Are Reader Comments Necessary?
WordPress and other CMS platforms all come with built-in systems for readers to leave comments about an article. Though each system is slightly different, it’s typical that a reader can leave their name, an email address, a URL, and their comment. Either immediately or after being moderated (to check for relevance and to filter spam), the comment is posted below the article.
Since URLs are often left, arguments rage about how best to filter spam comments. Should you use a captcha or not? Maybe Javascript tricks are better… Does Askimet work?
Often people leave comments to get a link back to their site rather than contribute something relevant. Should you use rel=”nofollow” on links in comments or should you install a do-follow plugin to encourage commenting (as I did a while back)?
What is the best layout for comments? Should they be threaded? Should you allow avitars (little images for each contributer)?
None of those questions are relevant to the content on your website. What’s worse, comments encourage a build-up of noise tied to content a web publisher spends time and money to create.
Russell Beattie explains why he removed comments from his website and the hysterical reactions that followed.
Jeff Atwood at Coding Horror believes that A Blog Without Comments Isn’t A Blog, and I say great!. He also recently questioned this stance on comments when he asked Whatever Happened to Civility on The Internet? He feels “nerd rage” and anonymity contribute to visceral attacks in comments. He urges us all to read Miss Manners Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior and Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Good advice whether or not you comment.
Kumiko at Cash Quests talks about turning off comments in Seven Days No Comments, Theories and Results.
On The Other Hand
Readers’ sometimes have valuable things to say.
A web site’s readers occasionally have something valuable to contribute and can teach the publisher something new. Readers can point out where you’ve gone wrong or help you spot problems with formatting or show you where code you’ve posted doesn’t work.
For the most part, the commenting systems built into CMS and blog software is the vehicle used by readers to say their piece. Removing the ability to comment is cutting off a valuable source of feedback.
Feedback In Other Media
Though typical CMS commenting systems are frustrating and usually contribute more to the noise side of the signal-to-noise ratio, reader feedback is an important facet of online publishing. In fact, it’s an important part of any publishing. Newspapers have letters to the editor. Later editions of a book will often answer readers’ letters to the author or incorporate suggestions they’ve sent.
But readers do not get to tack on their rambling thoughts endlessly to newspaper articles. In later editions of a book the author never just includes every letter they’ve received from readers. The author or newspaper publisher would lose control of their work.
Even in talk radio or call-in TV shows, formats that rely on audience contributions, the calls are heavily screened. If they weren’t it’d be boring or get out of control. As soon as that happens, people turn it off and advertisers would look elsewhere to spend their money.
Everyone’s Doing It
Why, then, must a website automatically tack on reader comments to the published content? Everyone’s doing it? That’s just silly. Just because a million websites do it doesn’t mean it makes sense.
Sure, from the reader’s point of view, it’s cool to drop in a comment on someone else’s content — it’s an almost immediate way to publish their thoughts at someone else’s expense.
Hey, if you publish content on the web and you want readers to have that freedom, knock yourself out.
The Alternative
However, I am going to try a different method. As an experiment for now, but I think it makes more sense than the status quo.
At the bottom of every post, there will be information on how to contact me. Probably a contact form. If you’ve got something relevant to say, I want to read it. If I’ve made a mistake somewhere, I would appreciate the heads-up. If I’ve missed something, by all means, let me know.
When you hit send, the form will email your comment to me. If I think it merits it, you can expect to see an update to the article or a follow-up that reflects what you had to say. If I’ve made a mistake, expect to see a correction. In most cases, I will probably email you back.
(Of course, you have the option of responding to my content on my website by creating your own content on your own website. That’s fair.)
What about attribution for submitted ideas?
Good question. If you submit something that makes sense or that I find interesting, and I incorporate your suggestion into web content, you can probably expect to be credited and get a link back to your website within my content. I say “probably” because of course it’s my website and I will decide to whom I link. If you give me a URL to something nasty, don’t be surprised if you don’t get a link on my website.
Bottom Line
I’m turning off the built-in commenting here and will be adding a contact form through which you can send your comments to me via email. If you send me something I find relevant or interesting, you can expect an update or follow-up that probably credits and maybe links to you.
This is the better way, because now I control all of the content but you still have a voice. The interaction can be more personal, the rewards more valuable, and signal-to-noise ratio goes up.
Granted, I haven’t posted here often and so have only a few genuine comments (much more spam though), so it’s not that risky. If it goes well, I will probably incorporate this approach elsewhere.
Of course, if you have something relevant and interesting to say or if you have found another approach to work well, let me know via the contact form.
