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Hey Doc — how about allowing comments?
I know I’ve been kind of a one-shtick pony on the whole blogs and comment meme, but when I spot an opportunity to flog a dead horse I just can’t pass it up. In this case, it’s the recent post by Doc Searls in which he laments the fact that he is a “gatekeeper” in the new media universe. Why would he think that? Because Seth Finkelstein, a Web 2.0 sociologist of sorts, told him so.
Doc says he doesn’t want to be a mean old gatekeeper, since he got pushed around a lot when he was younger, and so he says that he’s happy to help subvert whatever “A-lister” hierarchy has grown up in the blogosphere:
It pains me to think I’m being cruel without knowing it to a blogger who’s trying just as hard as I am — or maybe harder — to make sense of things. So, if that’s what I did with that post, my apologies to Tristan, Scott, Seth and anybody else who took offense. I’ll just add that, if ya’ll want to subvert some hierarchies, including the one you see me in now, I’d like to help.
Here’s a suggestion, Doc: How about allowing comments on your blog? Yes, it’s a pain in the ass, and yes there are going to be a lot that piss you off or get in your face. That’s part of opening yourself up — and I would submit that not having them is one of the signs that you think of yourself as an A-list gatekeeper who is above the sturm und drang of the hoi polloi (to mangle metaphors in two different languages). Even Dave Winer has decided to open his blogging up to comments, although in typical Winer-esque fashion he’s only doing it in a limited way and is grumbling about it the whole time.
Adam Green of Darwinian Web has a nice thought too, Doc: Let at least one new blogger through the gate every day. I would second that — but I also think having public comments (rather than the forums you have to sign up for that you currently have) would send a message of inclusiveness as well. Obviously, you don’t have to do this. As I tried to point out before, I’m not saying everyone has to have comments — but I do think it makes a difference. Maybe you’re like Russell Beattie and you don’t care. But given your recent post, I have a hunch that you do.
P.S. Shelley over at Burningbird has some thoughts too, about how the A-listers could do a bit more to walk the walk instead of just talking the talk. As she puts it:
I have no respect for the linking/attention games played and those who play them, and neither should you. When you see this bullshit, call it bullshit. This will do more to ‘tear down the gates’ then begging an A lister, even a nice one like Doc, for a link.
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Adam Green doesn't "allow" comments, and Doc Searls has a discussion group behind his blog, it's fairly active.
You could do some homework before you go ranting.
And how have I only allowed comments in "limited" way and why is this "Winer-esque?"
You're pretty nasty. It's easier to see when you go after someone else, like Doc.
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I apologize if my comments rubbed you the wrong way -- they were really intended more as good-natured ribbing, not to be nasty. As for using the term "Winer-esque," I did that because I think you are a fairly well-known curmudgeon, particularly when it comes to things like comments, so I saw your move to open them up as grudging. That's all I meant (the "limited" part came from the fact that visitors can't comment on individual posts, only the entire day's worth).
As for Doc, I wasn't "going after" him. I just wanted to point out that if he wants to come across as someone who isn't aloof and unreachable, allowing comments might help. I don't think a forum where you have to register accomplishes the same thing. Just my opinion. I'm not saying I think he's a bad guy -- far from it.
Mathew
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As for linking to at least one new blogger a day, I'll put my record at doing exactly that (or damn close) up against anybody's. I've always gone out of my way to look for and link to people I don't remember having seen before, especially if they have something interesting and worthwhile to say.
Or to bloggers like Mary Lu Wehmeier, who has been off the 'sphere for years and just came back again. Pointed to her this morning.
If hierarchies are what you expect to see everywhere, you'll find plenty in the blogosphere. But you won't find a 'sphere anywhere with more, or better, ways to work around them, or to build a power curve of your own. This isn't utopian, as Seth Finkelstein says. It's the nature of the space. That's all I've been trying to say. It seems so obvious to me; yet damn few seem to agree.
So... whatever. I've said my piece. Until, of course, I say it again.
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Now that Dave has chewed me out on your behalf, I feel like maybe I made things more antagonistic than I originally intended, and for that I apologize. You are quite right that Blogger blogs are a pain to comment on, and I should have made it clear that you allow comments in a discussion forum (although I had a hard time finding it).
For the record, I also think that your blog does a great job of highlighting links to more than just the usual gang, and you should be congratulated for that. And I think we agree that while there are "gatekeepers" in the blogosphere, there are also a lot more ways to get around them than there are in old media. And I think comments can go a long way toward helping achieve a flatter hierarchy.
Anyway, I apologize if I gave offence. I was just throwing my two cents in, and spotted an opportunity to harp on my favourite topic of comments and commenting. For what it's worth, I think you are one of the good guys :-)
Mathew
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Sorry, 'thew, it had to be said. I roll my eyes because I love :-)
– Stuart
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