Morgan McLintic asks, "Do Blogs Really Enable Conversations?" It is a thought provoking post. On the subject of comments he says:
Many blogs allow comment posting. But most of those comments are unrelated to each other, and it's rare that there is a discussion that a visitor can follow, let alone participate in. If a blog was a dinner party, it would be full of people simply speaking their views without listening to the others.
In some cases I am able to follow a clear discussion path on a blog comments section, but as Morgan states it's often a 'me too' philosophy. In many cases it is bloggers attempting to get a link rather than furthering the conversation.
On the subject of Trackbacks:
They're supposed to help readers glide to related content, but many Trackbacks simply lead to a conversational cul-de-sac, which points you back to the place you've just been.
Sometimes this cul-de-sac is a good thing. Take the recent BlogNashville conference as an example. If you look at any of the session reviews written they often have Trackbacks to other session reviews. By starting in one location you can quickly review all the other reviews.
With respect to the echo-chamber (cul-de-sac), Trackbacks often do very little to escape it. Many times you are more likely to link to somebody who agrees with you.
Another issues with Trackbacks is that they don't always work. This is a result of incompatabilities between the major blog platforms, users just not knowing how they work and filters to prevent Trackback spam.
Morgan and I have had some conversations as a result of our blogs, but the most in-depth have been via e-mail and not via blog comments. I think that example serves as a microcosm for the issues Morgan is putting forth in his post. The discussions we have had were better facilitated via e-mail than a blog.
Visitor Comments
Honestly I think that the comment/conversation thing is a big reason why Slashdot still has a revered place in many geek hearts. RSS feeds have shown me that Slashdot stories are often days old. I hardly ever get my news there anymore. But the conversation model, regardless of how troll-ridden and moderation-laden it may be, is one of the most complex around. If the comment section is where you find the best content, Slashdot's still a great place to go.
Posted by: Duane | May 11, 2005 11:09 PM
Josh: I agree that many good conversations develop around a post that only occur via E-mail or Skype. Your intereactions with me are a good case in point. But, if a post is designed to elicit comment or dialogue, then I think that from a "learning" perspective to be shared by all readers, that the comment vehicle is the way to go. Sure, some communications take on a personal connection flavor, and E-mail and Skype are good for that. But I think that if blogging is to have lasting impact, that real conversations have to ensue, and that all readers should be privy to the conversation.
Duane just said in his post that "Slashdot still has a revered place in many geek hearts." I totally agree, but if we are to move way beyond "geekdom' and make meaningful impact and contribution among a much wider sphere of readership, then real conversations must occur.
The short way of saying this is: If you author a blog...read the comments, and then comment on the comments. If you just post and move on, you're a good billboard, but not necessarily a good host.
Keep up the good work, I really enjoy Hyku.
Joe
Posted by: Joe Begalla | May 12, 2005 8:53 AM