Sunday, May 22, 2005

Comments, anyone?

Lesley had an unsettling experience. She commented on a blog and then people blasted her for what she said. Actually, they just told the blogger to ignore her.

And I guess my question is, what are a commenter's rights and responsibilities? Can we comment on any blog no matter what? Do we have a responsibility to be respectful of each other when we comment? I would hope so.

I suggested to Lesley that maybe "blogs" where readers blast each other like that are not "blogs" so much as journals. Blogs, to me, should allow for and welcome discussion. There should be a level of respect so that even if we disagree, we can talk to each other about the topic.

If we stifle discussion on blogs by blasting comments, I think we've lost one of the greatest benefits of blogs -- the ability to communicate with people we would never otherwise meet and to share ideas with them. We may not always agree, but the discussion is what matters.

1 comment:

Lesley said...

Nancy, another question this whole blasting experience raised in my mind is why do people write so immediately and publicly about such personal events in their lives? Another person comments on the blog in question that she blogged about a similar experience and then basked in the uncritical sympathy she then received in comments. She admits that now she's just as guilty of rubbernecking the present blogger's misfortune as others were in regard to her's. It's a complicated ol' blogosphere out there.