Such is the nature of commenting on AR, or anywhere on-line where comments are allowed.
What comments do YOU put out there?
Compliments?
Critiques?
Criticism?
Chastising?
Copying?
Do you put thought into your comments? Or just respond impulsively?
Commenting affords you, the reader, the opportunity to share your thoughts on what you have read, provide feedback to the writer, and enhance the conversation. Assuming you have read it.
Some folks clearly don't, but simply jump in...perhaps because of time constraints, laziness, a desire to just put their thoughts out there, or maybe to be nice to someone they know or like.
Certainly in some cases the comment is simply to harvest 25 points on AR.
COPYING
Copying comments is pure laziness - my opinion. Heck, anyone can copy a comment 10 times to get the allotted 250 points on AR without taking time to read the articles. It takes less than 10 minutes (assuming you don't get proxy errors) and adds no value whatsoever. It is completely self-centered and self-serving.
The quick "great post" comments, while complimentary, are not much better although equally efficient in terms of time.
COMPLIMENTS
Many comments are compliments, and who doesn't like those? Compliments are a great way to provide positive feedback and show your appreciation and enjoyment of the article. They may also enhance your relationship with the writer, and are part of engaging on-line...a big reason for your social media presence.
CRITIQUES
Lots of folks critique articles, sharing different or opposing perspectives, providing corrections, and taking the discussion to another plane. If done appropriately, and by not criticizing the writer personally, critical comments add much to the learning and sharing. It is human nature to have our own perspective - a lens through which we view things - as well as to make mistakes. Commentary on our human-ness may be the most valuable, when done well and not directed at the person.
The additional value, I believe, is our own thinking is altered, or may become clearer, by virtue of the written comments we make, at least where a modicum of thought was involved.
CRITICISM AND WORSE
Some comments seem to be pure nastiness...criticizing someone for their beliefs, chastising, name calling and worse. Fortunately they are rare, but many seem to find them disturbing and unnecessary. Others appear to thrive on inciting conflict, argument or controversy. Their choice.
The content of our comments deserves our consideration. While they may not be indexed (see Lenn's thoughtful post today) people will find them on-line and they convey a message about us, just as our blog posts do. Some commenters seem bent on creating a negative image of the writer, and thereby themselves, rather than contributing to the discussion in a meaningful way, although they may not view it that way. A personal decision, certainly, but one with consequences.
I look forward to YOUR comments! Even if you don't read the post or simply say "great post!"
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