The Reciprocal Nature of Commenting
A comment on yesterday’s image by Joe Ob raises an issue, I wonder what others think about it.
OK, this needs to be said, and please don’t take it as being bitter, but you’re getting 35 comments because you are making comments on evry other blog. It is like a game of tig. I had a go the other day and close up every person’s blog I made a coment on, they made one back. All sorts of ‘great shot’ stuff. Us bloggers, me included, need to focus on quality, otherwise what is the point? I understand that we all want a little recognition but come on, more time on decent shots, less on congratulating each other. Am I wrong here?
My response is as follows:
Joe - thank you for commenting twice on my blog today. You are of course correct that blog commenting is in some way reciprocal and that the number of comments reflects in some high measure the degree of one’s activity in commenting elsewhere. Indeed, this is so self apparent that I am not sure what point you are seeking to make by mentioning it. Nor do I understand how this relates to the quality of my images.
It is true that my four images this week have more than 30 comments, though last week I had around what I normally get each day which is somewhere in the 20s without any change in routine.
Clearly you are unaware of my personal circumstances and why I do a lot of commenting and I feel no need to explain that. You are welcome to continue commenting on my blog or otherwise.
It is self evident that there is some correlation between level of commenting and level of comments received. I have discussed many times with some of you the whole nature of commenting, what value they have and how useful they could be. Some of the discussion has been in comments and some in the articles listed below:
- The Critiquing Process
- Photo Critiques
- Learning from Photoblogging
- Why do we Photoblog?
- Photoblog Quality and Themes
What is your take on the issue of reciprocal commenting
- Do you feel compelled to reciprocate?
- Is there a problem caused by people who do a lot of commenting?
- How does commenting impact quality?
As ever, I seek your honest views.
October 7th, 2005 at 6:25 am
Your article “The Commenting Process” really made me reconsider what the hell I’m doing with any of this - why I have three accounts, why I make comments on others and what kind of (good) comments I make. I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I am going to ween myself off one blog and stop doing it completely and go back to the old way. I don’t mind not getting comments. In fact, this whole thing started so I could share my life with every other family member that lives in another state.
I think there is a lot of really good work out there, really good stuff and I have those blogs in my RSS feeder, BUT I cannot comment on all of it.
Then there are comments like this, or worse, the one I saw on another site tonight that really pissed me off - it was totally rude and very mean. Very mean.
It just brings me back to my hedonistic life style that I vowed to take for my 2005 New Year’s resolution. Photography is my passion (for now). Sharing it with my family and friends is important. Leaving a comment on every single photoblog I visit is not.
Thank you for providing this forumn to work through my feelings - you must be a great psychiatrist underneath it all!
October 7th, 2005 at 9:58 am
In my view, if people want to comment on blogs, they can, but they shouldn’t feel pressurised to do it simply because they’ve had a comment from another blogger.
I initially went on a “networking spree” to get my site known a bit, as I wasn’t getting many hits (about 4 a day), and it worked. From that networking I have helped myself by gathering a set of blogs that I enjoy looking through every day. I comment on them if I feel the picture is worth commenting on, in most cases. I cannot comment on all of them, it would take me all night. I am not bothered if I get comments or not but, of course, it is always nice to get them!
I don’t see reciprocal commenting as a problem, if that’s what people want to do. I admit, that if someone new came to my blog I would almost certainly visit theirs and probably comment, even if it was just to say I’d been. If the photos were good it would probably get added to my RSS feed and, subsequently, I’d comment if I felt it necessary.
In my opinion, Joe’s comment about focussing on quality misses the point that blogging is a community, not just a forum for ciritical analysis. Dropping by and saying the photoblog equivalent of “hi” is not always a bad thing. I expect if one gets a lot of comments, one will learn which are most useful for improving technique (if that is what is wanted).
October 7th, 2005 at 11:22 am
Curly Toes comments regarding this being a community is exactly right. But if I may infer, Joe may be saying that this community is perhaps more than jsut a little incestuous. It is important to network and build communities but do be a bit more nomadic about it. Expand your horizons. And with that I invite you to visit my blog, http://richarabs.blogspot.com/ - You may even need a new camera and this would be the place to go for your current philanthropic needs!
October 7th, 2005 at 12:08 pm
Excatly what was said above, blogging is a community. We have gotten to know each other through our reciprocal comments. We also have provided encouragement to each other and just said hey, I stopped by to see something that you took the time to share, thank you for that. If we don’t know if others are stopping by our blog then we may think that no one sees it and just not do it and then we would see the end of the blog world as we know it. This guy obviously is just jealous of your comments!
You are well liked in the blog world because you take some really great pictures, you take the time to write a blog like this and you are kind enough to leave feedback and encouragement on a regular basis… a true blog friend!
It’s not all about the quality, it’s about community!
October 7th, 2005 at 4:18 pm
I don’t feel compelled to reciprocate, but I usually do out of courtesy and curiosity. If I find something of interest or value I do a return visit. The value doesn’t have to be great images for me to do a return visit. It can be a site that provides a view of someplace or something new or familiar to me. It can of course be wonderfully crafted photographs. And it could be something as simple as the blogger asking questions or making interesting comments, so I develop a relationship with them. I would estimate that of the blogs I leave comments on that at least half rarely or seldom leave a comment on my site. I don’t in anyway consider this a problem.
I can’t envision or imagine a problem created for the blogging community by people who do significant commenting. I can guess that it could cause problems for the person making all the comments because of all the time required, but only he or she can determine this.
I don’t think that in general commenting has a major impact on quality. I know that it can lead to improvements and sometimes it leads to temporary quality problems. The later happens when somebody takes a criticism or suggestion to heart and they go away from what makes them comfortable, happy or unique.
October 7th, 2005 at 4:41 pm
This is an interesting issue, with the explosion of blogging. I don’t think fellow bloggers should feel compelled to return the favour just for the sake of doing so. However, if someone took the time to leave you a comment, you should extend the courtesy by checking out some of their photos and if you find one you like, leave a comment. If you don’t find any worth commenting, send an email to say thanks.
I’ve been using photoblogs.org to find blogs to check out. When I find ones with photos that catch my attention one way or another, I leave a comment, in the hopes that they will at least visit my site in return. I should clarify that not all my comments are critiques of the photo quality. Sometimes I will comment on the story and/or the subject. Although I don’t comment on every photo I see, I don’t see any reason why others shouldn’t, as long as they are not being dishonest just to get exposure for their site.
October 7th, 2005 at 6:03 pm
This is an issue that I see come up every few months. Most of the points of blogging and community have already be said here, so I won’t repeat them.
For me, I visit every persons blog that leaves a comment plus 70+ more every day through RSS feeds. I do like to leave comments on good pictures, or discuss any topic they bring up in a post. When I comment, I don’t require a return comment. In fact, the majority of places I comment probably never visit my site. It’s not a big deal for me.
For me, its more about community and building friendships with people who share a love and passion for photography. I get inspiration and ideas from all the places I visit through their pictures and words. The least I can do is drop a line to say “hello”.
Dave
October 7th, 2005 at 8:00 pm
Well, pretty much everything has been said before.
I gather two things.
1) # of comments one gets is not an indication of how good a photographer you are.
2) To me, personally, I have established cordial friendships based on blog comments and I ask for critique in private emails. Blogging is a way to network for me that introduces new people to me.
3) More than 90% of people who visit my blog don’t leave a comment, that does not bother me. It used to bother me a bit, but I guess I have grown up beyond that. The only reason why my photos are shown in my gallery and blog are I need people to see them - and I am glad they do.
October 7th, 2005 at 9:19 pm
I find it fascinating how the whole commenting process does a kind of natural self-selection, grouping people with very specific, similar interests, and I think, similar values. For example, I tend to like nature shots of different geographic regions (as opposed to sports photography, or rock-concert shots, etc.) and I suppose the people who visit my blog tend to like the same thing. As for values, our particular “group” (loosely speaking) seems to have a fairly high value on courtesy and community, as well as on exploring the art of photographic composition.
Originally I was interested in other people’s blogs mainly because of the subjects they shot. As we left comments on one another’s techniques, the photos as art, regardless of subject, assumed equal importance. Then as the sense of community developed, the photographers themselves — their daily lives, their thoughts on things other than photography — has become of equal importance to me. (In fact, I would DEARLY love to see a series of “A Day in the Life of…” photographs from the people I have come to know through photoblogging.) I wonder what the next phase in the birth of this community will be.
In any case, I pay reciprocal visits/comments to
a) discover new photoblogs that deal with subjects that interest me
b) get new ideas for photographic techniques and subjects (I’m really, really tired of taking pictures of flowers — Bring on the snow!)
c) promote a dialogue with people discussing things of mutual interest
I think we all agonize over not having enough time to reciprocate every comment. There are so many great blogs and great people out there to get to know. Sigh.
October 8th, 2005 at 12:22 am
I always go and look at the blogs of people who comment - assuming they have one and leave a link - but I don’t always comment on their photos. Heck, I don’t always comment on the photos of the blogs I view regularly and have in my RSS feedreader!
I do, however, try and respond personally to any comments I get on my blog. If only to say thankyou.
I have no problem with people doing lots of commenting. I do have a problem with people commenting to attract attention - which we all know happens.
Do comments impact quality? I hope not. I hope I’m doing that.
October 8th, 2005 at 4:00 am
Of course one way to get more comments to boost a failing ego or perhaps just a poor site would be to make a number of similar provocative statements on a variety of sites to see if people were compelled to rush and see the site that is in pursuit of pictorial quality rather than clocking up ‘nice pic’ comments.
Quantity of comments does not reflect quality of blog, those who comment meaningfully across a large number of sites are far more likely to get more comments back, a ‘no brainer’ as they say in the country that is currently my home. However, it does not seem strange to me that the sites that stand out as really interesting, meaningfull, genuine and well intentioned seem to get the most comments.
As mentioned above the grouping of blog communities is about taste and personal interest, there are few commenters that stray into other camps. What is very encouraging about these bloggers is that I have recieved messages back from people on who’s site I have commented even though I have no blog of my own, what did they have to gain? It adds weight to my experience that 95% of people the world over are really decent polite folk who understand courtesy and give generously and naturaly. Or am I being nice just to get some more comments back? Do I really believe all that I have just said or am I just trying to elicit a response? Such is the mystique and intrigue of conversation without being face to face.
October 8th, 2005 at 4:44 am
I started my photoblog a month ago. I started visiting other people’s blogs and making comments when something about the image struck me. I have to say that I do look at the number of visits I get cause my reason for starting the blog was to share my passion for photography with others who share the same. I read the comments and answer any questions that may come up. If a visitor is new to my site and leaves a message, I do go check their site. I do leave a message if I like something. If they specifically state they are looking for critique then I’ll give some constructive critisism where warranted.
I don’t leave messages for the sake of filling up their comment box. I don’t expect my visitors to leave messages all the time. If they feel like it, it’s available to them. To this point, I have not received any nasty comments but it is a feature I will think about taking out if such a thing happens. Photoblogging is something I enjoy doing and wouldn’t want some fool’s comments like “Joe Ob” ruining it for me.
October 8th, 2005 at 10:31 am
Thank you for all your comments and support.
Jamie - glad that you are evaluating for yourself why you are doing this and what it means for you.
I would like to clarify that there is no expectation from me that people reciprocate my comments - indeed many frequently do not and a few have never commented on my images. I do tend to reciprocate my self and it is my view that a lot of commenting activity will tend in general to lead to a higher volume of returned comments.
I am often amazed as to which images illicit the highest response - either in umbers of comments or, more frequently, in the quality - in terms of the impact either positive or negative.
My recent series on Stowe had a couple of images one of which was really liked and I thought it average and one which was slated (as close as we ever get to doing that to each other). Also last week the image of dancing reflections receved a high number of comments and seems to be popular though the tone of the comments was more - ‘OK’ than ‘Fabulaous’.
This week, I received a lot of comments on the sepia series, though yesterday’s was significantly lower - perhaps people are getting bored with it now as it could be getting samey.
October 8th, 2005 at 4:03 pm
Hi Ian,
I read this post when you first wrote it. Only Jamie had commented at that time. I started several comments, then deleted them - because my comments were all a bit defensive against poor Joe. I’ve had people leave a controversial comment and fellow commenters “got all up in their biz’ness” for leaving it, and I didn’t want to be that girl. lol! Okay, a cooler head is now prevailing…
I am glad that, in your response, you questioned the point of the comment. It really seemed like a random statement thrown awkwardly into a conversation. But look at all the great introspection that have come from that one perspective.
I feel the whole allure of blogging is that interactive spirit. Anyone could create a basic website and post pictures. The fun of the blog or photoblog is that you get to connect with people. And, at our core, people crave community and seek out interaction. That’s not ego, it’s human nature.
Besides all of us are smart enough to read between the lines on the comments we get. When someone thinks something is great, they pretty much say so. If an image evokes a feeling, memory, idea - then you learn a bit about (a) how your image sparked someone’s mind and imagination, (b) a tiny glimpse on how that person sees and describes their world, and (c) whether that then brings about more discussion/ consideration/ confirmation/ joy/ depression, etc. Inherently, we use each other and each other’s words, reactions and/or silence to sharpen our own insights, wits, and skills (photographic and social).
This was a very fun entry to follow over the last couple of days. I’ve appreciated the comments above, because everyone has just a slightly different twist on it.
October 8th, 2005 at 4:43 pm
As I said in a comment on Joe’s blog today, I was neither upset with his comment, nor do I have any other problem with it. I was and am confused as to the point of the statement which is so obviously true.
I was concerned that perhaps it was possible that there is a genuine problem with the level of my own commenting. Actually I am doing less of late!
The real driver of traffic to my site is obvious to me looking at the logfiles - I will say what it is sometime - it is absolutely not the level of commenting I do!
It is my view that Joe was deliberately being a little provocative to create some discussion and some traffic to his site. No problem with provocation so long as it is civil and not abusve.
October 10th, 2005 at 8:59 pm
I wonder if some of this reciprocal nature of commenting is due to the idea that the commenting is a kind of slow-motion conversation. Albeit a conversation between strangers sometimes, casuall acquaintances at other times, and good friends at other times again.
I’m not really sure how valid this idea is, but it popped into my head as I was reading these comments, and thought I’d throw it in the fray.
October 11th, 2005 at 2:13 pm
Pat - I think you are right on this one - I have dialogued with several of my ‘regulars’ over a period of time. This has been in replies on my blog, comments on theirs and through emails in some cases.
I really do enjoy the social/community nature of this thing called blogging - that was a totally unexpected aspect for me.