There has been an ongoing discussion as to whether or not blogs should always have comments enabled to allow its readers to be part of the conversation. I myself firmly believe that each blog post should be thought of as a starting point of, or a response to, a conversation.
Some deal with this issue from an ideological perspective in that they disable comments because they feel that people will behave differently when commenting than they would if they wrote from their own Web sites. Jeremy Keith recently said:
“Choose a random video on YouTube or a random story on Digg, read each and every comment and then tell me that the comments contribute to any kind of community discussion. They are shining examples of antisocial networking.” — Reflection
I feel this is a blanket statement, which has some validity, but I do not believe that YouTube or Digg comments are completely “examples of antisocial networking”.
Sure. Many comments found on Digg threads are a bunch of teenaged boys (the proof is in the statistics) yelling back and forth about whether or not that specific article is digg worthy – but I believe those threads are there exactly for that reason. Should the commentary on Digg be about the article itself? Or should that conversation be reserved for the article’s origin? I believe it is up to the community to decide and it seems like they have.
Not that Jeremy’s point isn’t a valid one. Someone leaving a comment on my blog may indeed be a little looser with their speech than they would if they were responding, like I am right now, from their own Web sites. And if the author of the site is not willing to weed through the comments – then perhaps it is best to disable the comments for that very reason.
But I believe there is a completely different angle to consider.
One of the benefits I see coming from disabling comments is the number of links you end up getting back to your site. It is always nice when someone writes a blog post in response to something you said or wrote and have them link to your site or post as a way to direct people to the rest of the conversation. I’ve been fortunate to have a fair amount of people doing that very thing with some of my posts here on my personal site – and everytime I enjoy it when they do. I wonder, if I disabled comments, would the number of “linkbacks” increase because I was no longer providing a way for the conversation to continue on this site?
In the spring of 2004 I published a poorly written post entitled: “Disabling Comments, The Pros” wherein I spoke about a few sites that were good examples of this “theory” at work. Some of the most popular personal weblogs to date have been those who rarely, if at all, enable comments on their posts. I don’t believe this to be “the formula for creating a popular personal blog” but I believe it may help in some cases.
I leave comments enabled because I suppose I’m not as strict as Jeremy. I don’t care if my readers (all 11 of you) comment in a little different form than they would if they had written an entire response on their sites. So I guess I’m willing to moderate, though I very rarely do, in order to keep the conversation somewhat centralized.
What do you think? Have you ever considered turning off comments? Why? You may answer in the comment form below. 
The thought of closing comments (on my own sites) has never crossed my mind. I spend the latter parts of my articles begging for some participation from readers in hopes that it’s proof someone really is reading.
Comparing blog comments to Digg/YouTube comments is almost apples to oranges. While they’re both in the same nature, you’re much more likely to find worth-while comments on a site that isn’t gamed to death by thousands upon thousands of pre-teens.
On the other side of things, there are certain authors who write in a way where comments really aren’t applicable. They write to get their word out, and if people would like to read, they can. These authors aren’t looking for interaction, so disabling comments is completely acceptable to me. I think it’s got a lot to do with how you’d like to run your site.
Jon: You’ve nailed it in your last paragraph. I agree with you completely. Many authors simply don’t want comments – and I think that’s great.
I would not fight against someone that doesn’t want comments on their blog, and I wouldn’t suggest for someone to turn them off. I feel it is completely up to the author.
The reasons might be many but all of them are good enough for me. If you don’t want comments on your blog, turn them off.
I’m not so sure I agree with your thesis on the benefit of no comments. Guys like Zeldman and Kottke were popular and well read before blogs were really even in existence. I can remember being on a mailing list with Zeldman back in 1998 or so. Some blogs may outgrow comments in that they get so popular that managing the comments becomes a full time job by itself. However, very few of us will ever consistently write stuff that will motivate a lot of people to link back to it. People that are that good probably would have been well read regardless. I think the vast majority of us need comments.
I consider the comments at my site, and at a few other places where I comment frequently, and little self contained social networks. It’s the best part of the web for me.
Chris (COD): I think you are agreeing with me without actually agreeing with me. I also said: “I don’t believe this to be “the formula for creating a popular personal blog†but I believe it may help in some cases.”
I agree that some people are popular regardless of their opinion and use of this issue, I believe it can definitely help with traffic and the overall popularity of a blog. There is something voyeuristic about a community you can’t necessarily “be a part of” which lends its allure in some cases.
I don’t think Zeldman is a great example in this instance because he is popular for very different reasons – but your point remains valid nonetheless.
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I suppose my main point is that disabling comments can have benefits that are farther reaching then simply blocking access to conversation from would-be spammers and “teenagers” that don’t necessarily add value to a conversation. I think getting a ton of linkbacks is a benefit too, if perhaps a completely indirect and unintentional one for some.
The comments I write in response to your post are meant to give a shout out with a quick opinion on your post whereas a post I’d put on my website would really have to be something I strongly had interest in reflecting upon.
For example, this entry I am interested in replying to and giving my thoughts but I don’t personally feel this issue is one I’d like to put on my blog for my readers to read. You could argue that I’m wrong and that my readers may enjoy reading my commentary but it’s not something I wish to share often times.
Having comments enabled allows for this middle-commentary to go on. Also, you’re comparing leaving comments to posting on ones blog. What about those that don’t have a blog or forum to reflect and link back to you? Comments give those people a voice and I think it’s great.
I’ve been debating setting up my blog to allow for some posts with comments and some not. I’ve seen several bloggers who choose on a per-entry basis whether or not they would like commentary and I think that’s a good way to go. Sometimes people write in a one-directional manner and sometimes the entry is just asking for responses – like this one.
Zach: Great point – sometimes I have posts that get no comments at all and it probably isn’t because no one read it, or no one was interested in it, it is due to the style of the writing. Perhaps is something is completely factual and declarative it’d be actually good to turn off comments because it further emphasizes its, as you put it, “one-directional manner”. Well said.
But…
What if you don’t *want* to start a conversation?
Like they did back in the good ol’ days of books and newspapers?