About commenting on this blog...
November 28th 2006 20:18
Hey guys,
I'll probably switch comments back on in a week or so. Putting a dampener on the free exchange of thoughts is wrong if one is interested in truth and fairness. In the spanking post and in the Hiroshima post, there was huge value in the array of opinions; and, since these were issues that people cared about, it would have been unjust to block all feedback. Furthermore, Orble will expand exponentially from this point, and more people will appear who have valuable things to say and who want to be heard.
But to explain why I've temporarily switched comments off...
Firstly, there's a cowardice in running from insult, but I have to admit I've found some of the feedback fairly demoralizing (and I want pause to reflect on what I get out of blogging).
Secondly, there's a time factor, which seems to be Wordophilia's main reason. I certainly don't expect a comment back when I comment on someone else's blog, but I do feel some sort of obligation, out of politeness, when people comment on mine. And following this logic, I've ended up spending literally hours and hours a day more than I wanted to reading blogs I had little interest in.
Thirdly, it's undeniable that my past few posts have had a sensationalistic aspect -- although I also think they're contentful rather than tabloid (on what basis does anyone think otherwise?), and though my attitude is that atrocities, age of consent, child spanking, nudity, and public obscenity can and must be discussed, are interesting to discuss, and that there's nothing wrong with discussing them.
Still, I'm concerned that I'm growing too attached to feedback. I've found myself checking my e-mail a couple of times an hour wondering how people will react, and I take things to heart. Whereas this blog is meant to be me writing for me. So I want to remove myself -- at least temporarily -- from caring about what people think, as well as from implication in the whole inane popularity contest, and go read some Marcus Aurelius on being stoically indifferent to the opinions of others.
My new attitude will be:
-- to develop a thicker skin
-- to NOT water down any sensationalism, and neither to be censored nor encouraged by what I think people want to read -- to write the shit boring and the pruriently interesting;
-- to limit time spent on responding to comments to half an hour a day, meaning you might or might not get a response or a return comment in your blog... So please comment only if you're interested, and don't consider the fact of commenting, in itself, as a favour.
Notes
-- Monday 10 December 2007: "[Philip Pullman] gets hundreds of e-mails and letters. 'It's a great source of..." He is momentarily lost for words. "It makes you sigh. Either you ignore these letters and feel bad about it and guilty about it or you take the time and trouble to answer them. And then you regret the time you're not spending on your work.' He used to reply to them all. Some writers have piles of unopened letters in the corner of their study, but he worries about finding himself at the other end of the spectrum. 'The other way to deal with it was Margaret Mitchell, who wrote "Gone With The Wind". She spent the rest of her life answering letters.'" -- "An interview with Philip Pullman", More intelligent life, Monday 3 December 2007. This is a bit reminscent, of course, of that Simpsons episode where Ringo Starr is still catching up with letters from decades ago.
I'll probably switch comments back on in a week or so. Putting a dampener on the free exchange of thoughts is wrong if one is interested in truth and fairness. In the spanking post and in the Hiroshima post, there was huge value in the array of opinions; and, since these were issues that people cared about, it would have been unjust to block all feedback. Furthermore, Orble will expand exponentially from this point, and more people will appear who have valuable things to say and who want to be heard.
But to explain why I've temporarily switched comments off...
Firstly, there's a cowardice in running from insult, but I have to admit I've found some of the feedback fairly demoralizing (and I want pause to reflect on what I get out of blogging).
Secondly, there's a time factor, which seems to be Wordophilia's main reason. I certainly don't expect a comment back when I comment on someone else's blog, but I do feel some sort of obligation, out of politeness, when people comment on mine. And following this logic, I've ended up spending literally hours and hours a day more than I wanted to reading blogs I had little interest in.
Thirdly, it's undeniable that my past few posts have had a sensationalistic aspect -- although I also think they're contentful rather than tabloid (on what basis does anyone think otherwise?), and though my attitude is that atrocities, age of consent, child spanking, nudity, and public obscenity can and must be discussed, are interesting to discuss, and that there's nothing wrong with discussing them.
Still, I'm concerned that I'm growing too attached to feedback. I've found myself checking my e-mail a couple of times an hour wondering how people will react, and I take things to heart. Whereas this blog is meant to be me writing for me. So I want to remove myself -- at least temporarily -- from caring about what people think, as well as from implication in the whole inane popularity contest, and go read some Marcus Aurelius on being stoically indifferent to the opinions of others.
My new attitude will be:
-- to develop a thicker skin
-- to NOT water down any sensationalism, and neither to be censored nor encouraged by what I think people want to read -- to write the shit boring and the pruriently interesting;
-- to limit time spent on responding to comments to half an hour a day, meaning you might or might not get a response or a return comment in your blog... So please comment only if you're interested, and don't consider the fact of commenting, in itself, as a favour.
***
Notes
-- Monday 10 December 2007: "[Philip Pullman] gets hundreds of e-mails and letters. 'It's a great source of..." He is momentarily lost for words. "It makes you sigh. Either you ignore these letters and feel bad about it and guilty about it or you take the time and trouble to answer them. And then you regret the time you're not spending on your work.' He used to reply to them all. Some writers have piles of unopened letters in the corner of their study, but he worries about finding himself at the other end of the spectrum. 'The other way to deal with it was Margaret Mitchell, who wrote "Gone With The Wind". She spent the rest of her life answering letters.'" -- "An interview with Philip Pullman", More intelligent life, Monday 3 December 2007. This is a bit reminscent, of course, of that Simpsons episode where Ringo Starr is still catching up with letters from decades ago.
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
I answer comments and read blogs for a set amount of time, at a scheduled time.
I've turned off email verification, except on my own blog.
I write whatever I want on my posts. I encourage you to do the same! While some of your topics are extreme, I think you've written out very thoughtful posts, and they definitely stimulate contemplation. We should hide from discussion just because it's taboo, should we?
Comment by John Bentley
"When you do a thing because you have determined that it ought to be done, never avoid being seen doing it, even if the opinion of the multitude is going to condemn you. For if your action is wrong, then avoid doing it altogether, but if it is right, why do you fear those who will rebuke you wrongly?"
Alas, the stoics don't seem to have much to say (directly) on time sucked up by blogging. Limiting your time to half an hour seems like a good strategy
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
-- Spinoza 's Ethics (IV lviii note); translation by RHM Elwes (1883)
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Joel Spolsky quoting Dave Winer
"... to the extent that comments interfere with the natural expression of the unedited voice of an individual, comments may act to make something not a blog... The cool thing about blogs is that while they may be quiet, and it may be hard to find what you're looking for, at least you can say what you think without being shouted down. This makes it possible for unpopular ideas to be expressed. And if you know history, the most important ideas often are the unpopular ones.... That's what's important about blogs, not that people can comment on your ideas. As long as they can start their own blog, there will be no shortage of places to comment."
A kind of free speech argument for turning off commenting.
The only problem with commenting, I can see, is that one might be tempted to respond to them.