Because of the different initiatives Jeff is taking around the site, it is becoming more and more important to keep the reader’s level of comfort in mind. Jeff has also been a supported of RA Project for a while now. So far, Jeffro 2pt0 seems to be doing well in keeping up with what the readers want, in terms of the readers having enough tools to interact with Jeff and one another around the site. I decided to interview Jeff as he seems to be good at making sure that the things he rolls out on his site are well planned, or at least are under control, which can affect reader appreciation a lot in my view.

One of the things you may notice is that the questions can sometimes be very specific and long, or a bit general and short. This style of mine allows for more input and output from generally the person asking the question and mainly the person explaining the things as an answer.

Interview with Jeffro2pto - Readers, comments, interactions, and beyond

Thank you for your time and for allowing me to interview you, Jeff.

The Beginning..
1. Bes : Could you please tell us a bit about yourself? When and why did you start blogging? What do you blog about? Did you design the layout yourself?

   Jeff : My actual name is Jeff, but I think Jeffro2pt0 just has a nice ring to it. I’m 23 and currently residing in the buckeye state of Ohio within the continental U.S. I’ve been blogging since *2004* but only recently have I decided to take things a bit more seriously. I used to post on a blog located on the EFx2.com (http://efx2.com) network which I somewhat consider to be the Wordpress (http://www.wordpress.org) before there was Wordpress. Back in 2004, I used the blog to share things that were going on in my personal life such as *photographs, news and events, recent trips* I took and various other musings. I essentially used the blog as a diary for a long time.

   In late *2006 into 2007*, I decided to concentrate on sharing my thoughts on general news items I was discovering across the web. I would merely post a quote of the article, include my thoughts and then provide a link to the article in question. This formula worked rather well as there always seem to be a few comments left on every post. However, this became pretty boring.. In* early 2007*, I decided that somehow, someway, I was going to break away from the self serviced blogging platform and do things on my own. I just didn’t know exactly what my niche blog was going to be about.

   Then, one night in Talkshoe (http://www.talkshoe.com), I was participating in a **LIVE** podcast when I met **Pete Balasch JR**, otherwise known across the net as xyour925job (http://www.xyour925job.com/wordpress/ ). We started discussing various topics during the show such as *SEO, blogging, web2.0*, etc. Pete told me that there were quite a number of people who still didn’t understand what *Web 2.0* is. He suggested that I start a blog around the topic of Web2.0 to see where it would take me. Up until this point, I watched the Web 2.0 space from the sidelines, never really caring about what was coming out of the gate next. I had a general idea as to what Web2.0 was all about, so after sharing a few of my ideas with the crowd, I ended up choosing the domain Jeffro2pt0.com (http://www.jeffro2pto.com) .

2. Bes : So your blogging passion revolves around the concept of Web 2.0 . Do you believe that there is such a thing as Web 2.0 then? How do you think it affects bloggers and readers?

   Jeff : The more I look into the subject of Web 2.0, the more I believe there is no such thing. Since I’ve started my blog, I’ve read numerous articles that try to define what Web 2.0 is and what it isn’t. The fact of the matter is, the web as a whole does not have a version number attached to it. Furthermore, web 2.0 is a term that describes a series of concepts. Those concepts can be different depending on who you talk too. I think in the end, we have coined the term web 2.0 to help us differentiate changes and the old way of thinking that have taken place on the web.

   The concepts of web 2.0 have enabled bloggers to embrace new technology and have allowed them to voice their opinions and knowledge in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Most notably, video. Bloggers can now use technologies associated with Web 2.0 to engage their readers in the form of video which I believe, really adds a personal touch to the blog, thereby strengthening the connection between blog author, and their audience. In essence, Web 2.0 has allowed everyone to be more SOCIAL and when it comes to blogging, SOCIAL is where it’s at.

Jeffro2pt0 site elements, forum and reader appreciation..
3. Bes : Looking at your blog, it seems that some of the elements of the site revolve around the reader activities; for example, shout boxes, latest comments, polls and the recent MyBlogLog readers list. What made you shape your site in this manner? How has the reader reaction been to such things?

   Jeff : One of the main goals I kept in mind when starting this new blogging venture was to build a community. A community of like minded and not so like minded individuals that could get together on my blog to discuss the topics at hand. I love being able to interact with my audience and adding those various pieces to my puzzle has helped me in that regard.

   So far, the response has been pretty good. I have a core group of people who continuously visit the blog and leave comments which is great because it keeps the conversation flowing. I’ve recently launched my own forum which is attached to my blog and I am hoping that I can take some of my community building success from my blog and transfer it into the forum where user’s will have the chance to take more of an active role within my domain.

4. Bes : Do you think running a forum is different than running a blog or a non-forum site, both in terms of personal experience and reader appreciation?

   Jeff : I think the biggest difference between running a blog and forum is that, a forum gives user’s a chance to begin conversations. With a blog, the commenter is limited by what the blog author writes. Each concept revolves around the aspect of community and I find them to be very similar to each other in many ways. The difference between the two is minimal.

5. Bes : I notice on your site that you usually respond to many commentors, and from personal experience, that you usually respond to e-mails in a timely manner. Do you respond to each and every comment and e-mail, or do you respond to comments and e-mails that ask for responses?

   Jeff : I try my best to answer every comment that is left on my blog. I also try to answer any email that I receive in a timely fashion. I always look forward to coming home from work and checking the inbox to see what sort of conversations are taking place on the blog. There are so many blog authors on the net that will publish a story and then move on. The story will end up receiving a fair amount of comments and yet, you’ll rarely notice the blog author getting involved. Why this is, I have no idea. But I see the post as the first step, the conversation starter. Having these sorts of conversations with the readers of my blog not only makes them feel like someone cares, but it allows me to get to know the person a little more. It also adds that PERSONAL touch which is lacking on numerous sites across the net. I don’t want anyone to think they have wasted their time when they leave a comment.

Dealing with different comment situations..
6. Bes : Have you ever had to close down comments for some post or a blog for any reason? If you have, did that affect your blogging or the commentors in any manner?

   Jeff : There has been 1 post which ended up making me shut down the commenting section for. A commenter said something that another one wasn’t really too fond of. They went back and forth for a little bit and I finally decided to end it by closing down the commenting section and then moving the conversation off the blog. I spoke with both parties and cleaned up the mess.

   Closing the commenting section for that blog didn’t raise any controversy on the site. I did receive a few questions about it but those individuals understood why I had closed it down.

7. Bes : Do you think that is one of the more efficient ways of handling disputes between readers, by closing down comments and taking the dispute away from the public comments area? Would such an approach work in every or majority of the situations, in your view?

   Jeff : Well, in that particular situation, I backed off and just monitored the comments to see if those two could settle the dispute on their own without my intervention. Once it looked like the dispute was over, one or the other would come back and post something else. After awhile, I pulled the plug because it looked as though the issue was never going to be resolved.

   I think the most efficient way of handling disputes is to at least give them a chance to resolve it themselves. If that doesn’t happen, then for the sake of your readers and yourself, take the matter off of the site and handle it somewhere else. I believe this method will work in all if not most cases. Disputes happen and I think it’s only fair that you give them a chance to be settled without intervention. After that, desperate times call for desperate measures.

8. Bes : What kind of commentors do you not allow on your site? If such commentors do come and offer some useful comment, how do you treat such commentors or such comments?

   Jeff : I allow anyone who wants to leave a comment to do so. I don’t have a publicly viewable commenting policy but all I ask is that the comment be written in an intelligent, respective manner. There is no need for threats, flaming or a showing of stupidity. If a commenter breaks the rules, I’ll immediately remove the comment and contact the person in question and let them know why it was removed. This gives them a second chance. Usually, they don’t waste their time.

9. Bes : How would you deal with readers who have been on your site for a long time, but their comments do not add anything useful to a post? For example, a comment that says “**Nice**” only may not be useful in the eyes of some people. How would you treat such a comment?

   Jeff : Interesting question. Actually, as I think about it, it is quite the conundrum. I think ultimately, as long as I knew the person was a reader and not a spammer, I don’t think I’d be bothered by it. This problem can also be relegated by using plugins or third party services that allow users to rate comments. So if I and my readers took an active role, over time, that persons comments would probably be weeded out allowing those with added value to shine through.

10. Bes : So basically, you and other readers can rate the public comments, and the public can decide, like a democracy, whether or not the overall comments by a single person are interesting or not, correct? Would you delete comments or be concerned if you had no problem with a commentor but the rating that commentor is getting from others is very low? In your view, can such a system allow us to have more quality content comments, or is there a possibility that the comments will be more catered around what the public wants and thus not necessarily always be of great quality?

    Jeff : Well, when it comes to having the public involved versus a single entity, there are going to be ways to game the system and the “wisdom of crowds theory” usually never pans out. I would most likely not delete a comment that has a poor rating, especially if I myself deemed the comment to be of any value to the post. Keep in mind that majority rules, minority rights. That is, the public will decide which comments are interesting and relevant while the others are hidden away. Thats the way anything dealing with the public works. Anytime you introduce the public into a way of doing things, it’s like introducing a double edged sword.

Bad comments, and the Digg culture effect on comments..
11. Bes : Is there anything that you do not currently like about commentors or commentor behavior on the blogosphere?

    Jeff : This is a big question. Most of the blogosphere writes because it’s a hobby, passion, or just something to do. They don’t do it for the money because there is little money to be had. Most of the time, bloggers are creating content that the big media companies don’t have and this content takes TIME to create. I can attest to this fact as sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 hours to write up a review or some sort of blog post. For someone to leave a comment such as “This Sucks” or “What A Waste Of Time” is just wrong. You could say that bloggers should have thick skin but the fact of the matter is, these kinds of comments really do affect a person on some level. Get enough comments like these and it could really change a bloggers mentality.

    In a nutshell, the one thing I don’t like about commenter’s is their lack of appreciating how much time and effort goes into a lot of the content they see.

    I also wanted to add one more thing. This doesn’t directly involve the blogging world but more or less, any sites that allow commenting. I find it a damn shame that the commenting section of websites that contain very interesting articles are filled with trashy, lame, one line comments which add no value to the original conversation (aka the article) Digg (http://www.digg.com) is the best example of how everyone can work together to find excellent content, but by looking at the commenting section, it would appear as though the digg crowd has no intelligence what so ever. I wish commenter’s would pick up where the story leaves off instead of ending with a bunch of people things that are completely unrelated to the story.

12. Bes : I see; so what you’re saying is that just because something has a huge following on Digg does not mean that the comments for an article can be overlooked, correct? Do you think services or trends like Digg result in people focusing more on how many Digg votes a site is getting instead of the quality and nature of comments that site is getting? Could it be that services like Digg make many people forget how the art of commenting can result in a blog conversation to continue, just as you implied?

    Jeff : Actually, I would almost consider the opposite. That is, something can not be overlooked based on the comments a particular item has on Digg. There have been too many times where the comments for a particular item have been short, unintelligent postings which sometimes have nothing to do with the article but upon checking out the article, it’s actually a great piece of work.

    You actually raise an interesting point. Those that read and follow the comments on many of the posts on Digg may consider that this is the way commenting is done everywhere else on the web which is simply not the case. In the case of my blog, each post is a starting point. I voice my views, opinions, and whatever else for that post and once I publish it, I want other people get the ball rolling and continue the conversation until we have all reach a conclusion or an agreement. I am only one person and I don’t know everything which is why I try to encourage people as much as possible to share their knowledge in the form of comments.

    Commenting should be about sharing knowledge and coming away with learning something, instead of using it as a way to verbally attack someone or something.

    After I publish a post, I sit back and wonder where it will end up. Who will discover it or stop by and take the post into a new direction. That’s what I love about commenting.

The future of Jeff on the web and Jeffro 2pt0..
13. Bes : What are your plans for the future in the online world? Where do you think Jeffro2pt0 is headed, and where would you like it to?

    Jeff : I plan to continue my blogging project until May of 2008 which will be the one year mark. At that point, I’ll have to review the stats and check our how far I’ve come in terms of blogging. I had an initial goal when I started the blog. As time has progressed, the reasons and inspirations have changed. One thing that hasn’t changed, is my desire to build my own community.

    Ultimately, I’d love to be able to publish a blog post and have 5-20 comments. I’d also love to have a bustling forum filled with discussions across various topics. Building a community takes time and so far, the blog aspect of things has done really well. I can at least say that I have a core group of readers who are always commenting on articles, contributing their knowledge to the site. My forum project was recently launched and it’s been rather stale but I hope to change that over time.

    I’m not the guy who has 5,000 Facebook friends or follows 1,000 people on Twitter and vice versa. I don’t live in an area that is absorbed by technology everywhere you look. The closest thing we have to a tech conference in my state is a LAN party. For these reasons and many others, the inspiration was their to try and create my own community of like minded individuals. I gave myself a year to see what I could do and when that year is over, I’ll have to make the decision to keep going or consider the project dead in the water.

Thank you Jeff for the amazing insight into how you operate and your site, and what you think of different things. Thank you also for taking the time to answer all the questions.

Interview thoughts

Jeff and his Jeffro 2pt0 are good examples of how to have a consistent plan about different things related to blogs and readers, and how online tools can be used to improve interaction in the online world. Jeff uses different tools to run different parts of his site, like the commenting section being run by users so that the article in question can expand with reader input. At the same time, Jeff has preferences too, making the site part of his personal goals and thus giving a more direct and personal touch to it. The web 2.0 views that Jeff expressed may sound surprising to many, but in reality as more and more applications for blogs and other things pop up, many people can see whether something is a new invention or whether something is simply an add-on to an already working tool.

Some other things in the interview can help your reader appreciation efforts also. For example, how to deal with commentors who are in a dispute with each other, opening a forum alongside your blog and how it is different than your blog, and giving more power to the readers: all of these can help you realize how others are dealing with reader appreciation, and how you can too.

Some questions for you

• What are your thoughts about what Jeff is doing?
• Do you think Jeffro2pt0 is going in the right direction, if you look at it as a blog reader?
• Do you think giving publicly social control to rating the quality of comments can be good?
• Do you agree with Jeff that a blog allows for a conversation only when the blogger starts a post, while a forum allows anyone other than the blogger or the forum owner to start a discussion also?

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to ask me or Jeff any questions here, and also let us know about anything on your mind on anything related to Jeffro2pt0 or this interview.

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Related Articles at The Reader Appreciation Project:

• 6.5 Ways to Irritate Your Readers
• A Case for Disabling Comments - Avinash 2.0
• Interview: Doug Parent, the “Adult MySpace” Owner
• Brief Case Study: Liz Strauss Appreciating Readers on Successful Blog Through Comments and Through Encouragement Awards
• Following Through on Promises

Vivien was one of the original supporters of RA Project since the opening day. You can find Vivien being mentioned regularly on this site as she is not only a good friend of RA Project but a good friend of the RA Project authors including myself.

Because of the way Vivien runs her site and the way she appreciates others online, I asked Vivien if she could answer a few questions related to reader appreciation. I am grateful that Vivien agreed. Here are 9 questions I asked Vivien, and the answers that she contributed to everyone including RA Project and the blogosphere. The person “Bes” asking the questions in this interview is me, by the way. But you already knew that, right?

Interview with Vivien - 9 questions & answers regarding inspiration, reader appreciation and more

1. Bes : Could you tell a bit about yourself and your site please? What are some of the needs of your readers?

   Vivien : I’ve been designing web sites since the early days of Web, the days of tiled backgrounds and animated GIFs, turning many “under construction” pages into the functioning web sites. I started teaching web design and programming in 1997, and was teaching pretty much full time until 2006, when I decided to concentrate more on building sites and working in a graphic design field rather than only teaching about it.

   In 2003 I started my own design studio VG Universe Design, and worked on clients’ projects from home. In 2005 my baby daughter was born and for the next 2 years I’ve been working from home. On Christmas of 2006 I launched my blog Inspiration Bit, and got hooked on blogging ever since. Currently I work full time as a Web Developer/Designer with eZ Systems during the day, freelance at home in the evenings, take care of my family and blog in-between.

   My blog Inspiration Bit is about all things that inspire us to learn. The site’s motto: “Knowledge comes from inspiration - one bit at a time“. My readers find learning fascinating, they love challenges, thought-provoking posts, inspiring design examples and stories. They are interested in anything from blogging to design to literature to history and in between.

2. Bes : How important is the concept of reader appreciation on your site? Can you share with us some of the things you have done or would like to do to appreciate your readers?

   Vivien : My readers are the inspiration for this blog. I crave the interaction and am always grateful for their comments and feedback. I try my best to reply to all their comments whenever I can. Some of my readers are now my friends who are very dear to me.

   I’ve participated in the first Reader Appreciation Week with hosting 5 different contests for my readers, with 4 non-monetary and one money prizes. I had to work extra hard that week but it was all well worth it in the end, it made my relationship with the readers even closer.

3. Bes : What do you think of the current state of reader appreciation in the online world? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with it, or something else?

   Vivien : I would say it’s 70/30: 70% of the blogs I read and visit can do much better when it comes to their reader appreciation, while the other 30% of the blogs leave me in awe. I’m blown away with their involvement and grateful approach to their readers. It actually shows in the number, the quality and the tone of the comments those blogs receive.

   Sincerity works both ways: if you’re respectful and sincere with your readers, they pay you back with the same respect and sincerity.

4. Bes : You are also an Instructor/Teacher in the offline world. In your view, are there any similarities between appreciating readers online and appreciating students in your classroom?

   Vivien : Yes, indeed, there are many similarities between readers and students, teachers and bloggers. It doesn’t mean that all bloggers teach, nor does it mean that all readers treat blogs as online textbooks. However, if a blogger doesn’t look down to his/her readers, invites them to participate in discussions, accepts their feedback, gets back to them to continue the conversation, answer the questions, then that blogger becomes as well-respected and loved as the teacher who engages his/her students to contribute to the lectures and become a part of the team.

   This way both teachers and students, bloggers and readers benefit from such a healthy relationship. The blogger (teacher) knows his/her audience better, clarifies the direction of the blog (lecture), while the reader (student) enjoys every minute he/she spends on the blog (in class).

5. Bes : Are there any kinds of readers or commentors that you do not want on your site? E.g., disagreeing commentors, users who own gambling sites, etc.

   Vivien : Definitely no spamming, so gambling sites are not welcomed, unless that reader has a valuable comment to make that everyone (blogger and other readers) would benefit from. I’ve been fortunate with not having that many disagreeing commentors.

   I never had any negative comments on my blog (knock on wood), but I do respect everybody’s opinion, I welcome constructive criticism, I want to know what readers think on certain subject matters that I talk about on my blog, and if they disagree with me, I’m happy to find out their reasons and learn another side of the issue.

6. Bes : So all you focus on is the comment content, correct? Even if a commentor links to an objectionable site in their profile/commentor url or within the comment, as long as their comment is valid and has something useful in it, you will allow that reader to comment and participate on your site?

   Vivien : hmm…. I guess it does depend on the commentor’s URL, I don’t want to have any outgoing links to adult sites, or sites promoting violence. If I really like that commentor’s comment and it would contribute to the post, I will leave the comment but change or remove the offending URL

7. Bes : Have you ever been unappreciated on other sites or blogs, or by readers on your own site? What is your reaction to such experiences and people?

   Vivien : Of course, I’ve been unappreciated on other blogs, when my comments or questions remained unanswered. I either stop commenting on those blogs, or comment only to gain an extra exposure from that blog’s other readers. In other words I play the same game those bloggers play with their readers, if you know what I mean

8. Bes : In your view, can there be any situation where reader appreciation should be ignored on purpose?

   Vivien : Yes, when readers are attacking you for no reasons, when they start stalking you, when you see that no matter what you do, you can’t change or soften that reader’s opinion.

9. Bes : What advice would you give to both new and old bloggers related to appreciating readers?

   Vivien : Treat them the same way you want to be treated as a reader on other blogs.

Bes : Thank you for answering the questions Vivien.

Vivien : Thank you for this lovely interview

Interview Summary

Vivien exhibits a good example of how to appreciate others based on 2 main things: how one wants to be treated, and the quality of the comment content. Vivien’s answers also show how the online and the offline world, in the form of teaching and blogging respectively, can come together to create a better practice: appreciation for others. Appreciation in the online world is a concept many practice daily in the offline world, and thus a single aspect, respect, can motivate and inspire us to do variations of the same thing in the online world also.

Take special note of how Vivien treats comments from people who link to sites that can be considered objectionable by many: Vivien will not delete the comment if the comment is good, and instead may change the url to not point to a site she may consider objectionable. Thus, a step is taken to satisfy the needs of all involved parties: readers, commentors, and Vivien who is the blog owner.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this interview, or about anything discussed here. Here you can also ask Vivien questions, and she will be glad to answer them.

Don’t forget to read a case study about the ways Vivien appreciates others in a Brief Case Study on Inspiration Bit that I did before.

Thank you for reading.

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Related Articles at The Reader Appreciation Project:

• Vivien From InspirationBit
• Brief Case Study: Inspiration Bit’s Vivien Appreciating Readers Through Recognition, Communication and Linking
• Six Months of Reader Appreciation
• Discover Your Readers Through Goodwill
• Peeve Week 3 Update - One Month Left

Shawn Blanc is a full-time intercessory missionary, on top of being a husband, blogger, musician, and a host of other talents. He runs two blogs: The Fight Spot and ShawnBlanc.net.

Shawn has been very successful on building a community of readers on The Fight Spot, so it came as a surprise to me when he launched another blog (ShawnBlanc.net) with comments disabled. Shawn was gracious enough to be interviewed by me and to answer some of my questions about community and disabling comments.

Listed below are ten brief questions regarding community and comments on blogs.

1. Ronald Huereca: You have a very active community on your website The Fight Spot. What is the difference in a community formed around The Fight Spot when compared to your other site ShawnBlanc.net?

Shawn Blanc: For sure the obvious difference is the comments. TFS (The Fight Spot) has comments enabled, while shawnblanc.net does not. Those are two very purposeful decisions I’ve made as to how I view the two sites.

I think of The Fight Spot like a Bible study small group. It’s a safe place for folks to ask questions and state their opinions and give feedback. Sometimes someone just wants to say “thanks for that article”, while other times I’ll get really deep and thought out questions. I’ve set myself up as the Bible Study Leader, and so most of the community reads The Fight Spot to get teachings, encouragement and pastoring.

On the other hand, the community around Shawnblanc.net is quite different indeed. For one, it is a completely different demographic of readers — consisting primarily of Mac savvy web and design geeks. Since comments are not a feature of the site, all the feedback I get comes through direct email or trackbacks.

I think the best way to describe the community around Shawnblanc.net is a bunch of peers hanging out giving each-other high-fives. But really, this describes the vast majority of the Mac Savvy design community in general. My site is just one more URL that has come to the party … so to say.

Ultimately, your site will attract like minded folks. The Fight Spot has a strong community of Christians going after God, and Shawnblanc.net has a strong community of geeks who like gadgets. For me, instead of developing one blog that blended the two (which is what I tried to do for a while on TFS) it is easier and more fun to have two sites devoted to each.

One more thing I’ll add, it was a whole lot easier to build the readership base on Shawnblanc.net than it was on TFS. What took me 18 months on TFS has taken me 7 weeks on shawnblanc.net.

2. Ronald: You’ve noted that it has taken you only 7 weeks to build a readership base for ShawnBlanc.net. And this without comments disabled. Why do you think it has taken you a fraction of the time to develop your audience for ShawnBlanc.net vs. TFS?

Shawn: That is an easy question for me to answer. First off, I owe a lot to John Gruber for putting a few of my posts onto his Linked List. The people that read Daring Fireball are exactly the sort of people that would like my weblog as well. Having exposure through DF helped a ton.

Secondly is just the basics of the readership. Shawnblanc.net is a design and mac weblog. Folks that are interested in those topics are much more dominant on the web. Or, in other words: It’s a much more populated pond.

3. Ronald: What benefits have you seen over maintaining and writing for a blog such as ShawnBlanc.net over writing and maintaining other blogs?

Shawn: I’ve really only maintained one other blog: The Fight Spot. The main benefit is basically what I mentioned earlier. By me writing and maintaining two different weblogs with focused topics I’m able to really build each site with more focus.

On The Fight Spot I had a very limited readership that liked the Christian topics, the design topics and the Mac topics. I basically had four groups of readers: One group that liked the Christian posts, one that liked the design posts, one that like the Mac posts and one that liked all three. It was fascinating to see the different readers commenting on “their” posts.

By maintaining a site that is now totally devoted to Mac nerdery, etc. I am able to go as deep into that topic as I want without blowing off readers that aren’t into it. And the same goes for The Fight Spot.

4. Ronald: Chris Garrett has been quoted as saying, “Without community your site is still a blog, but it is a blog without a soul.”

Whether or not you agree with Chris’s observation, What would be your advice for building a community around a site without comments?

Shawn: Well, I’d say it’s pretty obvious I don’t agree just by the fact I don’t have comments enabled on Shawnblanc.net. I do think that comments on a weblog can and often do bring community to that website. But then who is the weblog for? Is it for the readers or the writer? I found that regular commentors come and go. They are people that like what I have to say but does that mean I should let them be in charge of what I write about? Sometimes, sure.

On Shawnblanc.net I’m not so much trying to build a community. I love it when people like what I have to say and let me know, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to write about the things that are interesting and worthwhile to me. I don’t want to spend my time trying to please the people that comment on my site. I’d rather take that time to write an article that is worth the time it takes me write and worth the time it takes someone else to read. So at the end of the day, my website isn’t so much for others as it is for me. Though others are obviously invited to enjoy it as well. And that is what I think builds community. Being an author that is confident in my topics, proud of what I have to say and not concerned about who is or isn’t reading my articles. That will attract people.

So I guess my point here is that you can build community with or without comments. It’s up to you. But I think content suffers when the author allows the readers to control the site.

5. Ronald: There are some in the blogosphere who think that turning off comments on a blog is killing a potential community. Others think that turning off comments is a slap in the face of readers. What was in the decision-making process behind leaving comments off on ShawnBlanc.net? And how do you feel about such criticism over disabling comments on a blog?

Shawn: I have read quite a few posts that folks have written with their view towards comments. Most that are pro-comments say that, like you said, it’s rude to the reader and it is snotty of the writer.

I wrote my own opinion piece on this very subject not too long ago, Blog Comments Are Like Cash. My point was that comments, like finances, make an excellent slave and a horrible master. In the case of Shawnblanc.net I feel that having comments disabled is a gift to the reader. Once they have read an article they are in no obligation to do anything else. The article is simply there for their enjoyment. I don’t ask anything in return.

If a reader does want to get in touch with me and state something I have made it more than easy to contact me. Which brings me to another point. The correspondence I have gotten through email has been overwhelmingly positive. Almost every single email I get from a reader is pointing out a link I may like (which often I do), a typo I’ve made on my site (which often I do those too), or just a note to say “hi”.

I have nothing against sites with comments turned on. Heck, I maintain one! My guess is that those who criticize websites for disabling comments probably write a pretty boring weblog because they are most likely not thinking for themselves. Their blog probably looks and sounds like every other one out there.

6. Ronald: How has disabling comments benefited your readers in general?

Shawn: I would say that it has benefited them in two ways.

First off, by not having to maintain, filter and reply to comments on Shawnblanc.net I have more time to write - thus more and better content.

Secondly, like I stated earlier, it is a gift to them. The article is there for them to read at their leisure. Once they’ve read there is no pressure to post a comment as if they are ‘checking in’. They don’t have to feel guilty for lurking.

By publishing Shawnblanc.net I have gotten a new paradigm towards comments on weblogs. I very rarely comment anymore. Not because I’m not reading, but because if an article stands for itself, it doesn’t need my comment of approval. Instead I would rather write a personal email to the author or give them a link on my site.

7. Ronald: Shawn, that’s a very interesting observation regarding an article being able to stand on its own. You obviously don’t base the success of your articles on comments. What would be your criteria for a successful article on ShawnBlanc.net?

Shawn: My criteria is simple. I have two standards for a succesful article. (1) Did I say what I wanted to say? (2) Is it a well written piece?

Oh, and (3) Does my wife like it? She’s my editor, you know.

8. Ronald: You’ve mentioned that bloggers who criticize websites for disabling comments are basically echoing what everyone else is saying. What would you say to the blogger who writes and bases an article’s success only on comments?

Shawn: I didn’t mean to convey that all bloggers who criticize disabled comments are only echoes. What I meant was that probably many of those bloggers are criticizing because they don’t know any different.

I would say to the blogger who writes and bases their article’s success only on comments that he has a long and emotional roller coaster ahead. I don’t know how many times I’ve written something random and spontaneous on The Fight Spot and it got several comments only to write something that was (in my opinion) outstanding and have it get very little response. I think just about everyone has had the same thing happen on their site. So when an article’s success is based on comments, the author begins to work the system to get more comments. Not that that is wrong, but is there a point or a purpose? Who cares if your post has a million comments, did you say anything that has any real weight or value? I think having comments enabled should be for the purpose of conversation, not voting.

9. Ronald: You’ve mentioned previously that the e-mail correspondence (from readers on ShawnBlanc.net) has been overwhelmingly positive. How has an e-mail-only option impacted your relationships with the readers?

Shawn: Having an email only option on my site means I don’t hear as many reader’s opinions. However, those I do hear from, there seems to be a deeper level of communication. I have gotten many emails from readers just sharing stories about their new iPhone or their Mac, or a funny experience with a client. I think those are great.

So although I don’t know as many names, I am “connecting” with more people. If that makes sense.

10. Ronald: And a silly question. You’ve been elected mayor of the blogosphere. What law would you pass first?

Shawn: I would ban those sidebar blog hit counters with the flaming numbers. Oh, and free ice cream for everyone!

Interview Conclusion

Shawn is a good example of a blogger who has successful blogs with and without comments. It’s a tough debate whether or not a blog should have comments, but I feel this interview with Shawn raised a benefit of a doubt with regards to bloggers who disable comments. In the end, I think it boils down to the blogger’s intentions and his or her view of the readership.

If you have any thoughts on the interview or wish to express your view on comments in weblogs, please feel free to share in the comment section. Thank you for reading.

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Related Articles at The Reader Appreciation Project:

• A Case for Disabling Comments - Avinash 2.0
• When to Turn Off Comments
• How Is Your Blog Handshake?
• Breaking Blogosphere Obligations? Comment Communication
• Interview: Doug Parent, the “Adult MySpace” Owner

Doug Parent left a comment on my personal site last month, and that got me thinking: Dougs’ comment was nice, yet his site was an adult site that many people would object to. How could Doug fit into the concept of reader appreciation? Should Doug be appreciated based on the site he owned?

Doug was kind enough to answer the questions I had for him. Below is the brief interview that took place between me and Doug. Please keep in mind that you may think Doug’s link below is not safe for work nor children.

Interview with Doug Parent - 7 brief questions

Bes: Could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your site?

Doug: I own and operate www.webscutest.com (not work safe), which is a Adult MySpace type site where users are not restricted on what they can post to the site. According to Alexa it is the 50,000 largest site on the internet, we get around 5 million monthly page views. I started webscutest about 11 months ago. I purchased it as a expired domain.

Bes: How do you treat both supporting and disagreeing readers and users on webscutest.com(not work safe)? Do you know anyone out there who has directly opposed the existence of your site?

Doug: I have never been told someone directly opposes the existence of my site, I am sure there are people out there that dislike it though just due to its content. The whole premise of webscutest was to allow people to express them selves any way they wanted without fear of having their content deleted. The users themselves turned it into a adult site, I just followed suit with the description etc. We only delete content that is extremely offensive or illegal, i.e. under the age of 18. Users are only banned if the continue to harass other users after being warned of their actions.

Bes: Are your comments always welcome on other sites? How are you or your comments treated by people who run non-porn sites?

Doug: No they are not always welcome, most of the time my comments are deleted, however that does not stop me from reading the blog or page I placed it on. No in fact I have never been told my comment was going to be deleted beforehand, the blogger usually just deletes it and that is the end of it.

Bes: Your site is considered not safe for work. Do you think people may have a good reason to block you from their sites and browsers? Do you think some blog owners have every right to delete your comment even if the comment is very useful to the topic in question, simply because of your affiliation with an adult site?

Doug: Sure they do, I would not expect anyone to visit my site while at work, and I believe every blogger / webmaster has the right to delete anything they find offensive from their site whether it be a comment, picture movie etc.

Bes: How do you react to people who delete or block you from visiting or commenting on their sites? Do you read commenting policies and rules on site before wanting to participate on those sites? Have you ever tried to convince such people to not delete your comment or ignore your participation from their sites?

Doug: I don’t react usually - this is America after all the owner of a blog has the right to delete any comment he or she chooses to. I usually do not read the posting policies, unless they are clearly posted which in most cases they are not. No I have never asked a blogger to reinstate my comment after deletion even if I think my comment was useful to the discussion.

Bes: Most of the time, other people can realize that you are the owner of a porn site because of the website url you list in your comments. Do you think you will be less criticized or targeted if you commented anonymously without listing any link to your site? Would you be willing to comment anonymously?

Doug: Definitely - I think all comments I post are relevant and add something to a blog, however they are often deleted due to the nature of the link involved. I would not post anonymously, I would rather just use another link.

Bes: Do you think pornographic site readers and non-pornographic site readers can get along on a grand scale? If an anti-porn site owner does allow you to comment on their site, would you be willing to offer some compromise too in order to make sure the anti-porn site owner benefits from your participation also?

Doug: Yes I think we can all get along, I have no problem changing my name or signature on a comment if requested to do so by the owner of a site. I realize that many webmasters and bloggers do not want to link to Adult oriented sites.

Thank you Doug for the interview, and for taking the time to answer these questions.

One of the strongest point of the interview was that the readers themselves felt appreciated and turned the site into an adult MySpace type community. As of this interview, Doug’s site itself is not promoting and catering only to adult content: users themselves are allowed to post and talk about anything on the site, and thus users are the people taking the site into a certain direction. Doug’s users took the site in the direction of an adult community themselves, resulting in more adult-oriented users getting attracted to the site.

For any details or questions for me or Doug regarding anything including Doug, his website, this topic or this interview, please leave a comment below. For the exact original version of the interview, please contact me. If you have any questions of your own, please leave a comment below.

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Related Articles at The Reader Appreciation Project:

• Reader Appreciation Initiatives 12-20-2007
• Six Months of Reader Appreciation
• Question: Would You Agree to Turning Off Comments on a Blog, if the Blog Owner Was Paid to Do So?
• A Case for Disabling Comments - Avinash 2.0
• Interview: Vivien From Inspiration Bit, on Inspirations for Reader Appreciation