Why blog? Why comment?
Mar 14th, 2008 by Cathy Nelson
Someone asked me today why blog? Will Richardson has summarized it well here
and here. He also shows exactly why blogging is a great tool. It’s not about the expertise of the writer. It’s about the expertise of all the writers who come, read, and respond with a comment. It’s FABULOUS conversations that stretch my mind, challenge my thinking, and get me to rethink the way I approach topics. That is why I blog. Wil Richardson’s blog seems to embody what it is all about. That is what motivates me to read and comment–to extend the conversation and my own learning.
So, if you are a blogger, please make sure your comments feed is available too. I read 90% from the reader, and so I can follow these invaluable conversation in my reader if there is a comments feed available. If your blog is in my reader with a comments feed, you are more than likely in my favorites or experts folder. Congratulations. The rest of you, get with the conversation! Add a comments feed.
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Image: ‘conversations_silhouettes_id228513_size450‘
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I agree Cathy it’s the comments and the conversation that stretch and challenge my mind, and I’ve added comment feed to my site after you mentioned it in a previous conversation. However I subscribe to a large number of blogs and unfortunately there is no way I could cope with all the posts plus comments. I prefer to rely on the blogger taking the time to highlight the good comments and track the comments conversations I have using co.mment
We’ve just started blogging with our 10 year olds at school and they love it! Such motivation and enthusiasm for sharing ideas has been wonderful as their learning experiences become meaningful and very real in the world, rather than limited to the classroom. They are currently training some teachers in our school who are new to blogging.
Great post about blogging. When we take the time to write a comment it keeps the conversation going. The interaction allows us to become both producers and consumers of knowledge. Great post..
Comments to a blogger’s posts are wonderful. It lets us know that we really do have readers and they share their thoughts with us providing a two way street…getting conversations going. Now if my readers would just start commenting on the BLOG instead of (or in addition to) directly emailing or talking to me face to face, I’d be even happier!
Heather you just don’t know how many people do the same to me–email or worse, wait until they see me in person once a year (like at conference time) to say how much they enjoy reading my blog.
I too have a problem with my teachers emailing me their comments to the blog instead of posting. We are new to this process and as I read over what Will Richardson wrote I know that by starting to blog and demonstrate the power of this tool I will build my credibility among the teachers I work with.
I must say that I only read the comments when the original post intrigues me. It is the comment portion of blogs that scares the educators I work with from blogging. How do you keep the kids protected as they put their work out there?
Mrs. Young, many blogs, even Edublogs can be set up so they are the ‘walled-garden” variety, meaning one must have a login/password to read or even comment, but most are just “moderated” meaning the author has to approve them before they go on the site. I had to approve all the comments here. If a comment is submitted that is questionable, then I have the liberty to delete it instead of publish it, so I don’t have to worry about less than respectable things getting published. That is the beauty of blogging, and I can be assured nothing is posted that i won’t be aware of. (My problem is I don’t always proofread, and so FREQUENTLY have typos –oouuccchhh! That looks so bad! But I am guilty as charged.