On a whim I looked at the analytics and the statistics are amazing. Ego-boosting for the most part but a tad puzzling. The number of comments certainly didn’t match the data. Now that am looking at huge amounts of data and stats is what I do for a living, I couldn’t help but pore over them and arrive at my conclusions!
What struck me odd was that folks were just lurking around and not commenting!? And these are not your average hoppers, these are returning visitors! Ok, don’t look at me all paranoid, am not exactly keeping tabs, but the data is just too damning!
I suppose it ultimately boils down to the kind of personality you are. Exuberant, quiet, lazy, respectful, careless, snotty, or just not much of a talker.
I can only talk for myself when I say that it’s hard for me to not throw my 2 cents in when I have some knowledge of the post. The only times when I leave a blog-hop with no trace is
1. When am a little clueless on what the talk is about – politics really leaves me quite dumb.
2. When I have nothing nice to say – I don’t agree with the author and I have no illusions of trying to reform or argue on the point.
3. When I can’t relate to it – to a lesser degree, I always find something to say! [I know, am such a gab!]
So after analysing and wondering [yes, yes, am at work, but taking a break] it comes down to the question – Is your blog/online personality very different than your real self. For me it’s way too much trouble to keep the two apart, but I have tried it before and it works just fine. Understand completely who’d want it that way as well. What I don’t get is the commenting part – is that a reflection of yourself, or is it trained? Actually, let me re-phrase that and say – What I don’t get is the non-commenting part?!
So when you visit and read, and spend a fairly large amount of time flipping pages, don’t you feel like saying ‘hey, I was around and this is crap./great/whatever/?’ OK, if am beginning to sound desperate and attention-seeking, I confess I am. ;-))
I’m quite the chattering one and I’d love to strike up a conversation – isn’t that what the whole idea of a public blog with comments enabled in the 1st place?
So I ask you, the reader the ultimate question 🙂
LOL ! Now that you are asking, its just sheer laziness, atleast for me 😀
The main reason for few comments is blogger’s sucky interface. Just put a damn text box right beside a post and remember my credentials and be done with it. All that fight to get a new pop up window, type in credentials, verify words just to say “good one” is pointless.
You’ll probably get more ppl commenting if you had a conspicious shoutbox on your main page.
Guilty as charged 🙂
nope…it wouldn’t kill me!
and u know i always say hello!
Thats a grave offense you are accusing your readers off. Maybe it will discourage them from reading your blog also;)
…and you still didnt get a commetn after posting this???!!!
😀
Regular follower. Big fan.
(Psst..I confess…am very attention seeking me-self. Get very very excited about comments)
Hehehe 🙂 – I read *all* your posts. I am just too lazy to comment :-D!
BTW, while we are at it, could you please change your blog settings to allow full feed to appear in RSS readers? Then I wouldn’t need to perform the demanding task of clicking yet another link to read the full post :-D!
rads, hon, some people blog surf (a lot) at work but are unable to comment because of firewall or whatever it’s called. It’s rather frustrating to NOT be able to comment on blogger posts. And you know how difficult it is to get the mood back once it’s gone.
lol, thanks so much fellas! Each of your points are duly noted and necessary changes will be made. It’s all about customer satisfaction ;-))
That was a freak spontaneous post, but you guys understand I had to ask?! 😀
lol… sometimes i do comment. if i can relate to it.. or dont understand some aspect of it.. though more often than not i just read and then move on..
dont understand HOW u can seperate the two(the online personality vs real u thingy)!!! inevitably some aspect of u(good/bad;) comes through ur writing..
hi i am a regular reader fof urs ,but lazy,no reluctant to comment..u write good stuff and I am too shy to say what I feel :)…that’s me….anyway will comment here afterwards 🙂
🙂
now you’ve hit the nail right on its head, rads dahling!!
Rads, this post seems to be doin the trick 🙂
Here is my comment, if it’s of any consolation. 😉
Apart from the reasons that you have mentioned as to why you don’t comment, laziness is another major factor. 😀
the traffic analysis from my stats monitor was a little confusing. There was a steady number of visitors *everyday*, even if there were no updates on my blog for sometime!… and it took me some some time to deduce that you guys were using some feed reader… 🙂
and it feels good to know that some people *feed* on my blog 😀
Kid – Enlightened! 🙂
Leo – Of course it’s a consolation. Every one of you count 😉
Upsi – Don’t we all? 😀
Loga – It’s folks like you that I wanted to rustle a bit. Thanks so much, and really, it’s just a blog, no big deal. Just comment away! :))
Baliga – 2 personalities – well, both belong to you, one you are being PC, the other is your *wild* side 😉
Archana – done. 🙂
Terri – You do have a point. I was being a child 🙂
OK – that’s a risk am willing to take, and it worked – at least partly! :p
Orchid – dearie, I was talking to the *the others* 😉 (Shyamalan style)
Tdna – am glad u admit :p
Dufus – am not hugely techy to go add on widgets and the like, but there’s a thought alright. 🙂
So ultimately looks like laziness is the huge factor. I think I can live with that :))
I do not comment for the following reasons:
1. I have an eye condition “Ignoresightedness” to see the comments link at the end of the post.
2. I am absent minded and forget about it totally.
3. When I read the post, I am usually busy with taking my snail out for a walk. Hence, I do not get any time.
4. There are times when I polish my rock collection and so both of my hands are occupied to comment.
5. Your posts do not have any pretty pictures
or you can just say I am just lazy.
🙂
Pilgrim – That was so unline you! 🙂
Let’s chalk it to laziness, we’ll choose one if there’s an excuse marathon on!
hm..I do that too many times. For example I like to know what is going on in the life of a young momma or an NRI’s life but I may not always have something to value add – So I some, I read, I leave . Particularly when I have a comfortable relationship with a blogger and dont need to mark my attendance every time I visit their blog.:-)
Present miss!
i blog from work- so this is liek forbidden fruit- cannot over stay
am slow at typing
i do my posts on lotus u know and thwn copy paste
Hahaha! Mostly, it’s the fact that I read most of my favourite the blog posts on RSS and by the time I get some time to comment, I have forgotten what I want to comment and find that I have something else to do.
Anyway, thought I’d drop in and say a Hi since I’ve been a goner for a while! 🙂
oh yayy! You’ve emerged! 🙂
Are you gonna stay visible or this is just a breather moment? ;-p
Oh I sure as hell hope to stay! 🙂 Been handling folks + Lana who’s my new roomie since she’s out of the navy and is going to school here.
Let’s just say that my life has suddenly gotten a lot more, umm, interesting.
my online personality- lazy…
seriously though, I usually spend about 15 min around lunch time at work to visit my fav blogs and read up the news and commenting would eat into this time or so I thought:(
Now that I am enlightened, I will make sure I comment, I dont want my favorite bloggers to be annoyed you see…
a little about myself, am a working indian mom of a 3 year old in NJ . I am from Bangalore.
anon/P
awesome, and no am not annoyed at all! Just so you know too, its not a pre-requisite to comment to read my blog. 🙂
I was quite bored at work that day and on a whim wrote this. But yes, am a people person, doesn’t mean I can’t be friends or tolerate ones who are not. Nice knowing you read me. I have a 3 yr old tooo! 🙂
A year later, your readers like me are still too lazy to comment 😛
all your reasons for non-commenting are the exact reasons I don’t comment, not here, but in general.
and of course, I have just barely scratched the surface on your blog. 🙂 will read more and comment more..
cheers!