard, since other forms of communication allow better interaction on a whim. For example, on instant messengers I can say “Haha” and you can respond right away saying “Stop laughing like a retard all the time!” Through blog comments, however, direction of a conversation can go in different directions based on who else responds via comments too, unless each post allows only 2 people to interact with each other.
Good point about “true conversation”; it won’t be completely normal for many people because of the delay and the difference from other forms of communication.
LGR, thanks for sharing! Hmmm, I had not thought about Twitter, great point! It is probably going to end up being only a one way conversation, or not even a conversation. “I want you, LGR, to know that I just rubbed my forehead.” Wow, do you feel lucky? Sure, finding out about what people do right away is good, but are we doing it because we want to know, or because we want others to know what we ourselves do?
SP, thanks for the comment. Yes, many people in the offline world also say “Keep in touch, yay!” and then when you meet them a year later, they say the same thing. All the time, no one keeps in touch.
Yes, blog comments are nice, but it seems many people prefer other forms of communication more than solely comments and blog posts.
How about you? Do you communicate with your readers mostly through blog comments and posts?
Vivien-Inspirationbit, thanks for the comment. I personally think it is very hard, yes. I am also trying to achieve it, though. I am a few e-mails behind, but it is hopefully going to work. Maybe I am aiming for an illusion or the wrong thing?
I like your idea that even if a comment is of a lower level of interaction compared to other forms, it is still very important. Do you think we can find out an equivalent of something in the offline world that comes close to blog posts and comments in the online world?
The Dog, thanks for the comment. Heh, that is interesting: “how do you get anything done
if you are always writing about what you are doing?”
Hmmm, that is very interesting. They “enhance“, and “not replace” other levels and forms of communication. I can dig into this further, since that is very interesting. Do you think blog comments and posts can stand on their own, without depending on other forms, and compare/compete with other forms of communication on their own?
Vics, thanks for the comment.
Good use of word again: “different one.”
“Illusion of privacy” and “introduction“, that is a very good way to look at it. I wonder how many people post and comment to gain more exposure, and how many post and comment in order to start interacting with someone online, with as much privacy as possible.
I have not tried Twitter that much, or at all. So, you do contact and interact via different channels, including phone, with people who post similar activities on Twitter?
You said Twitter is nice for “procrastination.” Could you elaborate a bit on that please?
Thanks again. This is really nice.
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:
( June 15th, 2007 at 10:31 pm )
Yes, I mainly do communicate with my readers via comments and posts only… LOL…
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( June 15th, 2007 at 10:36 pm )
Thanks for the quick response! Do you mean all the readers, some readers or most of the readers? It would be very interesting if one can completely, and effectively, communicate with readers only through blog posts and comments, since that is how many readers may want to be communicated with.
Reply & quote this
:
( June 15th, 2007 at 10:43 pm )
LOL, it’s actually most of the readers… Unless they contact me through otherways, like instant messenger, first, then that’s a different story. Most of the time, it’s just through blog posts and comments… LOL… I usually don’t initiate the “conversation” through other means, unless it’s REALLY important. I may e-mail some readers from time to time, but it’s mostly through blog posts and comments.
Reply & quote this
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( June 15th, 2007 at 11:47 pm )
“Do you think we can find out an equivalent of something in the offline world that comes close to blog posts and comments in the online world?”
hmm… perhaps the occasional Hello-s and handshakes, but they don’t really get close to the feedback we get in blog comments.
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( June 16th, 2007 at 3:42 pm )
SP, I see, thanks for explaining.
I do see a lot of interaction going on between you and your readers through the comments, on a regular basis. Are you satisfied with it? Are there any situations where you feel the need to move away from comments and onto something else, besides privacy?
Vivien-inspirationbit, thanks. So comments in your view add more input and “feedback“, I see.
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( July 26th, 2009 at 3:39 am )
I would say less important. Well, maybe not LESS important, but in my opinion, it is the lowest level of communication.
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