I was just reading a friend's blog, in which she was ruminating over a problem she had been having with an anonymous commenter. It got me thinking about the purpose of leaving comments at all.
Personally, I only invest time in blogs of those I consider friends. Some are more internet friends than others, but I still feel we have something in common, if only a mutual appreciation for similar things. If I'm investing time in a friend, I can surely invest a bit of extra time by leaving a comment now and then. And I know how much it encourages me when I receive comments, and why wouldn't I want to pass that on?
I think what bothers me about anonymous comments, aside from (perhaps alongside of?) the "stalker" aspect, is that to me the purpose of commenting is an entering into someone else's life. It says "I like your writing," or "I take you seriously," or "thanks for the challenging viewpoint," or "I appreciate you," or some combination of those things. If you comment anonymously, you disallow what tenuous sort of community the internet provides. It's cheap and it's cowardly--the opposite of friendly.
(I know that Brittany can ferret out all her anonymous commenters, so I know some people leave comments on her blog that are only "anonymous" to the other readers. But most of us don't have any idea how she works that magic.)
Anyway, it's one thing to leave a comment on a stranger's blog, but it's another thing not to leave any sort of name with it. It's kind of like honking at a woman who's out walking. And you know how I feel about that.
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7 comments:
Suzanne how can someone read a post like this and then not comment? But also though I'm fairly certain that you can ferret out who I am even though I'm not putting my name.
Also I would honk at you if I ever saw you walking down the street.
If you don't know who I am then this comment is not funny and I will delete it and write a new comment and sign my name in CAPITAL LETTERS. Are you angry that I didn't really address any of the content of your actual post?
I hate anonymous commenters? So we are in agreement?
I can't ACTUALLY tell who anonymous commenters are.
What I CAN do is view the IP address where the comment comes from (thanks to my blog software) and then, by matching it with other IP addresses of known commenters, guess who the commenter is.
I also know of certain stalkers who are too cowardly to leave their names. They each have very distinctive writing styles and are likely to comment only on certain issues. So I can ferret them out too, generally.
I agree. Anonymous commenters are pretty much annoying.
So here i am! I popped over to read your post that came out of response to my own. Good thoughts to build further on the subject of anonymous posts. I'll promise never to do it to you if you promise never to do it to me.
I almost wrote a postscript to this post that said, "P.S. Micah, do not just leave an anonymous comment because you think it would be funny. Same to anybody else who has a similar sense of humor."
But then I didn't write that postscript.
So I kind of expected this.
Also, Brittany, even with all your modest commenting, I'm still certain in my mind that you qualify as a computer genius.
But Suzanne it IS funny.
Right? :(
It's simultaneously funny, semi-irritating, and just on the verge of inappropriate...which is how I knew it was you.
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